The Facts In The Case Of Dr. Andrew Wakefield

Log in

No account? Create an account

Remember me

The Facts In The Case Of Dr. Andrew Wakefield

: tallguywrites; May 18th, 2010

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.

The reference links for the strip are in the next blog entry.

Now! Let's have a heated debate!

2013 update. Since I wrote this blog entry, this cartoon strip as well as many others on such subjects as homeopathy, chiropratic, evolution, and the supposed NASA Moon hoax landings, have been published in a book: Science Tales in the UK (Myriad Edtions) and How To Fake A Moon Landing in the US and Canada (Abrams). Here's the link to my main blog.

I am Darryl Cunningham and this is my main blog.

Read 465 comments — :

( Read 465 comments — Leave a comment )

ashley_y

2010-05-18 10:05 pm (UTC)

Excellent piece.

What interests me is the dilemma parents are (or were) in. I think parents make some sort of probability cost/benefit analysis, for instance, that there's a 5% chance that Wakefield is correct, and that becoming autistic is more than 20 times worse than maybe getting measles. So they act rationally, but wrongly, with the information available to them.

bexone

2010-05-26 01:23 pm (UTC)

the problem is even if there was a connection (which there isn't) they miscalculate the actual risk level of getting measles. before vaccinations, childhood diseases had around a 50% mortality rate. what's worse, having a living autistic child or having a grave?

kateelizabee

2010-05-27 01:27 pm (UTC)

This.

Sophie Lunt

2013-12-18 12:57 am (UTC)

As someone on the autism spectrum, I cannot tell you how creepy and offensive this is. You're saying I should have died from measles rather than be alive? Sadly, it seems stereotypes of people with autism being worthless are still going on and are promoted everywhere. Contary to popular belief, i'm not in my room all day banging my head and not talking. I still have issues, although I know well people think of that as a bother. Try to remember many people with autism, GASP, can read and see this. You're acting like we don't have feelings. 22 years ago, my parents were told to throw me away and that hasn't changed..

ashley_y

2013-12-18 01:04 am (UTC)

"Sadly, it seems stereotypes of people with autism being worthless are still going on and are promoted everywhere."

The stereotype seems to be mostly in your own head if you can infer "you should have died from measles rather than be alive" from what I wrote.

Edited at 2013-12-18 01:05 am (UTC)

Sophie Lunt

2013-12-20 09:36 pm (UTC)

Ah, the old "you have autism so your thinking is automatically wrong" argument. I am not sure what else I was supposed to infer here? Better to not vaccinate, because it's better to possibly to die from measles than get autism? You're trying the "you're delusional" card. Hilarious.

Sophie Lunt

2013-12-20 09:47 pm (UTC)

Or perhaps I was wrong. Are you implying that the parent's thinking is wrong? I'm sorry if I misinterpted you. I am too quick to attack on such things. *slaps head* If so, stereotypes cause parents to try stupid crap like that!