Gary McCormick announces: “I would rather trust the experts.”
But have a look at how he treated an expert five years ago.
The Panel, RNZ National, Wednesday 23 November 2016
Wallace Chapman, Alan Blackman, Gary McCormick, Megan Whelan
But have a look at how he treated an expert five years ago.
The Panel, RNZ National, Wednesday 23 November 2016
Wallace Chapman, Alan Blackman, Gary McCormick, Megan Whelan
humbug n., a willfully false, deceptive, or insincere person
For a change there was, briefly, something resembling an earnest discussion on Wednesday’s edition of Jim Mora’s pisspoor chat show. This one was about whether or not it was safe to go back into Wellington buildings closed down after the earthquake. The most earnest of all the Panelists was regular guest Gary McCormick, who told how the people of Christchurch had gone through all of this before, and after an earthquake was no time to take chances. “I would rather trust the experts,” he intoned.
No doubt more than a few long-time listeners to this show would have snorted to hear McCormick talk like that. Back in March 2011, Gary McCormick embarked on a demeaning, philistine attack on Professor Nick Wilson, a world-renowned expert on tobacco epidemiology. Also ganging up on the Professor were Jim Mora and Raybon Kan…..
GARY McCORMICK: Yeah I know Nick, we get this a lot from health professionals! Do we have any EVIDENCE that second-hand smoke HARMS PEOPLE?PROFESSOR WILSON: The World Health Organization has presented reams of evidence that even a low level of second-hand smo—-JIM MORA: Look, Nick, uhhh, you’re the medical professional and, uhhhh, I don’t want to argue the science with you but, uhhhhh, I’ve seen those Scottish statistics and they were heavily disputed and refuted!McCORMICK: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re right, Nick, but we ordinary citizens keep hearing this scientific research which isn’t that sound. So Nick, tell us: is it that important?PROFESSOR WILSON: Four hundred deaths is not trivial.JIM MORA: But that’s an extrapolation as well, isn’t it!RAYBON KAN: Nick, you seem quite hung up on this science thing. Ummmm, how does smoke compare with the threat of sunlight?McCORMICK: A ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Good one, Raybon!PROFESSOR WILSON: It’s not really the same thing.McCORMICK: Yes it is, actually! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!JIM MORA: Doesn’t this come back to John Stuart Mill, that unless we can PROVE harm, then we have no right to ban something. It’s all about rights, surely?PROFESSOR WILSON: Non-smokers have the right to breathe clean air.McCORMICK: Yeah Nick, I’m concerned about the rights of people to experience direct sunlight. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!RAYBON KAN: He he he he he he he! Nice one, Gary!JIM MORA: Doctor Nick Wilson, from the Otago University School of Medicine and Health Science. Nick, THANKS for being with us! It’s time for the News.Following the news break of five minutes, the panelists are still flushed with the triumph of their mauling of Professor Wilson…McCORMICK: That was lovely, Raybon, what you said about the sun. We really need to go after people like that. We often get put in a situation where we BELIEVE the experts. It’s good to challenge them!RAYBON KAN: What ISN’T a carcinogen? Sun is a carcinogen. Sugar is a carcinogen. LIFE is a carcinogen! Being BORN is a carcinogen! This science is vaguely interesting, like vegemite, so move on!McCORMICK: Ha ha ha ha ha haha! Well put, Raybon!JIM MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha haha! Well said, Raybon. You’re very clever! Okay, onto our next topic: Sara Palin.McCORMICK: Sara Palin? She’s too STUPID to be true!
More of McCormick’s unfunny display of contempt for an expert…
