Anatomy of a mob

Now, I know what you're thinking. I'm posting something else on this Desperate Housewives controversy - just to get some more hits. So, why not? It's just been interesting watching this thing unfold over the past week.

So, let's review. The show airs a week ago. Almost immediately, the blog posts begin. Within 48 hours, the blogosphere mob starts to talk of boycotts, petitions, protests, and demanding an apology. Within another 48 hours, the Philippine government gets involved (don't they have anything better to do?).

Now, when the apology is issued, you would think that would satisfy the mob. But, alas, no. They demand more:

The Nafcon leaders and Sentosa 27 ++ nurses demanded a more proper apology from ABC Studios that would include: a) at least one broadcast apology before the show’s next episode, b) an investigation of the show’s writers and producers to find who wrote the line and who should be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, c) the cutting of the offensive scene from the episode permanently, as well as in all productions of DVDs and boxed sets of the series. The group also threatened to call for a boycott of the series if an appropriate and timely apology was not issued by the network.

As what happens with most mobs, their intended goal will fail. They will over play their hand here and be so over the top that the producers, writers, and actors of the show will gain the sympathy of the American public. Even though the show's producers will edit that line out of the show, in two weeks, no one will remember this ever happened.

Do you think anyone in Hollywood will consider putting a Filipino/Filipina actor on a culturally diverse medical show like Grey's Anatomy or ER? Well, not now - and probably not for a number of years - because of fearing the mob.

Hollywood producers like creating controversy - but, not dealing with with controversy. Do you hear that? It's all the doors that are being closed on writers, actors, and producers of Filipino descent. Thanks to the angry mob...

Not Filipino Enough?

On my show earlier tonight, I tried to parody this Desperate Housewives situation. I described a situation similar to what happened in the DH show and then I tried to parody the "leave britney alone" video. I don't think this attempt of levity went over very well (if you have to explain the joke, then it's probably not that funny) However, I have to say (as I mentioned on my show tonight), that there are just a lot of angry people out there.

I have received more than a few e-mails who have told me that since I was born in the US and did my medical training in the US, that I really have no idea and that I really don't understand how offensive that remark was on the show. If I was "really in touch with my roots," I would understand better.

So, let me get this straight. Since I do not agree with your point of view, it's ok for you to make a personal attack on me for being "not Filipino enough" for you - That I have been "Americanized" too much and have lost touch with my true heritage.

Gimme a break! I have listened to the other side of this DH issue. I feel that I do understand it. But, I respectfully disagree with it. Attacking me is not going to make me change my mind. I remember reading a Time magazine article called Is Obama Black Enough?

That's what made me come up with the title for this post. Now, don't get me wrong. In no way am I comparing this situation to the senator from Illinois. I guess it comes down to this: You're not going to make everyone happy, so don't even try. So, instead of personal attacks, let's just agree to disagree, shall we?

Listen Live Tonight!

Thursday, October 4, 2007 from 10:00-10:30pm Eastern Time

Show Link - Chat Room Link - Archive Link

I'm happy to welcome Mother Jones RN from the Nurse Ratched's Place blog tonight on Doctor Anonymous Live. MJ RN is going to be the host for Grand Rounds next week. Want more information on that? Well, then, click here.

I'm going to ask her about her blog and how it's going this week gathering together all the GR posts, sorting through them, and organizing them into some cohesive format for your consumption (how wordy was all that? I'm in kind of a quirky mood today - maybe good for the show tonight).

We'll also be taking your calls and hope you are able to join us in the chat room LIVE during the show. This is kind of "the show within the show" - So, you definitely have to join us live tonight! Check out the links above to help get to where you're going. Who knows? If there's a lull in the show, we'll talk about this Desperate Housewives controversy.

Desperate Housewives flap

Now, I have never watched this show, but I know a lot of people who do. When I came into the office Monday morning, I heard of this bad joke that was told in the show the night before - making a reference to Filipino medical schools. Now, I have to tell you that I'm of Filipino heritage, but received my medical training in the US.

I first heard reference to this story over at Kevin, MD. Apparently, some in the Filipino community were offended at the comment that was made on the show (see youtube video above). When I did more research on this, apparently the Filipino government is seeking a formal apology now. And, there are some out there who said the phrase was taken out of context.

First of all, the clips on youtube only show about 20 seconds, and I can easily see how they could be taken out of context. I have about a 240 second clip above for your review. Honestly, I don't understand why people are so offended about this. This is clearly not a shot at Filipino doctors or Filipino medical schools.

The Teri Hatcher character in this scene is nervous and possibly anxious about a certain diagnosis and the writers had the character blurt out this really bad line in this situation. I'm not offended by it, and, in my humble opinion, others should not be either.

Behind the counter meds

Everyone has heard about over-the-counter medications. You just walk into your local pharmacy, look around for your favorite cough/cold medicine, or stomach medicine, or pain medicine, or whatever. You take it off the shelf, go to the register, and that's it.

And, everyone is familiar with prescription drugs. You visit your favorite physician, have the appropriate interview and physical exam, receive the prescription, and then go to your local pharmacy to have the prescription filled.

Now, the FDA is looking at what is being called "behind-the-counter" medications. What the heck are they talking about? (With the FDA, sometimes it's difficult to figure out what they are talking about sometimes.) In this Associated Press article, they try to explain what the FDA is looking for.

"Behind-the-counter" sales offer a middle ground. Last year, the FDA allowed the emergency contraceptive Plan B, also called the morning-after pill, to be sold without a doctor's note to women 18 and older — but only by pharmacies that checked women's photo identification before handing over the pills. Minors still require a prescription.

Now the question is whether requiring additional interaction with a trained pharmacist — health advice or even, say, a blood pressure or cholesterol check — might further spur the evolution of nonprescription drugs from quick symptom relief to more complex therapy.

Routine birth control pills are an often-cited candidate. And in 2005, the FDA rejected a bid to sell cholesterol-lowering Mevacor without a prescription — although some of the agency's scientific advisers said such a move might one day be possible if pharmacists could help guide which customers bought the pills.

Now, as far as behind the counter medicines go now, there are certain cough/cold medications which are not OTC (ie - pseudoephedrine containing medications), apparently because of federal law and state law.

However, I think what the FDA is talking about here is distinctly different. I remember a couple of years ago when there was talk about making cholesterol medications available without a prescription. Even though this is done in Britain, I still don't think that it would be a good idea to do that in this country. I believe physician oversight is essential for a situation like this.

The FDA has to be very careful about looking at which medications they are considering to be behind the counter. Giving advice on certain medications and then dispensing them as a pharmacist is one thing. But, then, potentially taking the next step and evaluating/treating a patient for things like elevated cholesterol is something else. This is practicing medicine in my book.

The Dr. A Show

I'm very excited to announce that Mother Jones RN will be joining me this week on Doctor Anonymous Live! Tune in Thursday, October 4th from 10:00-10:30pm eastern time. (Need a time conversion chart? Just click here.) MJ will be hosting Grand Rounds next week. Click here to see what her theme will be.

We'll talk about Grand Rounds and what ever else comes to mind. If you remember, MJ was gracious enough to call into my very first show. Thanks so much MJ!

Not only can YOU listen live to the show, you can also participate by calling into the show and/or in our LIVE chat room. Never heard my show before? What's wrong with you? LOL. You can listen to an archived show in my sidebar. You can also check out my Blog Talk Radio site.

Finally, as an added bonus, I will have a Major Announcement that I'm going to make sometime during the show on Thursday night. YOU will definitely have to listen live to check out what that is? (What could it be?) Hope you'll be able to join us! Spread the word!

Let's Make a Deal

I enjoyed watching this game show when I was growing up. While watching the show, I thought to myself, "Would I really trade this for that to make a great deal for myself?" What really is a good deal? I guess that's in the eye of the beholder.

Well, now the band Radiohead has taken this to an entirely new level with their latest album. Ever since there has been digital music, there has been a debate on what is a fair price for electronic music. And, you can't have a discussion like this without talking about music piracy.

Here's what the band has on their website (NY Times):

Yes, that's right, you fill in the price that you want to pay. This is not a joke. Believe me, when I first read the title of this article, I really didn't believe it. But, it's real. For a minimum of one British penny (about two American cents), you can have not only one song - but the entire album.

There is no maximum price, nor any other guidance, setting up what is may be the biggest experiment in digital-era music-industry pricing to date. What are people willing to pay for music? How many will pay full price? How will the average price compare to what a typical record company would likely have charged? Will people pirate it anyway?

This is a pretty daring experiment - one that may redefine how music is bought and sold on the internet. I know that the Apple iTunes people and the record labels are going to be watching this very closely. I didn't even know about this band until this story, but now, I may even check them out.

Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds 4.02 is now up and running over at Musings of a Distractible Mind. Dr. Rob has the creative theme of the Cat In The Hat. Thanks so much for including my post this week.

Doctor A ponders with back pain who wins:
Those treated with pills or those poked with the pins?

If you don't know what Grand Rounds is, it is a weekly compilation of the best posts from the medical blogosphere that moves to different sites each week. And, who doesn't like reading about medicine and science?

Next week, GR moves to the blog of Mother Jones RN entitled Nurse Ratched's Place. She has already picked a theme which will be a "a tribute to the doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals who are serving in the Armed Forces."

Thanks again to Dr. Rob for being a guest on Doctor Anonymous Live last week. If you haven't had a chance to check out my interview with him, I encourage you to click this link or check out the audio client in my sidebar. Enjoy Grand Rounds!

Pimp My Mac

Is a gold plated Mac laptop just too much bling? What do you think?

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Since it is the first day of October, this is the start of Breast Cancer Awareness month. If you're looking for a good resource of information, the American Cancer Society has a lot of good stuff. I encourage you to check it out.

I was also reading this article from the Chicago Tribune this morning which reviews a new survey stating that there is still a lot of misunderstanding out there as far as the facts about breast cancer.

One "stunning" example, she said, is that people still believe heredity is the cause of most breast cancer cases, although in reality only 5 percent to 10 percent of breast cancer is caused by genetic mutations that can be inherited.

The survey, being released Monday, the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, also found that 7 out of 10 women believe eating enough fruits and vegetables can help prevent breast cancer. In reality, there's no good evidence that this is true.

Most women (and nearly two-thirds of those age 18 to 24) believe breast cancer can be prevented. In reality, there are only a few things women can do to reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of developing the disease, such as not drinking alcohol and not taking hormones. The biggest risk factors are being female and getting older.

Unfortunately, the end of this article is a political commercial for a website. They also state that they are going to make this an issue in the US presidential election. So, again, the press taking advantage of cancer patients to push their political agenda. It's really unfortunately and frustrating how these people make pawns of cancer patients for their own political purposes.