THE POSITIVE PROFESSOR
SOCIAL media’s voice of calm Karol Sikora has been signed up by the Daily Express. Readers can now enjoy his soothing advice in these troubled times that have won him hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter. If you need reassuring everything’s going to be all right read Professor Positivity.
I’M A 71-year-old technophobe who until a couple of months ago couldn’t even download an app on to my phone. My daughter always had to help.
I know how to treat complex cancers with the latest technology, but getting my head around Twitter took some time.
Some have suggested Instagram or Facebook as well but tweeting is enough for me.
This is why yesterday I was so surprised to hear that I had been censored on YouTube.
An interview with the news website Unherd labelled “Fear is more deadly than the virus” was taken down for “breaching community guidelines”.
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has previously said anything that contradicts the World Health Organization (WHO) is a “violation” – very dystopian!
This virus is the new kid on the block and nobody quite knows what to make of it. That’s why I hate the phrase “led by the science” – because there is so much we just don’t know.
Important
I used to work for the WHO and its response has been poor – almost no pragmatic guidance for governments on important issues such as face masks, health checks at borders, social distancing, quarantine and how to get back to normal. The idea that someone should be silenced for pointing this out is a little scary.
I’ve always made it clear that I’m not an epidemiologist, although there seems to be virtually zero agreement in that field. Ask 100 oncologists how best to treat a cancer, and the vast majority will agree – it’s not the same in epidemiology. It’s much more woolly.
Any debate needs a balance and I do think ours has been skewed towards the negative. Every day there is more to be positive about and we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it.
Thankfully, by the evening YouTube recanted and it’s back up there.
My strategy has always been to prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. Fingers crossed, we will all be out of this mess by the summer.