Questioning Authority and the Anti-Vaxx movement

[el_bryanto]

I should say at the beginning that I was vaccinated and if I had kids they would be vaccinated; I think it's foolish not to vaccinate your kids.

That said there's a strain of thought in American political discourse which involves questioning authority, which got a lot of prevalence during the Vietnam war and Watergate. And I think that these anti-Vaxxers are taping into that. You see some of the same arguments by climate deniers, which are basically casting Science as some sort of monolithic authority figure, and arguing that we need to think for ourselves and not just believe what we are told.

Of course the problem is that most people aren't qualified to understand the actual debate around vaccination, or to judge the claims of the anti-vaxxers (I'm not, for example). So you have one side suggestion we should question the scientific authority, and the other side saying that the scientific authority is correct. If you are already distrusting of scientific authority (as many are) than the answer seems logical.

Obviously this "problem" has applications in all sorts of areas - we wouldn't trust Obama if he said there was a clear and present danger which required committing military forces for example, even though on one level it seems likely that he has more information about the situation than we do (in fairness, the example of the Bush years shows that the Government is perfectly happ to lie to us on occasion). Neither party really trusts the media to present the information fairly; and it ranges from "you have to be aware of biases" to "that news story disagreed with my position, therefore it was clearly all lies."

In an increasingly complex world, it seems like this will create more problems. On the other hand since the information we found will be increasingly corporate controlled it also seems necessary to question authority.

Bryant

[Peacetrain]

1. The one 24 person study that is the basis of the anti vaxxer

movement has been completley debunked.. the guy cooked his stats.. this anti vax movement reminds me so much of the people who refuse to believe in climate change.. for some reason facts have no meaning to a certain segment of people.. which is fine.. you can believe what you want.. but they do not have the right to put everyone health at risk

Its not like they are keeping their kids at home..they are out.. and mixing with all the other anti vaxers.. and then they are a threat to babies who cannot get the vaccine till they are 1 year old.

This is deadly stuff.. if a unvaccinated person is exposed to the measles virus,

This is the info from the CDC

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/measles/faqs-dis-vac-risks.htm

[Pathwalker]

2. This will result in more and more outbreaks, that will eventually

lead to epidemics, until they become so widespread that the government WILL have to step in and declare a public health emergency. That's when the poo will hit the fan, and all these anti-government people will find out exactly what powers the government will have in order to stop the eventual pandemic levels of these diseases. I say this as someone who was quarantined, along with my family in Maricopa County, AZ, in the 50's after my mother's death as a result of TB.
Yes, they can, and WILL take you by force, if necessary. If this anti-vax crusade spreads, this is your future, America.