…Why?
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Because of a dumb statement like “The only claim I have made is that vaccinations are not 100% safe”. It’s a cowardly way to imply things, then retreat and hide when called out on them.
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Do you think it’s cowardly to be unfraid of dying of preventable disease? I’d call it foolish, probably, or just stupid. But definitely not cowardly.
Cowards would be the sort of people who call for the state to force other people to do what they think is right.
I’m competing for the most over-the-top rhetoric in the thread (and losing by a large margin.)
Has everyone here forgotten that you can’t fix stupid?
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It is absolutely cowardly to hold one’s hands over one’s eyes instead of addressing the reality before them. Yes.
There’s no need to conflate narcissism with bravery, or bravery with stupidity.
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I would say abundant evidence exists in this very thread! 
@Phrenological: I agree. And the reality is that if you want more people to be vaccinated you’ll have to connect with them and provide them a better message than “U R STOOPID, HUR HUR HUR” and rage-filled calls for government intervention. The more people resort to demonizing rhetoric, the more people call for government goon squads, the greater lengths people will go to remain unvaccinated. But nobody wants to face that reality… that reality calls for individuals to take personal action and actually talk to anti-vaxxers… instead of just screaming at anti-vaxxers and calling them names. So everyone will just keep their hands over their eyes, and keep screaming.
So people who believe in things like “government” and “enforceable laws” are cowards? Huh.
In any case we settled the question of whether the government can mandate vaccinations 110 years ago.
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oh bugger off.
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You could be describing the fraud Andrew Wakefield here…
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Frankly, while I have nothing against law or government in theory, I have huge problems with the current reality of government-authorized jackbooted thugs and murderers “enforcing policy” against a disarmed and disempowered citizenry.
But you’re missing my point(s), and it’s probably because I’m being too sarcastic for my own good. I’ll break form for a minute and provide a few straight lines.
Today, if you want enforced vaccination, you’ll have more trouble than you would have otherwise, because of all the demonizing rhetoric from both sides. Raging and ranting is counter-productive, if we assume that what you want is higher levels of vaccination.
The “washing hands” post was a good example of non-demonising, persuasive argument that could work to convince an individual anti-vaxxer, if you engaged with them on a personal level. (I always offer to pay for the vaccinations, myself, and I haven’t had to follow through on that so far.)
As for my family, well, I received government-mandated vaccinations (got the gun-scars to prove it) and I voluntarily vaccinated my children - but only after carefully researching each preparation first. In two cases I had the pediatrician order different preparations than the ones that would have been given otherwise; in each of those cases the physician gladly co-operated with me, although it did cost extra to get the safer vaccines.
Libertarians are pretty fond of “Free-market of Ideas” rhetoric when it comes to issues of public health.
I hope you include your own Anarchocapitalist rhetoric in this real problem we find ourselves in.
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Then I’m curious, why do you use fear-mongering language like “government-authorized jackbooted thugs and murderers enforcing policy” when discussing mandatory vaccination for people who attend public schools but not when discussing mandatory hand washing for people who work in the food industry?
It seems like if anyone here is using demonizing rhetoric it’s the people who invoke imagery of fascism to describe their opponents.
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Did I say I wasn’t part of the problem? 
And if I contradict myself, then I contradict myself; like Whitman I am large, I contain multitudes.
But I’m not afraid of anti-vaxxers. There’s almost certainly a plague coming regardless, if you believe in things like history and math. In fact I fear the Uninformed California Liberal and the Uninformed Texas Conservative more than I fear preventable disease outbreaks…
Of course, we have the luxury of living during a time when we haven’t witnessed any horrific disease outbreaks ravaging the population (thanks primarily to those very vaccines). I suspect public support of vaccination programs would be less nuanced if more of us knew someone crippled by Polio, blinded by Measles or killed by Smallpox.
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Part of the essential means of prevention is Public Health movements and action forcryingoutloud.
This whole argument reminds me of
I don’t know why we’re all taking about vaccines when there’s an industry making BILLIONS every year out of California selling us vegetables. Meanwhile the CDC and its propaganda is telling us we have to eat vegetables, doubtless just to line the pockets of these people. THEY’RE NOT EVEN 100% SAFE. People die from e. coli tainted veggies every year. Meanwhile they’re using tons of water while California is in a drought.
We need to STOP the Veggie-Industrial Complex! Do your research people.
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