What do you think of John Stossel?

[chess9]

BBD:

Folks would have to cast a cold eye on almost everything they see in the media for your approach to work. Stoessel knows most people are intellectually lazy and more than ready to jump to conclusions. In America that problem is in large part a function of the low scientific literacy of Americans. (Last among industrialized nations in their understanding of simple biological concepts.) The scientific method, or even going only so far as to demand rudimentary proof, is totally alien to our "salesman" culture. Bare assertions are almost always "good enough".

At any rate, intellectual lassitude will be the undoing of all of us if we let guys like Stoessel run rampant. Democracy needs good facts and sound analysis, as the contretemps in Iraq so amply demonstrates.

-Robert

 

[DT4K]

Originally posted by: BaliBabyDoc

TMJ surgery is a scam. The surgery almost never helps and usually makes things worse.
I'm not familiar with the piece on this, but if he called the dentists to task, more power to him.
I guess all the liberals are just pissed now that Stossel just showed everyone what a complete and utter moron Al Sharpton is.

Your post is an excellent example of what's wrong with Stossel and to a large extent FOX. You take a little fact (variability in the TMJ phenotype/etiology) add in associated facts (variability in efficacy for various interventions) to substantiate conclusions that don't naturally follow from the evidence you've provided.

Why don't you peruse the various clinical trials of maxillofacial surgery on PubMed and PROVE that TMJ surgery is a scam. Now I assume you must be a DDS,DMD so why does
your national board continue to endorse the use of surgical interventions for TMJ. Now if Stossel is saying some dentists are qualified neither to diagnose nor treat many forms of TMJ he's absolutely correct. But alas Stossel lacks such discipline. He cuts a broad swath which could NEVER be substantiated on the evidence he provides . . . accordingly he lost the court case. The sad part is that Stossel actually has a point from time to time but his arrogance and ignorance invariably diminishes his credibility.

How the hell did Al Sharpton get into this discussion? Showing Al Sharpton can be a tool is the equivalent of proving that poo stinks.

I have no scientific evidence on TMJ surgery. My opinion on it is based only on the fact that I know at least 4 people who had TMJ surgery and for every single one of them, their condition was made worse. Granted, this isn't a large enough sample to make a scientific conclusion. It is just my opinion. As I said, I have not seen the piece in question. My guess is that the continued endorsement of surgery for this condition is financially motivated.

Sharpton got into the discussion because Stossel just interviewed him and made him look like an idiot. Now I'm sure many liberals agree that Sharpton is an idiot. The point was that this issue of taxation of the rich is an issue that many liberals use as a part of their platform. Virtually all the democratic candidates support raising taxes on the rich. They continue to perpetuate the myth that the rich pay virtually no taxes.
The timing of this post and the fact that all of a sudden there were a bunch of AT lefties bashing Stossel led me to believe that the Sharpton interview was one of the reasons.

Pointing out the fallacy of Sharpton and co.'s statements on tax percentages is not biased. It is simply stating fact.

I don't know what else you guys think Stossel is biased about. I have never seen any evidence of a political leaning one way or the other.

 

[myusername]

I don't know what else you guys think Stossel is biased about. I have never seen any evidence of a political leaning one way or the other.

I'm not a big follower of Stossel, and I'm not even a big follower of television, much less network TV. On the few occasions that I watched him, however, he reminded me of Geraldo Rivera ...

I never saw a political leaning, per se - Just an unabashed disregard for scientific theory, a manipulation of cherrypicked facts/statistics, fearmongeriong, and a pandering to the lowest common denominator viewer.

Hm...

I'm going to let someone else finish that thought for me ...

 

[desy]

I have had TMJ sugery
Worked just fine for me and two others I know of.
I did know of one girl though who it was a nightmare for , she had to have it done like 3 or 4 times!

Once was enough trust me

Poverty today is not what poverty was even 50 years ago or much as it is in lots of the world.
Poverty is starving with no clothing or roof over your head. Virtually nobody in North America save Mexico has this problem. . .

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

So like I said I wouldn't give a poo what the typical dentist thought about TMJ but I'm willing to listen to the DDS, DMD maxillofacial surgeon if he says 1) a condition is TMJ and 2) here's a list of interventions. Stoseel might have a point but his case would be very limited. So limited in fact that he probably wouldn't do a story if he understood that the typical dentist would likely refer a patient to a maxillofacial surgeon who would make their own diagnose and treatment plan.

Here's an example from my discipline. The vast majority of antidepressants are prescribed by family physicians and pediatricians. Often these people have minimal training in neuropsychopharmacology and often use the wrong agent (side effect profile) or inadequate trial (wrong dose, wrong titration schedule, duration too short). I could do a show right now on how antidepressants don't work b/c many people fail antidepressant trials. Unfortunately, my characterization of effectiveness would be horribly wrong b/c antidepressants (as a class of drugs) has the highest effectiveness rating on ANY pharmacological intervention in medicine.

As for Sharpton, he's still a tool. I'm not liberal and since I like fast cars and frequent travel and had parents with a little money it's unlikely I will ever be less well off. But I'm a firm proponent of higher taxes for high income earners (from all sources).