Skip to main content

Vaccination Rates Drop in Wealthier Kids: The Autism Rumors Take a Toll

Vaccination Rates Drop in Wealthier Kids: The Autism Rumors Take a Toll

If there's one great truth of political debate, it's this: when noise trumps knowledge, someone's going to get hurt. That's been proven anew with Wednesday's report that vaccination rates for children with health insurance have been falling — due mostly to fears about the widely disproven link between vaccines and autism. If there was a glimmer of good — and surprising — news in the report it's that vaccination rates for kids on Medicaid are on the rise.

I've read the more education one has, the more likely to embrace alternative medicine, too. I'd like to see this broken down by which academic majors these “educated” people studied. Yes, I do believe we'd find a difference between science majors and the humanities graduates. But, that's only my theory.

I am a humanities graduate (English, journalism), but I found some very vocal academics upset that anyone questions climate science often had crystals and dreamcatchers over their desks. Apparently, one gets to select which sciences are trustworthy and which are not. I'd rather assume most scientists are honest seekers of knowledge. The earth is warming and vaccines are generally as safe as possible. I wonder what happens when parents start to sue doctors who did exactly what the parents wanted and skipped vaccines?

Labels:

Comments

  1. Adelaide DupontNovember 4, 2010 at 8:08 PM

    Hello C.S.!

    I think most people are honest seekers after knowledge, love, truth and the rest of the many things we value.

    It's interesting to see that (many of) the people who have more education embrace alternative medicine.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PoetCSWNovember 4, 2010 at 9:24 PM

    You are less cynical than I am, but I do believe scientists and many other people, regardless of careers or backgrounds, do seek knowledge and truth. Just not a majority of people.

    Many people seek nothing more than affirmation of their existing biases and cultural expectations. In some academic circles the claim is that all knowledge is socially constructed, there is no "truth," and connections are transient. When you teach such things to college students for decades, relativism is bound to affect judgment. A generation told there is no right or wrong, only cultural norms, is more likely to lose its moral and ethical grounding.

    This is probably why I like dealing with the hard sciences. The answers are out there, even if we don't always know them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. melboAugust 10, 2011 at 6:37 AM

    I like the way you think, CS. Great blog by the way.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Comments violating the policies of this blog will not be approved for posting. Language and content should be appropriate for all readers and maintain a polite tone. Thank you.

Popular posts from this blog

Autistic Burnout

Summer demands a lot of social energy, especially for parents. For autistics, the never-ending social calendar of summer can cause serious autistic burnout. Host C. S. Wyatt discusses his need to find a balance between social demands and self-care. Check out this episode!
Post a Comment
Read more

Autism, Asperger's, and IQ

"Aren't people with Asperger's more likely to be geniuses? Isn't genius related to autism?" A university student asked this in a course I am teaching. The class discussion was covering neurological differences, free will, and the nature versus nurture debate. The textbook for the course includes sidebars on the brain and behavior throughout chapters on ethics and morality. This student was asking a question reflecting media portrayals of autism spectrum disorders, social skills difficulties, and genius. I did not address this question from a personal perspective in class, but I have when speaking to groups of parents, educators, and caregivers. Some of the reasons these questions arise, as mentioned above, are media portrayals and news coverage of autism. Examples include: Television shows with gifted characters either identified with or assumed to have autistic traits: Alphas, Big Bang Theory, Bones, Rizzoli and Isles, Touch, and others. Some would include...
12 comments
Read more

Alex Plank and Jenny Palmiotto discuss "An Eventing with Ezra"

The film Ezra follows Max Bernal (Bobby Cannavale), a stand-up comedian living with his father (Robert De Niro), while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra (introducing William Fitzgerald) with his ex-wife (Rose Byrne). Alex Plank, Associate Producer Alex Plank is a trailblazing autistic self-advocate and a pioneering leader in the autistic human rights. As an associate producer of the critically acclaimed movie 'Ezra,' Alex has made significant strides in both behind-the-scenes and on-camera roles. He is a champion of authentic and humanistic representation of autistic individuals in the film industry. With a deep commitment to challenging ableism, Alex advocates for a world where autistic people are valued and respected. This commitment extends to a broader condemnation of ableism in all its forms, with a specific focus on dismantling the barriers within the film industry that marginalize autistic talent and narratives. Jenny Palmiotto – Founder of Love & Aut...
Post a Comment
Read more