When the Homily is about Immunology

Science and the Media

I've long pondered and blogged about the intriguing relationship between these two. Not a single day goes by in which some scientific study is turned into a big news story. Usually it is either related to global warming or health issues. As one who reads through scientific journals and articles almost everyday, I have to laugh at the way journalists read these works and then create a story out of them. Scientific bias aside (yes it exists), journalists can be so stupid. Here's a prime example.

Unfair Treatment Can Harm the Heart

Now anyone with any amount of intelligence will recognize that "unfairness" in and of itself can play no role in heart disease, but rather as the research SEEMS to postulate, it is the SENSE of unfairness. I mean what the heck is "fairness" anyway? In a secular context it is absolutely ambiguous and one person's perception of fairness may vary as much as a person's perception of taste! And yet the story offers us THIS in conclusion:

Fairness is an important factor in promoting a healthier society,

Excuse me while I laugh so hard that I soil myself. Are they serious? Did the scientists really conclude this? Lord, I hope not...it instills very little confidence in modern science, which has in a very real way become our modern mass religion...the opiate of the masses. So much so, that its own integrity is rightly in question.

Other stories about this study abound and offer similar nonsense:

Experts concede that being treated unfairly by society is a stress factor which could adversely affect health. (this one started out okay - noting "sense of fairness")

"I would think that if you are treated unfairly by society then that would be a likely stress factor which could adversely affect your health." (This is an actual quote from one of the professors!)

`Bosses should take heed,'' said Ellen Mason, a cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, one of the study's sponsors. ``Staff who feel unfairly treated at work may develop low self-esteem, which can contribute to stress, depression and anxiety. This can make us much more likely to eat poorly and eat and smoke more, thus increasing our risk of heart disease.'' (Bosses should take note?!?!?)

So you can see where this is headed, right? Sure...LAWSUITS! It also turns into a vicious spiral: "You treat me unfairly at work and I got heart disease....the fact that you gave me heart disease is itself unfair...and my arteries are clogging even more now!!!!"

The world of science and the media is a crazy crazy world. All this info is filtered and distributed by people...people I do not trust to a) know what they are talking about, b) be objective, c) be as smart or discerning as me, d)lack an agenda.

There's a rope tied to the our nose rings folks...time to break free.