Revolution from Below: politics of care

There is an important post on RxISK – What’s a Life Worth?

Its author, Tracey G, like Violetta in La Traviata would not describe herself as having led a perfect life.

La Traviata is one of the all-time great operas and in Zeffirelli’s movie, with Teresa Statas, is beyond compelling – especially when Alfredo’s father steps in to castigate him for his dishonourable treatment of Violetta.   See Here.

“A man who offends a woman is worthy of contempt even if at the time he is prey to a blind fury” 

Honour still counted for something in 1852 when Alexandre Dumas wrote  La Dame aux Camélias from which La Traviata comes.  

In the light of the two posts Can Politicians Save Us and Can Politicians Save the World, Tracey’s post is eerily timely.  It has triggered three letter to politicians – one of which you’ll be able to spot in her post and two more.

The posts to come throw down a gauntlet to thee political parties.  Tune in here and on RxISK next week if you want to see whether honour still counts for politicians today.

Virtual Book Signings and Book Clubs? 

The Covid pandemic has been an extraordinary medical event on two levels.  On one level there is the disease with the host of issues linked to it from genetic susceptibility to controversial therapeutics.

There is a second political level also. The readers of posts here or on RxISK are likely keenly aware of this. Our hunch is that you are neither extreme vaccine mandators or anti-vaxx but if neither of these you likely are bewildered at the difficulty in finding a middle ground that should exist for discussing such an extraordinary event.

See Shifting Vaccine Confidence and Neo-Culturalism.

Covid and Samizdat were born at almost exactly the same time. The need that called Samizdat into being was a need to find a middle ground where health discussions could be had.  A middle ground that seemed to be vanishing in front of our eyes – before Covid.  A middle ground that likely most people with any interest in the complexities that medicines throw up would feel is essential to working out how to move forward.  A middle ground that gets lost in crises – or whose loss leads to crises.

Anyone reading this who writes likely attempts to reach this middle ground.  You may be finding it increasingly difficult to get published or heard. If you are, Samizdat may be a home for you. We have now published 6 books:

Jim Gottstein’s The Zyprexa Papers. In true Samizdat spirit this marries the consequences of company choices to individual lives and challenges readers to recognize the value of lives squashed, unnoticed, under passing company or political caravans.

Paul John Scott’s Malcharist gives an unparalleled account of what actually happens at medical conferences and what can start to happen to anyone who notices. There are likely many readers of these newsletters and posts who could write something comparable about where the corpses are.

Patrick Hahn’s Prescription for Sorrow focuses on antidepressants, the most confusing group of drugs we have.  Greta Thunberg’s generation are out on the streets protesting the dumping of chemicals into the environment, while swallowing more chemicals than any previous generation – especially antidepressants. What is going on.

David Healy’s Shipwreck of the Singular and with Joanna Le Noury and Julie Wood Children of the Cure offer an overview of a dysfunctional healthcare universe.  The Politics of Care Forum on this blog attempts to build on this and can do with your input.

Gottstein, Scott, Hahn and Healy can Zoom into book club or other meetings that pick up any of these books.

We can also send up virtual signings – signing whichever book you buy through the Samizdat platform or from us directly and posting it on to you.  You can contact us all through david.healy@rxisk.org.  In terms of book club or similar meetings we can come to arrangements for bulk buys.

Gottstein, Scott, Hahn and Healy also would love to welcome you to the Samizdat Writers Co-operative.  The more of us promoting each others work, the better the chance of creating a middle ground and becoming a force to be reckoned with.