Monday, November 28, 2011

Stem Cell Research, Assumptions, and Getting a Grip

All stem cell research is important, and should be in the news.

I'll get back to that, after reminiscing about the 'good old days.' There's a connection.

The 'Good Old Days' - Weren't

I remember the 'good old days,' when many 'regular Americans' saw the world as one big battleground between dirty communists and America. It wasn't an entirely simplistic world view. These folks sometimes went after Americans they thought were commie sympathizers, and that's another topic.

Don't get me wrong: I like living in America. I think there's a reason that folks are trying to break into this country. I also think that communist leaders have a far-from-unblemished record; and that no country or system of government is even close to being perfect.1

Stem Cell Research

"Critic points out media bias against adult stem cells"
Marianne Medlin, CNA (Catholic News Agency) (November 25, 2011)

"After researchers in California called off a major U.S. embryonic stem cell study, a legal expert says that most major news outlets have given zero coverage to the far superior benefits of adult stem cells.

" 'Since embryonic stem cells were first derived, the media has told a materially unbalanced story,' said Wesley J. Smith, a lawyer and senior fellow at the Discovery Institute's Center on Human Exceptionalism.

"Smith said in a Nov. 23 interview with CNA that successful adult stem cell clinical trials 'have either been ignored totally, or generally underplayed as story after story has claimed adult approaches offer more limited benefits than embryonic.'..."
I don't know why old-school journalists don't seem to know about research or applications involving adult stem cells.

Maybe there's a deliberate effort to make 'the Masses' believe that:
  • Life-saving medical research depends on embryonic stem cells
  • Abortion centers provide a steady stream of dead "embryos"
  • Any opposition to abortion, therefore, is
    • Anti-science
    • Anti-medicine
    • Anti-woman
    • And pretty much icky
Or maybe traditional American journalists simply never imagined that adult stem cells were useful. After all, the 'right' folks keep telling journalists about embryonic stem cells: and adult stem cells are what Catholics and other outsiders talk about.

Assumptions

I think it's very easy for folks to believe that what 'everybody knows' is true. Particularly when 'everybody' is a relatively small, somewhat insulated, set of friends and acquaintances. Or when 'everybody' is part of a majority that also has a great deal of economic, social, and political power.

Back in the 'good old days,' when America was more of a WASP nest than it is now, I think quite a few folks took chauvinistic patriotism at least somewhat seriously.

That was then, this is now. The folks who hold the reins in today's America aren't any more solidly attached to reality as the Frank Burns types, and I've been over this before.2

Getting a Grip

I could rant about 'those Satanic people over there,' and how we must do anything it takes to end abortion now.

The end justifies the means, right?

Wrong!
" 'An evil action cannot be justified by reference to a good intention' (cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, Dec. praec. 6). The end does not justify the means." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1759)
The Catholic Church thinks truth is important. (Catechism, 2464-2503)

We're also told that lying is wrong. (Catechism, 2482-2486)

Following the 'but he started it' principle, I could decide start using the same sort of hype as old-school news media. But lying, or distorting truth, is against the rules: and that's a topic for another post.
Updated (November 28, 2011, 9:03 PM)

I wrote about lies, distortions, and rules, here:
Related posts:In the news:
1 I've discussed cultural biases and blind spots, past and present, before:2 Insularity may be easier to maintain with relatively small groups who are physically isolated from the rest of the world. Folks whose world is urban American aren't immune, though. And those who live in an insular subculture and control traditional information media may be particularly resistant to unfamiliar ideas:

2 comments:

Brigid said...

Wrong word, I think: "Americans they thought were that commie sympathizers"

Point missing a bullet: "Any opposition to abortion, therefore, is"

The Friendly Neighborhood Proofreader

Brian H. Gill said...

Brigid,

Found, fixed, and thanks!

Like it? Pin it, Plus it, - - -

Pinterest: My Stuff, and More

Advertisement

Unique, innovative candles


Visit us online:
Spiral Light CandleFind a Retailer
Spiral Light Candle Store

Popular Posts

Label Cloud

1277 abortion ADD ADHD-Inattentive Adoration Chapel Advent Afghanistan Africa America Amoris Laetitia angels animals annulment Annunciation anti-catholicism Antichrist apocalyptic ideas apparitions archaeology architecture Arianism art Asperger syndrome assumptions asteroid astronomy Australia authority balance and moderation baptism being Catholic beliefs bias Bible Bible and Catechism bioethics biology blogs brain Brazil business Canada capital punishment Caritas in Veritate Catechism Catholic Church Catholic counter-culture Catholicism change happens charisms charity Chile China Christianity Christmas citizenship climate change climatology cloning comets common good common sense Communion community compassion confirmation conscience conversion Corpus Christi cosmology creation credibility crime crucifix Crucifixion Cuba culture dance dark night of the soul death depression designer babies despair detachment devotion discipline disease diversity divination Divine Mercy divorce Docetism domestic church dualism duty Easter economics education elections emotions England entertainment environmental issues Epiphany Establishment Clause ethics ethnicity Eucharist eugenics Europe evangelizing evolution exobiology exoplanets exorcism extremophiles faith faith and works family Father's Day Faust Faustus fear of the Lord fiction Final Judgment First Amendment forgiveness Fortnight For Freedom free will freedom fun genetics genocide geoengineering geology getting a grip global Gnosticism God God's will good judgment government gratitude great commission guest post guilt Haiti Halloween happiness hate health Heaven Hell HHS hierarchy history holidays Holy Family Holy See Holy Spirit holy water home schooling hope humility humor hypocrisy idolatry image of God images Immaculate Conception immigrants in the news Incarnation Independence Day India information technology Internet Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Japan Jesus John Paul II joy just war justice Kansas Kenya Knights of Columbus knowledge Korea language Last Judgment last things law learning Lent Lenten Chaplet life issues love magi magic Magisterium Manichaeism marriage martyrs Mary Mass materialism media medicine meditation Memorial Day mercy meteor meteorology Mexico Minnesota miracles Missouri moderation modesty Monophysitism Mother Teresa of Calcutta Mother's Day movies music Muslims myth natural law neighbor Nestorianism New Year's Eve New Zealand news Nietzsche obedience Oceania organization original sin paleontology parish Parousia penance penitence Pentecost Philippines physical disability physics pilgrimage politics Pope Pope in Germany 2011 population growth positive law poverty prayer predestination presumption pride priests prophets prostitution Providence Purgatory purpose quantum entanglement quotes reason redemption reflections relics religion religious freedom repentance Resurrection robots Roman Missal Third Edition rosaries rules sacramentals Sacraments Saints salvation schools science secondary causes SETI sex shrines sin slavery social justice solar planets soul South Sudan space aliens space exploration Spain spirituality stem cell research stereotypes stewardship stories storm Sudan suicide Sunday obligation superstition symbols technology temptation terraforming the establishment the human condition tolerance Tradition traffic Transfiguration Transubstantiation travel Trinity trust truth uncertainty United Kingdom universal destination of goods vacation Vatican Vatican II veneration vengeance Veterans Day videos virtue vlog vocations voting war warp drive theory wealth weather wisdom within reason work worship writing

Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.