There is a fascinating book by David Eddings titled "The Losers", it is unique in that Eddings was primarily a science fiction writer. Researching Eddings he himself had a run in with health professionals, however what is often written may only present one aspect of a story.
Dr. Spier, do you have a family? If so, how do you balance your work as an MD with marriage and family? Answering these questions would make an interesting podcast, I think.
Dear Arlene. There is no balancing that, I quit my hospital job once my first child was born and started this two years later when I realized the harm mothers working too much was doing to kids. I talk about it quite a bit in many of the episodes. What I get done on this platform is what I’m able to do in the morning when the kids are still sleeping or later napping and the amount that gets done in that time-that’s what gets done never more. Some evenings after they’re asleep I have an hours session (have private clients) or an interview for the podcast.
But it’s wasn’t like housewives only sat staring at their kids all day, and this concept of quality time came from working mothers making up for their guilt. It used to be women were very busy with their communities and local government. They had more help from family who took the kids for a couple of hours at a time. Which is a very different thing. Something I’d be fine doing, but unfortunately have no family around. Perhaps women need to think differently about what type of work they choose if they absolutely have to work, so such sporadic interruptible work hours are possible. Medicine isn’t one of them, and I wish someone would have told me.
Thanks Hannah. Good for you for following what you think is right for your children and family. I did stay home with my daughter, now an adult, and she tells me she’s glad I did.
I'll be covering your podcast on part 2 of my program on what digital technology is doing to people. In that coverage, I will focus on how digital technology affects women per se; I'm planning to add a tight summary of the expectations feminism has taught women — particularly "you can have it all" and "you're no different from men." Feminism has become increasingly vitriolic under digital conditions, though it was pretty bad for women in the 60s-70s TV-era edition which ramps up the "you can do everything" message.
I plan to cover the impact that the digital environment is having on children and how this comes back to women. Part of why the kids are on a constant sugar high/crash is digital conditions. There was no ADHD in 1975 and to the extent certain individual kids may have had expressions of it, there was not a pandemic. So this puts pressure on the caregivers.
Part of why the kids are often so difficult now is that nobody is taking care of them — and so they are often relegated to digital devices. These devices are also present in school, compromising development of human emotional and communication skills. This again puts stress on parents, who have limited time and bandwidth and then end up with what are labeled special needs kids.
I give full treatment to these issues as they pertain to men on my new program. The THIRD player down isolates part of the discussion that relates to men; the first segment of the full program (first player) is about AI integrating with medicine; the end of the program is about digital impact on couples.
For impact on men see THIRD player, marked specifically to the topic, the Great Unmanning.
There is a fascinating book by David Eddings titled "The Losers", it is unique in that Eddings was primarily a science fiction writer. Researching Eddings he himself had a run in with health professionals, however what is often written may only present one aspect of a story.
Interesting!
I've followed most of your articles from the start, but I think this is the best at exposing the nub of the problem. Well done.
Thank you Rick!
Another excellent podcast. I drive a lot (commute) and hence I listen to a whole lot of podcasts. Yours have become a favorite.
Dr. Spier, do you have a family? If so, how do you balance your work as an MD with marriage and family? Answering these questions would make an interesting podcast, I think.
Dear Arlene. There is no balancing that, I quit my hospital job once my first child was born and started this two years later when I realized the harm mothers working too much was doing to kids. I talk about it quite a bit in many of the episodes. What I get done on this platform is what I’m able to do in the morning when the kids are still sleeping or later napping and the amount that gets done in that time-that’s what gets done never more. Some evenings after they’re asleep I have an hours session (have private clients) or an interview for the podcast.
But it’s wasn’t like housewives only sat staring at their kids all day, and this concept of quality time came from working mothers making up for their guilt. It used to be women were very busy with their communities and local government. They had more help from family who took the kids for a couple of hours at a time. Which is a very different thing. Something I’d be fine doing, but unfortunately have no family around. Perhaps women need to think differently about what type of work they choose if they absolutely have to work, so such sporadic interruptible work hours are possible. Medicine isn’t one of them, and I wish someone would have told me.
Thanks Hannah. Good for you for following what you think is right for your children and family. I did stay home with my daughter, now an adult, and she tells me she’s glad I did.
Thank you
I'll be covering your podcast on part 2 of my program on what digital technology is doing to people. In that coverage, I will focus on how digital technology affects women per se; I'm planning to add a tight summary of the expectations feminism has taught women — particularly "you can have it all" and "you're no different from men." Feminism has become increasingly vitriolic under digital conditions, though it was pretty bad for women in the 60s-70s TV-era edition which ramps up the "you can do everything" message.
I plan to cover the impact that the digital environment is having on children and how this comes back to women. Part of why the kids are on a constant sugar high/crash is digital conditions. There was no ADHD in 1975 and to the extent certain individual kids may have had expressions of it, there was not a pandemic. So this puts pressure on the caregivers.
Part of why the kids are often so difficult now is that nobody is taking care of them — and so they are often relegated to digital devices. These devices are also present in school, compromising development of human emotional and communication skills. This again puts stress on parents, who have limited time and bandwidth and then end up with what are labeled special needs kids.
I give full treatment to these issues as they pertain to men on my new program. The THIRD player down isolates part of the discussion that relates to men; the first segment of the full program (first player) is about AI integrating with medicine; the end of the program is about digital impact on couples.
For impact on men see THIRD player, marked specifically to the topic, the Great Unmanning.
https://planetwaves.fm/the-feast-of-the-ai-monster-love-and-sex-in-japan/