Something happened yesterday that rarely happens. I got back from ASCO rather late and was so tired that I didn't have time to post one of my characteristic, Respectfully Insolent magnum opuses (magnum opi?). Fortunately, I had just the thing prepared.
I'm not the only one who's expressed skepticism and pointed out that the whole "Green Our Vaccines" slogan" that you'll be seeing and hearing right around now is nothing more than a ploy to hide the true nature of the protest, which is an assault on the very concept of mass vaccination. I therefore thought that it would be useful for me to post a list of a few links (including one older one from this very blog) that reinforce the disingenuous and briliiantly Owellian nature of the slogan:
- Green our vaccines? (This particular post is very important because it shows the tension between the organizers of the march, who want to keep the antivaccination element of this protest on the down-low, and more of the true face of the antivaccination movement, the ones who are indeed anti-vaccine and don't like sugarcoating their true beliefs in a crunchy, media- and eco-friendly slogan.)
- The wearying of the green
- Green Our Vaccines. (Best quote: "Removing antimicrobials from the production process would definitely Green Our Vaccines in the way I greened a piece of cheese that lay forgotten in my fridge.")
- Open letter to Jenny McCarthy. (Best quote: "Leaving that aside, what does it mean to "green our vaccine supply"? Do you wish them to be more verdant, like the Chicago River on St. Patrick's Day? I suspect not. Perhaps you could clarify?")
- The rallying of the green
- Docs Fight Back Against Jenny
- Still more evidence that it's all about the vaccines
Sadly, these are all the posts in the blogosphere that I can find that are critical of the rally, because if you Google "Green Our Vaccines" virtually every link that comes up is antivaccinationist support for this rally. If I've missed any good skeptical posts about this rally, please, post the link in the comments!
THE "GREEN OUR VACCINES" COLLECTION:
- The Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey rally to "Green Our Vaccines": Anti-vaccine, not "pro-safe vaccine"!
- An Open Letter to Congress on Immunization
- "Green Our Vaccines": Further skeptical reading
- "Green Our Vaccines": Serendipity and schadenfreude as antivaccinationists go to war
- "Green Our Vaccines": Best comment EVAH! Or: How to preserve biological diversity through not vaccinating
- "Green Our Vaccines": Celebrity antivaccinationist ignoramuses on parade. Or: I didn't know that Dumb & Dumber was a documentary
- "Green Our Vaccines": "Pro-safe vaccine" or anti-vaccine? You be the judge!
- "Green Our Vaccines": "Pro-safe vaccine" or anti-vaccine? You be the judge! (Part 2)
- "Green Our Vaccines": The fallacy of the perfect solution
It would be _magna opera_ ..... I'm just hoping they don't start singing "We Shall Overcome."
Of course it's all about the vaccines. Vaccines and woo go back a long way -- Benedict Lust, the man who brought naturopathy to America, maintained that it was far more healthful to catch smallpox than to be inoculated against it, claiming (of course) that the disease cleansed harmful toxins from the body.
Well, FWIW there was no mention at all of the protest in today's Washington Post. Not even a "roads near the Capitol will be closed from 10 to 4" or a similar notice. We'll see if they get any column inches tomorrow.
It did get some coverage on page 3 of the Style section in the Reliable Sources gossip write-up. I think that's appropriate.