Cynical Health Leadership for a Cynical Age of Politics
In its modern usage, cynicism has two principal meanings. It is a belief that only self-interest motivates people, an outlook that distrusts human sincerity or integrity. Expressions of contempt and mocking follow from such thinking. The other meaning is to show concern for self-interests while disregarding accepted norms. Under either meaning, the U.S. Senate this week gave us cynical health leadership for a cynical age of politics.
Robert F Kennedy Jr received a 52-48 vote for confirmation to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by the Senate.
Cynical About Vaccines and More
As he steps into his new role of health leadership, there can be little doubt that Kennedy is cynical about vaccines and many other important dimensions of healthcare in America. He has spent many years questioning the safety of vaccines and in his hearings declined to reject a thoroughly disproven theory that vaccines cause autism.
But he said what he needed to say to gain confirmation. For instance, he said “I’m not going to take away anybody’s vaccine.” Then, shortly after his confirmation, he spoke about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine by saying, “We don’t have good data on it. And that is a crime.”
He is similarly cynical about food, pharmaceutical, and healthcare industries. He argues that they all work to make Americans sick.
Cynical Calculations
And yet, stakeholders in health and nutrition largely stayed silent about his nomination, which ensured that it would sail through the Senate on a party-line vote. Apparently they made the cynical calculation that they could not stop him and that if they did, the cost of opposing him would be too steep. Leadership of several health organizations told Politico they hoped to cut their losses by holding back on opposing him.
One organization that did speak out was the American Public Health Association. Their executive director says that others made a mistake by holding back:
“They think he’s the wrong person for the job. With good respect to all my buddies, they’re making the false assumption that if they stay silent, they will get something in return.”
Cynicism Can Have Bad Consequences
We have seen cynical politicians manipulate a cynical population before. Much of 20th century was shaped by the deeply cynical government of Nazi Germany. It was built on deception, brutal opportunism, and moral nihilism, which made cynicism a defining characteristic of the regime. It ended badly.
Conservative theologian Russell Moore warns that the spiritual cost of cynicism can be high:
“We no longer expect any goodness or authenticity or grace, anywhere. We stop seeking, we stop asking, we stop knocking at that door.
“Let’s keep our sanity by reminding each other that cynicism will one day seem crazy.”
Click here to read more on Moore’s thoughts about cynicism. For more about RFK’s confirmation, click here and here. Finally, for perspective on distinctions between skepticism and cynicism, click here.
Subscribe by email to follow the accumulating evidence and observations that shape our view of health, obesity, and policy.
February 16, 2025
February 16, 2025 at 3:12 pm, Mj said:
People I know who decided not to speak out against JFKjr, knowing his misleading and/or downright unscientific stances on vaccine, nutrition, obesity, medications, foods, even his threat to fire ALL nutritionists at federal agencies, said they didn’t want to risk having their funding decreased significantly or cut, or worse yet, lose their jobs lost much or all that, anyway! Staying silent is one of the main pathways to autocratic rule succeeding — it’s obeying in advance that which does harm.