Damn it pains me to say this, as much as I respect DocRocket.... ... I have laughed at the anti-vaxer's for years ..... but we have been gaslighted and lied to by the powers that be and I don't trust any of them anymore and have decided to go with my immune system and fugg them and their vaccine
Yeah, irfubar, I hear ya, and thanks for the kind words.
The antivaxxers, like the flat-earth believers and all the other kooks out there, have just enough knowledge and intelligence to be able to
sound like they know what they're talking about, but they lack the depth and breadth of knowledge of actual scientists to really grasp the realities they're wrestling with. But they have successfully shouted out their nonsense for so long now that a growing portion of the public has been swayed by their misinformation and outright lies. A classic example is one of the most prolific anti-vax posters here on the 24HCF (I keep forgetting his handle, he is eminently forgettable) who has cut and pasted part of something I posted on his highly evident sociopathy, editing it so it looks complimentary to himself, and posting it as the postscript to all his posts. He makes it look as if I admire and recognize him as worthy of respect, when I had made it clear I consider him to have a deranged mind and hold him in actual contempt. He should go to work for CNN, his ability to twist words to the opposite of their clear meaning is so good.
It doesn't help that the American educational system has watered down the science curriculum in public schools for decades, such that high school graduates are scientifically illiterate for all intents and purposes. The average American adult is so ignorant of what should be basic science in today's technologically advance world that s/he is incapable of making anything like an informed decision on routine medical care, let alone cutting-edge stuff like a mRNA vaccine.
The so-called "medical authorities" like Fauci and other talking heads are an embarassment to the scientific community at large, but we have been dealing with people like them forever... they're the outsized-ego people who grasp for recognition and power, trample on the "little guys" who work in the labs and do the actual bench science, get their names on papers and get appointed to committees, and they are so far from the people who do the actual science research they are almost a joke. And these authorities have muddied the Pandemic waters beyond redemption. It's no wonder that people like yourself have thrown up their hands in alarm and decided to trust no one. I certainly don't trust them either!
But I do trust my fellow medical scientists. I spent a lot of time reading about the vaccines prior to their release, and a lot of time and effort discussing the issues with my colleagues: men and women like me with advanced degrees in biochemistry (my research field), molecular biology, immunology, infectious diseases, etc, etc. The consensus among us was that every vaccine type then in the pipeline showed very good promise, and we were all eager to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
So make your choice, and believe me, I will not judge you one way or another however you choose. Most of my colleagues feel the same way. But know that the vast majority of physicians in this and other countries have taken the vaccine. Same for the laboratory scientists. And we have encouraged our loved ones to get vaccinated.
If that isn't putting your money where your mouth is, I don't know of a better example.
