5 ms·

I'm surprised to find this many anti vaxxers on hn. I would have expected that the community was a lot more rational.

JimTheMan 5y ago
The tech community here is pretty good around software and a limited amount of hardware. Once they venture into the world of biology, health etc they are only marginally more adept than the general public. It's also predominately American, so you get a lot 'freedom at the expense of everyone else' ideas floating about.
kbelder 5y ago
Don't conflate 'anti-vax' with 'anti-vax-mandate'. The two positions have entirely different scientific and moral bases. I would think the second group is also much larger.
- drstewart 5y ago
  They've changed the definition to obfuscate this very important point. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-vaxxer https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-vaxxer >Definition of anti-vaxxer >: a person who opposes the use of vaccines or regulations mandating vaccination
  - zapnuk 5y ago
    Thats a lie. It's been the definition since at least 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181125060933/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-vaxxer https://web.archive.org/web/20181125060933/https://www.merri...
    - generalizations 5y ago
      Probably they made an assumption after the definition of "vaccine" was changed on there earlier this year. https://web.archive.org/web/20210108224740/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine https://web.archive.org/web/20210108224740/https://www.merri... vs. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine
    - drstewart 5y ago
      It's a lie? You literally pointed out that they changed it in 2018. Thank you for proving my point.
      - zapnuk 5y ago
        You claimed that "THEY" changed the definition, based on a dictionary. This would imply that the definition was changed during covid to include "mandate sceptics". The link shows that in 2018 it included "[...] laws that mandate vaccination". The only real difference is that the former definition uses the word "laws" and the current one "regulation". While the two words are not interchangeable, the definition on merriam-webster includes laws as a type of regulations. Calling this a meaningful change of its definition that "THEY" did is nothing more than pedantic anti-vaxx bullshit.
        Apaec 5y ago
        Well, THEY have also changed the definition of "vaccine" and "pandemic" a long time ago. Go look it up.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
generalizations 5y ago
It's nice to see so many critical thinkers on here. Aren't "hackers" partly defined by their distrust of authority?
Solvitieg 5y ago
It's wild how we can be vaccinated with two doses and still be considered an anti-vaxxer. Is this not doublespeak?
- TheRealNGenius 5y ago
  Precisely. Simultaneously believing that you are free to do with your own body as you like, whilst also inflicting upon others a forced medical procedure in the name of the "greater good"
- TheRealNGenius 5y ago
  Yeah, simultaneously believing that you are free to do with your own body as you like, whilst also inflicting upon others a forced medical procedure in the name of the "greater good"
disambiguation 5y ago
I'm not surprised at all. This site is a honeypot for anti authoritarian contrarians.
- kmonad 5y ago
  sadly, this is a pretty concise "nutshell".
TheRealNGenius 5y ago
Yeah, some of us actually think for ourselves weighing the opinions of experts alongside statistics in order to make informed decisions instead of blindly following what some governmental entity claims is in our best interest and forces upon us as the truth :)

The tech community here is pretty good around software and a limited amount of hardware. Once they venture into the world of biology, health etc they are only marginally more adept than the general public. It's also predominately American, so you get a lot 'freedom at the expense of everyone else' ideas floating about.

kbelder 5y ago

Don't conflate 'anti-vax' with 'anti-vax-mandate'. The two positions have entirely different scientific and moral bases. I would think the second group is also much larger.

drstewart 5y ago
They've changed the definition to obfuscate this very important point. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-vaxxer https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-vaxxer >Definition of anti-vaxxer >: a person who opposes the use of vaccines or regulations mandating vaccination
- zapnuk 5y ago
  Thats a lie. It's been the definition since at least 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181125060933/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-vaxxer https://web.archive.org/web/20181125060933/https://www.merri...
  - generalizations 5y ago
    Probably they made an assumption after the definition of "vaccine" was changed on there earlier this year. https://web.archive.org/web/20210108224740/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine https://web.archive.org/web/20210108224740/https://www.merri... vs. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine
  - drstewart 5y ago
    It's a lie? You literally pointed out that they changed it in 2018. Thank you for proving my point.
    - zapnuk 5y ago
      You claimed that "THEY" changed the definition, based on a dictionary. This would imply that the definition was changed during covid to include "mandate sceptics". The link shows that in 2018 it included "[...] laws that mandate vaccination". The only real difference is that the former definition uses the word "laws" and the current one "regulation". While the two words are not interchangeable, the definition on merriam-webster includes laws as a type of regulations. Calling this a meaningful change of its definition that "THEY" did is nothing more than pedantic anti-vaxx bullshit.
      - Apaec 5y ago
        Well, THEY have also changed the definition of "vaccine" and "pandemic" a long time ago. Go look it up.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

generalizations 5y ago

It's nice to see so many critical thinkers on here. Aren't "hackers" partly defined by their distrust of authority?

Solvitieg 5y ago

It's wild how we can be vaccinated with two doses and still be considered an anti-vaxxer. Is this not doublespeak?

TheRealNGenius 5y ago
Precisely. Simultaneously believing that you are free to do with your own body as you like, whilst also inflicting upon others a forced medical procedure in the name of the "greater good"
TheRealNGenius 5y ago
Yeah, simultaneously believing that you are free to do with your own body as you like, whilst also inflicting upon others a forced medical procedure in the name of the "greater good"

disambiguation 5y ago

I'm not surprised at all. This site is a honeypot for anti authoritarian contrarians.

kmonad 5y ago
sadly, this is a pretty concise "nutshell".

TheRealNGenius 5y ago

Yeah, some of us actually think for ourselves weighing the opinions of experts alongside statistics in order to make informed decisions instead of blindly following what some governmental entity claims is in our best interest and forces upon us as the truth :)