Health and Sanity category archive
The Monster Next Door 0
I have resisted the temptation of join NextDoor. I had a sneaking feeling that it could lead to no good, because years of experience and observation have taught me that “social” media isn’t.
As evidence, I offer one person’s story.
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.)