Death by Misinformation and Ignorance
One of the major problems in our world today is the spread of misinformation. Most people don’t do much digging for answers on their own, so they rely on other people for information. Often they take what they hear as fact. The problem there is that many of those other people are just as ignorant of the facts as the first guy. This creates a vicious cycle.
It gets worse when ignorant famous people get involved. A current example of this, in gargantuan, and disastrous proportions, is the claim that mercury, used in the preservative Thimerosal, causes autism in vaccinated children. Jenny McCarthy has been creating a mess with this unfounded claim for the past few years, with the help of the likes of Oprah Winfrey et al. The funny thing is, according to the Center for Disease Control, “since 2001, with the exception of some influenza (flu) vaccines, thimerosal is not used as a preservative in routinely recommended childhood vaccines.”
In addition, the CDC states, “Evidence from several studies does not support an association between thimerosal in vaccines and autism.”
As a result of their ignorance to the facts many parents — and some even for religious reasons, aside from what nonsense McCarthy and her ilk have been spreading — have been opting to not have their children vaccinated, which has resulted in the remergence of certain diseases.
The sub-header for an article in the August ’08 issue of Popular Mechanices states, “The measles, whooping cough and even polio have returned. Why? Because of a new breed of vaccine deniers who are ignoring campaigns for awareness, and ultimately might live shorter — not longer — lives.”
What’s the Harm, Whatstheharm.net, lists those human beings who have been harmed by flawed logic, including vaccination denial. In some cases it’s not the lack of a vaccination that has killed them. For example, 3 year old Katie McCarron, an autistic child, was killed by her mother. I urge you to read more, and by all means browse the rest of that informative website which “is designed to make a point about the danger of not thinking critically.”
Of course, there are those who just won’t believe the truth. They will continue to delude themselves and believe instead that the CDC — or anyone who has done their homework, and sought the truth — must be involved with the government’s massive conspiracy which hinges on world domination and control of the people. Oh, let’s not forget the World Trade Center conspiracy, the chemtrail conspiracy and the Alien Agenda. Those are other things the government doesn’t want us to know about. Yeah, and I’m Cyndi Lauper.
Should we believe that our own government is the main player in the spread of misinformation and harm to it’s people? I wouldn’t. The blood is on the hands of the mass media, along with misinformed and confused dolts like Jenny McCarthy, or outright con men like Kevin Trudeau.
