# My editorial in today's Newark Star Ledger! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 26, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156 "2012-11-26T15:04:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/61 "2012-11-28T17:23:31Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > From the great Isaac Asimov: > He said this in 1980, and it seems even truer today. Yeah, and it’s very depressing. These guys aren’t arguing a point of view intended to enlighten or providing noble dissent, they’re just ignorami who have been involved in so many idiotic ideas lately and modern media gives them the opportunity to organize and create their own bubble free from exposure to contradictary views. Asimov probably had an inkling of what the internet would do to advance ignorance, but he may not have imagined how easily the noise could overwhelm the signal. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/62 "2012-11-28T17:27:15Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > Eventually the host asked the caller, “Is there anything Dr. Offit could possibly say that would change your mind on the issue,” to which the caller gave an emphatic, flat, unambiguous, “no.” THey terminated the call and moved on. I… just… can’t… :eek: 😕 When you say something like that, out loud… does that not make you realise how insane you are? This person completely understood that their position was not based on evidence, because new evidence would not change their position. And yet they stuck by it. Turn it the other way: what could anti-vaxers say that would make us change our minds? Tons of stuff. Statistical analysis showing that children who were vaccinated get autism. They could show the effects of the ingredients of the vaccinations. They could show the results of primate studies. They could present evidence for their other claims, such as that we don’t need those vaccinations anyway because of hygiene. Or evidence of the evil intentions of companies that make vaccines. Is this a problem of basic science education? Or also, as **bouv** and Asimov mentioned, the idea that belief and science overlap and are as good as each other? ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/63 "2012-11-28T17:36:38Z")
I looked at the comments again for the first time since last night. :eek: It would take years to correct the ignorance. _Light_ years . . . ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/64 "2012-11-28T17:48:00Z")
Haha, unfortunately true. You’ve done your bit. I think you can relax now and just leave them to it. If they want to learn you have given them a great tool to find out. ---
**Author:** ![Wednesday\_Evening](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Wednesday\_Evening](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wednesday_Evening)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/65 "2012-11-28T19:00:57Z")
Great job. I posted it to my facebook page. As a pro-vaccine parent, it’s the least I could do. There are a lot of anti-vaxers in my neck of the woods, so we’ll see if any of the local moms I’m “friends” with say anything negative. Must avoid reading comments…must avoid reading comments… ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/66 "2012-11-28T23:24:50Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > From the great Isaac Asimov: > > > [@](#): > > > > There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge. > > He said this in 1980, and it seems even truer today. You know what’s even sadder? I know one anti-vaxxer on facebook. She posted this exact quote on her wall. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/67 "2012-11-28T23:52:37Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > It’s interesting that you can come on this message board and talk about the benefits of vaccinations without getting crapped on by the wackos. The Dope is not very wacko-friendly (these people don’t like being outnumbered, and prefer their own forums where all dissenting opinions can be banned). Still, there were a couple of classic drive-by antivax posters in a recent thread on the Gardasil vaccine. > [@LavenderBlue](#): > > I’m still reading the comments and I want to scream…We also get the allegation that I must get huge pHARM checks each month It comes with the territory. If I had $1 for every time I’ve been called a pharma shill in antivax and other woo discussions, I could buy everyone in this thread a Happy Meal. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/68 "2012-11-29T13:40:12Z")
I posted a link on my Facebook page yesterday right after I read the OP, and my daughter, who is more involved in mommy boards, liked it onto hers. I’m really afraid now to go back and read the comments…I want the wave of sense and reason I felt flowing through the world to continue a bit longer! Between your article and a report on playgrounds I listened to last night, I had hope for the world. I don’t want to burst my bubble just yet! ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/69 "2012-11-29T14:26:28Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The Dope is not very wacko-friendly (these people don’t like being outnumbered, and prefer their own forums where all dissenting opinions can be banned). Still, there were a couple of classic drive-by antivax posters in a recent thread on the Gardasil vaccine.It comes with the territory. > > If I had $1 for every time I’ve been called a pharma shill in antivax and other woo discussions, I could buy everyone in this thread a Happy Meal. 🙂 I’d like the mcnugget meal please 🙂 And I think parents without autistic children fighting the good fight have it a touch easier. I was blamed for her autism, straight up. “Was your belief worth giving your daughter autism” was pretty much word for word from an antivaxxer on another forum. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/70 "2012-11-29T16:33:03Z")
My lovely and talented co-author has far, far, FAR more patience than I, which is why I have not even attempted to participate in the comments on her editorial. I have been having this conversation with so many deluded anti-vaxxers for so many years that it’s difficult for me to say anything other than “UR DUM” when I encounter the exact same conspiracy theory delusional arguments ad infinitum. Friends of mine who are reading the comments are contacting me to ask “What, IN THE NAME OF GOD, is that going on over there?” People who aren’t heavily involved in this issue are often unaware of exactly how completely wacko the anti-vaccine movement is. Because of the vocal presence of the anti-vaccine crowd, those of us who understand the science need to get more involved with this issue. We can’t wait for pediatricians or health departments to be the ones to provide this information to parents - rational society as a whole needs to step up to the plate, look the crazies in the eye, and challenge their lies and misinformation. **RyJae** , in the public events I’ve had regarding the book, several parents have approached me afterwards to discuss their child’s autism and the fact that they do NOT blame vaccines for it. They all want me to remind others that most parents of child with autism are not anti-vaccine. They, like you, have histories of being blamed for their child’s autism. And Jenny McCarthy’s recent “Warrior Mommies are the ones still trying to cure their child, not accept their child” statements doesn’t help them at all. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/71 "2012-11-29T20:52:29Z")
Well done! ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/72 "2012-12-01T04:05:29Z")
I just wish the newspaper wasn’t now posting other unrelated articles to my facebook page. How do I make that stop? ---
**Author:** ![Pixiesnix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/73 "2012-12-01T17:46:59Z")
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this article, **LavenderBlue**! The anti-vax nutjobs are not only endangering healthy kids, but especially those with primary immune deficiencies, such as CVID. Even adults with primary immune deficiencies are vulnerable to unimmunized kids. But do these people care? Not a whit. > **[A Primary Immunodeficiency (PI) Community](https://www.myigsource.com/)** > > We're committed to helping you and your loved ones manage a life with PI. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/74 "2012-12-01T18:50:45Z")
> [@RyJae](#): > > “Was your belief worth giving your daughter autism” was pretty much word for word from an antivaxxer on another forum. What delightfully kind people these are. Truly, they grace the planet with their presence. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/75 "2012-12-01T18:51:48Z")
Do you mind if I ask why this issue matters so much to you? I get that it’s important and all that, but from reading your posts over time it seems especially, almost obsessively important to you. What’s the deal with that? ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/76 "2012-12-01T20:01:30Z")
I had to do something to fill the void now that I’m no longer getting fifty get-out-and-vote-for-the-person-we-tell-you-to-or-someone-will-kill-your-cat phone calls a day. 😉 The comments are still going on. It’s up over 1700 last I looked. On a more serious note the issue of vaccine contagious diseases just keeps coming up over and over and over again in so much of what I read. I love to read historical fiction and non-fiction. A constant theme in the books I read is babies and children dying from these diseases. As the mother of two darling daughters I love beyond words, I become so grateful I will never have to worry that measles will steal their hearing or or smallpox will take their eyesight or mumps inflame their reproductive organs or diphtheria choke them to death. It infuriates me that some of my fellow parents would willfully turn away from this amazing gift. If I can do something once in a while to help stop the spread the contagious ignorance I am incredibly grateful for that opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/77 "2012-12-01T20:55:16Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > What delightfully kind people these are. Truly, they grace the planet with their presence. :rolleyes: And I wouldn’t trade this sweetheart for anything. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkY8xD1sdwU](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkY8xD1sdwU) ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/78 "2012-12-01T23:51:31Z")
There’s a phrase that shows up in various ways in books and stories, both fiction and non-fiction, that you just don’t see anymore, unless it’s about developing/third-world countries. “She gave birth to x number of children. x number of them survived.” I’d really prefer that didn’t come back into common usage. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/79 "2012-12-02T06:55:58Z")
Fucking keep getting sucked into that black hole of derpitude. There’s no point in arguing with any of them. At this point, I can only hope that eventually someone takes issue with their hair dryer telling them not to use it in the shower and chlorinating the gene pool a little. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156/80 "2012-12-03T05:20:17Z")
> [@Wednesday\_Evening](#): > > Must avoid reading comments…must avoid reading comments… I hope we can _all_ stay away from the unwashed, unvaxxed masses. When I saw the thread, my first thought was “Ok, you get an article published; how do you keep from going back over and over to read all the ignorant and hateful comments?” I really hope the OP is maintaining sanity by not even reading the comments on the article. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-editorial-in-todays-newark-star-ledger/642156.md?page=5)