Health and Sanity category archive
Vaccine Nation 0
Twits on twitter. fomenting fabrications.
Easy Marks 0
The editorial board of the Las Vegas Sun is somewhat taken aback by Republicans’ willingness to believe anything. Here’s a bit:
Imagine his fellow legislators’ surprise in learning the findings of the report, including that the vaccine contains a “living organism with tentacles” and is causing the babies of vaccinated parents to be born “transhuman” with “pitch-black eyes.”
Amazing. And, of course, completely insane.
Follow the link for a litany of lunacy.
“The Republican Virus” 0
David runs the numbers. (Warning: Short promotion at the end.)
School Daze, Reprise 0
Today’s local rag took a close look at disruptive behavior, threats of violence, and even occasional acts of violence at school board meetings in these viral times. Adam Laats, a historian at New York’s Binghamton University, was one of the persons cited in the article; he pointed out that this is not a new or isolated phenomenon, but a recurring one in times of stress and change, supporting that point with numerous examples.
One phrase, in particular, caught my eye:
The full article is at the link.
All That Was Old Is New Again, Vaccine Nation Dept. 0
History professor Kyle Harper points out that irrationality, fear mongering, and falsehoods are not unprecedented in the face of health crises. A snippet:
Private interests that shamelessly peddle misinformation? The history of British mercantilists lobbying against quarantine sounds perfectly contemporary. Resistance to medical science? Since the introduction of smallpox inoculation and then vaccination, a weird alliance of religious militancy and pseudoscience has worked to stoke fears and doubts about our best tools to protect human health. Livestock dewormer? Just a fresh take on the venerable tradition of quackery. It’s hard to be original in the annals of human folly.
Maskless Marauders 0
Florida Man says, “Suffer the children.”
And, while we are on the topic of suffering the children . . . .
We are a society of stupid.
Maskless Marauders 0
We are a society of stupid.
Suffer the Children 0
Collateral damage:
More damaging information at the link.
Vaccine Nation 0
Tony Norman is not sanguine. Here’s a bit of his article:
Gulling the Gullible 0
At the Des Moines Register, Roger Patocka argues that too many of our polity are allowing themselves to be led into a fantasy world by fabulists:
“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction (i.e., the reality of experience) and the distinction between true and false (i.e., the standards of thought) no longer exist.”
I commend the entire piece to your attention.
(Broken link fixed.)
Vaccine Nation 0
Writing at nola.com, James Gill has had enough. A snippet:
America has had mandatory vaccinations for various diseases going back to the days of George Washington, and the current hysteria over the imaginary threat they pose to individual liberty is nothing new either. So far, sweet reason has always prevailed in the end, and so it will this time once we accept that there is no rational debate to be held with those who refuse to take precautions.
(Broken link fixed.)
Vaccine Nation 0
In related news, the Arizona Republic’s E. J. Montini marvels at the pretzel logic of those who would perpetuate pandemics.
Maskless Marauders, Making Sense of Stupid Dept. 0
Writing at the Idaho State Journal, Mike Murphy offers a theory as to what’s behind the mania of the maskless marauders.
His piece is so well crafted–well, just go read it for yourself.