A fifteen page story about the MMR vaccination controversy. As ever, I'm sure a few spelling errors have slipped past me. Feel free to point any out so I can correct them
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Good comic, but... it seems a bit contradictory. You start off criticizing those who don't trust scientists, and then you give us a good example of a scientist we shouldn't trust. Maybe science is perfect, but we're mere humans, prone to error and capitalism. Facts and evidence are fine, but we're always going to receive them through the imperfect filter of human understanding.
In any case, I agree that it's shameful how the media is so ready to poison us with lies and misinformation if it'll get them more revenue.
I don't feel it's contradictory, myself. He never tells us we should believe every individual scientist, uncritically. I think the whole point is that while an individual scientist might behave in an ignorant or self-interested fashion, science as a whole is pretty good at recognizing and rejecting those scientists on its own -- that's why traditions like peer review exist. Note that the scientist "we shouldn't trust" is caught before long, and his work is summarily rejected by the fact-based scientific world. That's an important distinction.
One anecdotal failure, eventually corrected, among huge numbers of apparent successes? Nope, don't feel especially chastized here. Especially given my exact words were the less than sweeping "as a whole is pretty good." If I'd said "is absolutely infallible because the Mighty Hand of Our Almighty God Science" you might've had something there. ;p
I find it ironic that sometimes "drug company profits" are mentioned as a motive for pushing vaccinations, when most vaccinations are not at all profitable, to the point where the government often has a hard time finding suppliers.
Another sucker falls for it.hates2registerMay 26 2010, 14:37:22 UTC
# I find it ironic that sometimes "drug company profits" # are mentioned as a motive for pushing vaccinations, # when most vaccinations are not at all profitable, to # the point where the government often has a hard time # finding suppliers.
You have misunderstood the relationship in the situation.
Its not that the drug companies don't make a profit on vaccines, its that they can make much more profit on other new "wonder" drugs. (only in this case its a 'wonder' how some of those new 'wonder' drugs like phen-phen got through the FDA trials. :-) )
The big pharma companies don't want to spend their money on making vaccines because they can make much more money producing other, higher margin drugs.
The companies that do produce the vaccines make a ton of money, its written into the production contract. They just don't make as much money as companies making other drugs.
By the way - nice job being a gullible, non-critical thinker.
Re: Another sucker falls for it.spiffystuffMay 26 2010, 19:51:26 UTC
By the way - nice job being a gullible, non-critical thinker.
Gee, bet you convince a lot of people with that attitude.
Yes, I oversimplified rather than writing an essay. Obviously whoever makes the vaccines must make SOME money otherwise they wouldn't be able to operate. Yet you yourself validated my original point: "its that they can make much more profit on other new "wonder" drugs."
Or, to put it another way, drug companies profit most when people are CHRONICALLY SICK, not by preventing disease. So again, it's not in big pharma's interest to push vaccinations.
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In any case, I agree that it's shameful how the media is so ready to poison us with lies and misinformation if it'll get them more revenue.
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http://www.amazon.com/Autisms-False-Prophets-Science-Medicine/dp/0231146361
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/ff_waronscience/
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http://www.amazon.com/Callous-Disregard-Autism-Vaccines-Tragedy/dp/1616081694/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274196089&sr=8-1
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# are mentioned as a motive for pushing vaccinations,
# when most vaccinations are not at all profitable, to
# the point where the government often has a hard time
# finding suppliers.
You have misunderstood the relationship in the situation.
Its not that the drug companies don't make a profit on vaccines, its
that they can make much more profit on other new "wonder" drugs. (only
in this case its a 'wonder' how some of those new 'wonder' drugs like
phen-phen got through the FDA trials. :-) )
The big pharma companies don't want to spend their money on making
vaccines because they can make much more money producing other, higher
margin drugs.
The companies that do produce the vaccines make a ton of money, its
written into the production contract. They just don't make as much
money as companies making other drugs.
By the way - nice job being a gullible, non-critical thinker.
Reply
Reply
Gee, bet you convince a lot of people with that attitude.
Yes, I oversimplified rather than writing an essay. Obviously whoever makes the vaccines must make SOME money otherwise they wouldn't be able to operate. Yet you yourself validated my original point: "its that they can make much more profit on other new "wonder" drugs."
Or, to put it another way, drug companies profit most when people are CHRONICALLY SICK, not by preventing disease. So again, it's not in big pharma's interest to push vaccinations.
Reply
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