The convention was organized by members of a profession that has become a major purveyor of vaccine misinformation during the pandemic: chiropractors.
At a time when the surgeon general says misinformation has become an urgent threat to public health, a vocal and influential group of chiropractors has been capitalizing on the pandemic by sowing fear and mistrust of vaccines.
They have touted their supplements as vaccine alternatives, written doctor’s notes to get out of mandates, donated large sums of money to anti-vaccine organizations and sold anti-vaccine ads on Facebook and Instagram. They have been the leading force behind anti-vaccine events like the one in Wisconsin, where hundreds of chiropractors shelled out $299 or more to attend and earn continuing education credits to maintain their licenses in at least 10 states.
Here's the problem. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
ReplyDeleteThe minute mainstream and social media started censoring things like Trump and vaccine dissenters, the reaction started up.
Let's say I were to put up a video on Youtube or a post on Facebook outlining my concerns with the vaccine. I might bring papers suggesting that published efficacy rates aren't what they're purported to be, for example or that the vaccine seems to wear off after 6 months. Some of it might even be true. Youtube and Facebook will yank my posts. Why? If there's nothing to hide, why censor? This encourages people on the other side and fires them up. There IS something to hide so we have to expose it!