Irate Male Mail
I am of the opinion that the average person in the U.S. has very poor critical thinking skills. In U.S. schools, we teach children the three R's of Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic, but we don't teach them the fourth R.....
...Reason
Ask your average U.S. citizen who Kate Gosselin is, and he/she will be able to tell you. But ask your average U.S. citizen what a false dichotomy is, and he/she will give you a blank stare. And this lack of knowledge of reason and critical thinking has permeated through all walks of American life. All one has to do is take a look at American politics and you will see how most Americans completely lack the ability to engage in critical thought. Speaking of false dichotomies, you probably won't find more of them anywhere than American politics, as every issue becomes dichotomized into Democrat/Republican, liberal/conservative, us vs. them, "your either with us or against us", etc. Rational, evidence-based discussion is a mere pipe dream.
It is this lack of critical thinking which also leads Americans to believe in all sorts of snake oil remedies and quackery, including homeopathy, astrology, etc.
This brings me to my irate male mail, which is about Cobroxin. A person named Matthew personally emailed me the following:
Its funny that the "bullshit" of your cobroxin debate lies not within the product but the small and inflated world you live in. Your degree that you proudly state first sentence, is a joke. You are a NUTRITIONIST in the United States of America the worst health in any modern nation. Your imbedded views that are so strongly influenced by big business namely pharmaceuticals makes your argument that much more obvious and elementary. Try to think outside the box. These roots in cobroxin derive from thousands of years of trial and error in Asia. Surprisingly they live longer and have fewer health problems with 4 times the population. Wow. What a concept.
However this criticism directed towards the all mighty florida grad comes from a simple small business owner, no degree and small investor. Don't let your ego and seemingly grand knowledge of American health dilute a little forward thinking. Retract your comments and give some truly good health help a chance.
B
ps your detective work is now 6 or 7 months old, how is the recent progress treating you?
Where do I begin with this one? This is a shining example of someone missing that fourth R, at least when it comes to this particular email.
Its funny that the "bullshit" of your cobroxin debate lies not within the product but the small and inflated world you live in. Your degree that you proudly state first sentence, is a joke.
Apparently Matt thinks that if he throws out a few insults, it will make his argument stronger. Sorry, Matt, but it doesn't work that way.
You are a NUTRITIONIST in the United States of America the worst health in any modern nation
And this matters how exactly? Matt seems to think that I'm somehow responsible for America's health.
Your imbedded views that are so strongly influenced by big business namely pharmaceuticals makes your argument that much more obvious and elementary
My views have nothing to do with big business. You tell me a method to test the efficacy of a product that is better than the double blind, placebo controlled RCT, and please explain why. Please explain a method that allows you to differentiate a product's effects from a placebo effect. Please explain to me why a product with such extraordinary claims (pain relief exceeding normal OTC products, with no side effects) should be held to a lower standard of evidence than normal drugs.
Matt doesn't understand that double-blind, placebo-controlled RCT's are not an invention of big business or pharmaceutical companies. They are the product of logic and reason. They are the natural conclusion of the journey to develop methods to distinguish true product efficacy from false or placebo effects.
Try to think outside the box.
Apparently Matt likes to think so far outside the box that his brains have fallen out.
These roots in cobroxin derive from thousands of years of trial and error in Asia
Ahhh, the old "it's been used for so long it must work" trick. Astrology has lasted for thousands of years too...but that doesn't mean it actually does anything.
Surprisingly they live longer and have fewer health problems with 4 times the population.
...which has nothing to do with Cobroxin
Retract your comments and give some truly good health help a chance.
There are thousands of snake-oil products out there, all in the name of "good health" when really they're out there to line the pockets of the people selling the products, and preying on the naivety and desperation of the American public for quick fixes and magic solutions.
The only way to differentiate legitimate products from snake oil is through RIGOROUS (not flimsy) scientific testing. Apparently Matt didn't get my memo that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. The claim that Cobroxin gives extensive pain relief for a wide variety of conditions, all without side effects, is a claim that requires much more evidence than the current lame crap being provided.
ps your detective work is now 6 or 7 months old, how is the recent progress treating you?
Not sure how the time of my Cobroxin posts have any relevancy to anything.
And that's it for today's Irate Male Mail. I will now await the Crazy Comments to follow.
I used to live in the States, and agree with your analysis on a general lack of critical thinking amongst the general populous.
I’m not sure if this is a uniquely American trait.. you might find this prevalent in other societies as well. However, many Americans do tend to aggressively defend their positions more than other cultures, even if those positions are irrational. The educational system seems to be doing little to remedy this situation.
Perhaps because critical thinkers make skeptical consumers.
Jason,
Agreed. I also think the human tendency to seek out quick fixes, and/or distrust the traditional medical community, leads people to suspend criticial thinking
James, you’re doing excellent work. Don’t get too caught up in the feedback, especially the crazy feedback. http://xkcd.com/386/.
Regards, Keith
Haha, Keith, that was a great comic. Sometimes it’s good to get a little perspective!
As a proud Florida Gator, not that has anything to do with this irate email, and someone who is an Internet expert (I have written more than 20 books), I have determined that it is a waste of time to respond to irate emails and comments. There are no winners. It’s just a pissing match.If it is allowed to continue, it will never end. The best solution? The delete key. It works every time. Go Gators, Ken Leebow http://www.FeedYourHeadDiet.com P.S. I am no longer an Internet expert. I have moved on to become a diet,health, and lifestyle expert. Let’s face… Read more »
Ken,
You’re totally correct! Sometimes it’s fun though to respond to the irate mails…as long as it doesn’t get out of hand!