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I feel like media literacy is more useful for preventing this crap than a scientific education would be, though both help to some degree.
I studied history (and by that I mean I liked to watch documentaries) and as a kid I saw educational cartoons and Anime (yes anime) that showed how there was a huge backlash against telephone and telegraphy when they first came out. With farmers blaming telegraph wire for destroying crops or crop diseases and they would sometimes even sabotage the wires and poles.
When I heard of the 5G bullshit that was literally what came to mind… it is incredible how eternal this form of ignorance is.
I have no scientific education. I am still not retarded enough to believe any of the nonsensical conspiracies found online.
Could it be that the key here is media competence and not a doctors degree?
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We need to split the US up into two parts so we can do A/B testing.
As others have said, the problem of vaccines isn’t that they don’t work. The problem of vaccines is that they work too well. They have completely eliminated the diseases that motivated their development, so people can’t imagine a world where these vaccines don’t exist anymore.
We need to split the US up into two parts. One gets vaccines, the other one does not. Wait 30 years. Then the people will see the effects and then the people will understand why we should have vaccines. If the people don’t see the alternative scenario, they can’t see the difference that vaccines make. We need to make these differences more visual.
I mean your premise seems to be that various diseases will reemerge and that will scare people into getting vaccines. But what if they end up healthier and so adapt in different ways? Better sanitation, immune boosters, improved forms of treatment, etc. What if the medical culture takes a totally different route because you allowed people not to get vaccinated?
I don’t know how that would work. Everyone that I know who is anti-vax thinks all the rest of your list is elitist crap as well.
Everyone who I know who is antivax supports everything on that list. Boosting natural immunity, hygiene, better nutrition, any number of other health improvements.
And if you’re wrong? What if those who are vaccine free do better? I mean you’ve got a good idea there with the A/B testing but what if your premise is wrong or the anti-vaccine crowd is right and they do end up healthier despite the presence of diseases?
People need to learn how to build a “firewall” for their brain.
And epistemology to help build the firewall’s list?
“It is the mark of an educated mind, to be able to entertain an idea without necessarily accepting nor rejecting it” --Whoever said that.
Your garden and kitchen = biochemistry and biology. Home improvement, crafting and anything to do with the trades = physics. Household cleaners, gas, automotive chemicals and plastics = chemistry + healthcare = more organic chemistry and biology. Just dealing with everyday life is science.
Look I think one of the fundamental problems here is we have a cultural divide between people with thousand dollar degrees and everyday people. When someone says “I’m not going to be a scientist” they’re probably thinking “I can’t afford to pay thousands of dollars to pay for a degree” whilst actual scientists are wondering “why don’t people pursue this subject more?” Money. Pure and simple. Real science = cooking, building something, worrying about that scum in your sink, trying to figure out the best cleaner that won’t set off an allergic reaction, and yes looking into the side effects of vaccines and assorted drugs. You want people to think scientifically then call them scientists. Don’t create an economic barrier for those who want to pursue knowledge. And don’t treat science like it only happens in labs. It’s an every day process. Science = the study of nature and everybody can do that every day. You don’t need an expensive degree to do that. So being a “scientist” shouldn’t be limited to those in white coats, getting grants and have a dozen plaques on their wall that cost a couple thousand dollars to buy.
