Offit on Colbert

 

The Machine media blitz that began with the recent attacks against Andrew Wakefield continued last night as Paul Offit appeared in a well-rehearsed performance on The Colbert Report.

As the show progressed, I was having difficulty determining who knew less about vaccines, Offit or Colbert, until I realized Offit’s ignorance was only apparent – a result of placing pro-vaccine misinformation ahead of honesty.

The doctor recited his deceptive talking points beginning with a fanciful story (thoroughly debunked here) about how a pertussis outbreak was in some way related to people choosing not to vaccinate.

Colbert then jokingly informed us that his doctor encouraged his sick child/children to go to school while sick in order to expose other children to whatever illness necessitated the doctor visit. Amazingly Offit, imagining a past that never occurred, responded, “that’s what we used to do”

Colbert then asks about a possible connection between autism and vaccinations. That question has been asked and answered retorts Dr. Offit. Studies have shown vaccines don’t cause autism! Wow what a relief. But wait I know the mercury compound thimerisol has been studied but that’s not a “vaccine.” And the MMR vaccine was studied by those producing and promoting vaccination but that’s only one of dozens of vaccines given. So it’s at best disingenuous to imply that vaccination itself has, as a cause of autism, ever been, in any way investigated.

I really can’t believe he continues to disseminate this repugnant piece of misinformation.  Especially when he, in his new book, exhorts us to trust the Machine saying:

When parents choose to vaccinate their children, one element is critical to the decision: trust. A choice not to vaccinate is a choice not to trust those who research, manufacture, license, recommend, promote and administer vaccines – specifically, the government, pharmaceutical companies, and doctors. If we are again to believe that vaccines are safer than the diseases they prevent, we’re going to have to trust those responsible for them. This isn’t going to be easy.

You're right doctor, it’s not going to be easy. That's because trust isn’t built on a foundation of misinformation and deception. Trust is earned by trustworthy behavior. If you truly wanted to build trust you would have said something to the effect that mercury, the one and only vaccine ingredient ever studied as a possible cause of autism, was suspected because it has a reputation for toxicity and because it’s administered during a time in which autism either develops or is diagnosed.

And you wouldn’t forget to mention that no one really knew how much mercury was contained within the entire vaccine schedule and that no one knew what that meant for children’s safety.

You would have continued by informing viewers that only one of dozens of vaccines and vaccine combinations has ever been studied and those studies were conducted by the institutions selling and promoting the very vaccines under investigation.

That is if you were concerned about building trust. Unfortunately you’re not; you’re concerned about selling vaccine.

Rather than inspiring trust, Dr. Offit’s never-ending media appearances inspire me to question more deeply studies extolling the safety of vaccines. His blatant attempts to alter reality in order to shelter vaccines makes it exceedingly difficult to believe studies done by Offit and those who inhabit his world.