5 ms·
"It’s fun to ask an anti vaxxer what they would do if they were bitten by a rabid animal. You can watch (cognitive) dissonance kick in." Of course I "get" your
by rsync 8y ago
"It’s fun to ask an anti vaxxer what they would do if they were bitten by a rabid animal. You can watch (cognitive) dissonance kick in."
Of course I "get" your joke - and sympathize with the sentiment. I am on your team wrt vaccination policies.
However, I also cringe at the notion that critical thought about vaccinations has been completely reduced to extreme, fundamental positions.
I consider a specific, personal experience of this debate: I am a typical, unremarkable advocate of and participant in vaccination protocols in the United States. And yet, I think there should be critical thought and robust debate about the influenza vaccine(s)[1] and the emerging consensus that we should all consume this product, annually, forever.
In my experience it is impossible to have this discussion because it immediately (and incorrectly) becomes a "vaxxer" debate. This should not be the case. Our critical thought about these increasingly complex medical, scientific, social and economic[2] issues should be encouraged - not swept up in a proxy fight between two "tribes".
[1] A vaccine that I consume annually as part of local protocols for first responders / EMRs / Paramedics.
[2] https://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/19/the-16-billion-business-of-flu.html https://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/19/the-16-billion-business-of-f...
- pstuart 8y agoI'll bite. What would you like to see changed?
- rsync 8y ago"I'll bite. What would you like to see changed?" I am uneasy about the very rapid (<10 year) shift from the influenza vaccine as a tool for immune-compromised individuals or emergency/health workers to a universal good that everyone consumes. I think there's a qualitative difference between a standard vaccine for a deadly or crippling disease like Rubella and a non-standard, reformulated every season, coin-flip efficacy vaccine for an illness that healthy adults and children in first world settings can withstand just fine. This is an application of a conservative heuristic: "if it isn't broken, don't fix it".
- ghaff 8y agoI get a flu vaccine, in part for a couple of specific reasons. I haven't made a study of it though so I don't really have an opinion. One can at least raise an eyebrow though in noting how major pharmacy chains have taken to so promoting vaccinations. It started with flu. The latest is shingles. Again, I have no opinion on whether these are good ideas in general or not. But there are certainly commercial interests aligned with giving them to people.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- baddox 8y agoI still don’t quite understand your argument. Is it that the vaccine’s side effects will be more harmful that its benefits when applied broadly to a population?
- pstuart 8y agoAs I understand it the reformulation is necessary to adapt to mutations. Behind it is likely a fear of a repeat of 1918, which is going to come one of these days. A key point is I don't get the vibe that the vaccine push is a money grab, but is a sincere effort to manage communicable disease in a modern society.