Ask Lemmy

It's a very real belief, lot of folks here weren't around to know the "before times" and nothing is ever real until it happens to them.

So this happened…

They actually believe it. Despite no actual link being found. Despite the author of the OG article admitting that he falsified data.

People here also believe that mRNA vaccines will rewrite your genes, that the COVID vaccine sequesters in your testicles and makes you sterile and magnetic, that vaccines are less effective than "natural immunity", that vaccines will feminize you and make you compliant to authority, and that vaccines are ineffective.

I have legitimately heard all of those arguments against vaccines in the wild. For the record, vaccines are one of the oldest and most effective preventative measures we have. There is a reason why the mortality rate for children isn't +30% anymore, it's vaccines, and vaccination programs.

People are stupid and subscribe to tribalism. It's very real.

It’s all too real even today, however that might not be the cause of current measles outbreaks.

Measles was eradicated from the US years ago, thanks to high vaccination rates. However that means most people have never seen measles so there is a fringe belief that it’s not harmful or the vaccination is more harmful, and vaccination rates have been declining to the point we could get a larger epidemic.

We do have localized measles outbreaks many years but they’ve usually been attributed to a new infection from overseas and a very local community insufficiently vaccinated. Sometimes the population is from places where they’re not vaccinated, sometimes it’s a vulnerable population. While yes, it can also be from fringe anti-vax groups, I really think the bigger fear is whether those fringe groups open a path to much wider outbreaks or epidemics.

Well, my mom believes it and she's not even American.

People heard about the original, now discredited study, which came out around the time autism diagnosises were increasing. People then either didn't hear or chose not to believe that the OG study was discredited.

There are people around the world who don’t believe in it. It’s not specific to Americans. You are basing this off one person on both the ends.

I know many who believe vaccines cause autism yes

As an American that lives 20ish miles from the boarder of Idaho state (on average poor, uneducated, and conservative population), let me tell you its fucking real. Those people are ignorant and proud. It is depressing.

United States citizens have reasons not to trust their government with their health. Trust takes a lot time to build, and recent administrations haven't been building it.

The irony is it was all started with a guy trying to spread FUD over existing measles vaccines to try getting his own vaccines picked up.

At a job in Silicon Valley I had a boss who had an autistic child and my boss told me directly that when they vaccinated their child, the child's behavior changed, and caused autism.

I have other friends in SV who are huge vaccine skeptics.

So, yes, even in deep blue areas there are anti-vax people. There are also Trump flag flying people in SV too.

It's both. They actually believe it and it's a joke that they do.

Yeah this is a true thing. This person that knows me asked me if vaccines caused my autism.

MIL100% believes this. Her son was normal until about 3 and then developed seizures and is now brain damage. She blames vaccines and it doesn't help a few other kids in area had similar experiences. She thinks there was a bad batch distribution.

It’s a loud minority. Also not just in America there are anti-vax people all over the world. Mostly in developed countries where they have eliminated diseases like polio. And where outbreaks of measles are really rare. Anti-vax don’t believe vaccines are necessary since they personally never seen diseases like polio. While everyone in the developing world knows that vaccines are necessary since they’ve seen what those diseases can do to people.

You know the meme Hard Times Create Strong Men, Strong Men Create Good Times, Good Times Create Weak Men, Weak Men Create Hard Times Well antivax are the weak men.

No there's really people that stupid. It's tragic.

Most people? No, definitely not. Most Americans get vaccinated. More people than you would hope? Yeah, absolutely.

There's so many people here who have crazy views on health and wellness generally. Juice cleanses. Chiropractic. Homeopathy. Fad diets. Faith healing. I think some of it is because people can't afford real healthcare, but most of it is anti-intellectualism and propaganda.