The Middle-Aged Fearmonger

He is seated in a featureless gray room: middle-aged, charming, stylishly lit in black and white. A caption identifies him as John from Lafayette, California. And then John’s heartfelt story unfolds: John had a heart attack. At age 57, when nobody would have expected it. “Can you believe it?” It’s a rhetorical question, of course. Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. Not at age 57.

But of course there is a silver lining. John didn’t listen to his doctor’s warnings about his high cholesterol. John didn’t act before his heart attack happened. But we can. We can use Lipitor, which is clinically proven to lower bad cholesterol. Why take any risks when so much is at stake?

The commercial turns to color. John is enjoying life once again. And we can, too! We don’t have to worry about the troubling news that have just been delivered to us, because we can avoid John’s mistake: we can ask our doctors about Lipitor. And ensure that John’s cautionary tale wasn’t told in vain.

As the TV picture changes to two beer guys discussing the perfect balance of taste and refreshment, we’re left with a simple question: who is John? What is he? A survivor? A messenger, delivering a much needed wake up call? A future life safer? Or is John a fictitious person? An actor? Conjured up by an ad agency to spread the gospel of Pfizer, “the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical company”?
In this day and age, we can’t be sure. John might be all of the above, or none. We do know one thing about who and what John is, though: John is a fearmonger. Sent by yet another pharmaceutical company to strike fear into the hearts of all people who were living a justifiably unconcerned life. Who were trusting their doctor to point out potential health problems, and then suggest the correct medication for help with the problems. Not the other way around.

John is a fearmonger. That message bears repeating. Because listening to fear mongers rarely has helped us with making informed decisions.