Are you straddling the fence on vaccines?
Still not convinced they're all that?
I'm Forrest Maready and this is my incredible
opinion.
I want to talk a little bit today about the
concept of all or nothing.
Either you're for us or your against us- remember
when Bush said that.
There is no in between.
One of the hallmarks of a civilized society
is the ability to debate the nuances of a
particular issue.
As I've mentioned in some other videos, the
older you get, the more you realize how little
binary there actually is in the world.
For all the old Cowboys vs. Indian Westerns,
we grew up and eventually realized there wasn't
so much Good guy vs. Bad guy, but 50 shades
of grey in between (and yes, the book's on
my dresser but I haven't read it yet).
I think that's part of what people have found
so compelling about the Game of Thrones story.
It was Tolkien, but the bad guys are sometimes
as compassionate and likeable as the good.
And the good are as evil and manipulative
as the bad. It's confusing to read, because
it's like everyone is Gollum in their own
way.
Despicable and pitiful at the same time.
Like any other issue, vaccines have a good
and a bad side.
You and I may disagree on the balance, but
both of us will willingly admit they
are, like all of humanity's designs, a compromise,
a tradeoff between some hoped for good and
unhoped for harm.
In times of peace, the civilized nature of
humans are evident: we can freely debate this
balance at ease.
We can explore the subtleties of each side,
the costs, the benefits, the unforeseen consequences,
and through this discussion hopefully find
some common ground between us, that will make
us realize we are more alike than not.
A compromise will then be easier to reach.
Yes we may disagree on things, but the civility
of the debate, the comfort that you will hear
me out completely, and I will you, helps form
a bond, a bridge between us that allows us
to co-exist in peace, knowing we are at least,
if nothing else, understood.
This is a technique my wife and I learned
early on, before we even got married.
We got engaged 3 days after we met, something
our parents were understandably nonplussed
about, so we reluctantly agreed to some premarital
counseling to assuage their fears of a 3 day
marriage.
My father gripped the edge of the kitchen
counter when I told him I was getting married
and choked out "Forrest- What are you doing?".
Later that summer, just before our wedding,
I told my father, who is an accountant, that
I had bought a filing cabinet.
He hugged me like he never had and said to
me "I love you."
He just turned 80 and still has pictures of
the filing cabinet hanging in his office.
Anyway, the counselor taught us that the most
common trigger for anger in a relationship
is the feeling that you're not being understood.
She taught us to do this: if we got in an
argument about something, we were to stop
and answer the question: This is how I think
YOU feel about things right now.
I would try my best to vocalize what my wife
was feeling, and she would do the same for
me.
Once both parties realized that the other
understood where they were coming from, it
made the argument feel almost pointless.
Who cares if she wins, or I win?
She gets me, and I get her- so who cares?
With the exception of our 10 year anniversary
dinner at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville,
it really works.
You should try it sometime.
I think the vaccination discussion, or lack
thereof, is a clear indication of how uncivil
we have become.
A clear indication of how we are basically
at war over this issue.
We currently, can not have a reasonable discussion
about vaccines.
The subtleties, the nuances, the costs and
benefits can not be discussed.
"Are all vaccines actually necessary?" you might ask.
We used to not fear many of these "vaccine-preventable"
diseases, yet now we're forcing people to
undergo them?
Why is that?
Shouldn't we talk about whether they're ALL
necessary?
NO! will be the answer.
YOU WILL COMPLY WITH ALL CDC RECOMMENDED VACCINES!
They're going to need to take off "recommended"
at some point in the near future, don't you
think? Here's another one...
Starting in episode 50 I'm going to be talking
about herd immunity for a while and you will
see that many vaccines whether they work or
not, don't contribute to the herd immunity
concept.
Like scientifically speaking, they can not
make a difference.
Can we talk about whether those vaccines should
be mandatory, because they don't even factor
into herd immunity anyways?
NO!
YOU WILL COMPLY WITH ALL CDC RECOMMENDED VACCINES!
The various pros and cons of vaccinations
go on for days and days, but those who are
for vaccines can not handle a single shade
of grey.
It's all or nothing.
You can see it happening right now in California
with Dr. Bob Sears.
He is being made an example of, in the time
honored tradition of power hungry medical,
political and academic elitists.
They are at war with us, and are willing to
sacrifice one of their own, not because he
is anti-vaccine (which he is not) but because
he willingly admitted that vaccines are not
a black and white issue.
He broke from the narrative and was willing
to have a nuanced, complex conversation about
vaccination, and that was enough to make him
a sworn enemy.
You will occasionally hear former CDC officials
creaking about how the old Pertussis vaccine
worked better than the newer acellular one,
but even that, in time of war is forbidden.
Someone will always circle back around with
some much needed clarity- the new one works
perfectly and never causes unwanted side effects.
Now they certainly feel a dialog is taking
place- we can be sure of that.
Look at all of our "Research"!
Look at all of our "Credentials!"
But you can see, if any dissent is expressed,
any nuance or subtlety discussed, they fall
apart into a hot steaming mess.
What happens when one side of an issue is
at war, and cannot even allow a civil discussion
take place?
What happens when one side is at war, and
their beliefs affect you and your children's
ability to live peacefully?
I know my answer, but I'm going to save it
for a bit.
I want you to ask yourself: Are you a pacifist?
Are you willing to declare your children pacifists
as well?
Are you willing to hold your children in your
lap and force them to suffer the same fate
as you?
If meaningful dialog about a contentious subject
is an indication of civility, and humanity,
then we're in a bad spot right now.
We're doing all the talking, and they're not
listening to us.
And that is my incredible opinion.
