Unjustifiable mutilation.

I’d argue it comes down to three factors:

One, the rejection of modernism. People will argue that things were great in the past and now we are a fallen people (thus the popularity of the MAGA rallying cry). Obviously then, everything modern is suspect as it may be part what robbed us of our ‘greatness’.

Two, machismo. Among many illness is seen as punishment for some nebulous moral failing. You’re sick? Oh, you must not of eaten right, or you didn’t work out enough, or god is punishing you, etc. As such protecting yourself from disease is un-manly. You saw this a lot during COVID, masks were “face diapers” and Covid was “just the flu” and only the “libtards” were getting the vaccine (which via point one was was branded the “clot-shot”). Covid was seen kind of like a “Snake handling” ritual, proof that you are “moral” enough to live through it as well as proof you don’t fear death.

Three contrarianism. We all know this one. “If it’s popular it must be bad!” is a creed has holds a deep grasp in the psyche of many. Usually it’s pretty trivial, it doesn’t really matter if you liked <band> but hated them when they hit the mainstream. However when contrarianism starts getting applied to lifesaving medical procedures you start having problems.

TLDR: poor education, poor medical industry/insurance system, poor economy, propaganda/misinformation, everyone has a mental limit; and unfortunately many Americans can’t differentiate between anything they’re having pushed at them/taking in.

Most of the U.S. population can’t afford regular medical care. For some who can, interactions with doctors can at times feel almost hostile (rushed through 15 minutes of a doctor hastily reading from a computer screen, visibly upset if you ask any questions, spoken to like a child), generally physically limited, and an additional financial consideration (new births reporting bills for ‘$1,000+’ for an anesthesiologist literally only leaning into the room the day after birth to ask “feeling alright?” and then leaving.

So, even outside of “anti-science” and/or “anti-vaccine” perspectives, hospitals and doctors are viewed to have a profit seeking motive, and patient interactions can sometimes be incredibly rude (see huge understaffing; partly for that profit seeking from most hospitals; and then just general ‘being an asshole’; because working in medical care doesn’t preclude someone from just being overall inconsiderate and cruel).

Therefore, some may only barely be able to afford being at the hospital for any reason, were possibly treated ‘less than kindly’ by hospital staff somewhere at least once, already have a generally poor U.S. education, living in near squalor like conditions, and are being bombarded from multiple avenues with misinformation regarding almost every aspect of reality. Then, they’re still needing to justify; to themselves and significant portions of their own society; why they deserve food, shelter, housing and any other thing at all because of some idea pushed at everyone that you’re inherently worthless and only those who “prove themselves ‘enough’” are justifying in getting or having… anything.

People are animals, they’ll shutdown and perpetuate into basic survival when overwhelmed enough. A significant amount of the U.S. population sees medical care as a luxury and a nearly illicit money hungry one at that. I fucking hate justifying this type of behavior, but it’s a reality for the growth of many perspectives here. They are cattle and they’ve internally shutdown or don’t have the time, physical resources, or education to differentiate between anything they’re having pushed at them/taking in; and (idk what generalized quantity to use here; most, some? because god damn it feels like most) it’s quite possibly rare for any random U.S. Citizen to read… at all, not even getting to the point of ‘articles online’.

So, generally, no, people in the U.S. may not treat the statements of a doctor with high regard. I try to be empathetic… but it can be really difficult when they can be such fucking assholes.

Don’t let big oil win! Just put in a couple gallons of olive oil and you should be good

They propagate far faster than the diseases can take them. While they refuse preventative measures, most wouldn’t hesitate to get treated once an infection gets serious so their stupidity lives on.

“fine, it will cull the moron genes from the pool”.

The issue with this is that most people will be ok, or at least alive but injured.

It actually had the opposite effect. Most people won’t die, so then they get confirmation bias and will then start spreading the misinformation themselves saying “I didn’t take the medicine and I’m fine!” Or even use their kids as proof for other parents.

It’s a snowball effect.