JcakSnigleton's recent activity

  1. Comment on What do you guys think about Sacha Baron Cohen's "Who Is America?" in ~tv

    JcakSnigleton
    Link Parent
    Sorry for the delay. Instead of clips, here's an article from The International Journal of Press/Politics that most conservative interviewees believed that the character, Colbert, was aligned with...

    Sorry for the delay.
    Instead of clips, here's an article from The International Journal of Press/Politics that most conservative interviewees believed that the character, Colbert, was aligned with their own views.

    It's far from definitive, obviously, but an interesting perspective.

  2. Comment on Tilders, would you describe yourselves as an extrovert or an introvert? in ~talk

    JcakSnigleton
    Link
    Extroverted introvert, here. Had a sensible chuckle regarding your address (i.e., Tilders). On Reddit, someone asked if participants of Tildes should be called Tildos.

    Extroverted introvert, here.

    Had a sensible chuckle regarding your address (i.e., Tilders). On Reddit, someone asked if participants of Tildes should be called Tildos.

  3. Comment on What do you guys think about Sacha Baron Cohen's "Who Is America?" in ~tv

    JcakSnigleton
    Link Parent
    I'll try to find some clips. There were many instances where Colbert's interviewee thought the persona was authentic. I agree that his act is not nearly as cutting at SBC's but, at its heart,...

    I'll try to find some clips. There were many instances where Colbert's interviewee thought the persona was authentic.

    I agree that his act is not nearly as cutting at SBC's but, at its heart, satire is satire.

  4. Comment on What do you guys think about Sacha Baron Cohen's "Who Is America?" in ~tv

    JcakSnigleton
    Link Parent
    Did you ever watch The Colbert Report? Stephen spent nine seasons portraying a character he honed on The Daily Show - a "self-important right-wing commentator" who would regularly gain access to...

    Did you ever watch The Colbert Report? Stephen spent nine seasons portraying a character he honed on The Daily Show - a "self-important right-wing commentator" who would regularly gain access to political figures not aware that his persona was a ruse, only to trap them in awkward interviews. In fact, an aide to George Bush Jr. invited him to host the White House Correspondent's Dinner, completely unaware that Colbert was not actually a right-wing pundit. Jon Stewart and Colbert have created an entire genre of comedy now based on this premise.

    I guess my point is that often the only way to communicate injustice and inform the public is via satire and info-tainment. SBC definitely appears on the sharper, more edgy end of that spectrum but he is virtually playing the same game as Colbert and it's often the most effective way to hold a mirror to the public / political discourse, regardless of how ugly the reflection.

  5. Comment on Overall health includes oral health: Should dental be part of universal health care in ~life

    JcakSnigleton
    Link Parent
    You're welcome. Apologies for the bias; I provide consulting services to dentists and they're often bemoaning financial circumstances with no appreciation for how/why the system was organized in...

    You're welcome. Apologies for the bias; I provide consulting services to dentists and they're often bemoaning financial circumstances with no appreciation for how/why the system was organized in this fashion.

    2 votes
  6. Comment on Overall health includes oral health: Should dental be part of universal health care in ~life

    JcakSnigleton
    Link Parent
    It was not arbitrary. The Royal Commission on Health Services (1964) recommended targeted stakeholders receive public coverage for dental services (e.g., children, expectant mothers, public...

    for some arbitrary reason

    It was not arbitrary. The Royal Commission on Health Services (1964) recommended targeted stakeholders receive public coverage for dental services (e.g., children, expectant mothers, public assistance recipients) but due to the introduction of public health fluoridation, dentists aggressively lobbied for private control over fees and billing using the age-old sanctimonious argument condemning governmental interference in such intimate relationships as those existing between patient and practitioner1. In truth, dentists foresaw private services, insurance coverage, and personal responsibility (i.e., brushing teeth) as leverage for higher earnings, albeit with the higher overhead that comes with keeping in-house lab and diagnostic services (e.g., radiology).

    Dentists who complain about oral health not being given the same legitimacy as health have their own legacy of political influence to blame. Although, most dentists only complain about provincial governments interfering by demanding fee guides and sterilization guidelines. Generations of professionals raised in this milieu only strengthen the perception that dentists are much more concerned about dental fees and call-backs than about your oral health. The ultimate decision to position profit before patient will forever place an asterisk after the title DDS, in my opinion, demarcating that prioritization.

    Additionally, and because I hear time and again from dentists that they need to charge high fees in order to afford the high cost of operating a dental clinic, there is no reason that the public system could not build large, publicly-funded dental clinics, where dozens of dentists share radiology, lab services, surgeries, etc. But the dentists would then be professional employees or consultants to the "dental hospital" and they have vehemently and aggressively acted to smother and kill any suggestions of such models because it would completely re-define their earning potential. On the other hand, it often feels unbalanced that dentists typically earn as much or more than highly-trained medical specialists (e.g., neurologists, cardiologists) when 90% of dental practice is not that complicated or delicate in nature.

    tl;dr The system was designed by and still works for dentists. The fact that fewer and fewer people can afford dental service (and fewer have access to comprehensive dental insurance) is not an issue for dentists. They simply see it as an issue to be remedied by private insurance companies (e.g., QuickCard, CDSPI).

    5 votes
  7. Comment on What do you guys think about Sacha Baron Cohen's "Who Is America?" in ~tv

    JcakSnigleton
    Link Parent
    I appreciate your distaste for SBC but you clearly are unaware of his "hook" or type of comedy, which is fine but does not warrant your hyperbolic pearl-clutch or convincing. If you don't like...

    I appreciate your distaste for SBC but you clearly are unaware of his "hook" or type of comedy, which is fine but does not warrant your hyperbolic pearl-clutch or convincing. If you don't like him, don't watch his show. If you do watch this show, it is likely because of SBC's bizarre and surreal stereotypes (e.g., Ali G, Borat, BrĂ¼no). It's his stock and trade.

    "Neither should be socially acceptable on this level." Just re-read that. Exactly whose standard of social acceptably should be enforced? Is comedy not socially acceptable? Some believe that satire is the first instrument of social change. In the Middle Ages, often only the jester could ridicule the King without being executed.

    Careful before you start issuing decrees. Not everyone shares your perspectives. We live in a plural society. Make choices; respect others.

    5 votes