Words: Bersabeh Eskinder Abdi (she/her)
Remember that most lies are based on elements of the truth – not the whole truth – and that’s what makes them believable.
Whether it’s the microchipped Covid vaccines, or the autism-causing Tylenol, the media thrives off misinformation, and in this case, through conspiracy theories. The cherry on top? Well, it’s the punchy (mis)informational headline, of course.
Unfortunately, it’s not only the media, but various figures all around you; from your favourite TikTokers and politicians, to (unfortunately) your unassuming uncle that believes everything he sees on Facebook (my bad – they’re on TikTok now) – you get the gist of it. No offense to your uncle there (it’s most definitely not personal), after all we could all fall victim to fake news, one way or another.
Up high, tall, and proud, at the peak of the conspiracists ladder sits Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A key figure in American politics, son of the late senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former president John F. Kennedy, he is a man with insane power and even worse takes. His stance on health-related issues (i.e. vaccines, and public health) is so unbelievable that his family members name and shame him publicly. This is a man that claimed that Tylenol causes autism, said he was pro-choice, then took it back, saying ‘every abortion is a tragedy’, founded an anti-vaccine group (Children’s Health Defense) but it’s okay: he’s going to make America ‘healthy again’ because that’s what America reallyneeds (besides giving equal rights to people regardless of their race, gender, sexuality, or ethnic origin, and – almost forgot – giving women a right to decide on their own bodies!)
It’s understandable: everyone wants to feel like they can trust the vaccines they take, the medication they are on, and the treatment that they receive – wanting to know that your doctor isn’t lying to you and coming up with unnecessary tests and conditions to rack up your hospital bill is common. But why are we so quick to jump and believe an unqualified, misguided individual over qualified, experienced professionals who train for decades?
It’s not stupid to believe this – it’s just ridiculous to believe blatant lies despite the existence of sufficient evidence. You’re not stupid, you just need to start thinking critically. Remember that most lies are based on elements of the truth – not the whole truth – and that’s what makes them believable.
In the case of RFK’s claims of “Tylenol causing autism”, it wasn’t that he just woke up one day and was like ‘yeah, this gonna be my catchphrase of the day, that’s the one’. It was based on a now-disproved research by the Harvard School of Public Health, which claimed that there is ‘evidence of an association’ between taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) during pregnancy and the risk of a child developing autism and ADHD. Correlation here does not equate to causation.
When a vaccine is released to the market, it’s not just: disease that needs cure → scientist figures out disease cure → big pharma makes drug/vaccine → vaccine released to the public. The release of a vaccine to the market is a very long, complex, well-investigated process. Scientists are well aware that the lives of millions of people are in their hands. Scientific investigation is thorough, and accounting for every possibility is crucial, no matter how low the chances are.
The regular procedures for vaccine development are: research and discovery, and the exploration of ideas for a potential vaccine at the lab (which could take between 10-15 years of laboratory research). This is followed by proof of concept (investigation of the immune response induced on small animals like mice). Adjustments are then made to ensure the vaccine is more effective. If the vaccine shows promising results, we move on to 3 phases of clinical trials (testing on people), followed by the manufacture, approval, and phase 4 of clinical trials. Finally, the vaccine is recommended for use and monitored for safety, after its approval.
So why does all this actually matter? Can’t we just leave our boy RFK alone, he’s just a poor grandpa spitting unfunny, dangerous, misleading bars, right? Wrong! First of all he’s not poor, (he is a grandpa, though), secondly, he is an “anti-vaxxer leader” (as named by The Lancet) with no educational background in Public Health, and he’s America’s US Health and Human Services Secretary; overseeing the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services – imposter syndrome fears him. Policymakers who oversee scientific advancement, yet disbelieve in science, are a threat to the intellectual sovereignty of a country, and a false prophet for the common man.
So, if you take one thing from this, it’s this: always always always fact-check before you are quick to jump and believe something from the news.
References
The perils of RFK Junior’s anti-vaccine leadership for public health – The Lancet
RFK Jr: Fact-checking his views on health policy – BBC News
Inside RFK Jr.’s nonprofit’s legal battles over vaccines and public health
