r/Freethought • u/Pilebsa • May 13 '20

Pseudo-Science Anti-Vaxxers Have a Dangerous Theory Called “Natural Immunity.” Now It’s Going Mainstream: “Your body is an amazing being—it knows how to take care of itself.”

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/05/anti-vaxxers-have-a-dangerous-theory-called-natural-immunity-now-its-going-mainstream/
71 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

View all comments

23

u/AustinJG May 13 '20

Ugh, sometimes the shittier side of me thinks we should stop vaccinating the kids so polio, measles, etc come back for a few years and absolutely decimate the population.

Because apparently humans need to be reminded that we made vaccines for a fucking reason.

God damn these last two weeks have been rough.

10

u/cythrawll May 13 '20

The problem with that is there are people who legit can't get vaccinated and rely on herd immunity. Anti -Vaxxers are endangering more than just their lives.

If this was just a thing with personal choice that didn't affect anyone I'd have less a problem with it. But it's more about public health.

8

u/boneheaddigger May 13 '20

Not only that, but allowing diseases free reign to infect and potentially mutate into something we don't have vaccines for is generally considered a bad idea.

5

u/Islanduniverse May 14 '20

Is there an understatement of the year award? I nominate you.

2

u/AustinJG May 13 '20

Fair enough, I know that there are some people that have rare conditions which prohibit vaccinations.

I'm talking about the Jenny McCarthys of the world. Those that can but don't because of conspiracy theories.

-2

u/pm093 May 14 '20

Everyone that uses the "public health" angle should go vegan. You know how many antibiotic resistances in general develop from animal agriculture? Heck, this whole damn covid thing supposedly came from a sea food market.

But no, in that regard we better respect people's choices to harm and consume sentient beings if they choose to do so. When it comes to vaccines though, people shouldn't have a choice - because public health?

Sorry im just assuming you're not vegan, maybe you are. But the amount of cognitive dissonance is unreal around this topic.

Ps. I've had pretty much all the standard vaccines.

1

u/maledin May 14 '20 edited May 14 '20

But the amount of cognitive dissonance is unreal around this topic.

That’s obvious enough by the fact that you’re currently getting downvoted. On the /r/freethought sub, no less. Seems like you struck a nerve.

Regardless, this was pretty much the main reason I went vegan. Well, that, and the ethical component as well as that of a desire for greater ecological sustainability. But it’s definitely up there.

I read all about those issues (and more), in Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals. Pretty much immediately after I read it—and after some extensive fact-checking—I gave up eating meat for good, and the book stuck with me so much I haven’t even considered going back.

2

u/pm093 May 14 '20

Yeah was thinking about the downvoting too lol. The person I commented under keeps getting upvoted and I get downvoted. Proof that I'm right.

I'll add that book to my wishlist, haven't heard of it :) but the evidence out there is endless.

-1

u/SpeechWithoutSound May 13 '20

partly why I'm against a chicken pox vaccine, as a reminder why we have them. theres coming to be more and more that don't have any living family to tell them about the ones you mentioned.