(no subject)
I'm doing things a bit differently for this post. I just watched the vaccination episode of Bill Nye Saves the World on Netflix, and it got me thinking.
I've been told how amazing this show is by friends, but only one said to me "it's very biased but it's still amazing/informative". And at first, I didn't really see the bias, like yes it's pro-science but... I don't know, I guess I saw enough of "the other side" represented in the panel discussion to justify that this is factual enough.
But I'm a nurse, I just graduated from nursing school a couple weeks ago. I still have to get hired and study for/write my licensing exam, but I'm allowed to work as a provisional nurse so I think I'm now qualified enough to call myself a real nurse, no longer a student. I was recently educated too, so my information is rather up to date. These are my qualifications, and to some of you they may be considered biased, but I'm a Canadian nurse our education is highly sought after on an international level. Far more than American registered nurses. That's a fact, can be found in statistics of hiring requirements in job ads in the western world.
In 4th year, last semester, I took community nursing. It was a joke of a class, my clinical literally had me utilizing my university access to academic journals reading for research findings, but that's beside the point. In 4th year community you have some certifications you're expected to complete, and one of them is the immunization certification. Beyond re-learning intramuscular injections, there's a lot of education we have to be briefed on. So, there's an online module we have to read through (actually there's 2 if I recall correctly, but this might vary province to province), and then get tested on. You need to get 100% on it, but you have as many tries as you need to get it and they tell you which answer is wrong so you don't go scouring for every question. It's basic stuff really, but we learn a LOT that for my class acted as a refresher from microbiology (but apparently even in British Columbia that's not a required course for every nursing school, which I find interesting) in regards to virus transmission, and then how the vaccines work, including ingredients. We then learn about passive and active immunity, and the difference between immunity acquired from vaccines versus naturally acquired through surviving the illness (yes, there is a difference! This is why you're supposed to get the chicken pox [varicella] vaccine in your 40s/50s even if you've had the illness). And then we're tested on our province's vaccine schedule, and in relation to that how to communicate/educate parents asking questions or who seem uncertain. That's when we touched on that discussion point the ex-anti-vaxxer said, "I could just SEE the pediatrician roll his eyes in his head". A point that is literally the reason we have a President Trump, but that's a whole other discussion.
Anyways, so when I say what I'm about to say next, I think I have every right to say as a university educated individual in the field. Not just someone who's "done a lot of research on Google". I'm not a Google expert.
This show very much has its own agenda. And I think it ironically went against one of the VERY important points brought up by that ex-antivaxxer.
In his end speech, he explains herd immunity in a really cool way, and goes on to explain how herd immunity only works if everyone who can do it is doing it. And if you're choosing to do it because "I can handle it", well the poor vulnerable immunocompromised/allergic person can't handle it you're selfish you're not thinking of the rest of society I don't want to get sick so you should do your part.
That's not wrong. It is a fact unto itself, "why should I suffer and get sick because you didn't do something everyone should be doing to keep people from being sick" makes sense.
BUT it's still closing off the conversation with the other side. We ended up with President Trump because of this very rhetoric, that I'm smart you're dumb because I understand science and you question it. You're "a deplorable". That's kind of what I got out of this speech, and it really made me lose a bit of respect for him. Because there's something even more important that "that poor vulnerable child that can't get vaccinated!" And I think it speaks to American biases on the whole.
The biggest issue with people electing to not get vaccinated because "I eat super healthy!" or "those bad ingredients!" (or, the worst, "autism!!"), heck I personally lump religion into that too but I know some might not and I don't want to start an argument on freedom of religion, is that when you weaken herd immunity, you risk these illnesses coming back and developing a strains not covered by vaccination. And you know what it is to be able to say "I can manage [getting sick] because I make a lot of money/can take time off/etc"? It's the ultimate sign of privilege. Not because you can finacially swing it, no this has nothing to do with THAT education, it's about the privilege you have BECAUSE of vaccination. Because you've never seen the full extent of the deteriment these illnesses cause IF YOU LIVE THROUGH THEM. Modern medicine only saves so much, polio still paralyzes you partially or fully. Which affects your ability to work, and contribute to society. And even if you lucked out and weren't partially paralyzed you'd still have something keeping you going to the hospital, or to clinics, or any other form of health care. And you know what that does? It drains the already struggling health care system. The point Bill either missed or deliberately avoided completely was the fact that especially in American health care where you can be denied insurance based on what they consider pre-existing conditions, a world where these illnesses come back means no access to adequate health care. And in places like Canada, we just might implode from all the stress being put on the system. Our taxes would be through the roof, and the availability of resources would be minimal because they'd be stretched so damn thin. BY ILLNESSES 100% PREVENTABLE IF EVERYONE GOT VACCINATED AND FOLLOWED THE OUTLINED SCHEDULE! They didn't just thoughtlessly slap together a schedule, it's done to be the most protective for your child and everyone else in the most minimally invasive way. The more you change the schedule the more pokes your kid will get, and they're going to start remembering it and hating you for it because it could've been done earlier before they can retain memories, and protecting them more overall. To say you're so special you can be exempt from vaccines or following the schedule is to be the living embodiment of privilege, so PLEASE check your privilege and do some serious research, asking questions of your nurses hotline or doctors as needed. That's what they're there for. And there's so many around, if you don't like one ask another. But please, don't stop asking. "Just because you don't understand something, doesn't mean it doesn't work".
So if you still don't care about that other sick kid, just think like that. No matter what, it will come back to affect you somehow. So let's avoid said effects altogether.
I've been told how amazing this show is by friends, but only one said to me "it's very biased but it's still amazing/informative". And at first, I didn't really see the bias, like yes it's pro-science but... I don't know, I guess I saw enough of "the other side" represented in the panel discussion to justify that this is factual enough.
But I'm a nurse, I just graduated from nursing school a couple weeks ago. I still have to get hired and study for/write my licensing exam, but I'm allowed to work as a provisional nurse so I think I'm now qualified enough to call myself a real nurse, no longer a student. I was recently educated too, so my information is rather up to date. These are my qualifications, and to some of you they may be considered biased, but I'm a Canadian nurse our education is highly sought after on an international level. Far more than American registered nurses. That's a fact, can be found in statistics of hiring requirements in job ads in the western world.
In 4th year, last semester, I took community nursing. It was a joke of a class, my clinical literally had me utilizing my university access to academic journals reading for research findings, but that's beside the point. In 4th year community you have some certifications you're expected to complete, and one of them is the immunization certification. Beyond re-learning intramuscular injections, there's a lot of education we have to be briefed on. So, there's an online module we have to read through (actually there's 2 if I recall correctly, but this might vary province to province), and then get tested on. You need to get 100% on it, but you have as many tries as you need to get it and they tell you which answer is wrong so you don't go scouring for every question. It's basic stuff really, but we learn a LOT that for my class acted as a refresher from microbiology (but apparently even in British Columbia that's not a required course for every nursing school, which I find interesting) in regards to virus transmission, and then how the vaccines work, including ingredients. We then learn about passive and active immunity, and the difference between immunity acquired from vaccines versus naturally acquired through surviving the illness (yes, there is a difference! This is why you're supposed to get the chicken pox [varicella] vaccine in your 40s/50s even if you've had the illness). And then we're tested on our province's vaccine schedule, and in relation to that how to communicate/educate parents asking questions or who seem uncertain. That's when we touched on that discussion point the ex-anti-vaxxer said, "I could just SEE the pediatrician roll his eyes in his head". A point that is literally the reason we have a President Trump, but that's a whole other discussion.
Anyways, so when I say what I'm about to say next, I think I have every right to say as a university educated individual in the field. Not just someone who's "done a lot of research on Google". I'm not a Google expert.
This show very much has its own agenda. And I think it ironically went against one of the VERY important points brought up by that ex-antivaxxer.
In his end speech, he explains herd immunity in a really cool way, and goes on to explain how herd immunity only works if everyone who can do it is doing it. And if you're choosing to do it because "I can handle it", well the poor vulnerable immunocompromised/allergic person can't handle it you're selfish you're not thinking of the rest of society I don't want to get sick so you should do your part.
That's not wrong. It is a fact unto itself, "why should I suffer and get sick because you didn't do something everyone should be doing to keep people from being sick" makes sense.
BUT it's still closing off the conversation with the other side. We ended up with President Trump because of this very rhetoric, that I'm smart you're dumb because I understand science and you question it. You're "a deplorable". That's kind of what I got out of this speech, and it really made me lose a bit of respect for him. Because there's something even more important that "that poor vulnerable child that can't get vaccinated!" And I think it speaks to American biases on the whole.
The biggest issue with people electing to not get vaccinated because "I eat super healthy!" or "those bad ingredients!" (or, the worst, "autism!!"), heck I personally lump religion into that too but I know some might not and I don't want to start an argument on freedom of religion, is that when you weaken herd immunity, you risk these illnesses coming back and developing a strains not covered by vaccination. And you know what it is to be able to say "I can manage [getting sick] because I make a lot of money/can take time off/etc"? It's the ultimate sign of privilege. Not because you can finacially swing it, no this has nothing to do with THAT education, it's about the privilege you have BECAUSE of vaccination. Because you've never seen the full extent of the deteriment these illnesses cause IF YOU LIVE THROUGH THEM. Modern medicine only saves so much, polio still paralyzes you partially or fully. Which affects your ability to work, and contribute to society. And even if you lucked out and weren't partially paralyzed you'd still have something keeping you going to the hospital, or to clinics, or any other form of health care. And you know what that does? It drains the already struggling health care system. The point Bill either missed or deliberately avoided completely was the fact that especially in American health care where you can be denied insurance based on what they consider pre-existing conditions, a world where these illnesses come back means no access to adequate health care. And in places like Canada, we just might implode from all the stress being put on the system. Our taxes would be through the roof, and the availability of resources would be minimal because they'd be stretched so damn thin. BY ILLNESSES 100% PREVENTABLE IF EVERYONE GOT VACCINATED AND FOLLOWED THE OUTLINED SCHEDULE! They didn't just thoughtlessly slap together a schedule, it's done to be the most protective for your child and everyone else in the most minimally invasive way. The more you change the schedule the more pokes your kid will get, and they're going to start remembering it and hating you for it because it could've been done earlier before they can retain memories, and protecting them more overall. To say you're so special you can be exempt from vaccines or following the schedule is to be the living embodiment of privilege, so PLEASE check your privilege and do some serious research, asking questions of your nurses hotline or doctors as needed. That's what they're there for. And there's so many around, if you don't like one ask another. But please, don't stop asking. "Just because you don't understand something, doesn't mean it doesn't work".
So if you still don't care about that other sick kid, just think like that. No matter what, it will come back to affect you somehow. So let's avoid said effects altogether.