Comments on: Controversy Addiction and the MMR Vaccine Scare http://www.blisstree.com/articles/controversy-addiction-and-the-mmr-vaccine-scare/ Family, Health, Home and Lifestyles Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:37:21 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Kristina Chew, PhD http://www.blisstree.com/articles/controversy-addiction-and-the-mmr-vaccine-scare/comment-page-1/#comment-554594 Kristina Chew, PhD Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:22:53 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/controversy-addiction-and-the-mmr-vaccine-scare/#comment-554594 @Regan, great stuff in that interview-----something about science that makes it inimical and almost, perhaps, impossible to properly do justice to within the tools of the modern day media. Ironic that the miracle cures that one would associate with a medieval, pre-modern (and pre-modern-media) mindset seem so well-suited to the popular press. @Regan, great stuff in that interview—–something about science that makes it inimical and almost, perhaps, impossible to properly do justice to within the tools of the modern day media. Ironic that the miracle cures that one would associate with a medieval, pre-modern (and pre-modern-media) mindset seem so well-suited to the popular press.

]]> By: Regan http://www.blisstree.com/articles/controversy-addiction-and-the-mmr-vaccine-scare/comment-page-1/#comment-556733 Regan Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:32:00 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/controversy-addiction-and-the-mmr-vaccine-scare/#comment-556733 (Kristina might take issues with the inference of a necessary humanities/science schism, and I do myself, but it's overall an interesting article) [Goldacre says] <i>(...)"Science makes a very bad news subject. It doesn't move ahead by sudden, single experimental results, it progresses by emerging themes and theories supported by a raft of evidence that has accumulated over time." He feels there is a mismatch between the portrayal of science as being certain, and the reality of academic research: "From the 1930s to 1970s, we were living through a golden age of medicine where the low-hanging fruit of scientific research was being harvested - think antibiotics, imaging, intensive care. "Now things progress by small incremental changes which in the long term mean that, in the last 30 years, your chances of dying in middle age as a man has halved. This isn't because of any single, news-breaking breakthrough, but because of an accumulation of small advantages and changes." The headline-hungry media, though, are frequently unwilling to reflect that slow progress, seeking instead sensational soundbites in the form of miracle cures and terrifying dangers. (...) </i> <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/04/06/scigoldacre106.xml">Bad Science's Ben Goldacre: Interview </a> By Kate Stein and Tom Chivers (Kristina might take issues with the inference of a necessary humanities/science schism, and I do myself, but it’s overall an interesting article)

[Goldacre says]
(…)”Science makes a very bad news subject. It doesn’t move ahead by sudden, single experimental results, it progresses by emerging themes and theories supported by a raft of evidence that has accumulated over time.”

He feels there is a mismatch between the portrayal of science as being certain, and the reality of academic research: “From the 1930s to 1970s, we were living through a golden age of medicine where the low-hanging fruit of scientific research was being harvested – think antibiotics, imaging, intensive care.

“Now things progress by small incremental changes which in the long term mean that, in the last 30 years, your chances of dying in middle age as a man has halved. This isn’t because of any single, news-breaking breakthrough, but because of an accumulation of small advantages and changes.”

The headline-hungry media, though, are frequently unwilling to reflect that slow progress, seeking instead sensational soundbites in the form of miracle cures and terrifying dangers. (…)

Bad Science’s Ben Goldacre: Interview
By Kate Stein and Tom Chivers

]]> By: donald savitz http://www.blisstree.com/articles/controversy-addiction-and-the-mmr-vaccine-scare/comment-page-1/#comment-558594 donald savitz Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:12:44 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/controversy-addiction-and-the-mmr-vaccine-scare/#comment-558594 The reason that you will never have an Autismgate is because there no pictures like in the Thalidomide story as it harder tho show childern with because childern with Autism have all the parts of there bodies unlike the childern in the Thalidomide story. So I don"t know Autism could ever get that kind of coverage from the networks. The reason that you will never have an Autismgate is because there no pictures like in the Thalidomide story as it harder tho show childern with because childern with Autism have all the parts of there bodies unlike the childern in the Thalidomide story. So I don”t know Autism could ever get that kind of coverage from the networks.

]]> By: M http://www.blisstree.com/articles/controversy-addiction-and-the-mmr-vaccine-scare/comment-page-1/#comment-560946 M Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:16:25 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/controversy-addiction-and-the-mmr-vaccine-scare/#comment-560946 I wonder how people could treat Controversy addiction. Maybe there could be a Controversy rehab, where patients are shut off from alarmist anti-vaccine blogs and over-the-top news reports. They could then receive a steady diet of Weather Channel and elevator music. Mmm...anti-controversy. Soothing. I wonder how people could treat Controversy addiction. Maybe there could be a Controversy rehab, where patients are shut off from alarmist anti-vaccine blogs and over-the-top news reports. They could then receive a steady diet of Weather Channel and elevator music. Mmm…anti-controversy. Soothing.

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