Anti-Vaxxers Audiobook By Jonathan M. Berman cover art

Anti-Vaxxers

How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement

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Anti-Vaxxers

By: Jonathan M. Berman
Narrated by: Daniel Henning
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In Anti-Vaxxers, Jonathan Berman explores the phenomenon of the anti-vaccination movement, recounting its history from its 19th-century antecedents to today's activism, examining its claims, and suggesting a strategy for countering them.

After providing background information on vaccines and how they work, Berman describes resistance to Britain's Vaccination Act of 1853, showing that the arguments anticipate those made by today's anti-vaxxers. He discusses the development of new vaccines in the 20th century, including those protecting against polio and MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and the debunked paper that linked the MMR vaccine to autism; the CDC conspiracy theory promoted in the documentary Vaxxed; recommendations for an alternative vaccination schedule; Kennedy's misinformed campaign against thimerosal; and the much-abused religious exemption to vaccination.

Anti-vaxxers have changed their minds, but rarely because someone has given them a list of facts. Berman argues that anti-vaccination activism is tied closely to how people see themselves as parents and community members. Effective pro-vaccination efforts should emphasize these cultural aspects rather than battling social media posts.

©2020 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (P)2020 Tantor
Public Health
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Great overview

Thorough and interesting overview of vaccines and how/why the antivax movement began and continues. Turns out antivax campaigns started in the mid-1800 and just continued from there.

The book is less about teaching readers to change minds and more about the nuts and bolts of the science and the movement. I found it super valuable.

Narration is a bit robotic but I got used to it.

Highly recommend for anyone seeking a greater understanding of vaccines and those who oppose them.

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Responding to vaccine hesitancy

An excellent exploration of the history of the anti-vaxxer movement and what can be done about vaccine hesitancy. Listening to this in February 2022, I found the introduction written in March of 2020 eerily prescient.
As a triple vaccinated teacher rapidly approaching retirement age in “outback” Australia, facing classes of unvaccinated children, I am concerned for their safety and that of the more vulnerable members of our community as we face our first covid outbreak. I found the last chapters of the book, that discuss how to address vaccine hesitancy, particularly enlightening and useful.
The narration was a little mechanical at times but the content was interesting enough to make this a minor issue.
I hope Jonathon M Berman is working on a sequel looking at Covid 19 vaccine hesitancy.

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If this is the pro Vax argument, it's no wonder censorship is needed

I'm currently going through both pro and anti Vax books as part of a family discussion. Having read the opposing side and understanding the arguments, I can confidently confirm that this book fails to address many of the strongest arguments, while skating past the importance of others.

It starts off by saying that this book will not convince anti vaxxers to change their mind, which is both true and an immediate indictment on a book made to do just that. It's true because it makes no attempt to steelman the best anti Vax arguments and take them head on.

To start, the author goes on a tirade against people who pushed back on lockdowns and social distancing, saying that these are the same people who push back on vaccines and are conspiracy theorists. As time has shown, these rules were admitted to have been made up unscientifically by the head of the CDC and other top public health officials testifying under oath. Rough start for the author.

Much of the book is built on tearing down logic used by anti vaccine advocates, then using the same logic to make the pro vaccine case. If a mother decries severe adverse reactions her child had from a shot, it's an emotionality manipulative story that doesn't substitute for data. If an anti vaccine person changes their mind after seeing an unvaccinated person get measles, it's an unfortunate truth and wonderful example that must be shared.

If an anti Vax doctor makes a small sum of money on book royalties, they're untrustworthy and financially incentivized to claim what they do. If a pro vaccine doctor or pharmaceutical company makes millions or billions while pushing pro vaccine talking points, they are heroes and this point goes unmentioned. Several other examples litter the book.

As far as specific anti vaccine arguments go:

Lack of safety data: The author mentions that VAERS exists and is a broken system, but implies that it overcounts based on a few retracted reports, even though it is clear that it under reports to an extreme degree. The author fails to mention the lack of control group testing where safety is measured against a saline placebo.

Adjuvants: The author attempts to discredit people who pushed back against thimerisol, while also admitting that it's no longer used in nearly all vaccines (I wonder why). International bans not mentioned. He also claims that Dr. Sears' book on vaccines overplayed the danger of aluminum because people eat similar amounts. What he doesn't mention is that the book highlights the difference between a substance being injected into your bloodstream and going through your digestive system.

Who opposes vaccines: Although he mentions that mom's tend to be most aggressive, he doesn't mention the obvious reason. Moms know their baby best, and can tell when a major change in their condition followed a routine pediatric appointment. Many of the the doctors who oppose vaccination are mentioned in the book by name, with the doctor title purposely left out to deceive.

Immunity from lawsuits in US: Although the author admits that a law was put into place to protect vaccine makers from lawsuits after several severe injuries were caused by vaccines, he completely downplays it, both in the context of the billions of dollars of damages awarded and in the broader context of all pharmaceutical products. In doing so, he tries to claim that courts make poor judgments in terms of injury liability and shouldn't be taken verbatim. Later, he relies on the strength of these courts to discredit Dr Paul Thomas.

Big Picture Treatment: Deciding how to prepare for a certain disease comes down to more than just vaccinate or not. You have to look at how common, severe, and treatable it is, as well as how safe and effective the vaccine is. Not only does the author not entertain this common sense idea, he rips Dr Sears for doing so in his book.

In conclusion, the author goes back to what would be necessary for him to get his way when his argument is so weak and dishonest. That is, to push for bans on people who share information he disagrees with, deplatform them, and push for laws that require everyone gets every shot regardless of their religious beliefs.

Another example of him being conveniently inconsistent, he rips every religious leader that pushes back against vaccines, but wants to treat the words of the pro vaccine leaders as gospel that should apply to everyone else who prays to the same god.

If you are open minded on the topic, you should understand that this book will not fully or correctly inform you. If you are pro vaccine and reading this to prepare to push back on someone who isn't, you're setting yourself up for a fall when they are able to easily cut the nonsense in this book. If you are anti vaccine, this book will reaffirm your position as you realize how weak and dishonest your opposition is.

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