Health, vaccines, conspiracy theories

Alright then, I'll start taking my medical advice from a guy who was known to occasionally stop eating for a few months. Sounds like a health expert to me.

Now I just need a doctor for my legal advice!
 
It's actually interesting to read the chapter the quote is taken from. Among other things, he says it is a "superstition" that smallpox is contagious, calls vaccination a "very dirty process" and the serum "filthy". He further goes to state that, "I cannot also help feeling that vaccination is a violation of the dictates of religion and morality" and getting vaccinated is a "sacrilege" and that it were far better for people to "a thousand times become the victims of small-pox and even die a terrible death" than get vaccinated. As for smallpox, he claims that "we should regard it as one of Nature’s best expedients for getting rid of the accumulated poison in the body, and the restoration of normal health." For cure, he prescribes a "Wet-Sheet-Pack" and a diet of rice and light fruits.
 
I had no clue he was so stupid. Although he's from 19th century, I'm sure you'd find all sorts of opinions among his generation :D
 
Well, vaccination as such was invented (by Jenner) before Gandhi was even born, so he had no excuse. The stuff @Perun quoted ... dear H, what a load of faeces.

Evidence that insight in one area does not equal insight in other areas.
 
Oh hey, we had this thread. Talk about a relevant bump, no?

I was wondering. Anyone here who actually has some insight into anti-vaccination arguments? Like, actually know anyone who will tell you about it or been confronted with it by someone who thinks they are informed? What exactly do they tell you?

I grew up in a community I am dead certain is anti-vaxx now, but back when I was a kid it just wasn't really a thing yet. I know I was told things about keeping your body clean and natural and all that, but I never got any real arguments against vaccination, just some spiritualist woo that chemicals interrupt your energies and stuff. So I'm looking for the hard arguments people make these days.
 
I've worked with a guy who's into all and any conspiracy theories a few times. Name any and yes, he buys into it. He has been very, very vocal on Covid on Facebook.

It's the usual stuff. Covic is a world wide conspiracy, covid deaths are fake evil politicians and doctors manipulate us and force us to inject poison. The proof? He spits out something about unpredecented amount of cancer cases, neurological diseases, miscarriages over five years. Links to this video:

And this goes on, usually links to youtube videos followed by a rant.
The point he usually makes is that "It's not a real vaccine, it has been rushed. It's a tool to control us, enrich Big Pharma and dismantle freedom".
 
I was wondering. Anyone here who actually has some insight into anti-vaccination arguments? Like, actually know anyone who will tell you about it or been confronted with it by someone who thinks they are informed? What exactly do they tell you?
See with the Covid vaccine the people I know who have yet to get it aren’t doing it because they’re anti-vax, it’s because they’re worried that because it’s so new we don’t yet know all the side effects of it and they want to give it a couple years before they bite the bullet. Doesn’t help that they’re being fed misinformation through FaceBook either.

With regard to being against vaccines altogether, there’s a YouTuber I like who made a really great video diving into the history of the position. Maybe it’s more common knowledge in other countries, but at least in the States we just hear about the stupid refrains of “vaccines cause autism” being punted around like they’ve always been a thing. The video goes in depth into how a former doctor tried to hoodwink Britain against the MMR vaccine and ended up just becoming the front runner of the anti-vax people. Lots of twists and turns in the story.

And if you want something a bit more in-depth, Brian Deer, the journalist who pretty much blew the cover of the whole thing, also wrote a book about the event which got published in 2020.
 
I worked with one guy who was very anti-vaccine, his son was diagnosed with autism around 2002, and he got the "blame vaccines" stuff that was just starting to make the rounds. Absolutely believes it, despite all the scientific research that has been done around the claim since. I think for him, it was just a way to believe that there was no fault in his genetics or anything, it was the fault of "science".

I knew this would be hbomberguy before I clicked. Excellent video indeed.

The other work guy I know who is very anti-vaccine, and he very reluctantly got his shots when work announced a vaccine mandate, is very angry in general. Very pro-Trump guy, looking for any excuse to start bitching about the government. We were discussing a health tool for use with COVID vaccinations and I made a comment that it would be nice if we could get information earlier from the provincial government and he took about eight seconds to spin off into a red-faced rant about evil Trudeau and how it was his fault. Which it wasn't, as Trudeau doesn't run the provincial government. I think for guys like this, who feel out of place in the world because their White Guy Privilege isn't as upheld as it was in their parents' generation, they choose to be angry.
 
Anyone here who actually has some insight into anti-vaccination arguments?

"It's proven to have (insert some chemical element here) which is poisonous"
"It's not the same thing we got as kids"
"It's not made by state institute but bought from big pharma, they profit from jabs"

Talking with friends who are bright people but were second guessing things once they got their own children - we had a first anti-vax 'craze' several years ago, about all those mandatory jabs we all got, and it made people think. When people do not know enough safe information (the science you can't process is not safe information) emotional impulse starts taking over, in a situation where you need to make a decision about the most important thing in the world which is your kid.

For the first argument I would straight out say that the elements form bonds that aren't poisonous to the body or something in that direction. I am not sure about details, not a biochemist, but it's that in a nutshell.

For others, well I am not able to refute (or accept, either) those. I/we were jabbed by solutions made by the state's Immunology Labs and it's a fact that particular institution was defunded and shut down because private insurances couldn't profit from it. It is also a fact that neither supplier nor the state nor the school will take any responsibility if something goes wrong.

--
Edit just for clarity : I am talking about pre mRNA pre Covid, with proven vaccines.
 
With regard to being against vaccines altogether, there’s a YouTuber I like who made a really great video diving into the history of the position.

Yeah, I watched this and it's a great video, and that's actually what got me asking: Is this really all there is?

I'll read the rest of the replies later.
 
Back
Top