"Reeve: Politics delaying spinal-injury research" taken from the website of CNN (www.com) was published on November 28, 2003.
The article was actually an interview of actor and activist Christopher Reeve who is better known for his portrayal as Superman in the 1980s before a horseback-riding accident eight years ago that rendered him paralyzed from the neck down. The interview discussed his frustrations over the delays in the study of spinal cord injury blaming political sensitivity over the delay in the research, which resulted in the lack of funding for such works. At the same time, it also showed his gratitude towards other kinds of research which helped him live a normal life.
The article definitely showed a patient's point of view of science and technology today. Being almost paralyzed from neck down for almost eight years, Christopher Reeve has definitely shown to the reader the two faces mirroring patients today -- gratitude and frustration; gratitude over the cutting-edge technology that helped him continue to live, and frustration over bureaucracy and politics. Just like in the early times of science and technology, there were a lot of discoveries and inventions that definitely benefited our society, but also there were hesistancies, resistance and challenges faced whenever a new discovery has taken place or has happened. It also mirrored the sentiments of a patient who is the direct benefactor of an ongoing research or invention. In as much as Mr. Reeve expressed his gratitude towards advancements in medical research that he has benefited, it also showed his frustration over the delay in some of the medical researches that are put on hold due to political reasons and lack of funding as stated in the article.
I chose this article because first I feel very strongly about the interviewee. I have always admired Christopher Reeve as an actor but more importantly, I have admired him because of the courage he has shown over adversity.
