Poor Dr Oz


Oprah Winfrey is dumping Dr Oz’s radio show. It’s about time.

One odd thing: I missed this earlier, but Oz made a bizarre argument from type size.

Oz then also claimed that his show is not a medical one. We very purposely, on the logo, have ‘Oz’ as the middle, and the ‘Doctor’ is actually up in the little bar for a reason, he said in a TV interview. I want folks to realize that I’m a doctor, and I’m coming into their lives to be supportive of them. But it’s not a medical show.

I had to look this one up. It turns out, though, that he has a couple of versions of his logo floating around.

Oz-Logo1dr-oz-logo2

So when he uses the one with the BIG “DR”, he’s speaking as a doctor, and when he uses the little “dr”, we’re supposed to just ignore it?

Comments

  1. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    Yes, size does matter.

    In this case the size of the ego dealing alt-med that he won’t prove, with solid clinical studies, actually works as claimed….How does one spell QUACK?

  2. moarscienceplz says

    I want folks to realize that I’m a doctor, and I’m coming into their lives to be supportive of them. But it’s not a medical show.

    Huh. Well in that case, he should tell Wikipedia. On their Mehmet Oz page it says this:

    In 2009, The Dr. Oz Show, a daily television program focusing on medical issues and personal health, was launched by Winfrey’s Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures.

  3. sugarfrosted says

    Clearly we’re not supposed to. If we were, the Dr. wouldn’t have a period like Dr Pepper.

  4. consciousness razor says

    I want folks to realize that I’m a doctor, and I’m coming into their lives to be supportive of them. But it’s not a medical show.

    If you wanted that, you could call it “The Dr. OZ Non-Medical Show.” Or how about “The Oz Show”? Or basically anything. And if that’s the idea, you could make sure that, whatever the fuck you call it, in fact you were not discussing subjects that are of a medical sort in reality, however fucking mangled it may be by the time you’ve gotten your fake doctorish hands on it, you dishonest piece of shit.

  5. dannorth says

    I want folks to realize that I’m a doctor, and I’m coming into their lives to be supportive of them. But it’s not a medical show.

    I don’t know if he still does it but in the past he was mocked for appearing on TV wearing scrubs to look more medical

  6. says

    Or maybe he could get two hats, one that says “Doctor Speaking” and another that says “Quack Speaking” and hold his feet to the FCC fire if he says anything misleading with the “Doctor Speaking” hat on. It sounds like he wants the “it wasn’t ex cathedra, so neener neener” wild card the Pope has, which can be whipped out as soon as somebody points out a major flaw in something he said/wrote.

  7. Sastra says

    The phrase “to be supportive of (someone)” is I think sometimes used as a sort of modern wishy-washy pop psychology dog whistle. It indicates that ordinary judgement, skepticism, and criticism has been put to sleep and whatever you want to believe, whatever you need to believe, whatever you do believe — I’m there for you. I’m accepting. I’m not going to get into all that true-or-false rational stuff which can be so challenging. You don’t need to be challenged. You need to be validated.

    If the audience has a problem, Oz has a solution. It may not work work, see — but it will always “work” just because they know somebody cares enough to be supportive.

  8. robro says

    dannorth — “he was mocked for appearing on TV wearing scrubs to look more medical…” Also a stethoscope. Gives the appearance that he just walked off the ward floor and into the studio. Costuming is a very important part of theater, but he probably doesn’t do it all the time.

    consciousness razor — “…you could call it “The Dr. OZ Non-Medical Show.” Or how about “The Oz Show”? Or basically anything.” What about the Oz Snake Oil Show? Seems fitting.

    Sastra — I think when a person like Oz says he wants “to be supportive” he means, “I’m going lie to you in the hope that you’ll feel better and be happy, and then you’ll spend some money.” It’s almost exactly the same thing preachers do. Just a different operating mythos.

  9. microraptor says

    Would Discovery please drop the Duggars?

    Not happening until some new thing comes a long. It’s the Jerry Springer Channel TLC way.

  10. latveriandiplomat says

    You’d think when the OZ part is super big like that, it means monkeys will fly out of his butt. Sadly, that implication is also fraudulent.

  11. drjuliebug says

    I still like John Oliver’s suggestion for a better title: “Check This Shit Out! With Some Guy Named Mehmet”.

  12. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Hello, I would just like you to know that I’m a doctor but I’m not talking to you like a doctor right now, just someone who wishes you well. These scrubs? Oh, they are just a fashion statement.

  13. Thumper: Who Presents Boxes Which Are Not Opened says

    @ Nerd #2

    How does one spell QUACK?

    As with quite a few words in the English language, there are a couple of alternate spellings. One is d-r-o-z, the other is c-h-o-p-r-a.

  14. Dr Marcus Hill Ph.D. (arguing from his own authority) says

    Given the extant evidence, I’d rather take medical advice from Dr Dre than Dr OZ…

  15. David Marjanović says

    Fun fact: as far as I know, öz means “true”, “genuine”, found in many surnames like Öztürk “True Turk” and Öza(r)slan “Actual Fucking Lion”.

    and when he uses the little “dr”, we’re supposed to just ignore it?

    Not intended to be a factual statement.

    The phrase “to be supportive of (someone)” is I think sometimes used as a sort of modern wishy-washy pop psychology dog whistle.

    “I support” is the new “I pray for”; it doesn’t necessarily entail doing anything. Support the Troops! by buying a sticker (from some for-profit company, not even from the military or anything) and putting it on your car…

  16. Dr Marcus Hill Ph.D. (arguing from his own authority) says

    A sticker? Why go that far when I can just click on “like”?

  17. Pianoman, Church of the Golden Retriever says

    so when Oz does an entire segment on cardiovascular disease, with a drawing of the heart and all the parts and all that…that’s not a medical show?

  18. Randomfactor says

    No, sorry, that’s a placebo violin.

    Damned lucky it’s not homeopathic or we’d all be deaf now.

  19. Richard Smith says

    Well, at least it’s reassuring to know that, whichever logo he uses, Oz is acknowledging that it’s not much of a show.

  20. ck, the Irate Lump says

    Dr Marcus Hill Ph.D. (arguing from his own authority) wrote:

    Given the extant evidence, I’d rather take medical advice from Dr Dre than Dr OZ…

    Dr Dre seems like he has a pretty good head on his shoulders, so I’m not sure that’s a close comparison. The question on my mind is: Would it be better to take medical advice from Dr Oz or Dr Pepper (soft drink)?