"A statement of fact cannot be insolent." The miscellaneous ramblings of a surgeon/scientist on medicine, quackery, science, and pseudoscience (and anything else that interests him).

Tag: vaccines

Quoth antivaccinationist Hilary Butler: Non-vaccinators are the “new Jews”

Post author By Orac
Post date May 24, 2013
81 Comments on Quoth antivaccinationist Hilary Butler: Non-vaccinators are the “new Jews”

I’ve never been able to figure it out. Antivaccine zealots seem to have an intense love of Nazi analogies and comparing those supporting science-based medicine to Nazis. While from a strictly nasty point of view, I can sort of understand the utility of such analogies to demonize one’s opponents. After all, to political extremists of […]

Tags Adolf Hitler, antivaccine, Australia, Hilary Butler, Nazi, vaccines

Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

A young antivaccine propagandist plans to teach his mad skillz to other antivaccinationists

Post author By Orac
Post date May 7, 2013
113 Comments on A young antivaccine propagandist plans to teach his mad skillz to other antivaccinationists

As hard as it might be to believe, one time over 20 years ago I actually took the Dale Carnegie course and, as part of that course, read his famous book How To Win Friends and Influence People. I know, I know. It’s probably not obvious from my style of writing on this particular blog, […]

Tags antivaccine, Autism One, Jake Crosby, vaccines

Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Winning antivaccine hearts and minds

Post author By Orac
Post date April 17, 2013
121 Comments on Winning antivaccine hearts and minds

I’ve been writing about the antivaccine movement for a long time. The reasons are many, but they boil down to a handful. First of all, it interests me. It interests me as an example of pseudoscience and quackery, how it spreads, and how antiscience cranks attack science. More importantly, it’s dangerous. The antivaccine movement is […]

Tags Autism, Emily Brunson, vaccines

Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Quackery

And now Anne Frank is dragged into the antivaccine picture

Post author By Orac
Post date April 11, 2013
81 Comments on And now Anne Frank is dragged into the antivaccine picture

I guess that the antivaccinationists didn’t listen to me last time when I suggested that maybe—just maybe—using Holocaust analogies when discussing autism and vaccines is just a wee bit inappropriate, such an overblown analogy that it spreads far more heat than light. At least, Kent Heckenlively didn’t, and, because his invocation of the Nazi card […]