I'm getting married to a soon to be nurse. She has a huge extended family, over half of which are medical doctors. I have gotten to hang out with them a ton over the past four years. Frankly, I love them and can't wait to call them family. Most of them are religious, they like Trump and vote conservative. However, there are some things that you all should know about their line of thinking that is very inconsistent with ours.

1. They are very, very proud of being doctors- This isn't that surprising. They worked their butts off to get their degree in a field where most people fail to finish. And they get to improve and save lives every day. But there is a reason that pride is considered a sin. And you will see why I say that in the following points...

2. They have a terrible habit of looking down upon everyone who isn't a healthcare expert- They have a bitterness towards those who don't know what they know. Since their field of expertise is so specific and is not taught in non-medical schools, this means that they tend to look down upon most people. Far too often, instead of them saying "wow people are really ignorant/misinformed about this topic, I should use my expertise to teach them!", it is "wow people are really dumb."

3. They are often very poorly educated in things that you and I see as generic stuff - Their field of study was so focused on one thing, that they are often very ignorant on issues like economics, history, government, literature. There is nothing really wrong with this. They have dedicated their time towards learning other things. But considering what was said in #2, it is a bit ironic and they often fail to see that irony. They know an awful lot about one particular subject but rarely know much else. A BIG emphasis on the economics part because that is what we are seeing right now with Dr. Fauci.

4. They don't seem to engage in outside the box thinking - There are very few doctors out there that are on the front lines of developing new treatments and innovating the field of medicine. Most of them are just going along, content with their well paying, highly secure job. In fact, all of the young doctors that I know seem to think that the older doctors who engage in this behavior are holding the medical field back. They are not open to trying new things and often times will be stuck on old procedures even if a new alternative has been discovered and has had success. I cannot help but think most of the young doctors will eventually become the same as the old ones of today, but hopefully I am wrong.

5. They have a ridiculous amount of trust in government institutions - This is a really big one, especially now. They think the FDA, CDC, NIH, and even WHO are gospel. All other studies to them have some sort of financial bias. They think that the government cannot have a financial bias. This includes the doctors that I know that are conservative (mind you, they don't know much about econ). I have been around long enough to see them flip their viewpoints on a dime when one of these organizations comes out with a new study. Even when the study completely contradicts what they were previously taught, there will be no ounce of skepticism and they will just accept the newest publication as the new truth.

6. Serving the "greater good" is often all that matters- This one might be the most dangerous given that the "greater good" is often determined by government (see #5). I have seen staunchly pro-life religious doctors agree with pro-choicers that abortion might serve the "greater good" and therefore is medically necessary. It is deeply ingrained into every doctor I knows mind. As soon as you bring up a "greater good" argument they are susceptible to ignore their own values and virtues. This is why most doctors think Bill Gates' idea of a digital tattoo is "awesome". They don't care about the potential human rights violations. They don't think that far ahead. They only think, "Wow this could make my job easier. We could finally help these idiots the way they need it".

TL;DR/Conclusion- They don't think like you and me. In fact, they probably think very low you. They are experts in a very small and complex field but seldom do they think outside of the box. They just go with what they are told, mainly by the government. This is why we are seeing what we are seeing.

Feel free to discuss or ask any questions.