I have always related to this Isaac Asimov quote from 1980:
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
I’ve heard this used as an argument against democracy more times than I can count. Nevermind that vaccination is overwhelmingly popular or that the anti-vax policies have to be jammed down the public’s throat.
I know it’s easy to shit on the US, but the per capita measles infection rate is higher in many EU countries than it is in the US right now. France, for example, had 744 cases from Jan-Jul of this year, Spain had 339, and the Netherlands had 474.
US: 5.6 cases per million
France: 11.2 cases per million
Spain: 6.9 cases per million
Netherlands: 25.6 cases per million
And this includes several more months of data for the US than the other countries
Source: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
Very interesting. I had a look at Ireland. Here’s the historical graph
Our lowest was 2015 where it was 0.4 cases per million or just two cases for the whole year. Generally it’s hovering around 10x to 15x that with most of the cases among adult men.
I’ve never actually heard of anyone with measles here. The health agency does follow up rigourously if your kid misses the vaccine in school because they were out that day or whatever.
Yeah sorry, was just stating the rate. I’ve also never known anyone who’s gotten measles. While there may be hundreds to thousands of cases each year in a given country, it’s still only a few out of every million people
I’m in the states and my kids had the option to get their flu shots at the school this year. Somehow one of my kids was skipped despite us immediately signing and returning the consent forms.
It does feel like it’s very hit or miss whether or not flu shots are offered at the schools though. I remember getting the flu vaccine at the school just once and I never remember seeing lines or anything at any of my schools for flu vaccines the years I didn’t get it at the school. I imagine they only do it when either there’s special funding for it or the data says they especially need a lot more vaccination this year
Yeah this is false far more often than it’s true. I live in a small town (the kind where ambulance and fire services are all volunteers) with nothing but farming communities and farm/hunting land surrounding me. I have 4 hospitals in a 30 mile radius, and more clinics than I care to count
Yes there are some very poor rural regions of states where access to healthcare is a struggle, but they are the exception rather than the norm
You thought US had a monopoly on oligarchs-controlled medias and conspiracy lunatics? Same causes, same consequences!
Canada’s cases are on the rise too.
Conservatives have been actively suppressing the teaching of Critical Thinking Skills for decades:
The 2012 Texas Republican Party Platform, adopted June 9 at the state convention in Forth Worth, seems to take a stand against, well, the teaching of critical thinking skills. Read it for yourself:
We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.
This is part of a larger anti intellectual issue that has been plaguing the U.S. for decades.
I have always related to this Isaac Asimov quote from 1980:
my favorite part of lemmy is when i cite a government source and get told that it’s wrong or doesn’t apply or is fake.
because feelings are all that matters, apparently.
If it’s a source like the trump FDA, it probably is wrong, though…
For example, Tylenol does not cause autism.
And like that Trump made government documents less trustworthy and thus useless as a source… great job, trump-voters! You have made your life worse.
Did we ever find out if Iraq had WMDs, like the State Department and the CIA claimed?
I’ve heard this used as an argument against democracy more times than I can count. Nevermind that vaccination is overwhelmingly popular or that the anti-vax policies have to be jammed down the public’s throat.
I know it’s easy to shit on the US, but the per capita measles infection rate is higher in many EU countries than it is in the US right now. France, for example, had 744 cases from Jan-Jul of this year, Spain had 339, and the Netherlands had 474.
US: 5.6 cases per million
France: 11.2 cases per million
Spain: 6.9 cases per million
Netherlands: 25.6 cases per million
And this includes several more months of data for the US than the other countries
Source: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
Very interesting. I had a look at Ireland. Here’s the historical graph
Our lowest was 2015 where it was 0.4 cases per million or just two cases for the whole year. Generally it’s hovering around 10x to 15x that with most of the cases among adult men.
I’ve never actually heard of anyone with measles here. The health agency does follow up rigourously if your kid misses the vaccine in school because they were out that day or whatever.
Ireland had 49 cases over Jan-Jul of '25, for a rate of 9.6 per million, 50% higher than the US
Yeah that’s my point. I was agreeing with your premise. :)
Yeah sorry, was just stating the rate. I’ve also never known anyone who’s gotten measles. While there may be hundreds to thousands of cases each year in a given country, it’s still only a few out of every million people
Wonder why it dropped so low before the 1980s, then spiked again.
Y’all do your vaccines at school? I’m so jealous.
Doctor or health centre for the early ones but the later ones (boosters and HPV vaccines for girls) are all done in school yeah.
They did flu vaccines this year in the school which I think is the first time.
I’m in the states and my kids had the option to get their flu shots at the school this year. Somehow one of my kids was skipped despite us immediately signing and returning the consent forms.
It does feel like it’s very hit or miss whether or not flu shots are offered at the schools though. I remember getting the flu vaccine at the school just once and I never remember seeing lines or anything at any of my schools for flu vaccines the years I didn’t get it at the school. I imagine they only do it when either there’s special funding for it or the data says they especially need a lot more vaccination this year
Wouldn’t want for profit healthcare to lose out on middlemanning childhood vaccines. America Freedumb.
Narrowly missed that.
Old enough to have gotten immunised to it from the old fashioned way. In that spike in the middle of the graph. And glad for it.
How are the changes in the rates over time? I’m much more comfortable with a location that’s higher steadily dropping than one rapidly increasing.
I do wonder if a lot more measles cases go unreported in rural America where these outbreaks are prevalent. There are no doctors in rural America.
False. I doubt that anyone in America is more than 30 miles from a medical facility.
I…don’t even know where to begin when refuting your statement. Do you have an example location or lived experience in mind when you say this?
Why not start by proving that there are no doctors in rural America?
Yeah this is false far more often than it’s true. I live in a small town (the kind where ambulance and fire services are all volunteers) with nothing but farming communities and farm/hunting land surrounding me. I have 4 hospitals in a 30 mile radius, and more clinics than I care to count
Yes there are some very poor rural regions of states where access to healthcare is a struggle, but they are the exception rather than the norm
You thought US had a monopoly on oligarchs-controlled medias and conspiracy lunatics? Same causes, same consequences! Canada’s cases are on the rise too.
Centuries, probably.
Conservatives have been actively suppressing the teaching of Critical Thinking Skills for decades:
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/texas-gop-no-more-critical-thinking-in-schools/2012/06
Critical Thinking Skills undermine parental authority. Can’t have your kids getting smarter than you, right?