There's a movie out. I haven't seen it. But it's about corrupt pharmaceutical companies doing very bad things to people in the name of profits. For the record, I am against that.
But this is just such a tired story. There are a million shows and movies about this topic. Which is fine. But where is the movie about the other side? How about a movie, a documentary, or a 5 minute segment on Oprah about the overwhelming good these companies do? Where is the story about the thousands of people who work tirelessly every day to find cures? The stories about the billions of people alive today because of the drug companies? Where the hell is Michael Moore's fat ass?
Here's the thing: Drug companies suck at PR. They have let someone else take charge of the story, let someone else define them. These companies need to enlist the millions of people right here in the US to start telling their story. Like so:
"My name is Joe Smith. I have AIDS, and I expect to live to be 80." "I'm Monica. If it weren't for the big drug companies, my cancer would have killed me." "I'm Mike and I don't even know what Polio is, thanks to the big drug companies." "I'm Julie and I would have been stillborn if not for the big, evil drug companies. Find me on Match.com and I'll tell you more."
I'll start: I'm Mike. I woke up with a category III hangover today. I popped 2 Advil and I feel great. Thanks Big Drugs.
Hi, I'm Chris. Before the big drug companies came along, I could only drink in moderation. But thanks to Aleve, I can now spend more than 50% of my life in a binge-drinking induced haze. Thanks drug-makers!!
Posted by: Chris | August 14, 2005 at 08:58 AM