People in the United States, regardless of what you call them, live in a perpetual state of fear about their health. One week they’re avoiding one thing, and the next week it's something else. Journalists and doctors—modern-day troubadours of tragedy—bring scientific research to light, but often focus on correlations rather than causations. Unfortunately, the average American isn't educated enough to grasp the difference.
Meanwhile, all the pollution caused by companies, businesses, and corporations—impacting the environment, changing the climate, generating mountains of garbage, and consuming vast amounts of energy—goes largely unmentioned. Instead, fear is stirred up by targeting popular, enjoyable aspects of life, linking them to poor health or death.
Take, for example, an article I read today in The New York Times—a publication I respect greatly. The headline: "Deep Links Between Alcohol and Cancer Are Described in New Report." Scientists are now reconsidering the long-held belief that moderate drinking offers health benefits.
This made me wonder: why is there no mention of the social factors that drive people to drink? Instead, the focus is solely on alcohol itself. For instance, drinking wine with meals has been shown to mitigate some negative effects of alcohol. And as a francophone, I can’t help but ask: do the French—who drink daily—die in droves before their time? Hardly. But then again, Americans can only dream of eating as well as the French.
Fear-mongering journalism, scientific facts taken out of context, and the neglect of social factors—these are the hallmarks of health information in the United States.
