Comments on: Immunisation, bad information, faulty thinking http://www.badlanguage.net/immunisation-bad-information-faulty-thinking How to communicate Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:05:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Tim Smith http://www.badlanguage.net/immunisation-bad-information-faulty-thinking#comment-391266 Tim Smith Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:25:31 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/immunisation-bad-information-faulty-thinking#comment-391266 The MMR was a hot topic of discussion in the antenatal group we were part of. The most annoying thing for me was the attitude of: * If the gov denies there is a problem then there must be a problem because they are denying it * If the gov admits there's a problem then there must be a problem bec they've admitted it. So they can never accept that there isn't a problem. Likewise, they never spoke of managing risk or taking the least risky option. Tim The MMR was a hot topic of discussion in the antenatal group we were part of.
The most annoying thing for me was the attitude of:
* If the gov denies there is a problem then there must be a problem because they are denying it
* If the gov admits there’s a problem then there must be a problem bec they’ve admitted it.
So they can never accept that there isn’t a problem.
Likewise, they never spoke of managing risk or taking the least risky option.
Tim

]]> By: Toddie Downs http://www.badlanguage.net/immunisation-bad-information-faulty-thinking#comment-384158 Toddie Downs Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:07:44 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/immunisation-bad-information-faulty-thinking#comment-384158 Goodness, them's fightin' words, son! I must respectfully disagree with your position. You're making the assumption that when families make these decisions about vaccinations, they are making a completely informed decision. Yet I doubt that most parents have the NY Times statistics in front of them, or that their doctors educate them on the mortality differences between 2000 and the present. Furthermore, while there may not be sufficient data linking thimerosal and autism, there is quite a bit of anecdotal evidence -- and as copywriters, we know that word-of-mouth can be far more powerful than statistics. While I personally agree that the benefits of vaccinations outweigh the risks, I don't believe I can make judgments against those families who decide otherwise -- which is what the closing headline seems to do. Goodness, them’s fightin’ words, son! I must respectfully disagree with your position. You’re making the assumption that when families make these decisions about vaccinations, they are making a completely informed decision. Yet I doubt that most parents have the NY Times statistics in front of them, or that their doctors educate them on the mortality differences between 2000 and the present.

Furthermore, while there may not be sufficient data linking thimerosal and autism, there is quite a bit of anecdotal evidence — and as copywriters, we know that word-of-mouth can be far more powerful than statistics. While I personally agree that the benefits of vaccinations outweigh the risks, I don’t believe I can make judgments against those families who decide otherwise — which is what the closing headline seems to do.

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