Are antivaxxers all just contrarians and conspiracy theorists?

[Anonymous]

Or are there genuine Critical Thinkers among them?

[Anonymous]

Which antivaxxers? There’s a difference between the people causing smallpox to come back, and people who aren’t doing covid boosters anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or are there genuine Critical Thinkers among them?

What's with the random capitalizations?

[Anonymous]

NP. You really have to define what you mean by anti-vaxxer. There are normal people who follow vaccine schedules who will not vaccinate a 6-month-old against Covid. Then there are people who believe MMR vaccines cause autism. Which group are you referring to?

[Anonymous]

We're research scientists with MDs and PhDs and NO, we personally know (or have heard of in our circle) absolutely zero PhDs or MDs who are vaccine-deniers.

My aunt, who has a high school diploma, became a raw vegan, and vaccine denier, decades ago. She died of Covid last year.
She was intelligent, but with a very contrarian, anti-establishment sort of personality. She felt the government was hiding things from her, the medical establishment was under the control of Big Pharma, etc. She lacked the critical thinking and scientific approach necessary to distinguish false experts from legitimate ones. Despite our efforts at providing information, she did not deviate from her beliefs, and died for them.

I think some human brains are just wired to find satisfaction in countering the established knowledge and power centers. They're people who feel stifled by the mundanity of their daily lives, and feel compelled to seek more exciting/grandiose explanations that place them in more central roles. Some may be twice exceptional (high IQ with ADHD/ASD/learning disabilities) who are underemployed and lack constructive outlets for their splinter skills.

It becomes Main Character Syndrome, in a way. The "I know better, you guys are just sheep" way of life. It boils down to a certain type of neurodivergence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which antivaxxers? There’s a difference between the people causing smallpox to come back, and people who aren’t doing covid boosters anymore.

+1

I am all for vaccines, but have not and will not get another Covid booster until it actually prevents illness and transmission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're research scientists with MDs and PhDs and NO, we personally know (or have heard of in our circle) absolutely zero PhDs or MDs who are vaccine-deniers.

My aunt, who has a high school diploma, became a raw vegan, and vaccine denier, decades ago. She died of Covid last year.
She was intelligent, but with a very contrarian, anti-establishment sort of personality. She felt the government was hiding things from her, the medical establishment was under the control of Big Pharma, etc. She lacked the critical thinking and scientific approach necessary to distinguish false experts from legitimate ones. Despite our efforts at providing information, she did not deviate from her beliefs, and died for them.

I think some human brains are just wired to find satisfaction in countering the established knowledge and power centers. They're people who feel stifled by the mundanity of their daily lives, and feel compelled to seek more exciting/grandiose explanations that place them in more central roles. Some may be twice exceptional (high IQ with ADHD/ASD/learning disabilities) who are underemployed and lack constructive outlets for their splinter skills.

It becomes Main Character Syndrome, in a way. The "I know better, you guys are just sheep" way of life. It boils down to a certain type of neurodivergence.

Accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which antivaxxers? There’s a difference between the people causing smallpox to come back, and people who aren’t doing covid boosters anymore.

+1

I am all for vaccines, but have not and will not get another Covid booster until it actually prevents illness and transmission.

So you don't get the flu shot either, I presume?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which antivaxxers? There’s a difference between the people causing smallpox to come back, and people who aren’t doing covid boosters anymore.

+1

I am all for vaccines, but have not and will not get another Covid booster until it actually prevents illness and transmission.

+2

I get all my kids vaxxed on schedule, get the flu vaccine, etc but the covid booster is for the birds

[Anonymous]

Critical thinkers? Doubt it. But there are also some hippies in the anti-vax movement too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which antivaxxers? There’s a difference between the people causing smallpox to come back, and people who aren’t doing covid boosters anymore.

+1

I am all for vaccines, but have not and will not get another Covid booster until it actually prevents illness and transmission.

So you don't get the flu shot either, I presume?

PP and I also won’t get another booster until it’s fixed. I do get my flu vaccine because it doesn’t mess up my period and in my case for 5 to 6 months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which antivaxxers? There’s a difference between the people causing smallpox to come back, and people who aren’t doing covid boosters anymore.

+1

I am all for vaccines, but have not and will not get another Covid booster until it actually prevents illness and transmission.

So you don't get the flu shot either, I presume?

PP and I also won’t get another booster until it’s fixed. I do get my flu vaccine because it doesn’t mess up my period and in my case for 5 to 6 months.

How is it "broken"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're research scientists with MDs and PhDs and NO, we personally know (or have heard of in our circle) absolutely zero PhDs or MDs who are vaccine-deniers.

My aunt, who has a high school diploma, became a raw vegan, and vaccine denier, decades ago. She died of Covid last year.
She was intelligent, but with a very contrarian, anti-establishment sort of personality. She felt the government was hiding things from her, the medical establishment was under the control of Big Pharma, etc. She lacked the critical thinking and scientific approach necessary to distinguish false experts from legitimate ones. Despite our efforts at providing information, she did not deviate from her beliefs, and died for them.

I think some human brains are just wired to find satisfaction in countering the established knowledge and power centers. They're people who feel stifled by the mundanity of their daily lives, and feel compelled to seek more exciting/grandiose explanations that place them in more central roles. Some may be twice exceptional (high IQ with ADHD/ASD/learning disabilities) who are underemployed and lack constructive outlets for their splinter skills.

It becomes Main Character Syndrome, in a way. The "I know better, you guys are just sheep" way of life. It boils down to a certain type of neurodivergence.

This is so well said. I think the bolded is particularly good. Being an extremely small, impotent part of a vast and indifferent universe is absolutely soul-crushing to some people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which antivaxxers? There’s a difference between the people causing smallpox to come back, and people who aren’t doing covid boosters anymore.

+1

I am all for vaccines, but have not and will not get another Covid booster until it actually prevents illness and transmission.

So you don't get the flu shot either, I presume?

PP and I also won’t get another booster until it’s fixed. I do get my flu vaccine because it doesn’t mess up my period and in my case for 5 to 6 months.

How is it "broken"?

As I said, it severely messes up my cycle, and I know many other women’s cycle as well. The actual Covid illness did not mess up my cycle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which antivaxxers? There’s a difference between the people causing smallpox to come back, and people who aren’t doing covid boosters anymore.

+1

I am all for vaccines, but have not and will not get another Covid booster until it actually prevents illness and transmission.

That's dumb. They reduce transmission and illness. You demanding some kind of perfection that prevents these things entirely is juvenile.