I understand the anger but with anti-vaxxers specifically I think there’s a case to be made that focusing too much on the failure of individuals to make properly informed decisions can distract from the systemic causes of the increase of anti-vax sentiment. There has been a decline of trust in institutions resulting from decades of austerity and exploitative practices. Big pharma, the insurance industry, and the scientific community are conflated by popular figures in the grifter economy so that people turn to them for medical help and knowledge instead of doctors, and our education system - having also been eroded by austerity - does little to prepare people for the abundance of disinformation. Combine this with those same grifters gaining legitimacy by becoming involved in government and I’m honestly surprised the problem isn’t worse than it is.
Your anger is justified but it is better directed at the grifters spreading the lies than the marks who believe them.
our education system - having also been eroded by austerity - does little to prepare people for the abundance of disinformation.
You are talking about Critical Thinking Skills, one of my favorite subjects, and you make an excellent point. There are grifters who like to twist our large systems, and connect dots that aren’t meant to be connected, and create a picture that doesn’t really exist.
But we’re all in the same boat, and most of us make the right decisions, so I’m not so willing to let the Anti-Vaxxers off the hook so easily. This is an important issue for all society, and to endanger society because you don’t want to employ proper, basic Critical Thinking Skills, is irresponsible to your fellow citizens, especially the youngest ones, who are going to bear the brunt of their Anti-Vaxx adventure.
I understand the anger but with anti-vaxxers specifically I think there’s a case to be made that focusing too much on the failure of individuals to make properly informed decisions can distract from the systemic causes of the increase of anti-vax sentiment. There has been a decline of trust in institutions resulting from decades of austerity and exploitative practices. Big pharma, the insurance industry, and the scientific community are conflated by popular figures in the grifter economy so that people turn to them for medical help and knowledge instead of doctors, and our education system - having also been eroded by austerity - does little to prepare people for the abundance of disinformation. Combine this with those same grifters gaining legitimacy by becoming involved in government and I’m honestly surprised the problem isn’t worse than it is.
Your anger is justified but it is better directed at the grifters spreading the lies than the marks who believe them.
You are talking about Critical Thinking Skills, one of my favorite subjects, and you make an excellent point. There are grifters who like to twist our large systems, and connect dots that aren’t meant to be connected, and create a picture that doesn’t really exist.
But we’re all in the same boat, and most of us make the right decisions, so I’m not so willing to let the Anti-Vaxxers off the hook so easily. This is an important issue for all society, and to endanger society because you don’t want to employ proper, basic Critical Thinking Skills, is irresponsible to your fellow citizens, especially the youngest ones, who are going to bear the brunt of their Anti-Vaxx adventure.