As a new book defending vaccines written by an expert on the topic predictably has the opposition on a rampage.
Also, his celebrity sidekick is funny
In an interview with Cookie, a magazine for parents, Ms. [Amanda] Peet called antivaccine parents “parasites” because they relied on other children’s immunity to protect their own. She later apologized for the word but emphasized that parents should get their medical advice from doctors, “not from me or any other celebrity.”
Well, she is right. Not just very pc about it.
I don’t disagree. I just thought she was funny.
No doubt, though, we’re going to have an imbecile here in short order to scream about their brand new compelling evidence that vaccines cause autism, retardation, and impotence. They’ll then prove their point by revealing that they in fact were vaccinated.
I didn’t think you did. We might disagree on a lot… but I don’t think you’re a moron.
But calling people parasites probably isn’t the right way to sway them.
Someone should give these vaccine-hating (yes, hate is the right word) their own island. Madagascar?
Very angry parents who want to blame something for their kids’ condition :(
You can’t stop the March of Ignorance! ™
Yeah, I heard Peet interviewed on NPR about this a couple of months ago. She’s absolutely right, and the word “parasite” is exactly right, too, if people could get their heads around the meanings of words rather than just blindly identifying certain words as insults.
What will they do when my new autism vaccine hits the market? Their heads might aspload!
This American Life had a bit a couple of weeks back about the vaccine split and how it caused a measles outbreak a while back. It was a good listen. Despite their attempt at giving the anti-vaccine woman equal time, though, she was nowhere near as persuasive as the pro-vaccine woman who saw her six month old child on death’s door.
Ah, I was just gonna mention that bahimiron. That was a very good episode, and eye-opening for me as I knew little about this particular discussion. If anyone is interested, it was #370, “Ruining It for the Rest of Us” released on 12/22/08.
I just don’t understand the anti-vaccine people at all.
There was a somewhat plausible hypothesis that the thimerosal in vaccines was linked to autism. No really good studies to back it up, but to be on the safe side thimerosal was pulled from children’s vaccines 6 years ago. There was no drop at all in autism.
The response to this new data of the anti-vaccine zealots? It must be something else in the vaccines.
Something I never see people discuss in all the panic about increased rates of autism is the idea that it might not be increasing at all. 20 years ago autism was a kid who couldn’t talk who carved perfect little statues of animals. Now it includes a guy who is really nerdy and awkward in social situations.
The DSM reclassifies it as a “spectrum disorder”, a general worldwide increase in awareness of autism, and there you have it – steadily increasing rates without the need for finding some new specific cause.
Plus there’s the bit about how the majority of the authors of the original ‘98 article retracted it almost 5 years ago and then the good ol’ IOM called it all bullshit.
I get a little worked up about anti-vaccine people. They can die in a fire with the ID people.
Me either. People are crazy.
There was a somewhat plausible hypothesis that the thimerosal in vaccines was linked to autism. No really good studies to back it up, but to be on the safe side thimerosal was pulled from children’s vaccines 6 years ago. There was no drop at all in autism.
Actually, there was a slight RISE in autism rates.
Autism cases in California continued to climb even after a mercury-based vaccine preservative that some people blame for the neurological disorder was removed from routine childhood shots, a new study found.
Researchers from the state Department of Public Health found the autism rate in children rose continuously during the 12-year study period from 1995 to 2007. The preservative thimerosal hasn’t been used in childhood vaccines since 2001, but is used in some flu shots.
When the California Dept of Public Health can’t find a link (and trust me, knowing them, they tried their damndest)…
Why do you hate children and want them to all have autism?
Seriously though, when I have kids there’s no way in hell they’re going to school with someone whose idiotic parents “don’t believe” in vaccinations. Or if they do, I’ll make sure to roll them around in some mumps before school one day.
If we love our children, we will vaccinate them…WITH FAITH!
Faith is a suppository, not an injection.
Ask any Catholic priest.
Yeah. My oldest son was "diagnosed’ with Pervasive Development Disorder because his speech is delayed by a few years. Back before we expected kids to be sitting still and doing schoolwork at age 4 this would have never even been noticed other than “he’s kind of quiet” (at 4, he had roughly the verbal skills of a 2 yr old). But now he is on the “autism spectrum”.
Now that he’s 7 he has the verbal skills of a 5 yr old (or more) and is rapidly catching up to his peers. By the time he’s 21 and has the verbal skills of a 19 yr old, he’s just be an intensely focused, kind of quiet person who will be fine, productive member of society (well, probably a bit of a video game geek, but who knows). Yet he is chalked up with all the other stats in the rise of autism.
Which is really, the rise in autism diagnosis. But explaining that subtlety can be tough, and is zero comfort to someone whose children really do have autism, and are grasping at straws for someone to blame. I can almost understand that – it’s emotionally heartwrenching to be a father and not know whether your child will ever interact with other people in a “normal” way. I have a lucky story – my son is smart and caring and empathetic, and just happens to have a language disorder that is mitigated by time. Others are looking at a much harder future for their children, and that is very hard to take.
It’s no excuse for bad science, though.
Dear Mr. C.K.:
Thank you for your kind letter. I would be happy to answer your question. We at the Catholic Church fuck boys all day long. That’s all we ever do.
Signed,
The Pope