You were never going to be convinced otherwise by a rational argument. You've literally dismissed the credibility of the American government and the entire field of medicine in a single comment.

Of course I did. After watching the govt and the FDA in action for 5 decades, detassling corn for Monsanto, watching Monsanto sue farmers into submission, seeing increased rates of cancer autism and other issues. Being told everything is ok.

Then I travel the world eating food in other countries and notice the difference in my health. I see the cancer rates in Africa.

You say I am uneducated and stupid. I say I have experience and that experience doesnt jive with your experts statements.

So yeah.... prove you are trustworthy

My argument would be to look into the studies made by numerous universities from all around the world, not just American ones. I have no business telling you whether or not you should trust American government entities, it's not my country. But the world has had medicines and universities for longer than the United States has existed.

You do realize the EU has banned many many things allowed by the FDA because of their studies ?

Isn't that a good thing from your perspective?

My point was that if you don't trust the FDA, there are literally hundreds of other medical and educational institutions you could look to for information.

No one has said everything is ok.

Just by claiming we are being told “everything is ok” you are showing the absolute lies and false straw men and disingenuousness that is at the centre of the anti vax movement.

Somehow you don’t apply even close to the same standards to the anti vax side, where the only evidence is proven to have been falsified.

Also, Anti vaxxers claim they are sick of experts, yet are unwilling to show even the slightest bit of curiosity. Have they seen any iron lungs lately? Maybe they should go talk to their grandparents about the scourge of polio, and how Salk and Sabin were heroes in their time because of their efforts in making the polio vaccine possible.

You don’t even need to go that far in history. Just read current events about measles, and how it’s popping up in precisely the pockets of the US where the anti vaccination movements are strongest, whether it’s religious nutjobs in Texas and Brooklyn, or Hollywood hippie nutjobs in California.

I have more empathy for people who are intellectually stunted and now buy into conspiracy theories. They really never had a choice. If the US or their parents had provided them with sufficient education, maybe it would have been different, but it's hard for me to get as mad at them as you are.

On the other hand, the doctor who knows better, but chooses his own pocket book over the well being of millions is far less empathetic in my mind.

Both people suck in their own way, but I'm less inclined to get worked up about the former.

Why does the truth have to be packaged for believably?

I'm not asking you to change your mind, I'm stating reality.

They are actively resisting scientific data, analysis, and research that overwhelmingly supports vaccines. They may not be stupid, but they are acting like it by putting their beliefs and bias over fact.

I'll stick with actively malicious over stupid as anti-vax is actually crippling and killing people by increasing the spread of diseases that were prevented or eradicated.

How else do we describe the misunderstandings of the uneducated.

Can you blame a high school grad for seeing 1 vaccine death and not understanding those are extremely low probability vs death due to disease?

I think everyone should know Math, but if they cannot, they should defer to professionals.

The stupid can't be convinced anyway. All that remains is to point them out to others.