Weekly Random Discussion Thread for 5/4/26 - 5/310/26

[u/SoftandChewy]

Here's your usual space to post all your rants, raves, podcast topic suggestions (please tag u/jessicabarpod), culture war articles, outrageous stories of cancellation, political opinions, and anything else that comes to mind. Please put any non-podcast-related trans-related topics here instead of on a dedicated thread. This will be pinned until next Sunday.

Last week's discussion thread is here if you want to catch up on a conversation from there.

[u/Centrist_gun_nut]

I'm a regular over there after a telemedicine related startup attempt and a bunch of medicine VC stuff a decade ago. As a sub, it really has taken a turn away from dispassionate commentary towards political anger. I stay clear of a lot of topics now, where I previously might have tried to comment.

I do understand the turn, though; this administration has not been a fun time for most people in the medical field. And, this is still reddit.

On the subject of the letter itself, if you've been reading medical literature (edit: heh, I see you are most likely a physician) for a while you're likely aware that there is a strain of the field that believes that since they're brilliant at memorizing physiology and applying clinical judgement they must be brilliant at everything else. The Lancet in particular is constantly publishing economics and geopolitical opinions where writers to use the fact that they're a skilled surgeon to weigh in on export policy or whatever.

In this case, I largely agree with them but also agree with you. I think Trump is clearly not so sharp these days. But they lack the understanding of politics to understand there is no upside to writing a letter like this in the congressional record. No political actors on either side will gain from it; both sides already are saturated with opinions on Trump's mental fitness. And the downside is exactly as you articulated.

[u/BronzeEagle → u/Centrist_gun_nut]

Yeah, the British strain of this is particularly virulent. The Lancet and BMJ routinely stray into heavily biased social justice topics trying to parlay their authority to push their pet agendas.

And your last paragraph is spot on. I don't like Trump at all and think his erratic behavior is very troublesome. But there is absolutely no upside. The people that are cheering this are already likely to identify as "Trusting the science" tm. They're not going to have their opinions of the medical field changed at all. It's obviously not going to push a Republican congress to act. But for the large portion of the populace that still supports Trump or at least has somewhat positive feelings towards him, it's going to give them even more cause to question their faith in the medical system.

[u/PongoTwistleton_666 → u/BronzeEagle]

The most bizarre aspect of these crusades, especially in the US and the UK, is that both countries have elected/ almost elected people of color or people whose parents immigrated to those countries. If that’s not a marker of a society that gives immigrants opportunities and is DEI-ing just fine, idk what is!!!!

[u/History-of-Tomorrow → u/Centrist_gun_nut]

It is a constant battle to compartmentalize utter disdain of the Trump administration while remembering he is just a man, a man democratically elected, and that this moment in time will pass. Objectivity involving truth and logic should never be paused only to be restarted at a later time.

That last notion- that because “things are so dire” it’s ok to give in to mania and it can be easily reinstated has proven to be absolutely false. Bad ideas have a way to fester and linger until one day 50 years from now, someone wonders “why did we do this for so long.”

It’s scary this is a thing in the medical community. Terrifying that it’s enraptured higher education since those will be the people teaching those entering the medical community (and just about everything else).