Last night 7/17/06, David Letterman did an appalling comedy (?) skit regarding Lyme disease, in an attempt to debunk the seriousness of tick bites and saying 'it is the most overdiagnosed ailment...' Is this man insane? I heard that Letterman himself had Lyme. Is this true? If so, he must be completely nuts or totally insensitive. I suggest that everyone send a letter or email of protest to CBS. Some joke.
Posted by northstar (Member # 7911) on :
Go to cbs.com Then click on Late Night With D.Letterman Once on that page, there is a place to contact And a box should appear on your screen to type in message.
Yes, I have already communicated my opinion on his mis-targeted cynicism, with constructive recommendations on how he can publicly rectify his inappropriate skit. N.
Posted by JeffM (Member # 8919) on :
He lives in Connecticut. His PCP must be a steerite. Or his writers decided to make fun of a serious topic. Too bad.
It reminds me of Saturday Night Live, when Gilda Radner was in a skit saying "I'd rather have cancer than be fat", referring to wanting to continue drinking Diet Coke. She died of cancer a few years later.
I hope David Letterman or his son don't get Lyme.
But come on guys. A parody is a parody. Bad taste, yes. Dangerous? Yes it might be if anyone is stupid enough to take David Letterman's word on Lyme.
Did Jewish groups protest when Mel Brooks wrote the Producers (e.g., Springtime for Hitler)?
Also, remember how Jerry Lewis used to make fun of spastic people? And we all laughed? And then we realized it wasn't that funny and he started his CP marathons?
Maybe the same will happen with Letterman.
I'm sending a letter to CBS today. ILADS has got to send a letter. Anyone here connected with them?
Posted by lymemomtooo (Member # 5396) on :
This topic is also elsewhere on the boards and while it is distasteful the way it was done..It may have many thinking and any regular viewer knows his scarcasm..So he may have helped the cause..
None of us can pay for this coverage..Perhaps he will do more and be more serious but national coverage is a blessing..
Posted by newlymepatient (Member # 6461) on :
Is there anyway to see it? I don't want to just blindly complain.
Posted by Sewer Rat (Member # 9574) on :
Mark,
IMO you've got most of it wrong because Letterman didn't say the things you mentioned. He actually said about Lyme that "it can be very difficult, and tough to get rid of".
I didn't find the skit really offensive, rather funny. They didn't make fun of Lyme disease, but only used the ticks for a funny skit.
BUT, there was a bit of an ironic tone in the conversation. Because of that, plus the acting of "Dr. Westfall" at the end, and then David throwing the "ticks" out of the container, PERHAPS some people will think that the things they said are not really true, but only hysterical claims.
But I guess we can't expect Letterman to deal with Lyme without humor, because he never has items without humor AFAIK.
I do understand that people can get upset about it when they are very sick or have a sick family member or friend. Then you can feel offended when Lyme is used as a subject for humor. But what would be the overall effect of this item in the Letterman show?
I think the item was a positive thing, because it gave attention to the fact that ticks can be dangerous, and that Lyme disease is a serious illness that is hard to get rid off. David Letterman has many viewers, so he has reached lot's of people with this.
And the crazy behavior of "Dr. Westfall" makes people remember this!
Sewer Rat-thanks for posting the link so I know what everybody is talking about. I don't know- when I was watching it my first reaction was that it was all good information, even though brief. As for Dr. Westfalls reaction at the end-was it a spoof on people overreacting-or was it an illustration of how people should react? Notice Letterman's final words of the skit were "I've had it"
I think he was trying to bring light to a serious subject the only way he knows how- using the humorous forum of his show. I personally did not take offense to it. Carol
Posted by mjwallin (Member # 9630) on :
Sewer Rat, the clip you directed us to shows only the 'skit' part of the show, which was not what I was referring to. Maybe you didn't see the show from the very beginning, in which Letterman makes a number of Lyme 'jokes', consisting of the statements I mentioned regarding 'over-diagnosed', etc. Maybe YOU've got it all wrong.
Making such idiotic statements to an uninformed public is damaging, in my opinion. My wife and daughter (both Lyme victims) saw the show from the beginning and saw no humor in it. And we are not without a sense of humor, I can assure you.
Posted by Sewer Rat (Member # 9574) on :
quote:Originally posted by mjwallin: Sewer Rat, the clip you directed us to shows only the 'skit' part of the show, which was not what I was referring to. Maybe you didn't see the show from the very beginning, in which Letterman makes a number of Lyme 'jokes', consisting of the statements I mentioned regarding 'over-diagnosed', etc. Maybe YOU've got it all wrong.
I did not see the show from the beginning, but you were referring to the comedy skit. I can only judge about that part of the show.
Posted by mjwallin (Member # 9630) on :
My original post was inaccurate as I should have indicated that the objectionable comments were made by Letterman in his opening monologue that set the stage for the skit. If one watches only the skit portion, I can understand why nobody saw anything to complain about. But the monologue contained the comments that I mentioned which I believe was misinformation going out to the uninformed public. I wish someone had recorded that portion of the show. If anyone has, I would like to know about it.
Regarding your (Sewer Rat's) query about what software I have written, there is nothing you would have heard of as it was mostly for in-house and commercial use for various goverment and industry jobs I have had. However, I am planning on marketing a debt collections package in the near future.
Posted by mjwallin (Member # 9630) on :
I now have the full tape of Lettermans show (all 350 MB of it) which you can obtain at http://www.mininova.org/tor/370638. I also have a clip of the portion of the show (8 minutes and 20 seconds through 9:00 minutes) in which Letterman clearly and unequivocably states that Lyme is one of the most 'over-diagnosed' diseases and only 1 in 200 ticks are infected so 'the likelihood of getting Lyme is 1 in 200'. Where he got this information I have no idea. If that is Letterman's idea of a joke, he is in serious need of psychiatric help.
I would be glad to email this short .AVI clip to anyone who wants it. I do not appreciate being called a liar and other vicious things that I was called by the loonies over at .sci.med.
[ 30. July 2006, 08:31 PM: Message edited by: mjwallin ]
Posted by Sewer Rat (Member # 9574) on :
quote:Originally posted by mjwallin: I would be glad to email this short .AVI clip to anyone who wants it. I do not appreciate being called a liar and other vicious things that I wall called by the loonies over at .sci.med.
I am interested! Please send it to ratfromthesewer [at] yahoo.com
If you can show that you are not a liar, then consider to post this at s.m.d.lyme too. Try to ignore the vicious things!
Posted by Sewer Rat (Member # 9574) on :
quote:Originally posted by mjwallin: ..Letterman clearly and unequivocably states that Lyme is one of the most 'over-diagnosed' diseases and only 1 in 200 ticks are infected so 'the likelihood of getting Lyme is 1 in 200'.
You are right. I watched the clip, and can confirm Letterman says that. Unbelievable!
With this knowledge I look different at the "comedy skit" too, which seems to be more like an attempt to ridicule Lyme disease.
Lyme might get "overdiagnosed", but more often it gets "underdiagnosed". If you know what I mean.
Posted by mjwallin (Member # 9630) on :
I know people are probably sick of this thread by now but if anyone wants to have a look at that clip, it is now posted on www.youtube.com for your viewing displeasure.
[ 31. July 2006, 01:16 AM: Message edited by: mjwallin ]
Posted by Sewer Rat (Member # 9574) on :
quote:Originally posted by mjwallin: I know people are probably sick of this thread by now but if anyone wants to have a look at that clip, it is now posted on www.youtube.com for your viewing displeasure.
I can't find it.
Posted by mjwallin (Member # 9630) on :
>>I can't find it.
Do a search on 'Letterman Lyme' and you will find it.
Posted by stella marie (Member # 7216) on :
I just viewed the clip, thanks for the link.
So he says one in a 'million chances' of RMSF are found in a tick, guess I lived in a very unlucky part of town in Maryland . Last time I checked, Maryland was not near the rocky mountains, as he stated this is where this particular TBI is found.
The tick I found crawling on my husband tested positive by MDL for just that.
What an a$$.
Off to write another letter,
Stella Marie
Posted by brentb (Member # 6899) on :
quote:Originally posted by mjwallin: only 1 in 200 ticks are infected so 'the likelihood of getting Lyme is 1 in 200'.