Vaccine Conspiracy Theorists More Likely To See Conspiracy Everywhere

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

"Where do climate change deniers, anti-GMO activists, and vaccine conspiracy theorists overlap one another? According to a recent study, described in Mother Jones, they seem to triangulate on a tendency to believe in conspiracies. And evidently, according to the study authors, no single theory has a stronger hold on the minds of such like-tending folk as the vaccines pharmaco-governmento-medico conspiracy theory does. According to Chris Mooney, author of The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny Science-and Reality, and writing at Mother Jones:

The finding may cast a great deal of light on the strange persistence of anti-vaccine views, which have centered on the claim that childhood vaccines are behind an alleged "epidemic" of autism. This assertion has been rejected by scientists. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Institute of Medicine have both weighed in strongly on the matter; and one chief proponent of the vaccine concerns, Andrew Wakefield, has even seen his original 1998 paper raising concerns about the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine retracted by the journal that published it, The Lancet.

Yet vaccine fears have persisted in the face of all scientific refutation (not to mention medical and public health experts saying that the failure to vaccinate is downright dangerous). And if these beliefs are often conspiratorial, that might help explain why. Almost by definition, conspiracy theories are irrefutable; rejections by scientific authorities just become part of the conspiracy."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2013/10/03/vaccine-conspiracy-theorists-more-likely-to-see-conspiracy-everywhere/

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Don't you get it, wtb? The article is part of the conspiracy ... :uhoh3:

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Specializes in ICU.

I kind of agree with you and I kinda don't. I don't believe that vaccines are causing autism but something out there is. Something is causing this. What has happened are all of the parents of autistic children are desperate for answers and someone comes along with the magic answer. It's the vaccines and they want the answer so bad they are willing to believe anything. Many of these parents blame themselves and feel like they did something to their baby in the womb. What food did I eat, did I lie in the wrong position, did I have the wrong doctor? They just want to know why. Then Jenny McCarthy comes out and says yes it's true. This is what happened to my son and now I have cured him with this magic diet. They want to believe. So I can understand. I don't think it's a conspiracy as much as it's desperate parents wanting a simple answer so they can put the blame somewhere. I really feel for them. And people like Wakefield and Jenny McCarthy make me very angry.

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Um, not sure about vaccines but Anti GMO isn't a conspiracy. The company who created them and is forcing them on to the public is by far one of the most if not THE MOST crooked company in history. They have riders slipped into bills, they have their henchman Micheal Taylor running our FDA. Anyone who isn't willing to label their product should not be trusted. I could go on for days, but you obviously don't care. I see your posts touting the typical " just close your eyes and shut up" rhetoric. Do some research. You seem Hell bent on trying to convince to people to stop questioning and just follow along. Reading your past posts tells me you have a hidden agenda. FYI as for Jenny McCarthy, I don't think too many people just took her word for it. She may have brought awareness but I would hope more people then not took the information and did some of their own research. Oh and I'm sorry, but anything with links trying to prove a point that were bought and paid for by the company(ies) standing to profit.. hold zero credibility.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

As always if there is a valid point provide peer-reviewed scientific research to back up said point. When I provide a point in a debate I do my best to provide scientific research to back up that point. I am not an expert on vaccines, but I am proficient in the use of research so I provide research to back up my points and try to state when something is just my opinion. Personally, I could care less about GMO because I haven't seen any scientific evidence showing that it is harmful.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Hitchens sums this quite tired argument up nicely:

[h=2]“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”[/h]

Just as I agree with Bill Nye and his debate with Mr. Ham, these proponents of ignorance must not even be given a platform.

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You haven't? That's odd? I have. Isn't hard at all to find it. Unfortunately you wont find most studies done in Monsanto owned USA. They recently purchased the journal that published the study the kicked off the whole anti GMO movement and TRIED to force the scientist who had (by using Monsatos very own experiment) proved them to be extremely detrimental. He refused and has been speaking out about it ever since.

I think it's sad that you need to be told by someone else what is EXTREMELY apparent to even the most uneducated. Let us never forget, every harmful drug or food to be pulled from the market, was once approved by the entity you look to for guidance. One simply needs to read the Monsanto Rider slipped into the farm bill to know that GMO's are toxic to animals and humans. I think one pretty obvious statement in it makes this clear.. something to do with "If it is ever found out that Monsantos Genetically Modified Organisms cause human harm/death they not only can't be sued but they cannot by any governing body, be forced to remove their product from shelves".

Again, you can wait for the FDA to tell you.. you know, after the ex VP is no longer in charge of them. In the mean time.. be careful what you call a conspiracy. History has shown that the term "conspiracy theorist" was specifically created to discredit people who today would be considered whistle blowers. As for Vaccines.. I'm not anti Vaccine, but I do believe we have way too many. I have a link to give a different perspective on another article you posted about "growing up unvaccinated" but for some reason this site is not allowing me to post links.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

Again no scientific evidence is basically a baseless argument and at worse it is just perpetuating another conspiracy theory.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
Peer-reviewed articles | Library & information Access | San Diego State University. Since a lot of people have a problem with this concept here is a link to what a peer reviewed article is and why it is important.
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Specializes in Anesthesia.
Correlation does not imply causation
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One day I'm going to get that tattooed on my forearm, so when someone starts spouting BS I can let them "speak to the hand" AND read that phrase!

More evidence of the pirates-temperature relationship

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Correlation does not imply causation. That sentence has too many big words for most conspiracy fanatics.

Maybe they will understand this. It has been proven than a child's shoe size correlates directly with their reading ability!

If you believe that statement really "proves" anything please ask me to explain it to you!

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