ThirstyFish

The Izmir International Fair is held annually at Kulturpark, Izmir.

Experts, journalists and scientists. Why do we take them so seriously? Looking back at the big news stories of 2014, they hardly got anything right. And the media has the audacity to frame it like we, the audience, asked for it. CNN asks, "What stories got you talking in 2014?" Really!? Who sensationalized and dramatized the Missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 story to the point of absurdity. The "news" part of the story was; A plane went missing, authorities do not how it happened and have failed to find it to this date. That's it. CNN covered this story nonstop for two solid months!

NBC News shamelessly asked, "Why are Americans so scared of Ebola?" Because, the media and "scientists" scared the living daylights out of people with their "predictions" just a few months ago. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal agency whose mission is to protect public health and safety through control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability, released a report on September 23, 2014, predicting as many as 1.4 million cases of Ebola by January. As of January 2, 2015, 20,381 cases of Ebola has been reported - a far cry from the 1.4 million number! To date, there have been 10 Ebola cases in the U.S. with 2 deaths. Which roughly means, you are 22,500 times more likely to die due to lack of health insurance. Why do we take these experts, journalists and scientists at their word when their focus and their priorities are preposterously misplaced, and their so called predictions are effectively worthless?

Either, experts, journalists and scientists have a hidden agenda, or they are mostly incompetent in predicting future events, or maybe both. Sounding scientific does not make it so. And, scientific predictions are not always beneficial - often, they have serious adverse consequences. Science has become a religion of sorts. As we are asked to consider both the successes and failures of religion, we also have to consider the successes and failures of science in the same light. And, it's fair to say, "science" is increasingly failing.

Just a few months ago my aunt passed away due to post surgery complications related to general anesthesia. She had a number of medical conditions and was complaining about her knees, but the doctors of the public health system refused to perform surgery on her due to the risks involved. However, doctors at a private facility downplayed the risks and convinced her to take the surgery anyway. A story all too common, even here in the United States. It is claimed that up to 400,000 people lose their lives each year due to "medical errors" - a number third only to heart disease and cancer. Just as religion is susceptible to corruption, misinterpretation, profit, malfeasance and false predictions, science, medicine and journalism are equally vulnerable.