A frequent lament of members of the anti-vaccine movement is that they are not “anti-vaccine” but rather “pro-safe vaccine.” they like to claim that they are not opposed to vaccines in general. Of course, in many, if not most or even all cases, that denial is either a lie or self-delusion. After all, even the most die-hard anti-vaccine zealot realizes that being anti-vaccine is quite correctly viewed by the vast majority of people as not rational.
That’s why, in a perverse way, I’m thankful for loons like Mike Adams. Yes, Mike Adams. He lays the crazy out in a way that no one else does. But as utterly insane as his ravings are, at least Mike Adams is honest. Besides being pro-quackery, he is anti-vaccine and proud of it, so much so that he produces videos like this one, entitled Vaccine Zombie:
Mike Adams describes it thusly:
Check out the new Vaccine Zombie video and song, now viewable on www.NaturalNews.TV and YouTube.com (see links below). Featuring an animated cast of dancing zombie characters, “Vaccine Zombie” is the latest hip hop single we’ve put together to feed your edutainment craving. Combining “entertainment” with “education”, this new video uses humorous song lyrics to explore the negative side effects of vaccines, which are now scientifically known to produce seizures, vomiting, fevers, narcolepsy and even death in children and teens.
Apparently, Mike Adams had planned on releasing this video intentionally to coincide with the beginning of the annual flu vaccine season but somehow decided that the vaccine industry had “started its propaganda campaign early and that he had to begin his anti-vaccine campaign early.
Unfortunately, the production values of this video and song are far higher than those of the last bit of anti-vaccine music that I lambasted, namely The Refusers and their tunes Vaccine Gestapo, Get Your Mandates Out of My Body, and We Don’t Want Their Flu Vaccine. The animation is actually pretty good, and the parts with the zombies dancing are intentionally reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s Thriller video. The tune is mildly catchy. The lyrics, however, are moronic, even by Mike Adams usual low standards. For example:
When I took the shot then my face turned blue
I started feelin’ hot inside but I didn’t have a clue what to do
My temperature was hundred and two
Then my nut sack shriveled up and fell off tooThe nurse screamed and said something was missin’
she called the physician who said he had a suspicion
that the vaccine caused a neurological condition
and soon I would see the morticianThey started cuttin’ out my brain happy as can be
Bunch of undead doctors from the CDC
I finally figured out what happened to me
When they said we got another vaccine zombie!Step one: Remove your brain
Step two: Replace with zombie vaccines
Step three: Watch television for further instructions from the Centers for Zombie Control
Zombie vaccines? I wonder where I can get some of those, being a fan of Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead and all. Perhaps my favorite lyric is this one:
Cause livin’ without a brain ain’t half bad
Why, yes, Mike Adams would be proof positive of that.
As I said before, though. I am in a way perversely grateful for Mike Adams. On the other hand, I have a hard time deciding whether he’s serious, scamming, or simply another example of Poe’s law as applied to anti-vaccinationists. With Mike Adams, it’s impossible to distinguish real from parody. Certainly, I don’t think I’m capable of coming up with a parody of the anti-vaccine movement that would be more utterly idiotic than Vaccine Zombie. Once again the Orac Corollary of Poe’s Law for Anti-vaccinationists applies:
Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is utterly impossible to parody antivaccinationists in such a way that someone won’t mistake for the genuine article.
Just watch Mike Adams’ Vaccine Zombie again if you don’t believe this corollary is true.
Whenever I hear songs like those by The Refusers or Mike Adams, I wonder if they are really so deluded that they believe that their songs will actually persuade anyone or impress anyone other than people who are already anti-vaccine. Personally, I strongly suspect that Mike Adams actually has nothing but contempt for his audience. Certainly no one with respect for his audience could serve up such brain-fryingly idiotic tripe and think that it will impress or persuade them.
69 replies on “Mike Adams on Vaccines: Orac’s Corollary to Poe’s Law strikes again”
“I’m afraid germs might kill me!”
Fucking germ theory deniers, man. Is there any way to get them together in one room and release some particularly toxic agent into the atmosphere to see how long they deny the germ theory? Imagine the headline: germ theory deniers all magically come down with tuberculosis due only to lifestyle factors.
“I’m afraid of having sex with you”
Mike Adams doesn’t believe in sexually transmitted diseases? Fucking idiot.
“I believe the official 9/11 commission”
Anti-vaccination: brought to you by the same people who think George Bush secretly commanded predator drones to blow up the World Trade Center.
So… having your nutsack fall off is a “neurological condition” eh? And when you need an operation, people from the CDC perform the surgery?
I guess he’s right about the “don’t know a thing about health” part.
But I guess you can’t blame the guy for being such a whackjob. I’d be upset if I lost my nutsack, too.
Has anyone been over to his online store? $500 for a blender, $325 for a “magnetic pulser” (promoted as the “first aid kit of the future”),and $45 for the “three immortals super powder” (while we’re on the subject of zombies).
Of course, the quack miranda warning is at the bottom of almost every product.
Oh, and saline is an electrolyte, according to the “Health Ranger”… More like “tonto” (the Spanish definition of the word), if you ask me.
With guys like Adams around, at least we’ll never want for someone to point and laugh derisively at.
If I worked for the Michael Jackson estate (or anyone involved with the Thriller video), Adams would get sued for infringement.
See, I thought the main anti-vax talking point was “too many too soon.”
I mean, far be it from me to expect that all the woo guys start having their talking points perfectly coordinated, but still.
OK, look, is there really ANY evidence at all that vaccines cause people’s scrotums to fall off? REALLY?
Mikey is Dunning-Kruger personnified! Interesting how well-known woo-meisters, in-expert and unaware, in awe of their own “brilliance” in “medical” matters confidently branch out into other fields of inexpertise: Adams is therefore a “song”-“writer”,”producer” and “rapper”, Mercola gives “psychological” “advice” and “treatments”, and Null, “polymath” “sans pareil”,is also a “documentary film maker”, “political” and “economic” “analyst”,”psychological” “theorist”, and is starting his own “progressive” “news” “service”…..Actually, since the bottom line is all about… the bottom line( a/k/a the Benjamins), the phenonmenon is akin to what happens when a designer becomes popular selling clothes and branches out into perfumes, acessories, and linens. However, many designers have a developed aesthetic sense and visual arts training that allows them to make good decisions in matters of taste. Our woo-meisters could never be accused of having taste or any relevant all-encompassing knowledge of science or social issues. Multi-disciplinary Dunning-Kruger?
Alison @7
Well, how do you explain why you don’t have one if it wasn’t the vaccines?
@2 Liz “So… having your nutsack fall off is a “neurological condition” eh?”
It probably is when you only use your balls to think with!
LOL. It pains me to say it, but even though I hate the message, the song is well-written and (with regards to the lyrics, not the accuracy of content) and the animation is freakin’ hilarious. Too bad I won’t share it with anyone…
Beats the heck out of the Refusers.
On a more serious note: according to his bio ( @ HealthRanger.com), Adams developed type 2 diabetes at age 30, which he “cured” by his diet, supplement, and exercise program thus allowing him to be cavalier about CDC flu recommendations for diabetics- types 1 & 2.
I love that he stuck in that bit about 9/11! Crank magnetism at its best!
I’ve notice that a lot of the antivaxxers couch the “debate” in anti-establishment language: going with the herd/following the crowd, doin’ what The Man⢠says, which was a major theme of this video. I also say a brief flash of a U.N.-looking symbol which I took as a brief homage to the new world order/militia conspiricists. (Is that even a word? If not, I claim first rights!)
Oh, not at all. The woos have 1 thing, and only 1 thing in common: The current vaccination approach is wrong.
However, the alternative plans that are presented are almost as many as the number of anti-vaxxers. This is pretty common among the woo. Look at the variation among creationists. Young earthers, old earthers, IDers, etc. You would think that they would not get along so well, considering how they have very, very, very different views. However, YECs have no trouble allying with IDers in fighting the evilution.
[TOM MORRIS: Is there any way to get them together in one room and release some particularly toxic agent into the atmosphere to see how long they deny the germ theory?
Imagine the headline: germ theory deniers all magically come down with tuberculosis due only to lifestyle factors.]
What you just proposed is not a lifestyle factor. It’s a Nazi science experiment. BTW your nazi experiment would not be very convincing.
[OK, look, is there really ANY evidence at all that vaccines cause people’s scrotums to fall off? REALLY?]
No, but it can make you develop a british accent.
Ah, preaching to the converted. This video exemplifies the vicious circle which doesn’t introduce any new or useful information and relies on the generation of pathos to keep people involved. This kind of frothing, soft-brained loyalty to a strongly held ideal is what originally turned me off to the charismatic movement in the Roman Catholic Church. It ultimately turned me off to faith altogether. I, and I imagine many others, struggle with the excitement of being involved in something, and have to remind myself to look critically at every tenet that I embrace, even and especially within the skeptical movement. Is it just me, or is the “critical thinking” leap a hard one to make, and how do we get others to recognize and execute it?
Mike Adams Says Children Damaged by Vaccines are Living Without Brains; Calls Them Zombies!
How do I submit this headline suggestion to the AntiVax fan mags?
Thank you for sharing this video. I am gonna be giggling all day. “i’m afraid of my roomate’s dirty socks” hahahah
Seriously, Mike Adams is all about making money. If scaring people with silly videos might make him a buck or two thousand he’s on it.
I am a bit shocked that he is blatant about the ridiculousness of the whole anti-vaccine pov. That video makes fun of conspiracy theorists and anti-vacs without even meaning to.
“On a more serious note: according to his bio ( @ HealthRanger.com), Adams developed type 2 diabetes at age 30, which he “cured” by his diet, supplement, and exercise program . . .”
It is in fact entirely possible to cure Type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise. (I dunno about the supplements.) In fact, that’s supposed to be the first thing doctors try. Few people succeed, unfortunately, so they end up on meds. If we could figure out how to get people to adhere to a diet and physical activity regimen, it would be great, but we haven’t figured out how to do it so far.
Nevertheless, there is nothing implausible about Adams’s claim in this particular instance.
@cervantes
Cure? Or manage? It was my understanding that proper diet and exercise could control type 2 diabetes, but that if you stop the regimen, you’re going to end up needing meds or need to get back on the diet/exercise regimen. So, it’s not really a cure, but treatment.
What strikes me about this song is how much the message seems to be about not being a “sheeple.” One reason the anti-vax groups (and alt-med groups in general)have been successful is their ability to tap into people’s insecurities about their identity.
Nobody wants to be an unthinking zombie/sheeple/robot/tool of “The Man.” Being anti-vax is an easy way to “prove” you can “think for yourself.”
Unfortunately, not everyone who thinks for him/herself comes to a valid conclusion.
If you’ll permit a bit of blog-whoring, I wrote about this phenomenon a while back: Sheep of a Different Color.
It’s actually surprisingly well done. As far as YouTube hip hop videos go, anyway. It’s certainly amusing! But the message . . . Ugh.
Oh, and to cervantes @19. Todd W. is correct in that you can manage diabetes with diet and exercise. But it’s not a “Cure” in that if a person with Diabetes gets off the diet and exercise regimen, they blood sugar will go right back where it was.
@ Squillo:
The irony, of course, is that the antivax movement is pure sheepleism at its finest. Don’t bother thinking for yourself, or doing any critical evaluation of evidence. Just accept without question whoever has the best-sounding story.
Or to quote House,
As Todd noted, “cure” isn’t quite right, but it can be managed.
And in that respect, is it really true that few people succeed? I don’t what fraction of Type 2 diabetics manage it through lifestyle changes, but my initial response is that it is not a small amount. I wouldn’t be surprised if as many as half of type 2 diabetics are able to manage with diet and exercise. I know Mike Golic (from ESPN) is doing it now 🙂
And no doubt, that is the doctor’s #1 approach to it. I don’t blame the medical establishment if individuals are not able to conform to the diabetic-friendly prescribed diet (my FIL has a dietitian he uses that specializes in this area, even).
This says it all!
AoA has a piece by Conrick titled “UK Vaccine Injury Win: MMR Caused Brain Damage”.
Whoo hoo! Victory! A ‘historic event’! A (single) kid’s MMR shot caused epilepsy (but not autism). Ohhhhh, the vindication!
http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/08/uk-vaccine-injury-win-.html
“What strikes me about this song is how much the message seems to be about not being a “sheeple.” “
One of the foundational rules of woo is that people who are the most convinced of the existence of medical conspiracies and determined not to be “sheeple”, are the easiest to fool into buying whatever nonsense (and products) sleazy alt med hucksters are selling.
Most people can’t stand the idea of distrusting absolutely everyone. If you can successfully paint yourself as the Brave Maverick/Anti-Establishment Icon, the marks will worship you and the dollars will roolll in.
props for the music; lyrics, not so much
I just caught myself watching the video for the third time. It’s actually very well done – the music, animation, and direction are all high quality. I have to wonder where Mike Adams got the money to pay professional animators, composers, DJs, sound editors etc. I’ve certainly never seen anything this expensive from Orac, Steve Barrett, etc. It’s funny how the “maverick” looks like he’s raking in the benjamins at a much higher rate than the “pharma shills”.
Nearly all the comments on the video illicit face palms. I should probably get an extension to hide Youtube comments…
besides the obvious complaints, doesn’t this video strike anyone else as kind of racist?
OK, admittedly he’s good at rap, he’s got the rhythm and rhymes, and he’s even got the voice. And that stuff makes 1960s 4/4 rock & roll seem just downright sleepy.
So, what to do about slickly-packaged obscurantist bullshit?
Re. #5, you can’t sue for infringement because satire is protected speech. Supreme Court ruling, thankfully.
Re. #18, fighting this kind of crap by making serious rational arguements, is like lecturing drunken frat boys at a party, about the dangers of alcoholism. Emotions make decisions, and reason follows with an explanation. Yes, even among rationalists, to a surprising degree.
Re. #30, you can do that on your computer nowadays. Having a friend with music production experience helps. But it’s not big-bucks stuff any more.
What I think would work to fight this crap is a satire of Adams’ video. It would have to be equally well done or better, and it would have to take a funny tone rather than preachy.
One good place to start is with his disdain for germ theory and his 9/11 conspiracy mention. Anything about filth, dirt, and excrement, is useful here: a theme along the lines of “first I refused vaccines and didn’t get sick, then I stopped washing my hands, and then I stopped wiping my butt. Now I’m happily living in a cave with a whole family of little buggies all over my body, isn’t that cool? And my woman doesn’t mind being dragged around by her hair either.” Another theme to touch on: ignorance of probability & statistics, that could be symbolized by reference to playing the lottery.
If it wasn’t for the fact that these idiots can spread germs to innocent victims, I’d say let Darwin have ’em.
Needs moar Hitler.
I wandered off on a tangent — songs about science, skipping over the whole “symphony of science” element:
Bio Rad PCR Song — Youtube
Battle of the Biology Bands — Pharyngula, videos imbedded
Geekpop ’08
Geekpop ’09
There, I feel better — all that nasty Adams taste rinsed away!
Small comfort perhaps:
I showed it to my daughter – who has never heard of Mike Adams – and she thought it was meant ironically, to bring home anti-vax stupidity, at which it succeeded, in her opinion.
Augustine, your post makes no sense, Mr Morris was clearly pointing out that illnesses such as tuberculosis are not spread through “lifestyle factors”, but are rather spread by pathogens. There was no political philosophy in his comment either, so there really is no need to try to paint his parody as having anything Nazi about it.
As to your strange dig at British accents, what is that supposed to be about? Do you have an issue with us British? I’m not sure why, as your mother seems to like us just fine…
It’s not often you manage to add anything intelligent on here, but I think that we can definitely say that you’ve conformed to type here?
I tried to comment on the video but apparently I’m blocked by the user! For people that scream censorship constantly they sure don’t mind it when the shoe is on the other foot!
I get a weird racist vibe off this vid. Big-lipped nurse attacking very normal looking white people, Michael Jackson and his black/gangsta zombie dancers… it makes me uncomfortable.
:-/
Lil’ Augie could be believing that all that the silly girl says in this video is true… he’s about that dumb enough to believe it.
That would be awesome!
I expect Augustine is insinuating that vaccines can turn a perfectly healthy, normal, American boy into a physician and cancer researcher who blogs under the nom du guerre of a Plexiglas box full of blinking lights which spoke in a British accent in Blake’s 7.
It’s a sort of a joke, you see. He’s never been particularly good at them himself, but is told they can be terribly effective.
Fournier’s Gangene is a type of necrotizing fasciitis affecting the soft tissues of the perineum, basically “flesh-eating disease” of the scrotum.
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/438994-overview
It’s most commonly seen in the setting of poorly controlled diabetes and obesity, as well as other less common situations. It has nothing to do with vaccination, either as a cause or a preventive measure.
BTW, do NOT do a GIS for Fournier’s Gangrene on your lunch hour.
@T. Bruce McNeely
The warning about the lunchtime google search was totally unnecessary! You call it a form of flesh-eating disease. That should be enough for anyone:)
MikeMa, you might think that but I looked it up while eating lunch:-) Then again I have a bit of an iron stomach and was more concerned about a co-worker coming by and wondering why I was looking at such things.
However, I would not recommend others look at those images while eating unless you are also an inhuman monster.
laura @32
ERV @37
It is not surprising that someone who has unscientific 19th century ideas about medicine and biology would also have unscientific 19th century ideas about “race”.
Alternatively, the Health Deranger could be playing into the wingnuts frothing rage over the melanin content of your current president.
While it’s fun poking fun at the vaccine-autism crowd, I think it’s time we give a lot more attention to the increasingly likely pesticide-autism connection. We know that organophosphate concentrations are positively correlated with nervous-system defects like ADHD in children. Investigating the possibility of a connection with autism, as well as providing a sound scientific basis for the use of organic foods, is a worthwhile project.
I propose some rules for the 21st century, in the name of all those that gave their lives for scientific progress:
1. If you choose to remain willfully ignorant about the germ theory of disease transmission, you get quarantined in a stadium with like minded folk without access to soap or medicines.
2. If you choose to remain willfully ignorant of climate change, you must relocate to a low-elevation Pacific island or the North Pole.
3. If you choose to remain willfully ignorant of biology and evolution, you don’t get antibiotics.
4. [Please add your own!]
These are all tongue-in-cheek, of course. Unless they aren’t. Which they are. Maybe.
Perhaps Augustine is upset that he doesn’t have an English accent himself. It seemed to me, when I lived in New York, that mine had a generally very positive effect, both professionally, and, well, with the ladies.
Indeed. I’m surprised that Adams was able to restrain himself.
@ squillo – Thank you for providing your blog! I shared it on my FB. =)
I haven’t read the comments in other posts, but has anyone mentioned the H1N1/narcolepsy issue in Finland? I know Adams Mike has mentioned it.
[ERV: Michael Jackson and his black/gangsta zombie dancers… it makes me uncomfortable.]
Maybe because you’re a nerdy white woman zombie. Maybe because you’re ignorant of the culture of black gangsta zombie dancers.
[john: It seemed to me, when I lived in New York, that mine (british accent) had a generally very positive effect, both professionally, and, well, with the ladies.]
Well if you look like Austin Powers I can understand why. But you could also look like Kenny Powers and still get the ladies.
“No, but it can make you develop a british accent.”
Any one in particular, dipshit?
MikeMa, I did something similar last night: saw a reference to different forms of necrosis and decided to do a look-up while eating a partially melted chocolate bar. I also have a pretty strong stomach, but I was pretty quick to decide that I really didn’t need visual aids and could get quite enough information from text descriptions.
This music video makes me think of I Am Legend. A movie in which Will Smith’s character makes a vaccine to cure cancer, which ends up turning the earth’s population into zombies(essentially).
Was the movie’s obvious anti-vaccine message news at the time? I’m a fairly new reader of the blog,(great by the way) and didn’t find much from a google search. The only thing a did find was naturalnews(lol) applauding the movie for warning the public of the dangers of vaccines. They then go on a rant about “frankenfood.”
Well here’s the result of these types of misinformation campaigns….
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/thn-csv/pertussis_us-coqueluche_eu-eng.php
A travel advisory from the Canadian government for California…….these are normally issued for 3rd world countries….nice work.
I’ll admit that I haven’t seen the movie, but from how you describe it, I’m not sure that it really stands out as a distinct anti-vaccine “message.” I mean, if Will Smith had someone telling him “No, Will Smith! You’re mad, mad, I tell you! It’s tampering in God’s domain to make a vaccine!” and Will Smith said “But I must!” and made the vaccine to cure cancer that went horribly wrong, then it’d be a distinct anti-vaccine message.
But it seems more like they wanted a message of “your best-intentioned might be exactly what screws everything up; isn’t it ironic (don’tcha think)” and a vaccine to cure cancer was something that they felt would send the needed message of “really worthy endeavor.”
My bigger problem with the movie I Am Legend wasn’t about anti-vaccination themes or whatnot, but just that the movie sucked.
The book was a lot better.
I received my influenza vaccine today. Thus far, all appendages are accounted for. I will be happy to keep everyone updated with any important new developments.
No accent, either. Yet. Here’s hoping.
@OL
Got mine last week. No changes for me, either.
I got my flu shot, and pneumonia shot, last month. No discernible mercury toxicity or zombie tendencies so far.
Orac and braindead followers – http://truthquest2.com/vaccination4.htm
âUp to 90% of the total decline in the death rate of children between 1860-1965 because of whooping
cough, scarlet fever, diphtheria, and measles occurred before the introduction of immunizations and antibiotics,â stated Dr. Archie Kalokerinos, M.D.
Dear Necromancer DW, please explain what happened to reduce the incidence of measles between 1960 and 1970, as noted in the following table:
From http://www.census.gov/prod/99pubs/99statab/sec31.pdf
Year…. Rate per 100000 of measles
1912 . . . 310.0
1920 . . . 480.5
1925 . . . 194.3
1930 . . . 340.8
1935 . . . 584.6
1940 . . . 220.7
1945 . . . 110.2
1950 . . . 210.1
1955 . . . 337.9
1960 . . . 245.4
1965 . . . 135.1
1970 . . . . 23.2
1975 . . . . 11.3
1980 . . . . . 5.9
1985 . . . . . 1.2
1990 . . . . .11.2
1991 . . . . . .3.8
1992 . . . . . .0.9
1993 . . . . . .0.1
1994 . . . . . .0.4
1995 . . . . . .0.1
1996 . . . . . .0.2
1997 . . . . . . 0.1
DW, why don’t you throw a couple of graphs of Hib and pneumococcal meningitis deaths up for us and see if you spot a pattern.
DW:
Here’s a little item form Wikipedia about Dr. Kalokerinos:
He also believes that SIDS is due to Vitamin C deficiency, and that “shaken baby syndrome” is a vaccination injury.
Is quoting a lunatic the best you can do?
Yeah, Kalokerinos was also a defender of Yurko, the guy who shook his girlfriend’s baby to death. Oh, and the graphs on the very poorly designed website DW linked to have no resemblance to the real data.