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No. He's actually right about quite a few things. Yes, we should wear our sunscreen, eat our vegetables and get some exercise. No, we shouldn't smoke. Nor should we follow the advice of celebrities or emulate their actions just because they happen to be celebrities.
Like Angelina Jolie, who had a "preventative" double mastectomy to avert breast cancer, knowing that she already had some genetic red flags and a family history of the disease. So when in doubt, we should ask our doctor, as opposed to Angelina Jolie or Gwyneth Paltrow?
Maybe. But regardless of their credentials and experience, regardless of their professional competence and ethos and educated guesses and hunches (sometimes they just don't have the luxury of time to do the kind of extensive research that might be desirable in a perfect world) - doctors can get things wrong too! What about all the unnecessary radical mastectomies and hysterectomies ordered by doctors? What about drugs like thalidomide and DES prescribed in good faith by doctors, which ultimately led to serious birth defects and other next-generation complications?
In his book "Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong about Everything?" Timothy Caulfield has clearly done his homework. He includes extensive bibliographic references and a decent index that would warm the heart of any librarian! He endeavours to unearth proper studies to support the claims he makes and when he is unable to do so, he freely admits it. But having acknowledged all that, I have to say I think some of the conclusions he reaches are a little questionable.
For one thing, he says we are all ridiculously unable to predict odds and probabilities and that we are all absurdly overconfident of our own abilities. Really? That might be true of those who dare to enter the Dragons' Den or audition for Canadian Idol - in fact, I don't think people would ever enter either of those spaces unless they were blessed with a healthy dose of optimism! I also think there are gender and generational biases at work here. Generally speaking, men tend to be more self-confident than women and younger people tend to be more self-confident than older folks. Cultural elements come into play too. In our culture, people are expected to APPEAR self-confident at auditions, job interviews and the like, even if they are quaking in their shoes!
But it's the overall message I got from the book that concerns me the most. Throughout most of the book, he seems to be saying that the odds of making it in the arts are so pitifully low that it's better not to try at all. Towards the end, he does grudgingly admit that the arts have a value in and of themselves (he also admits that he himself is a failed rock musician). But he says you should engage in the arts for the love of it and never expect to make a living in the field. If you've got bills to pay, you'll just have to activate Plan B and get a job at a fast food joint.
I'm a little more optimistic than that. I see plenty of impressive musical, artistic and literary talent amongst my family and friends. Maybe none of these people will ever be a world-famous celebrity. That's probably not what most of them aspire to, as constant touring and performing can be highly antithetical to family life and the maintenance of solid relationships. But most of them are at least managing to make a modest living in ways that involve their skills and talents - be that teaching, writing, performing, or holding exhibitions of their work.
Oh, by the way. I've read the book. I saw a presentation he gave recently in the Ottawa area. But I still haven't quite figured out what (if anything) Timothy Caulfield thinks Gwyneth Paltrow might actually be RIGHT about!
Like Angelina Jolie, who had a "preventative" double mastectomy to avert breast cancer, knowing that she already had some genetic red flags and a family history of the disease. So when in doubt, we should ask our doctor, as opposed to Angelina Jolie or Gwyneth Paltrow?
Maybe. But regardless of their credentials and experience, regardless of their professional competence and ethos and educated guesses and hunches (sometimes they just don't have the luxury of time to do the kind of extensive research that might be desirable in a perfect world) - doctors can get things wrong too! What about all the unnecessary radical mastectomies and hysterectomies ordered by doctors? What about drugs like thalidomide and DES prescribed in good faith by doctors, which ultimately led to serious birth defects and other next-generation complications?
In his book "Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong about Everything?" Timothy Caulfield has clearly done his homework. He includes extensive bibliographic references and a decent index that would warm the heart of any librarian! He endeavours to unearth proper studies to support the claims he makes and when he is unable to do so, he freely admits it. But having acknowledged all that, I have to say I think some of the conclusions he reaches are a little questionable.
For one thing, he says we are all ridiculously unable to predict odds and probabilities and that we are all absurdly overconfident of our own abilities. Really? That might be true of those who dare to enter the Dragons' Den or audition for Canadian Idol - in fact, I don't think people would ever enter either of those spaces unless they were blessed with a healthy dose of optimism! I also think there are gender and generational biases at work here. Generally speaking, men tend to be more self-confident than women and younger people tend to be more self-confident than older folks. Cultural elements come into play too. In our culture, people are expected to APPEAR self-confident at auditions, job interviews and the like, even if they are quaking in their shoes!
But it's the overall message I got from the book that concerns me the most. Throughout most of the book, he seems to be saying that the odds of making it in the arts are so pitifully low that it's better not to try at all. Towards the end, he does grudgingly admit that the arts have a value in and of themselves (he also admits that he himself is a failed rock musician). But he says you should engage in the arts for the love of it and never expect to make a living in the field. If you've got bills to pay, you'll just have to activate Plan B and get a job at a fast food joint.
I'm a little more optimistic than that. I see plenty of impressive musical, artistic and literary talent amongst my family and friends. Maybe none of these people will ever be a world-famous celebrity. That's probably not what most of them aspire to, as constant touring and performing can be highly antithetical to family life and the maintenance of solid relationships. But most of them are at least managing to make a modest living in ways that involve their skills and talents - be that teaching, writing, performing, or holding exhibitions of their work.
Oh, by the way. I've read the book. I saw a presentation he gave recently in the Ottawa area. But I still haven't quite figured out what (if anything) Timothy Caulfield thinks Gwyneth Paltrow might actually be RIGHT about!
