Cancel culture is alive and well in Idaho. It is hurtful and destructive and pathetic and cowardly. It starts in our schools and goes into every area of our lives. It says more about the hearts of those practicing it than it does about those being canceled. After practicing medicine in the military on active duty for 15 years I moved to Boise in 1988. I wanted to practice in a Catholic Hospital where my values would be respected and honored. I truly looked at my profession as a vocation. But early on I found that some people practicing medicine, hospital administrators, and hospital board members did not share or even respect Catholic values.
I remember when a joint venture was being considered between a group of OBGYN doctors and a hospital to set up an off-campus “Women’s Clinic” where abortions could be performed. The hospital was going to be a “silent partner”. The plan was stopped in mid-stream by the Catholic Sisters who were still operating St. Al’s. Thank goodness they were still in charge. Even today you can count on Catholic Sisters staying true to their values. Not sure you can say the same about the Catholic Church Hierarchy, but what happened in 1988 could never happen today—because of “CANCEL CULTURE”. I receive e-mails and communications from physicians and hospital employees daily. It is running almost 50/50. Those who agree with me say they can’t come out publicly and let their beliefs be known for fear of losing their jobs—if they are employed by hospital systems or if they are independent.
Many physicians and administrators have communicated with me saying that I am championing a “radical” agenda, and that my views are not scientific and are diametrically opposed to “current public health recommendations” That is their opinion and I disagree, but I don’t deal in ad hominem attacks. Starting on March 11th in the Gem State Patriot and on The IFF Web site I have published everything I have felt about the political pandemic. I invite anyone to review my written words. I have been wrong about a few things, but I have been right most of the time. I have been right more often than Dr. Fauci or the governor’s advisory committee. Think how right I might have been if I had actually been “an expert”—Scary!
I first became aware of a ‘soft cancel culture” early on in the pandemic when many nurses and more than a few doctors complained about the harm being caused to patients who weren’t being taken care of because the hospitals and ICUs were being converted to Covid-19 wards in anticipation of an onslaught of sick patients. Nurses in ORs and ICUs were furloughed or offered early retirement. More than a few tried to speak out and their jobs were threatened. Same with doctors. In December when the second wave hit the hardest and the total number of beds being utilized by COVID-19 patients reached 29% of total capacity—that was the highest ever reached around Dec. 10th, and ICU nurses opined to themselves if the Governor truly knew how little impact the so-called pandemic had on the total number of beds, or if the members of his advisory committee knew how their panicked cries impacted patients who couldn’t receive care—cardiac caths, cancer screenings—mammograms and colonoscopies, and even chemotherapy schedules were impacted by social distancing requirements that should have been considered and mitigated upfront. Cardiac and cancer patients should have been a priority. Elective cases were indiscriminately canceled early on, without knowing if a surge was coming or not. In the larger hospitals, the number of elective cases canceled were 4-5 times greater than the number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital. Not all of these patients were sick, but many—total joint patients for example were severely compromised. A critical central tenant of triage was violated—take care of those already on the ground 1st. Don’t pass over a sick patient waiting for another sick patient who may or may not show up.
At Boise State undergraduate students taking STEM Classes are confronted with views about Critical Race Theory and white privilege and if they don’t “cow” to their professors’ views they fear getting marked down—Cancel Culture.
I know of two lobbying consulting firms that have lost clients because of publicly stated views that differed from the “government experts” views about Covid-19 mitigation strategy—views ranging from type of mitigation to masks, to hydroxychloroquine use and now vaccines. Because one differs with the opinion of a government board or agency shouldn’t precipitate organizations from contacting clients of their lobbyists to drop the lobbyist. That is cancel culture. It is also cowardly.
Law firms are notorious for canceling conservative candidates for Jr. Partnership or an internship. A young lady who is very close to my family and who disappointing to me has become involved in several liberal causes including Black Lives Matter and the “summer of love” protests had no trouble getting legal internships or finding a 1st year position in a law firm, but a Georgetown Law student with Cum Laude credentials and a resume of working for several conservative think tanks is not even given an interview by any major law firm. That is cancel culture. I guess that equity before the law is different than equity within the law firm or within one’s own profession or personal moral code.
What should he do? Denounce his “white Privilege” and take an oath that he is “down for the struggle”. Sometimes just keeping one’s mouth shut is not enough. If he were transgender, gay, a lady a women or a gale, or woke he would probably get an interview with his outstanding academic credentials. How much “virtue signaling” by those in charge of our institutions is too much? The line between virtue signaling and condescension isn’t even a fine one. Both parties to the condescension-virtue signaling transaction know exactly what is going on and they are both lessened by it—as is everybody else that stands idly by and watches. Meritorious achievement is always respected by all parties. If I were a partner in a law firm I would want both candidates to be given an opportunity to prove themselves. So would most conservatives. WE aren’t afraid of individuals who have opinions different than ours.
I have a brother- in law who went to great lengths to conceal his religious and political beliefs when he applied to graduate school in chemistry! I also know of a student at a local institution of so called “higher learning” in Pre Med who got straight A’s until he brought in an Atlantic Magazine Article to a diversity class written by John McWhorter about the condescension of Robin DeAngelo’s “WHITE FRAGILITY”. The teacher didn’t know that Mr. McWhorter was himself Black—the instructor was white. The student was marked down—who knows why? Cancel culture?
Or read the hateful Twitter fury raging against Supreme Court Justice Thomas. They not only want to marginalize and cancel him, they want to harm him. And where is Jack Dorsey taking down these hateful words? Calling Clarence Thomas an “Uncle Tom”—and that is the nicest thing they called him, is like calling a Trump supporter a racist because she/he supported Trump. They want to cancel anyone and any idea that does not conform to their dogma. They don’t want a discussion—just like the college professor, and the law firm, and big medicine, and our politicians on the left who say they are tolerant and accepting of differing opinions—but they aren’t.
Cancel culture is dangerous. Cancel culture is fascist. Cancel culture is cowardly.
There never was a pandemic, and if there was it is over. — Am I allowed to say that? I might even get “canceled”.
MAGA
“Fight Like Hell”
