“Think about how powerful vaccines are as an idea. The biological product itself is worthless. But as an idea, vaccines have the unrivaled ability to hypnotize people and convince them to abandon their core values. Vaccines make scientists and doctors completely abandon science and medicine. Randomized controlled trials? Who needs those? Postmarket surveillance? Why would we do that? Automated reporting of side effects? What, are you some kind of nutter? Vaccine make the left completely abandon their understanding of capital. The left pretends that vaccines descend like magic from the sky with no relationship to corporate power or profit. The left conceives of scientists and doctors as a priestly class (without the pedophilia) unbothered by worldly concerns like paying the mortgage or keeping up with the Joneses. Vaccines make the right completely abandon their theory of the state. The state, that previously could do nothing right, when it comes to vaccines, the state is seen as pure, efficient, on the side of the people, and infallible. Vaccines are a cult in a vial, an idea as powerful as religion and yet proclaimed to be secular. The idea of vaccines hits about as hard as high-grade heroin. The idea of vaccines quite literally causes people to lose their minds and their lives. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Toby Rogers: The Power of Vaccines as an Idea
Published by markskidmore
Mark Skidmore is Professor of Economics at Michigan State University where he holds the Morris Chair in State and Local Government Finance and Policy. His research focuses on topics in public finance, regional economics, and the economics of natural disasters. Mark created the Lighthouse Economics website and blog to share economic research and information relevant for navigating tumultuous times. View more posts