"The anti-vax and climate ‘skeptic’ strains of science denial have been with us for more than a decade. Until now, however, it's all seemed a bit theoretical ... But now along comes an outbreak of a once-beaten disease and — surprise — we suddenly see that science denial has actual real-world consequences, because it’s about the actual real world…"
—Adam Frank, commentator and astrophysicist professor via NPR https://www.facebook.com/NPR...
- Victor Ganata
Science Denialism Has Consequences - NPR http://www.npr.org/blogs...
- Victor Ganata
"The anti-vax movement, like climate change denialism, rests on the assumption that if you disagree with certain established scientific results you can just ignore them. You call the science lies — or claim the scientists have a political bias."
- Victor Ganata
I think publics distrust of scientists and a lack of understanding about the science ie vacinations doesn't help. People read sensationlist news and believe it!
- Halil
Well to paraphrase Barbie, "Science is hard." Seriously, people struggle with ambiguity and numbers in general ("AHA! So because there is a 1 in 10,000 chance [made up stat] that my child *might* get a /experience rash/have convulsions/whatever-unnamed-negative-reaction, THIS VACCINE IS DANGEROUS"). "Besides, my *grandma* never had got vaccinated and she lived to be 110." (which means absolutely nothing)
- MoTO Boychick Devil
When we decided that we should seek medical and scientific knowledge from a Playboy Centerfold instead of actual doctors we went deep into the rabbit hole until now we have Republicans unsure if food workers "really" need to wash their hands after they take a shit.... We are doomed because worshiping celebrity makes us terminally stupid. I blame the Kardashians
- WarLord
The fact that she was a playboy centerfold has absolutely nothing to do with her ability to comment intelligently on science or medicine. The fact that she completely uneducated in those fields and refuses to accept the evidence presented to her does.
- DJF
She has some very smart girl glasses she wears for interviews that is like a doctors degree and yeah it IS relevant because her celebrity her "playboyness" has EVERYTHING to do with why she has the big megaphone she does in this vaccine debate.
- WarLord
It's why she has a megaphone, but that doesn't mean you can disparage "seeking medical and scientific knowledge from a Playboy Centerfold". Being a playboy centerfold gave her the visibility; it did not make her stupid. Or should we ignore all of Gloria Steinem's scholarship too?
- DJF
Gloria never got a pictorial, she had a waitress job that required wearing some ears. And no I emphatically disagree, we are indeed taking medical advice from someone whose qualification for celebrity was an ability to look lovely while naked.
- WarLord
Well, thank god she didn't get naked. I mean, everyone knows flashing your tits in public kills brain cells every time you do it and means you should never be respected for any opinion you have afterwards.
- Jennifer Dittrich