Dr. Lillis Makes Onely Cry! Tell Him to Apologize! July 19, 2009Posted by Onely in As If!, blog reviews, Heteronormativity.
Tags: bella depaulo, Chancellor Internal Medicine, Dr. Christopher Lillis, marriage good for health, marriage healthy, marriage studies, singletude
If any of our Copious Readers have friends who buy into the (flawed) “marriage-makes-healthy” studies, send them to Singletude‘s 15 July post. Singletude professionally and eruditely tears into Dr. Christopher Lillis, an internist with Chancellor Internal Medicine in Fredricksburg, Virginia. High on his recent nuptials, Dr. Lillis basically says that:
1) Everyone needs to get married so that their spouse will remind them to take care of their health! Singles wither away because they don’t remember go to the doctor!
2) People who remain single are likely to be genetically inferior to marrieds! (This isn’t at *all* like eugenics, is it? Lisa says, “What, is he going to measure the size of our heads?”)
3) Scientists who discount the “marriage-makes-healthy” studies are bitter because they never have time to get out of the lab to find true love! (Here he admits to hyperbole, but claims he’s allowed to say such things, because it’s his essay and he “just got hitched”. Careful of that bit and bridle, Doc. I can see it’s already squeezing on your brain.)
4) “Getting married reduces depressive symptoms, and getting divorced increases them.”
Singletude explains how Dr. Lillis’ above interpretations of the study data reveal that he understands neither the scientific method, nor the difference between correlation and causation. I imagine him encountering a depressed patient and suggesting that he remarry as soon as possible after the leech treatment. I have an MFA in CREATIVE WRITING for goodness’ sake, and even I understand the scientific method and the difference between correlation and causation. (Or maybe I’m just bitter because I never get away from my word processor to find true love.)
I’m horrified that this logic-impaired man somehow got himself turned into a doctor. And I feel terrible for his patients that their physician exhibits such a snobby streak and apparent lack of empathy for people who take different life paths from his own. Having had my share of experiences with mean, ignorant doctors, I am particularly sensitive on the topic and I think that’s why I responded so strongly to this article–less because it was singlist than because the singlist author was a person who was supposed to be a figure of trust and authority. By the time I finished reading, I was in tears.
I have asked Dr. Lillis to apologize for making me cry. Copious Readers, please go comment on his column at Fredricksburg.com and demand an apology to singles everywhere. Unfortunately, the site is one of those annoying ones that require registration, but if you don’t want to deal with that Dr. Lillis does provide his email address. So far no one has commented on his article except me, so maybe no one is reading it. I hope not, because I worry that a fifteen-year-old girl like I used to be will stumble across it, read that genetically superior people get married, and decide that to increase her chances of marriage she better stay with her ratty boyfriend. Shame on you, Dr. Lillis. Shame.