4 ms·

This is an interesting example of an article that talks about gradual improvements in our lives that we take for granted at this point. It's strange because mos

This is an interesting example of an article that talks about gradual improvements in our lives that we take for granted at this point. It's strange because most articles are about dramatic deterioration. For example, it's unlikely we will read articles about the increase in % children who are vaccinated against basic diseases. It was 22% in 1980, 88% in 2016. Far more likely is reading reams of text devoted to the (for now) niche anti-vaxxer movement.

neuronic 8y ago
> [...] most articles are about dramatic [...] This small snippet of your comment in combination with knowledge about click/ad-based revenue for most outlets is really all you need to make yourself aware of nowadays. Drama is what drove gossip for millennia and with the advent of media it began to drive sales. Doesn't matter if book, TV show or news article. It's all entertainment.
lotsofpulp 8y ago
I don’t think using outbreaks of a preventable disease due to stupid people thinking they know more than they do and causing harm to society as a whole is overly dramatic. If anything, there should be more coverage about it so we can get laws passed to deny non medical exemptions.
- nindalf 8y ago
  What's the impact in terms of affected people. Hundreds of millions of children being vaccinated, millions of them not dying young, dramatically changing the dynamics of societies where women can now choose not to have multiple children.... or a few hundred people getting measles. I'm not saying the anti-vax thing isn't a problem. I'm saying that the improvements and advancements have a higher impact on society than what a few idiots choose to do. And yet we read much more about the latter.
  - lotsofpulp 8y ago
    The issue of people not vaccinating is specifically one which can spiral out of control very easily, as the tools we have to fight the disease don't work once herd immunity is lost, hence sounding the alarm bells is warranted. Actually, now that I think about it, perhaps if the history of vaccines and the success had been more widely disseminated, then we may not have had this anti vaccine problem. I agree that it would be nice to read more about successes.

neuronic 8y ago

> [...] most articles are about dramatic [...] This small snippet of your comment in combination with knowledge about click/ad-based revenue for most outlets is really all you need to make yourself aware of nowadays. Drama is what drove gossip for millennia and with the advent of media it began to drive sales. Doesn't matter if book, TV show or news article. It's all entertainment.

lotsofpulp 8y ago

I don’t think using outbreaks of a preventable disease due to stupid people thinking they know more than they do and causing harm to society as a whole is overly dramatic. If anything, there should be more coverage about it so we can get laws passed to deny non medical exemptions.

nindalf 8y ago
What's the impact in terms of affected people. Hundreds of millions of children being vaccinated, millions of them not dying young, dramatically changing the dynamics of societies where women can now choose not to have multiple children.... or a few hundred people getting measles. I'm not saying the anti-vax thing isn't a problem. I'm saying that the improvements and advancements have a higher impact on society than what a few idiots choose to do. And yet we read much more about the latter.
- lotsofpulp 8y ago
  The issue of people not vaccinating is specifically one which can spiral out of control very easily, as the tools we have to fight the disease don't work once herd immunity is lost, hence sounding the alarm bells is warranted. Actually, now that I think about it, perhaps if the history of vaccines and the success had been more widely disseminated, then we may not have had this anti vaccine problem. I agree that it would be nice to read more about successes.