The BMJ, once a preeminent journal of medicine, which is to say, doctors talking to other doctors about which cure works for which disease, and which doesn’t, has taken up an entire issue on a subject on which every one of its writers, and every one of its readers, are ignorant.
The picture is from the site’s homepage from a couple of days ago, and may have changed by the time you read this.
The BMJ is a journal for Experts in the managerial class, and whatever any large groups of Experts are discussing, such as “climate change”, ensures that all Experts, regardless of their discipline, will also discuss.
The analogy—and it is an exact one—is how propagandists in the media tell people what to think about the “news”. Once one of the propagandists begins talking about a subject, they all do, and use nearly identical language. The current events in the Levant is reminder enough.
The audiences of the propagandists, which is to say the great mass of people, also discuss, usually with as much earnestness, whatever they are told to discuss. The people also dutifully pick up signals from Experts. The analogy is exact because propagandists are themselves the communications Experts of the managerial class.
The flow is one direction. Experts do not take direction, or correction, from the masses. That the masses hold any non-approved opinion on any subject in which Experts take an interest—which is increasingly all of them—is proof enough, to Experts, that the people are wrong. Because the people disagree. Yes, the tired old Appeal to Experts fallacy.
The managerial class is insular. They go to to same schools, have the same “degrees”, they marry each other, they hire each other, they sup at the same restaurants, they live in the same places. And because Diversity is always a weakness, those who are different are seen as the enemy. We, you and I, dear reader, are the enemy. The increasing intolerance of Experts (of us) is nothing more than the old friend-enemy distinction with a New York Times byline. Which also explains why “conservatives” who mingle with Experts become Experts themselves.
So. What specifically does have “climate change” have to do with medicine? Nothing. At all. A few tenths of a degree warming in some artificial global average over a few decades is not going to cause any change in health in anybody. So you’d guess this special issue would be a thin one indeed.
The one thing about Experts that we must never forget, for it perfectly describes our predicament in this managerial regime, is that Experts can always find reasons to apply their expertise. Even in situations entirely foreign to them.
Like doctors and “climate change”.
Proof? This title of this paper in the special issue: “The climate emergency could be the ultimate health opportunity, says WHO’s Maria Neira”.
“Climate change is one of the biggest public health areas. I don’t see any aspect where climate change will not have an undermining capacity,” [Maria Neira, MPH] says. “I know that this sounds a little bit provocative, but climate change could be the ultimate opportunity for public health.”
See what I mean? Neira, an Expert with a Masters of Public Health, cannot envision any area which will not require her services. Amazing.
Another: “Climate emergency: Treat Earth as an ancestor, not a commodity”. There is no “climate emergency.” This paper doesn’t even have a medicine tie-in. It’s entirely religious. And this paper is the “Editor’s Choice”. Which may be because its author is Editor-in-Chief Kamran Abbasi.
Does the Earth belong to animals or plants, land or sea? Arrogantly, humanity has presumed the Earth to be its own. A particular world view has bent the Earth to our whims, imposing an imagined superiority over environments and other species—and other, less privileged, humans.
To “fix” this, he would impose his will on all of humanity.
To pick another, wily nilly: “How climate change is affecting child development”. It isn’t and couldn’t. Yet:
Rahul Rao, a student from Hyderabad, India, has had severe allergies and eczema since he was born.
No other demons being available, author Kavitha Yarlagadda blamed “climate change” for the allergies. Because he, she, or it, has discovered India can be hot and muggy.
One more? Why not: “To tackle the climate crisis, we need to transform systems according to ancestral original instructions”.
My ancestors would beat idiots making claims like this in the public square to discourage this kind of idiot exuberance in others. So the idea is a sound one.
This author, Rhys Jones, opens his paper by calling New Zealand “Aotearoa”. “[C]ontemporary M?ori language”, you see. At which point I stopped reading.
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Have you ever seen an old 1938 movie called “The Citadel” with Robert Donat. If not, I think you would very much appreciate it, a young recently qualified doctor enthusiastic, decent, starts out practicing real science, but is gradually drawn into the world of an expertocracy and by degrees he changes to the point where he becomes indifferent to the suffering of others. A nice dramatisation of a theme you often touch upon.
I always stop my work to read your latest post – keep it up.
Paul, Nope, never did. I’ll look up. Thanks.
Terrific post.
I haven’t been reading your posts as regularly as I once did for reasons I can’t explain. (Well, I can explain: I’m caught up with the Coronadoom idiocy and read Steve Kirsch, Peter McCullough, Meryl Nass, Naomi Wolf and oh! so many others!)
But after reading this post (and your previous one), I won’t continue that omission.
Our time to read is not unlimited. *Sigh*
>”I don’t see any aspect where climate change will not have an undermining capacity”
Man, you mean climate change will undermine experts? Where do I sign up for more of this?
Briggs, I like your ancestors’ way of handling bleating climate hysterics.
I’m retired now and for some years. I read the pensioners version of the BMJ probably out of habit but like you William I’ve found little medicine in it and like you I was amazed that last week’s edition was taken over by global boiling. is there nowhere one can hide from this hysteria, thankfully none of the obituaries had climate change as a cause of death.
Neil,
One of the articles (bottom right in the pic) is that they wanted to add it (or air pollution) to death certificates.
Becaue I’m slow, it took me about two hours to understand Sabine Hossenfelder’s greenhouse gas video. And only at the end, where she finally introduces the modeling part (without getting into it) that one senses that she herself HITS A DEAD END.
The truth matters. People used to agree.
Climate Change is the answer to any variable equation. Simply substitute C with Climate Change. For example:
A + B = C
Let C be Climate Change.
A + B = Climate Change.
With this mathematical Law in place, the Expurt is now free to solve for any issue he has by determining A or B.
A is usually Humanity.
B is any industrious activity that humanity engages in.
Ergo:
Humanity + Masturbation = Climate Change.
Simple.
So simple and elegant, even a politician can understand it.
I’m a medical Doctor, although a strange one who has a degree in an earth sciences related field. One aspect that you have not touched upon is than many medical Doctors are a bit dim & quite incapable of understanding how dim they are.
It is painful at times.