Over the past few weeks, there has been a spike in the number of medical professionals who have made erroneous statements about the COVID-19 outbreak. Some of these include Dr. Peter Hotz and Dr. Eric Fischl-Ding.
Hotez got into a public spat with Joe Rogan, a highly-rated podcaster. Rogan challenged him to a debate without a scheduled time slot with Robert Kennedy Jr., who is an ardent critic of vaccines. After backing down, Hotez appeared on MSNBC's program on Sunday.
The lack of self-awareness exhibited by Hotez is a shocking example of how unprepared he is for the modern world. He claims that he can debate science without realizing that his lack of knowledge undermines his credibility. His arrogant attitude and lack of confidence have caused medical professionals to lose their trust in him.
Instead of focusing on their duties, Hotz and other online medical experts have made inflammatory predictions and appeared on cable news programs. Their actions have damaged the public's trust in them.
Dr. @PeterHotez on why he won’t debate @RobertKennedyJr: “In science, we don’t typically do debates. What we do is we write scientific papers … one doesn’t typically debate science. Maybe the one-off discussion of evolution versus creationism & that sort of thing, but that’s not… pic.twitter.com/amiFU9vI9N
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) June 19, 2023
On Sunday, Hotez appeared on MSNBC alongside Mehdi Hasan, an anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist. He was well aware that he would lose the debate. He is nothing but a scam artist who has received millions of dollars in grants to do nothing. Despite his positive public image, Hotez is still damaging the very thing he claims to be concerned about.
I do not trust medical institutions, but I believe that it is important for people to trust them once again. In the past people could rely on a doctor's opinion without any doubts about their legitimacy. Unfortunately, the actions of scientific figures such as Hotez have damaged the trust of the public.
The public's trust in science can only be restored if the individuals who have lied to the American people are publicly rebuked. Unfortunately, this can be very difficult to achieve due to how politicized the field has become.
Hotez will continue to appear on MSNBC, where he will blame others for his own actions and the damage he has caused the scientific community.
Source: Red State