May 15, 2020

Health experts.

[Embedded video removed. You can see it here. Explanation in the update below.]

IN THE COMMENTS: Chanie said, "Shouldn't the tag be 'A Michael Moore'?" Ah, yes! It's not the Michael Moore. Tag removed. I'll give you a real celebrity making the same point:

UPDATE: I put up this post because I believed it was from the filmmaker Michael Moore, whom I follow on Twitter. But it was from someone I've never heard of who tweets under the same name. It appeared in my Twitter feed because someone else that I follow had retweeted him. The gist of the tweet, like James Woods's tweet, was that there's something wrong or funny about an unhealthy-looking person serving as a health adviser. But, in fact, an unhealthy person could be a great expert! Health problems might lead a person into the field. And, certainly, anybody at any point in any career could develop a health problem, and it has nothing to do with whether they have expertise. And then there's the problem of simply looking unhealthy, whether you are unhealthy or not. It would be ridiculous, stupid, and unfair to pick your health expert based on whether they look healthy. Image means something in politics, and an expert needs to inspire confidence, but we're trying to ground ourselves in science and rational policy, and it's a mistake to judge expertise by looks and to assume that an unhealthy person lacks expertise.

56 comments:

doctrev said...

I'm not sure what's funnier: Althouse or goddamned Michael Moore dunking on those people.

It's a hell of a sign that yes, the liberal coalition is cracking apart. How could it not? I wish the Democrats joy of the few quislings and neocons that slithered to join their corner. I honestly haven't loved Michael Moore or Matt Taibbi: but I've usually found them entertaining, so there's some mild joy to find them taking shots at the left.

Chanie said...

Shouldn't the tag be "A Michael Moore"?

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

I'm lost. Did you ever see Michael Moore? Not the picture of health. And he's an expert!

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Not that Michael Moore.

narciso said...

https://www.redstate.com/tladuke/2020/05/15/just-the-facts-michigan-covid-19-numbers-for-friday-may-15th/

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Now that is brutal. And probably unfair but given that they’re likely statist creeps, I don’t care.

Sprezzatura said...

Ha! That’s right unfit folks are most susceptible to the rona.

Good thing WI isn’t full of slobs.

JaimeRoberto said...

Surprised to see that from Michael Moore.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Of course, a photo of Michael Moore is unlikely to ever adorn the wall of the local gym.

But then again, even negative experience is experience.

John henry said...

I was wondering about flu deaths the other night and did a bit of digging.

The cdc has an "influenza like illness" tracking network that collects data on "influenza like illness" just heard of it for the first time tuesday so need to look deeper when I get home. I understand, but need to verify, that cdc considers covid an "influenza like ilness" for ILI

What caught my eye was their flu death estimate for 2019-20.it was something like 26m to 55m.but not round numbers, something like 26,593. (going from memory) it struck me odd that they could have such a gigangic range and express both ends so precisely.

I just looked up past data per CDC's ILI network
2018-19 flu season 26,339-52,664
17-18 46-95m (rounding by them)
16-17 29-61m
15-16 17-35m
14-15 44-64m

Shades of Maria death toll!

Such a wide range, consistently, over years tells me that they are basically just guessing. Tacking 3 significant digits on the end in 19-20 and 18-19 tells me they not only have little idea how many deaths happened but that they are lying to us pretending it is science.

The data might be accurate. There actually might have been between 26,339-52,664 deaths in 18-19. But the precison is so loose as to be non-existant.

This is the same agency (cdc) that reports covid deaths. Why should we trust their numbers on covid

When they can't give us any better data than this, why should we trust them on anything?

John Henry

Sebastian said...

Different MM.

But we've learned a lot about "experts."

John henry said...

I have pointed out before that Dr Birx has stated that all data from CDC is untrustworthy. I understood her to mean all data on everything but she might have just meant ChiVi. Context was unclear.

Also that they are overstating kung flu deaths by 25%.

John Henry

Narr said...

I'm no fan of the fat man, but when you're right, you're right.

I was at Sam's before 9am this morning; stood in line briefly and got inside with the first cohort. Plenty of folks still masked, and lots of extra cleaning people, but altogether more relaxed than last month. There were no paper towels, and the only t.p. was institutional double rolls-- and I got some. No individual alcohol swabs, still, and a lot of cleaning supplies we don't get there were skimpy.

Narr
Is there a book thread yet?

John henry said...

Btw: I am a scientist with undergrad and post-grad science degrees.

YOU MAY NOT QUESTION ME. IT IS SCIENCE, DAMMIT!

John Henry

chuck said...

Pennsylvania, Chicago, and Los Angeles?

chuck said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Danno said...

That doesn't appear to be THE Michael Moore, aka, Jabba the Hut, known for eating all of the surplus food in Michigan.

Inga said...

What Michael Moore?

Ann Althouse said...

LOL. It's just some guy named Michael Moore. Should have noticed the absence of a blue check mark.

Ann Althouse said...

Yes, Michael Moore likes to present himself as a health expert and he looks unhealthy.

Ann Althouse said...

He shouldn't make this joke.

Maybe no one should! A person with health problems can be a health expert!

stevew said...

The tide of public acceptance and approval is turning, in an Emperor's New Clothes way.

John henry said...

AS in Oceanography, mostly SCUBA diving

MS in education. Mostly bullshit

But still science so don't anyone dare question me on anything sciency.

John Henry

DavidUW said...

There several numbers to rely on:
1) excess deaths. I think we can count on measuring whether someone is alive or dead. That’s looking like 60k or so at the moment applying a lag factor to the last couple weeks.

2) inadvertent and real time data. Ships, Iceland the towns in Germany and Italy where everyone was tested. Points to a maximum infection rate of between 15-25% and death rate from actual infection of 0.2% plus or minus 0.1% or so

HOWEVER. It’s looking like the virus has been in America since December at least. This indicates it might be less infectious but have a bit higher death rate.

Either way it’s not worth a greater depression.

narciso said...

There was this sort of beach read the flight attendant, main character wakes up in a hotel in dubai, theres some one dead mext to her, she didnt do it but the events point to her. The plot thickens from there

John henry said...

Wow.
Some rinky-dink runs...

What the Hell is the point of moderation if you are going to let stuff like this through.

We, at least I,am willing to put up with moderation if it prevents cunts (in the British sense, of course) posting.

Moderation AND cunts? Worst of both worlds.

John Henry

John henry said...

Oops, I see moderation is now off.

Well, one out of two is a bit better

John Henry

narciso said...

Whose the wraith at the right?

narciso said...

No ben mezrich the guy behind books on vegas gambling and russian oligarchs has a serial mystery hes published in the boston globe.

Matthew Heintz said...

These pics remind me of my elementary school teachers,which is one reason I chose to sit in the back row!

Alison said...

I searched and got these results in more than one place, and Dr. Barbara Ferrer is not a medical doctor. Is that weird to be Director of Public Health for Los Angeles County??

This is the list of her degrees:
Dr. Ferrer received her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from Brandeis University. She obtained her Master of Arts in Public Health degree from Boston University. She received a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and her Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Gordon Scott said...

The flu deaths number? It turns out that it is just a big hairy guess, and always has been. So when someone says wharzlthousand people die every year from the flu, they have no idea what the real number is--because no one has been counting.

Here in Minnesota, 80 percent of the deaths are long term care folks. It's not a huge number overall--683 as of May 15, but that means that about 543 are long term care. Now here is the question no one is telling us about. How many long term care residents die in Minnesota in a typical spring?

It matters a lot. If the number is anywhere near the number of Covid deaths, that means that we shut down the state for 136 people. And some of those would have died.

Gordon Scott said...

Better yet, Alison. "Doctor" Ferrer gets paid over half a million a year.

Doc Fauci has not practiced medicine in decades, if he ever did.

MacMacConnell said...

The head of WHO isn't a doctor. The chic with a dick on the left is a doctor with issues.

rcocean said...

Have you seen J. B. Pritzker's Wikipedia photo? Man, I don't want that guy making my health decisions!

I'm Full of Soup said...

Only one of the three is a medical doctor and that one is transgender.

rcocean said...

"The head of WHO isn't a doctor."

Of course not. WHOville is headed by the mayor.

Michael K said...

Dr. Ferrer received her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from Brandeis University.

I think it is totally appropriate for LA to have a PHD in Social Justice running the quarantine.

Remember back in the 50s when they said the "fruits and nuts" rolled downhill to CA ?

That was when CA was still sane, I remember it well. Sunday buffet at Rands Roundup, Wilshire and Figueroa.

Chanie said...

I got a tag! 2020 isn't so bad afterall.

n.n said...

Two women and a guy posing as a woman. A veritable picture of physical and mental health.

LA_Bob said...

"Remember back in the 50s when they said the "fruits and nuts" rolled downhill to CA ?"

The way I've heard it is, Someone tilted the country, and everything loose rolled into California.

LA_Bob said...

"Not the greatest optic to have your Health Director moonlight as a Walking Dead extra..."

Speaking of moonlight, that woman looks like she's hasn't had five minutes of sun in her entire life.

And with so much talk about the usefulness of vitamin D against the coronavirus and being in SoCal with all the available sunlight, you just might think...

CJinPA said...

On the left is PA Health Secretary Rachel Levine, a trans woman.
Don’t know if that explains anything or just adds to the outrage.

I'm Not Sure said...

"And with so much talk about the usefulness of vitamin D against the coronavirus and being in SoCal with all the available sunlight, you just might think..."

Spent my summers on the beach in SoCal. My dermatologist might suggest there's a downside to that, however.

Charlie Currie said...

Heard on Joe Rogan: The average age of those who die from the chicom wuhan plague is older than the average age of people who die.

JaimeRoberto said...

Oops, not the first time I've confused the blue birdie with a blue check mark.

Lurker21 said...

I guess you have to be an SJW to be a city public health director nowadays, but if you have a medical degree people will assume that you are something more than an activist SJW and listen to you more closely.

There is another Barbara Ferrer who writes novels, but it's not her: Dr. Ferrer isn't a polymath like Stacey Abrams. Wish she would get a better cosmetician though. It can't be reassuring for a public health expert to go through life looking like a corpse.

Tom T. said...

Levine is the one who ordered that elderly coronavirus patients be moved into nursing homes, while also moving her own mother out of a nursing home into a hotel.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Mean

tim maguire said...

It’s like making fun of someone’s name. I hate to see it and immediately discount the opinions of the person doing it.

tim maguire said...

To your other point, people who struggle with health tend to be much more knowledgable about health than people who are naturally healthy. Even if they don’t look it.

But still, this role is 4 parts public advocate to 1 part health expert (they have binders full of health experts advising them), and someone who looks healthy will be a better public advocate for health.

h said...

I don't approve of this making fun of people's looks when they are ordinary people doing their jobs. I'm okay with poking fun at Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Anniston for looking plain without make-up -- their claim to fame is their looks. But the three women pictured here are pushed out in front of cameras because of their education and background in public health. Nobody gives them a make up artist, or coaches them on how to appear "healthy" in front of a camera. "Jill the mayor needs a public health expert to appear with him and help answer questions. Can you do that?" Jill no doubt thinks "I've got the training, and I've been studying this problem non-stop for months; I can answer the science questions; that will help reduce some of the mis-information that is out there." Jill does not think: "Oh I can't appear on TV in this old dress, and my hair -- God, my hair!" I want this Jill helping to make policy, and I don't like it that people think it is just fine to make fun of how she looks.

MD Greene said...

The LA County Health Director earns her keep by managing every single aspect of local lives now. Yesterday her office reissued its orders for all of us -- 13 single-spaced pages of them.

People here adopted elaborate social distancing maneuvers on the sidewalks in early March, but this week we were told we MUST wear masks outside, and not only in the post office or grocery stores. The new look is to wear one's mask under the nose or just covering the chin, with adjustments to be on the fly when a police car cruises into sight.

The beach has been closed for more than two months with sheriff's helicopters and cops with blowhorns threatening $1,000 citations for people who DARED to walk on the empty boardwalk. Now the beach is open again, sorta, but still highly patrolled.

Nobody In LA County is going to protest with an AR14 on the steps of the county building, but people are starting to feel a certain sympathy.

Iman said...

Not that Michael Moore.

No, it's not Tubby Riefenstahl.

daskol said...

Well, that's how hopefully how it works with psychiatrists and psychologists, since as a group they tend to be pretty nuts.

mtrobertslaw said...

If she is as sick as she looks, it does raise the question of how well she can process information.