A recent study confirmed that there is no causal link between the MMR vaccine and autism, despite the continued objections of some parents. The fact that thousands of people actually believe vaccines are harmful is, for me, a baffling phenomenon. I would contend that is the very success of immunization programs which have led otherwise thoughtful people into this kind of intellectually bankrupt thinking. With a few exceptions, there aren’t many deadly contagions for us to fear anymore. People aren’t being stuck in iron-lungs because of polio or dying from smallpox. These diseases have become relics of another era; it’s almost like they never existed. And now all the work and ingenuity that went into eliminating these diseases is casually dismissed by mostly affluent, mostly white suburbanites with college degrees. It’s too bad people living in sub-Saharan Africa don’t have the same luxury of having a middle-class hissy fit when deciding whether to vaccinate their children. Maybe it’s because my father is a microbiologist, but I find this kind of uninformed distrust of science both lazy and reeking of unacknowledged privilege.
Now I see that Garbage is coming to First Avenue in April. Man, I have to go see them. I have the biggest crush on Shirley Manson. That Scottish brogue of hers is heartbreakingly sexy.
I used to have a suitemate in my dorm at college who had some serious disabilities due to an immunization, so I guess it’s not an unfounded fear…although in terms of numbers it would be a safer bet to go for the vaccine.
Do you know if First Avenue is wheelchair accessible? I shot them off an email about it but got no response.
I don’t believe the MMR vaccine causes autism, and I’ve been perfectly happy for both my kids to have it. But they had the version without thimerosal, the chemical flagged as a possible danger, because it contains mercury. It may well not be harmful, but it just seems a bad idea on principle to inject your kids with mercury.
I WANT TO SEE GARBAGE!!! BUY ME A TICKET!