The Uncanceled Radiologist

It appears our society is going through another round of cancellations. Trying to get someone widely shunned is not a new phenomenon, but social media made the process much bigger and uglier within the past decade, spawning the nickname “cancel culture.” Cancellation is nixed support by other folks whether it comes in the form of a lost job, abandonment by sponsoring advertisers, or alienated friends/family.

I am not about to wade into the mess of which types of cancellation, if any, are good or bad. When I recently set out to write a blog on the subject, however, I planned to crow a little bit about how it seemed like folks in health care were smart enough not to get themselves in trouble (this time at least.)

Fortunately, I wound up writing about something else last week because it turns out some people, no matter their profession, just can’t help themselves. A series of medical workers — yes, including some physicians — sounded off the wrong way in front of the wrong people, making themselves into cautionary tales.

Again, I am not going to wade into the politics of it all but let’s just break this down. Your profession is based on safeguarding people’s lives and well-being. You publicly express happiness about someone’s life being taken from them (the reason for the current round of societal cancellations in case you haven’t noticed). Is there any way your employer wants to appear supportive of your ghoulish glee? Should it be a surprise if patients seek to get away from you?

For whatever reason, I haven’t seen any radiologists get themselves canceled. I suspect that is just because we are a small fraction of the medical machine. If you assume that a random 1 percent of docs unwisely mouth off, the chances of any given rad being in that group are smaller than, say, a primary care type. (Sorry, fellow rads, I don’t think we’re smarter than other specialties, at least not in this way.)

What is another possible protective factor for rads? It has been observed that we might not be the most social of people, what with choosing solitude in dark reading rooms. Maybe we are less inclined to share our thoughts with the world at large.

In any event, the wheel turns. Sooner or later, the hot topic getting people in trouble might be something that is just too tantalizing. How can you not voice your two cents, online or in person? What can you do to decrease the chance that your moment takes a toll on your professional reputation, even costs you your job, future opportunities, etc.?

In this, as with various other things, I would suggest a healthy awareness of just how much you have to lose. A teen or twentysomething who yaps something unfortunate on Twitter (I am still not calling it X Elon!) and loses their part-time or starter job might be bummed, but it will be much less taxing for them than it would be for you to get cut loose from your hospital, even in this job market.

A higher-level example of the potential loss consideration is Michael Jordan’s famous “Republicans buy sneakers too” quip. Since so much of the cancel culture wars fall along political lines, anything remotely controversial you say might trigger half of the population out there. That includes patients, colleagues, administrators, employers, members of professional societies and licensing boards, etc.

To put this another way, is whatever you are about to tweet (or say at the nursing station) so important that it is worth flipping a coin to see whether anybody in your audience will go out of their way to punish you for it? I have heard the same sentiment expressed regarding political bumper stickers. Is it really worthwhile for you to make your vehicle a target for the small proportion of nutjobs who so vehemently disagree with you that they might be inclined to vandalize (or worse)?

The safest path would be to say nothing. Of course, we are social animals and there is little point in living in a “free speech” country if we don’t express ourselves at all.

Taking a step back from that, one could just avoid the controversial stuff. Honestly, unless you are some kind of professional influencer, what do you have to gain by piping up? Aren’t millions of other people likely to say whatever you might have? Maybe unburden yourself of such thoughts in the privacy of your own home or among like-minded friends and family.

If you just can’t contain yourself, perhaps you can at least diminish the chances that whatever you say/type will come back to haunt you.

First, I would suggest taking your time. If you spout off in the heat of the moment, emotions are driving you. Not only are logic and diplomacy taking a backseat, you might be inclined to vent your spleen extra with intentionally inflammatory rhetoric. Relax. Let your blood pressure drop a bit and give your cortex a chance to wrest control from your limbics. Don’t worry. Nobody else is going to steal your brilliant thoughts and speak them first. If they do, let them take the risk.

Second, when in doubt, go for positivity. That keeps you safe from sounding off about hating the wrong things or people. Be constructive, not destructive. Talk about what you like, what you find to be good, inspirational, etc. People will still disagree with you, but they won’t have much of an argument for you to be punished on account of your appreciating things that they don’t. (No, it’s not really positive if you talk about liking negative things, such as others’ misfortune.)

Third, include a sense of humor and/or self-deprecation. Even if someone is diametrically opposed to your point of view, if you express it in a way that gives him or her a laugh, that person will have a harder time seeing you as a villain who needs some comeuppance. Similarly, if whatever you say is punctuated by a tone of humility and recognition of your own imperfections, folks are a lot less likely to see you as needing to be taken down a peg.