Bernard....
I'm appreciative of your intellect, and therefore your observations and
conclusions of the opinions passed back and forth on this list are valued
all the more.
In your comment, however, regarding the American views of physicians and
lawyers, well, m'friend, you've seen there's obviously SOME kind of emotional
"knee-jerk response" on our part ("our" being that 80% of the Americans on the
list) <tho I really believe you should make that a North American viewpoint
and include our northern neighbors in Canada, 'cause on THESE two subjects we
seem to be strongly in accord!)..<Oooops! I digress>, however, I believe
you've not got the entire picture and have
missed the mark on this one.... kinda-sorta.
You see, we've all been raised to believe that doctors are practically the
right hand of God. We continue to believe that until we're rudely awakened by
finding them to be mere mortals like the rest of us. BIG shock! Then, after
years of trying VERY hard to respect those doctors, with near-constant erosion
of our trust in their ability, we give up, and thereafter see them as
humans.... fallible, mortal, flawed - just like the rest of us.
This is NOT to say there aren't fine, top-quality MDs in this nation, but we
no longer see them as demi-gods, nor respect them across the board. THEY, on
the other hand often still DO se themselves as the aforementioned "demi-gods,"
and we collectively feel the need to remind them that WE see them for what
they really are. Uhhhhh... they sure don't seem to like that, either! <wee
smirk>
Sooooo, Bernard, its' a "stand-off" situation. WE need THEM, and THEY need
US.... but ONE of the two groups hasn't realized that yet. Because we're a
tenacious sort of people, I suspect they WILL get the idea eventually!
<smiling>
Now LAWYERS??? (With all due respect to my Canadian
brother-in-law-Stanley-the-attorney) We automatically inherit a strong
disrespect for THEM while still at our mother's breast. COLLECTIVELY, they
validate our original reaction time and again. I suspect that in no other
nation do "lawyer jokes" fill volumes of books which are sold in their
multi-thousands each year.
As the years go by, since this is a HIGHLY litigious nation, a great many of
our citizenry come to need the services of an attorney at one time or another.
At such time, since most of us are not in a position to afford a "dream team,
"comprised of the creme de la creme of the legal field as did accused murderer
O.J. Simpson, we settle for our cousin Janie's husband's sister's oldest son,
Marvin-the-lawyer, to handle our case. <grinning>
And SURPRISE! We find Marvin to be a pretty decent person, and not a half-bad
attorney, either. While economical comfortable, he's not rolling in wealth
either - worries about paying for his kids orthadonture and college, sees
himself losing hair while gaining weight, wonders if his wife has outstripped
him mentally now that she's gone back to university and earned her Ph.D.. (and
secretly also worries that she'll meet some young stud - which
HE hasn't been in his entire life - while she's at university where she's now
a successful, respected professor). You get the picture, yes?
The "Marvins" of the world, aren't all that different than the rest of us, and
many of them HAVE earned our personal respect over the years. But taken as a
group, we picture the $450 an hour legal super-stars, and just KNOW that
they're up to SOME kind of nefarious transgression.... And if they aren't
today... well, they WILL be tomorrow! <grin>
We let the INDIVIDUAL earn our respect, but will not automatically bestow that
respect upon an entire profession simply because someone received the
education that entitled them to be called "doctor" or "lawyer." Respect comes
with proven ability AND decency.
I hope this clarifies the situation for you, Bernard. You were on the right
trail, just didn't have all the necessary facts to base a sound opinion on
yet.
Barb Mallut
"Lil_Honey" on the PD Chat
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----------
From: PARKINSN: Parkinson's Disease - Information Exchange Network on behalf
of Bernard JOLY
Sent: Friday, January 03, 1997 2:53 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN
Subject: Cultural U-turn
On December 30, Brenda CHALLINGSWORTH posted a message asking for help about
SINEMET CR. My answer was :
"I also had a bumpy first experience with SINEMET, but I am quite reluctant to
give you any kind of advice, because I think the responsibility and the risk
have to be taken by a doctor.
Doctors may be wrong, or away for vacations, but medical diagnosis and
prescription are part of their job. PD patients or caregivers, cannot take
into account such things as side effects, interaction between drugs, etc..."
Other answers came up in the following days, talking freely and openly about
doctors, medical treatment, giving advice based on personal experience. I was
quite surprised, if not shocked, until I found out an explanation : there must
be a cultural difference between two groups of countries, one including the US
and another one including France, about the way we look at the doctor-patient
relationship. You seem to have a priori limited confidence in your doctors,
while we have a lot of a priori respect for ours.
I am not trying to guess which is right or wrong : the truth is probably
somewhere betwen the two extremes. Doctors are neither sorcerers nor
charlatans. They know PD in general, and they cannot know my PD as well as I
do. I know a lot about my PD, but I cannot know PD in general as well as
doctors.
Since 85% of the subscribers to this list are American, I will apply the
proverb "in Rome, do as Romans do" and do my best to help other subscribers.
By the way, there is another cultural difference between USA and France. You
seem to look up at your lawyers as we look up at our doctors, and vice-versa.
Should we consider posting some sort of individual or collective disclaimer ?
I do hope I am not frustrating nor irritating anyone, and if I do, I apologize
in advance
Bernard JOLY
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