Pseudoscience - Anti Vaxxers, Creationists, Anti Nuclear/GM fanatics, and other charlatans.

[Judge Holden]

Inspired by my depressed realisation as to how utterly infected popular conciousness is by thoroughly unscientific, illogical , and deplorably dogmatic and cultish pseudoscientific "theories" that cause not only real fcking death and suffering in the world, but actively inhibit many possible avenues of solving major problems facing modern society (i.e. power and food), I decided to start a thread to chronicle the wholehearted acceptance of such harmful idiocy by large segments of the population.

Basically add any example of pseudoscience/pseudomedicine you find which gets either major support from the public/media/political sphere, or which causes serious damage both in human terms (i.e. death and suffering) and in terms of being just impossibly fcking stupid.

I will start us off with a sample from the JCrowley collection. The "v accines are evil and cause autism!" theory, which so far has been responsible for 1393 preventable deaths in the US alone, and infintley more preventable diseases cropping up (http://www.jennymccarthybodycount.com/Anti-Vaccine_Body_Count/Home.html), all due to empty headed tards choosing to believe sensationalist demagogery over basic science and logic.

Feel free to add any more you think of (and a shiny penny to whomever brings up the fcking "solar roadway" shit)

 

[Dr. Meme]

Does homeopathy count?

 

[Judge Holden]

Does homeopathy count?

abso-fcking-lutely. Be sure to mention how dangerous pseudomedicine is on principle due to the fact it convinces people not to take actual damn medicine and medical help in favour of what ammounts to faith healing

 

[exball]

Remember when people though alchemy and Astrology were sciences?

 

[A-Stump]

Remember when people though alchemy and Astrology were sciences?

Alchemy was the basis for many incredible discoveries and inventions though.

 

[ASoulMan]

I follow The Panda's Thumb, so I'm always hearing about the funny adventures of creationists/intelligent design fanatics.

 

[littlebiscuits]

http://whatstheharm.net/

A fun (well, it's actually kind of sad at times) website that documents the number of people who have been harmed by pseudo sciences. Good reference!

 

[Dee]

Anti-vaxxers make me insanely mad. My friggin' dad had polio. He was eligible for the vacc but my crazy grandmother didn't get it for him and LOOKY there! He got polio. He spent most of his childhood in braces and is lucky to be alive. We're all very hopefully he doesn't get Post-Polio Syndrome and end up in a wheelchair, like my uncle. Oh yeah my uncle also had polio and was in wheelchair the last five years of his life.
Whenever people start in with the "ghhhhhhh autism hhhnnnghhh mercury" I just tell them about my father.

(sorry this makes me super ragey)

 

[Saney]

Does Jenny McCarthy still believe that v.accines cause autism and that indigo children is a legit thing?

 

[House Of Reeves]

The people who are anti-vaccination always throw out the "It causes autism!" card. Even if vaccines did, are they saying they'd rather have a kid who could catch a deadly virus over a kid with autism? Because if so, then holy wongcheese, that's messed up.

 

[CatParty]

What's the over/under on jcrowley coming back just for this thread?

 

[Mondo Zappa]

The anti-vac movement is ridiculous. I had all of my v.accines growing up, and I turned out just... Uh... Okay, I'm probably not the best example. But just look at all the people who grew up vaccinated and turned out fine.

And just as an aside, I find it amusing that people are taking Jenny McCarthy so seriously, she's a woman who made her name by showing her boobs in magazines.

 

[littlebiscuits]

Does Jenny McCarthy still believe that v.accines cause autism and that indigo children is a legit thing?

Yes. She now claims that Austim is curable too and that she cured her son of autism!!!111!11!!

 

[Saney]

Yes. She now claims that Austim is curable too and that she cured her son of autism!!!111!11!!

She's like the anti-Amanda Peet.

Frankly, I feel that parents who don't vaccinate their children are parasites,

 

[Android raptor]

The people who are anti-vaccination always throw out the "It causes autism!" card. Even if DIRTY, CRAPPED BRIEFS did, are they saying they'd rather have a kid who could catch a deadly virus over a kid with autism? Because if so, then holy wongcheese, that's messed up.

Pretty much. Anyone who'd rather have a potentially dead kid than an autistic one probably shouldn't be having kids in the first place.

 

[Trombonista]

Wasn't Jenny McCarthy's son misdiagnosed?

 

[Hyperion]

I don't get why people are so anti-nuclear. Do you want to play your vidya or not?

 

[Joey Jo-Jo Junior]

Educate yourselves:
http://howdovaccinescauseautism.com/

 

[Judge Holden]

I don't get why people are so anti-nuclear. Do you want to play your vidya or not?

BECAUSE NUCLEAR IS COMPLICATED! COMPLICATED IS SCARY! SCARY IS EEEEEEEEVIL!!

Basicaly they take the fact that Nuclear energy requires significant failsafes/security and produces dangerous waste (unlike all those other fuel sources which require nothing but happy thoughts to keep from causing major disasters, and produce only rosewater and butterfly wings as waste) and declare it to be Evil on principle. Accidents at utterly unregulated/failsafe lacking sites like Chernobyl and Fukushima are milked for all they are worth, with no one mentioning the near equally horrifying disasters that happen whenever any other oil/gas/coal site goes tits up

 

[Hyperion]

Look what Cracked linked to today: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2014/01/07/top-ten-reasons-sandy-hook-was-an-elaborate-hoax/