Say, Now: A Surgeon General for the Masses

President-elect Barack Obama appointed Sanjay Gupta as surgeon general, and the pundit caterwaul has begun. Amusing and ironic, isn't it, that the voyernalists who've turned outcry into a form of news delivery are screeching over a fellow screecher's qualifications to communicate to the masses? The truth of the matter is that Gupta, like any other choice for this position, possesses some of the right qualifications and lacks others. But the surgeon general's job is to communicate best practices in health care to the American people. And if you've been paying attention, overwhelming evidence indicates that folks haven’t been inspired by past surgeons general: they are smoking more, drinking more, eating more, and risking more and varied drugs behaviors. CDC statistics bear this out, especially among 18 to 34 years olds. And people older than 34 are either increasing, staying the same, or decreasing minimially the risky behaviors that have turned the nation's health care delivery and insurance systems into medical and fiscal wrecking yards.

Let’s face it, we are, by and large (no pun intended), a digital nation that sources most of its health information from sensationalist television, followed closely by Internet search engines, blogs and headlines that twist context for entertainment value. Obama’s no idiot; he and his people are so good at reaching and convincing Americans, they can turn red into blue. It’s all well and good if you have appointees with gravitas, expertise, experience, and accolades; it does nothing if nobody listens. Gupta has all of the above plus he can inspire an entertainment hungry nation to action. Look at the guy: he's fit and trim, thinks fast on his feet, possesses the equinimity of a monk while juggling duties in several high-stress positions, and has great teeth. He could be riddled with all sorts of cancers, infections, and communicable diseases and nobody would really care because we like to eat dinner in front of the evening news. So, yeah, there are probably thousands of people more qualified to take the job, but if you want results, and especially if you need them fast, you have to get your audience 1) to listen and 2) behave. If a handsome, charming, erudite television surgeon gets our celebrity-obsessed nation to change its woeful ways, why complain?