Phil McGraw (Image Credit: Associated Press)

By James Peters

Two & Out

PETERS: Be careful to which celebrity doctors you give credence

Apr 17, 2020 | 11:10 AM

POP QUIZ: what does Dr. Bonnie Henry have in common with Michael Jordan, The Rock and Kanye West?

Answer: they all have their own shoes.

Noted Vancouver shoe designer John Fluevog introduced the Dr. Henry shoe this week, in tribute to B.C.’s provincial health officer, who happens to be a Fluevog enthusiast herself.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing that the public health officials who have worked their whole lives to find the best ways to protect the health of the nation are becoming our society’s heroes.

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In the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci has been lionized with various tributes from artists depicting him as a saint to his own sock puppet.

Dr. Henry and Dr. Fauci certainly seem more worthy of the plaudits than the likes of professional athletes or reality TV stars.

But we should be giving a lot of thought to which so-called doctors we bestow with celebrity status.

In the U.S., several TV doctors seem more interested in values other than public health – namely, the re-opening of the economy.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, for example, recently argued that getting schools back in session as normal would lead a mere “two to three per cent” death rate.

Two to three per cent mortality still amounts to literally millions of human lives.

It was a completely callous statement that devalues each and every one of those lives.

To his credit, Dr. Oz has since apologized, saying he misspoke.

Still, on Thursday, Phil McGraw contrasted restrictions based on COVID-19 to the absence of restrictions around car crashes and swimming pools and cigarette smoking.

Now, not only were Dr. Phil’s drowning numbers incorrect by a factor of 100, but the situations are hardly comparable.

One cannot die in a swimming pool because they were unintentionally exposed to a droplet of saliva in a public space.

Dr. Phil’s priority, more than public health, is restarting the economy.

It’s not that restarting the economy isn’t important; it’s that he’s supposed to be a doctor.

He’s not, of course. Dr. Phil does not hold a medical license and surrendered his license to practice psychology in 2006 after a series of controversies.

He is not a celebrity doctor; he is just a celebrity.

Getting the economy restarted will need to happen — hopefully before long.

In determining the right time, though, we need to listen to our doctors who actually have public health at the top of mind, not just advancing their own celebrities.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.