For those who remember, a few months back there was a short-lived call from her fans for Oprah to run for President in 2020. It did not take long for her to downplay any rumors that she might run for office, and since that time there has been little else to mention of it. But for those who were disappointed in her decision, it seems as though you will still be able to get a little taste of what an Oprah presidency would be like. That's because according to a number of media outlets, President Trump has appointed a long-time Oprah favorite, Dr. Oz, to sit on the Presidential Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
Appointing a well-known quack and peddler of pseudoscience is no surprise from a president who has his own ways with half-truths, lies, and dishonest misdirection. Nevertheless, such a nomination should be a red flag to anyone in the health or science fields who weren't already dissatisfied with the current administration. Though the position Oz will hold will be mostly symbolic, to an anthropologist like myself, there is a great deal of appreciation for the importance of such political symbols.
By putting Dr. Oz on an even greater pedestal, the Trump administration is giving credence not only to Oz as an individual, but to the entire movement of anti-science quacks and fear-mongers that he endorses. From homeopathy to anti-GMO to anti-vaxxers, Dr. Oz has made himself an enabler - if not an outright supporter - of ineffective and sometimes even dangerous ideas. It is already bad enough that our government gives low-key recognition of homeopathic treatments via the 'Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States', but with the appointment of someone so vocally pro-pseudoscience as Dr. Oz there is a message sent that the government will not just let bad medicine exist passively, but actively endorse it.
Once again, the appointment and the position itself are clearly symbolic forms of political posturing by Trump. Still, it stands as a useful reminder that dogmatic purveyors of misinformation and pseudoscience are going nowhere, and should be kept in constant check. Lest we return to the days of snake-oil, leeches and bloodletting.
