Sunday Dental Thread: The Politics of Some Dentists

Interestingly, during Reagan's first term, you may recall: The Shining City on the Hill era, I would receive communications from various organizations which began:

Dear Fellow Conservative:


and I used to think, how presumptuous of this group to address dentists as such. Why, when I was in school, virtually every male had taken a 2-S deferment and there were actually one or two who had applied for Conscientious Objector status in a rather large class, of whom one fourth were women. (As a digression, that was considered an enormous percentage - three years previously, there were fewer than ten percent women in the class - now it's about half, some years more than half of the matriculated students are women, and that's a great thing for the profession and for them).

And it was presumptuous. Many of my colleagues were unabashed liberals, even those who served in the Armed Forces, and we had a West Point grad in our class, were socially liberal and politically left-of-center. There were certainly a few RWers, most from the outer reaches of various states: Harrisburg, Upstate NY, Southern NJ, and similar areas. They were quiet and our class of dental students was somewhat anti-establishment but respectful thereof. the School was filled largely by Progressives, many Jews who had sons and daughters in our positions over the years and quite understanding, and who had evolved in academia above the anti-Semitism and racism with which many professional schools were imbued even in the Seventies.

Over the years, a fair number of my colleagues, formerly liberals, turned somewhat Conservative - there were financial reasons, as many here are aware, when money is made, people want to hold onto it, and the common perception is/was that the Republicans are better at that.

Until this crowd came along. I have to tell you that almost every single dentist I know is so fed up with this group in the Administration that even if they're still registered Republicans, they are either quiet about politics or shake their heads in disgust with the Morans who have ruined the economics of the country, who have spent us into oblivion, have started a war with no clear mission and cannot finish (unbelievable to us who lived thru Vietnam and swore we'd never see one of those again), and turned American against American and Americans against the rest of the world, with very few exceptions. Of course there plenty of RW dentists, one of whom practices in my building, but has lost a lot of patients because he is an unabashed Ditto head who rails against Democrats when people are trapped under a rubber dam (he's an endodontist) and many folks will not, under any circumstances, go back to him. Good clinical practitioner, but bad manners, and worse politics.

the point of my discussion is this: many people talk to their dentists about politics seeking validation and interestingly, this election year, many are surprised by the vociferousness of their dentists against the Bush administration and their assurances that change is a good thing. I for one tell everyone to register all their family members over 18 and make sure they vote, and as they leave, if they're even vaguely politically congruent, to "keep the faith". The electorate is mad as hell and they're not gonna take it anymore. I just hope that all the votes are counted, for if they are, we're going to see a landslide of anti-Goldwater proportions.

when I finally got the use of my mouth back and was pleased to find she was an avid liberal. She said she never brings the subject up, but patients do. At my last dentist they had FOX TV on in every patient area, and as soon as they seated me, I would say: "Turn that crap off".

(Talk about your captive audience!! What an opportunity.)

as long as he keeps the nitrous hooked up, I will agree with him on every topic under the sun.

:D

j/k

We DID talk about amalgam fillings one time but it was ONLY once, I swear!

I dunno, seems like the ONE guy I do not want to piss off would be the one drilling on my teeth. I have bad dental phobia after seeing Marathon Man...



:sound of drill: "Is it SAFE to vote GOP?"


:scared:



Laura

"The Dentist" with W.C. Fields.

Made before the HAys Act banning 'indecency' - funniest thing I've ever seen - a 2 reeler.

Sorry, not trying to be offensive, but it did make me giggle.

There was also a Pink Panther movie where Cluseau wast trying to pass himself off as a dentist and was getting buzzed on the nitrous. He ended up sticking himself in the hand with the Novocaine and then in the leg and his fake nose melted while he stood there and laughed with the bad guy. I still laugh when I think about that scene...

I have only seen clips from that Fields film you mention. I am gonna have to find the whole thing now.

Dental humor--funny stuff that helps us all deal with our fear!


Laura

who kept RW talk radio playing in his office and talked politics with his receptionist during the exam.

Dentistry is unpleasant enough without having to endure that.

It's a couple who share an office. I've used them both and like them both. However, the wife is a an avid liberal and the husband is in the process of being converted. She's actually timing my cleaning for before the next election so we can both have a chat with him. :)

I'm glad to know we're not the only dentist/patient people who speak of politics in that venue.

I'm looking for a good dentist and I'm not far from Philly.

Most aren't as liberal as Hubby and I are, but more and more are turning away from the GOP, that's for sure. It's over the economy and national health care, frankly.