Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) took to Legacy Media's airwaves Sunday to ask a question forbidden in polite society.
Theme: Vaccines.
“I think they should be questioned” Marin declared on NBC News' “Meet the Press.”
Question: “Why does America have the highest prevalence of autism?” What is the cause? ”
“Is it our diet?” Marin continued. “Or is it part of what we're building into our children's systems?”
This question is important and needs to be asked because autism “was almost unheard of before,” Marin explained. Just a generation or two ago, autism was rare. Today it is very common.
If a hierarchy of denialism existed, “anti-vaxxers” would be right behind “Holocaust deniers” and “election deniers.”
In fact, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in the United States has skyrocketed over the past year. 0.1 to 0.4 per 1,000 children in the 1980s – the same decade in which vaccine manufacturers were exempted from civil liability for vaccine-related injuries and deaths – 27.6 per 1,000 children in 2020; Exponential growth.
“What's causing this?” Marin asked again.
“And if it's a vaccine, there's nothing wrong with actually taking a closer look and finding out if that's the cause,” he continued. “Is it something else that we're introducing into the system? We know now that we're not as healthy as we should be. Because we're the most developed country in the world. , everything should be on the table. And if that's the scrutiny of vaccination, that's exactly what we need to address.”
Host Kristen Welker answered Mullin's questions by repeating scientific dogma.
“All I have to say is that there are no reliable experts or studies that have shown a link between vaccines and autism,” she says.
Anti-vaxxer?
The label “anti-vaxxer” is a modern-day scarlet letter.
In the hierarchy of denialism, “anti-vaxxers” rank just behind “Holocaust deniers” and “election deniers.” Each derogatory adjective serves the function of discrediting a person At first glance, This is a rhetorical move that shows that a person is so disconnected from reality that it is pointless to argue.
And unfortunately, Mr. Marin was immediately assigned this scarlet letter after his “Meet the Press” interview.
mediaite accused Marin spewed out “anti-vaccine talking points.” Left-wing journalist Aaron Looper claimed Marin has become “a total anti-vaxxer.” daily beast accused Mr Marin claims he is promoting an “outrageous vaccine conspiracy”.
But is this true? Is Marin against vaccines?
Welker said Marin was “on the record” in an interview saying he “believes the vaccine is safe and effective,” but that was not the case.
Marin never questioned the effectiveness of vaccines in interviews. Rather, he asked the basic question of why autism rates are skyrocketing in the U.S., arguing that we need to look at “everything” to understand the alarming trend. .
The fact that Marin has been labeled an anti-vaxxer simply for asking a question is, after all, the first step in the scientific method, but it shows that “science” has become too arbitrary. This proves Peter Thiel's point that
“What has become 'science' uses scary quotes about science, but it's more dogmatic than the Catholic Church in the 17th century,” Thiel said. said In a recent interview.
Regarding the lack of skepticism about vaccines in particular, Thiel added:
I don't particularly think vaccines lead to autism. Even if that were to happen, I don't think our science would be able to figure it out because it would undermine the vaccination drive and the results would be suppressed. Of course, there are many good vaccines out there. If there was any truth to it, that would ruin it. I'm sure that question hasn't been investigated. Autism has increased dramatically in recent decades. There's no really good explanation for that. Certainly that's something we should think about more.
Yeah. Again, I don't think vaccines lead to autism. I certainly think it's the kind of question that would be healthy if we were allowed to ask a little more than we do now. And of course, many times during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have somehow prematurely dismissed skepticism, when skepticism is not only healthy, but when skepticism is right. I went through a crazy exercise with an octopus.
doubts beget doubts
Polite society condemns people like Marin for even raising questions about the autism epidemic while mentioning the word “vaccine.”
But Mullin's question — what accounts for the high prevalence of autism in the United States compared to recent history? and other developed countries — Another question arises. Why can't we find a satisfying, science-based answer to the rapid rise in autism?
Today, the rise in autism is thought to be due to increased social awareness of autism and improved diagnostic methods. This explanation means that autism has always been prevalent but was previously unrecognized and misunderstood due to social and cultural norms.
Like Thiel, I find this explanation unconvincing. But we owe it to our children, and our children's children, to find a satisfactory explanation and, if possible, course correct.
The journey to finding the answers must include asking difficult questions. We must not exclude anyone who dares to question the tenets of “scientific truth.”
