Ella Does Squamish

Social Science & Medicine 64 (2007) 164-173

The paradoxical reliance on allopathic medicine and positivist science among skeptical audiences

Juanne N. Clarkea, Stephanie Arnolda, Michelle Everesta, Kyle Whitfieldb
Wilfrid Laurier University Waterloo, Ont. Canada
University of Waterloo, Canada
Available online 11 October 2006

Abstract
A number of studies have found an association between what people see, hear and read in the mass media and their
corresponding actions and beliefs. This link has been demonstrated both at the micro and at the macro levels of analysis.
However, when people are asked directly about the impact of mass media theytend to deny that they are personally
affected. In fact, they tend to describe themselves as critical and skeptical media consumers. The purpose of this paper is to
explore this contradiction through 12 in-depth focus group discussions undertaken in Ontario, Canada in 2004.  Findings
from the focus group interviews confirm earlier research in that people claimed that they were not susceptible to media influence.
At the same time as they said that they took information from the mass media "with a grain of salt", they articulated sophisticated and nuanced accounts of how and why they evaluated some information as good and some as bad. In general they evaluated media stories on the basis of the values of allopathic medicine and positivistic science.  Moreover, in the context of the focus groups and their
explicit comments on their skepticism, they discussed health information from the magazine articles that they were given to read (on either HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, or a heart disease). Possible explanations for these paradoxical findings are discussed.
 

2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Canada; Health; Media; Audience interpretation;
Medicalization

Get the facts from the Council of Canadians’ new website

The Council of Canadians’ brand new, re-vamped website is
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all of the resources and information you need to take action
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site features a fresh new look, with photos of Council staff
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Here is a sampling of what’s new at www.canadians.org:

INTEGRATE THIS! A Citizen’s Guide to Fighting Deep
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What is deep integration? Who’s behind the push for greater
“harmonization” with the U.S. administration? Why should
you be concerned? What can you do about it? Find out the
answers to these questions and more, in the Citizen’s Guide to
Fighting Deep Integration.


Marching Orders: How Canada abandoned peacekeeping and why
the UN needs us now more than ever »
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Did you know that the total number of soldiers that Canada
is contributing to UN peacekeeping today could fit on a
single school bus? Shockingly, our country’s participation in
UN peacekeeping has dwindled to a mere 56 troops.
Meanwhile, the federal government is set to spend over $5 billion on
the combat mission in Afghanistan – a mission that has
already cost over 40 Canadian lives. Read this report to find
out what forces motivated this dramatic shift in military
policy, and why the Council of Canadians believes we should
change course – before it’s too late.


The Silent Treatment: Canadian Perspectives, Autumn 2006 »
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Check out the new issue of Canadian Perspectives magazine,
featuring an exposé on the behind-closed-doors meetings
that could decide Canada’s future. Also, hear from Dr. Brian
Day, the Canadian Medical Association’s new president and a
vocal supporter of for-profit health care. Also, get our
take on the collapse of the WTO negotiations and the growing
privatization of First Nations’ water systems.


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Hearings in London
and Winnipeg »
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http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2006/20/c6341.html

Full report at:

http://www.policyalternatives.ca/Reports/2006/11/GrowingGapPoll/index.cfm?pa=BB736455

TORONTO, Nov. 20 /CNW Telbec/ - A record high number of Canadians think
Canada’s gap between rich and poor is growing - and it’s causing them concern,
according to an Environics Research poll conducted for the Canadian Centre for
Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
    The poll reveals three-quarters (76%) of Canadians believe Canada’s gap
between rich and poor has grown compared to 10 years ago. That number is up
from 2003, when 70% thought the gap had grown. In 1990, 68% of Canadians
thought the gap had grown.
    "The growing gap is clearly an issue that’s flying under the radar screen
of Canadian political life," says Armine Yalnizyan, research fellow with the
CCPA. "Canadians are well aware of the inequality that surrounds them and
they’re worried about it." 

        - Almost half of Canadians (49%) say they are always just one or two
      missed paycheques away from being poor.
    - About two-thirds of Canadians (65%) say most people have not benefited
      from Canada’s economic growth and that benefits have mostly gone to the
      very rich.
    - Three-quarters of Canadians (76%) worry a growing gap will lead to more
      crime and, if left unchecked, they also believe Canada will end up
      being like the U.S. 
 

    "Canadians keep seeing evidence of wealth created in their society but
they are having a tough time confirming it in their own lives. They’re not
alone - they are among a majority who see the growing gap as a pressing
problem," says Yalnizyan.

    The poll is the first in a series of CCPA reports examining income
inequality in Canada.
    Environics interviewed 2,021 adult Canadians by telephone for this poll.
A survey of this magnitude yields results that can be considered accurate to
within plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.


For further information: Trish Hennessy, director of the CCPA’s Growing
Gap Project, (416) 263-9896 or c (416) 525-4927