The tale of Kevin Bass
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The tale of Kevin Bass
The next generation of grifters lines up for a shot at stardom
Tucker Carlson recently had pre-clinical MD/PhD student Kevin Bass on his hugely popular Fox “News” program to talk about the viral Newsweek OpEd he had written wherein he claimed to speak for the medical community while offering an apology to the public for their failure in managing the Covid-19 pandemic. This marked a stark turn in Bass’s trajectory from over-confident keto and cancer online contrarian to full-blown Covid contrarian. And still not an MD or PhD. He’s not even the first medical student to get embroiled in a mess like this - see Sensible Medicine’s roping in of a student as discussed in Science Based Medicine.
Bass’s Newsweek piece - based on opinion in lieu of data - was widely criticized by the actual medical community, as was his unearthed history of pro-eugenics tweeting. As most millennials understand well, the internet is forever.
Nevertheless, Bass was the perfect fit for both Tucker Carlson’s program and Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vax multi-level marketing scheme and his “work” was picked up by both opportunists. This follows RFK Jr.’s use of embattled Dr. Leana Wen’s debunked Washington Post OpEd on supposed over-counting of Covid deaths. Dr. Wen’s career arc is not one to aspire to.
As a younger member of the medical community I find Kevin Bass's trajectory incredibly alarming. The current medical/political/media ecosystem is showing the next generation of scientists that spreading lies for a narrative is profitable. Because it is. Aggrieved individuals like Bass are useful to the GOP desperate for new talent having recycled many of their existing bought-off scientists and doctors. Those who buy in to the death cult MLM this late into the cult’s unravelling must be completely lacking in shame. It’s worth noting Bass did his "debunking" as a solo student act and his posts regarding press for his recent Covid contrarian bit were about how everything related to him. For comparison, we built an international collective w/ broad specialty representation inside and outside medicine and focus on the real victims.
Like the Washington Post and George Washington University’s Dr. Leana Wen, the way to solve a problem like Kevin Bass is to make this a teachable moment. While Bass is a student he is in adult making the decision to turn his back on science for a shot at stardom. He is responsible for his own actions. But the actions of others before him have certainly inspired the student.
Bass is part Dr. Wen with sloppy/dangerous OpEds amplified by anti-vax would-be kings, part Vinay Prasad (The Urgency of Normal, Sensible Medicine) with a delicate ego and overuse of the block button, and part Joe Rogan wannabe overestimating his ability and overselling his credentials.
He's a creation of Covid online culture feeding a specific part of the internet exactly what it wants. In doing so he is auditioning for a lucrative spot at the contrarian table.
This would be an excellent time for the American Academy of Medical Colleges to speak up about its medical students speaking out against science. Given the lack of action by the medical boards, I’m skeptical but extremely open to being surprised.