Carl Elliott's Blog, page 5

PharmedOut Dissenters: A Profile in Courage (part 1)

As you are surely aware by now, the extremists at Pharmed Out delivered a crushing blow to academic freedom at this week's conference.  Snubbing the Ethicator, they brought Carl Elliott to spew his anti-pharma hatred unchallenged.  What you may not know, however,  is that a few brave and lonely voices of dissent emerged among the conference organizers, seeking to undo the damage done.  In the end, their efforts were no match for the Big Anti-Pharma forces controlling the event, but I feel compelled to repost here the courageous emails they sent me earlier this week.

Dear Mr. Elliott, B.

I hope this letter reaches you while you are seated comfortably on a giant squishy chair, listening to your favorite soundtracks, and not chained to a plastic folding chair in a cubicle somewhere arbitrarily chosen by your brother, the Other Elliott. There has been some rumor that you have not been formally invited to attend the PharmedOut conference that is being held in DC this coming week. This news has devastated me as I have been preparing to meet the Real Elliott, he with such brilliance and charisma, the mastermind. How could it be that The Ethicator would not show at such an event? It is my most sincere hope that you will come to this conference. Pretty please, with cherries on top, go to the conference! After all, B comes before C.

Truly,

An Admirer

Dear Admirer,

Thank you for your courageous stand for academic freedom.  I can only imagine the pressure you must be feeling from your conference overlords, and I'm deeply moved by your steadfastness.   There should be more bioethicists like you.

As for my attending, I'm afraid the chances are now remote.  I can only encourage you to join the legions of protesters who are picketing the conference on my behalf.   It would take a lot to appease me at this point (first class flight, a room at the Watergate, and of course the usual bourbon and percocet, just for starters; an award would be nice, too).  Still, my fans have the right to hope, and to continue working for a better world.

Thank you for your heroism, and keep up the fight.

The Ethicator

Pharmed Out: The Drinks are On Carl

Belly up to the bar!

OK, let's say you're putting together a big, fancy conference in Washington, DC next weekend, and you have a choice between two speakers.  One is an overpaid, mediocre author giving you the same-old same-old, still working desperately to bump his book into Amazon's top 20,000. The other, a younger brother, is a fresh new face, known for speaking truth to power.  A viral hit among the younger, Internet-savvy demographic, he is now a major candidate for some prestigious ethics awards, including this one and this one.   Rumors still buzz about an appearance at next year's DTC marketing conference.

So,  you've got a conference to put on and who do you choose:  The bold truth-teller, or your usual sycophant?

Well, guess.

Thanks for the snub, Pharmed Out.  You only make me stronger.

 

 

The Ethicator – Swept Up in Another Grassroots Movement

It seems your generosity has no limits.   A mere month after nominating your humble servant for the PharmaVoice 100, another mass, grassroots movement is under way.  This time, the prize is the Dorland Health People Awards, which as it turns out, has an ethicist category.  As the Editor in Chief herself has said:

Ethicists are an integral part of the healthcare field, making a profound difference and positively affecting individuals and improving quality of life across America. It takes an exceptional person to do what you do, as I can attest to from my years of clinical healthcare experience.

So there you have it.  The only barrier is the $290 admission fee, but since there are hundreds of you out there, the cost per person should be peanuts.

No doubt, Carl Elliott and his raging band of anti-pharma thugs will try to scuttle this, just as he has always tried to squash my academic freedom at every turn; but this is your chance to beat the odds, fight back, and score that rare victory for Freedom.

The application deadline is this Friday, June 10.  You can get the details here.

My name:  The Ethicator

My organization:  White Coat, Black Hat website

My title:  CEO and Proprietor (pro-bono)

You are all heroes.  Thank you.

Carl Elliott in Columbia for the SC Book Festival

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Carl

Carl Elliott is heading to the South Carolina Book Festival tomorrow, torch in hand, to cut a path of destruction through our medical industry and our way of life.

He's on tomorrow (Saturday) at 4:10pm.  Go if you have to, but the Food, Farming and Wine session, held during the same time slot, looks a lot more interesting.

Fun Fact:  Carl's birth certificate actually says North Carolina.

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

 

Courtesy of the Bonkers Institute - Click to enlarge

. . . One day late, when flowers are cheaper, anyway.

From a 1967 issue of JAMA, another example of our pharma heroes doing their part to advance women's rights.  "Some say it's unrealistic to educate a woman and then expect her to be content with the Cub Scouts as an intellectual outlet." That's why you need Miltown!

The "Erikson Prize", or whatever it's called

[image error] There's nothing quite so awkward and painful as watching a sibling rivalry unfold in public.  It's one of those sad aspects of gaining fame and becoming an internationally recognized thought leader:  Eventually, less successful members of your family tend to get jealous and start trying to bring you down, or one-up your accomplishments.

Which is why I must apologize to you, my readers, for your having to witness the sad spectacle of my brother Carl wangling some sort of journalism award out of a place I've never heard of,  only 1 week after my entry into competition for the PharmaVoice 100.   It`s an obvious ploy for attention, and I`m sorry you you had to see it.
The award is called the Erikson Prize for Excellence in Mental Health Media, and it`s given by some place called the Austen Riggs Center.  Rumor has it he`s hounded them night and day for this, so I guess all that hard work paid off.  Now they've finally relented, let's hope he leaves them (and us) alone.

The Ethicator: Did I vote for the right person?

Dear Ethicator,

I recently encountered a problem with coercion.

Someone I know of from the ethics world tried to manipulate people into nominating him for an honor. It seems that this person is trying to make his mark in the ethics world and does blatant self-promotion, sometimes at the expense of others. He decided that he should be nominated for an award given by a prestigious group from Big Pharma. He embarked on a campaign of wheedling, flattery and pleading to try to manipulate his readers into nominating him for this award. I and others were besieged by e-mails. All the same, begging to be nominated. Some of the e-mails were sent in the early hours of the morning. Not only was he obsessed with this idea, he was trying to drive us crazy, apparently hoping that his barrage tactics would force up to nominate him.

I was torn. This ethics geek seems to be dedicated, though sometimes his opinions are skewed. I really wanted to nominate someone who would merit the honor, like the world famous Carl Elliott. Or even the unemployed Randy Cohen. But, in the end, I caved in and nominated the dweeb. I was just too worn out by the endless e-mails.

Did I do the right thing?

Thanks.

MT

Dear MT,

I can see why you were torn.  A bold, fresh face bursts onto the ethics scene, skyrockets to fame, and forces you to confront your conscience. You think to yourself:  Shouldn't such courage and grace be rewarded in some way?  Who else is more deserving? And seriously, isn't filling out that little nomination form the least you can do?

Still, you realize your move will be controversial. There are so many safer nominees out there: People who have been flaunting themselves in the media for years, people who would no doubt want to bully you into nominating them instead.  In fact, who knows what the consequences will be for you, once this self-promoting narcissist learns you've passed him over for a more deserving candidate?  You face all these questions and still, you vote your conscience.  Good for you.

You did the right thing.  Sleep well.

The Ethicator

The Ethicator: It's not Personal, is it?

Dear Ethicator,

I am thinking about jumping on the bandwagon and nominating you for the PharmaVoice 100. With the deadline (May 1) fast approaching, I must confess that I still have some reservations about you as a candidate. Don't get me wrong:  I think you're brilliant and all, but at times, your attacks on your brother seem, well,  a little personal. Is it really ethical for you to set up a website attacking your brother on a daily basis? Help me out here.

Sincerely,

Queasy

Dear Queasy,

I am deeply dismayed that you would threaten my academic freedom like this.  As most of my readers know, the White Coat, Black Hat website is not meant as an indictment of any particular individual. Instead, it's intended as a forum attempt to address, as a matter of policy, the problem  of cheapskate fuckers who steal their brother's ideas and turn them into hate-speech infested polemics against hardworking pharma patriots.

The issue raises lot of  questions that merit further study.  For example: Is it appropriate for a so-called bioethicist to exploit his brother's goodwill and force him to work for free? Are others in the field obliged to speak out in defense of the victimized younger brother? I'm just putting the question out there; nothing personal.  Also, if the brother decides to go online with his concerns and suddenly becomes an online viral sensation, well, what then? Is the plagiarizing fucker expected to take it like a grown-up, or is he entitled to whine like a baby and maybe sue? It's a question of professionalism and academic integrity, for which some high-level discussions may be necessary.

I hope this clears matters up for you. Remember: 5 more days until the PharmaVoice 100 deadline!

The Ethicator

Too rich to take pharma money?

Guess who showed up at a conference of Big Pharma marketers in Boston and was too pious to take money from them? I'll give you a hint: He doesn't pay for his web content.

Thanks, Carl, not only for stiffing your brother, but for driving down the market value of ethicists everywhere. The next time one of us gets asked to work for free, we know who to blame.

The talk, in case readers are wondering, was classic Carl, meaning it went on for hours, like Chavez at at UN meeting.  Fortunately, the audience was spared any discussion afterward. One blogger characterized the talk as one-sided and depressing, but was intrigued by his brother's searing, truth-speaking twitter feed.  "Maybe the brother should speak at the conference next year to share his perspective?"

Why yes, I accept. My rider includes bourbon and percocet, but other than that, I still come fairly cheap. See you next year!

The Ethicator for the PharmaVoice 100? You are too kind.

I don't deserve it, but if you insist.

I have just gotten word that there is a movement afoot among you, my loyal following, to nominate a certain columnist to the PharmaVoice 100, PharmaVoice magazine's annual list of the 100 most inspiring pharmaceutical industry leaders.  I am deeply, deeply humbled.

Now, there is something you must understand about my work as a bioethicist.  It's not about the awards, not about the fame; it never was.  It's about justice, it's about service.  It's about speaking truth to power, and maximizing  your ROI in the process.  It's about being that lonely voice in the wilderness, a piercing laser of Truth trained squarely on the cornea of humanity:  Standing, like Patrick Henry at the barricades of Fort Sumter, shouting "Here I stand; I can do no other!"

Also, it is about bringing down that piece of shit book my brother Carl wrote.

So really, I don't know if I deserve this award, but far be it from me to stand in the way of a spontaneous grassroots movement.  You can find the application form, as well as the nomination criteria, on the PharmaVoice website.  The deadline for nominations is midnight, May 1.  Also, in case you need it:

My name:  The Ethicator

My organization:  White Coat, Black Hat website

My title:  CEO and Proprietor (pro-bono)

God bless you all.

The Ethicator