semper-ama:

ato-the-bean:

semper-ama:

ato-the-bean:

moontowers:

For fuck’s sake, though. I mean, do what you want, but don’t act like you’re on some sort of moral/ethical high ground sticking it to the man by not treating your sinus infection or whatever. All that says to me is a) you’re woefully uninformed and b) you’re lucky enough to have never been seriously ill. 

That’s funny, I really didn’t read it that way.  I mean, I am a big believer in western medicine, but also understand that antibiotics are WAY over used and becoming increasingly ineffective because of it.  Therefore I only use them when all other meds/strategies for getting rid of an infection (drying sinuses out, etc) fail.  And as shorthand I might say I don’t take antibiotics, but I don’t mean EVER, I mean as a first line of defense.  They are a last resort, so they’ll still be working when I or others really need them.  I took Zach’s comments like that.  But maybe I was being generous.  He did mention shamanism, after all, and that is not particularly encouraging regarding medical attitudes…

The thing is, he’s not taking a stand on antibiotic misuse/overuse (although, even if he was, I’d probably be annoyed, because he is neither a doctor nor a scientoost~ and therefore not the person who should be telling people when to use or not use medication). In fact, he said it wasn’t about the drugs themselves at all. What he said was:

“For me it’s not about this particular drug, but the pharmaceutical industry and corporatisation of it. That feels very separate to my well-being.“

Which to me is just an ignorant thing to say. Use of medication should be based on whether or not it is necessary, not some kind of pseudo-activism. It’s all well and good to want to take a stand against the influence of money in the pharma industry, but this is the kind of thing someone who doesn’t have a chronic condition that required medication says. It smacks of privilege to me. I just lost a little respect for him is all. 

ETA: And it’s possible that he just meant that he avoids it when he can and he would not refuse it if he needed it, and it just ended up as a poor soundbite. But you gotta be careful what you say when you’re in a position where people will readily listen to you. As he should know by now.

Well, he has a point about big pharmaceutical companies.  They engage in all sorts of business practices that are about making money rather than helping people.  They protect their patents to the point that they harm patients’ access, and bring things to market when we really have no idea about long term effects. I used to work for one of those companies, and had to leave the industry. I was so disheartened  And yes, he’s privileged with good health, which he gets some  kudos for because he works to keep himself fit, but it is also a good bit of luck.  I doubt he’d argue that, or that people with diabetes or depression or some other chronic condition shouldn’t take the appropriate medications.  He probably would argue that you shouldn’t take more insulin just so you can gorge on candy at the movie theater.  He seems to approach health with a certain seriousness, and doesn’t aprove of using meds in the place of risk adverse behavior.  Aside from being a bit snooty about it, it’s not a particularly irrational position.  Drugs can be useful tools in health maintenance, but they are not the only tools, and direct advertising from pharmaceutical companies has possibly encouraged us to rely on them more than we should.  Physical therapy is often better for pain management that drugs, especially for backs.  And I am not speaking from a position of ignorance or some new age holistic angel healing bullshit viewpoint.  My husband is a neuroscientist, I’m a biologist.  I used to work on cancer.  There are many health issues where meds are not a good answer, but pharmaceutical companies push whatever they’ve managed to develop to make some return on their investments. 

Again, I may be overly generous with reading between Zach’s words, and I think I’ve only read two interviews where he said anything about medication, but in neither case did his position feel simplified or ignorant.  It seemed skeptical.  And that’s hardly ever a bad thing.

I guess neither of us can know EXACTLY what he meant to say without asking him to clarify, so maybe I’m being too harsh and maybe you’re being too lenient–who really knows? I do agree with you that I don’t think it’s bad to be against using medicine as an excuse to engage in risky behavior. I actually had pretty much no problems with his comments about PreP, and I totally agree that it’s not a good idea to let anything make you feel like you’re invincible and no longer need to be careful. If he would have said that, I would have been more in agreement. But he said “I don’t take prescription drugs”, which sounds like an absolute statement to me. Not, “I don’t use prescription drugs as a substitute for healthier choices” but “I don’t take prescription drugs” period, which is why it super rubbed me the wrong way. Taking the time to understand your prescriptions in light of the fact that drug companies push them more than they are needed is one thing. Implying that prescription drugs in general are bad because drug companies are bad is another. It seems like I’m reading it more as the latter and you’re reading it more as the former, and I really hope you’re the one who’s right.

That said, I so often end up rolling my eyes at him that it’s possible I’m just being too hard on him in this case. He has a habit of making absolute statements on subjects that are not absolute, and it’s possible he just has a hard time verbally expressing himself, but I do get burnt out on it sometimes. Which isn’t to say I’m any more or less of a fan of his. I still love him, but he’s a problematic fav for sure, at least for me. I understand that others may have a different view of him. It all comes down to personality really. Everyone has different things that annoy them or appease them. Zach sometimes pushes my buttons, but I’m not gonna hold a grudge. I honestly can’t think of a celebrity I’m a fan of that HASN’T made me cringe hard at some point. They’re people too. It’s okay for them to be dumb sometimes. I’m sure I’d piss people off in a New York minute if I ever gained any kind of celebrity. xD

Well, if it’s any consolation, I COMPLETELY rolled my eyes at the “I love sluts” comment.  Not how you get yourself out of the doghouse…