Charlie Brooker's Newswipe : We Have All Become Richard Nixon

Adam Curtis (The Power of Nightmares) segment on how the media has turned us all into "paranoid weirdos" and why politicians are helpless to change our world for the better.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Adam.Curtis
• Charlie.Brooker
• Richard.Nixon
• Roy.Jenkins

[Jazzmonkey24522]

Been searching for this clip since I saw in on BBC4, thanks for uploading

[MatthewBearne]

Just watched this weeks one!

[AiluroPanda]

How much of this is joking around?!

[sulezraz]

Im not fat, its just a bit of plump

[Sozlled]

@prede89 Waiting times are another problem. For example my ex girl friends sister had some mental health issues and the waiting list to see a psychiatrist was over a year. It wasn't serious or acute enough for her to be seen immediately, the only way that happens is if you get committed or have a SERIOUS mental health issue that poses a risk to themselves or others, in other words they basically get committed.

[Sozlled]

@prede89 I have heard about this. Apparently they do everything they can NOT to pay out, shocking.

I have heard the US system referred to as "sick care" not "health care", maybe from Michael Moore (who i dislike).

I really don't know enough about it but perhaps Obama's health care reforms are a good thing, i don't know, nor do i know what it will do.

In the UK we do have to pay "national insurance" which comes directly out or salary, can't recall the percentage and it varies.

[Sozlled]

@prede89 Well i suppose this may be true BUT a lot of those advances have came from America, so we owe many of the new surgical and medical procedures and treatment to the US system.

Don't get me wrong, i entirely agree that the US medical system is driven by money and it's a disgrace that many doctors are on the big pharma payrolls.

As i said the only taste i have had of this is vet bills in the UK. If they prescribe a medication it's not generic, it's a brand.

[prede89]

@Sozlled I agree with most of this. But my research claimed that the British health care system was only lagging behind the US's in cancer treatment, all other areas were equal, or sometimes even greater in Britain. Unless things have changed since 2010...We are responsible for major innovations and such, but that's partly do to how much money is in the system, and how much it generates.

[prede89]

@Sozlled A bigger problem is insurance agencies not wanting to pay, so either you end up in debt, or the doctors won't even do the operation since the company claims it;s unnecessary. Now if you're rich, the health care in the US is pretty good, and best in the world for cancer treatment. But if you're poor, or your insurance sucks, or you don't have insurance, forget it.

[prede89]

@Sozlled from what my research in 2010 showed the NHS is pretty up to date, lagging behind a few years in cancer treatments and such however. But that was just what my research showed in 2010 (had to do a report about medicare here and then compared it to what the NHS is like over in the UK). A problem with the american system is people are denied care due to not having insurance if they have something like cancer, or need operations.

[Sozlled]

@prede89 The NHS is behind in technology and techniques that are used in the bleeding edge of US medical technology, i have no idea how long it takes to catch up but certainly a few years.

Just while i'm on the subject, did you know that war is probably one of the leading reasons for advances in medicine and still is. In early wars, combat surgeons and medics were able to test techniques on the injured because they were going to die anyway, just thought that was interesting and sort of ironic.

[Sozlled]

@prede89 The first taste i got of how difficult it must be to have to pay for medical care in the US was when i got my first vet bill, listing everything from the syringes (and even the needle they attach to it as two items) to the swabs they use and everything inbetween, luckily i have insurance.

That being said, the US medical system is the best in the world and is responsible for MAJOR innovation, of course you need the money to make full use of it.