What are the strategic considerations behind the active spread of anti-vax theories?

When it comes to spreading disinformation about climate change or the risks of smoking, I can clearly see how it protects economic interests (e.g. the value of the assets of the fossil fuel industry or the tobacco industry). I therefore understand that these lies are (have been) regularly pushed by people who do not necessarily believe in them.

But what are the strategic considerations behind the active spread of anti-vax theories? Who gains from this? Is it just an effective topic to rile up a political base? Because it hits people right in the feels? Is it just a way to bring people together on one topic, in order to use that political base for other purposes?

Or is anti-vax disinformation really only pushed by people who believe it?

ritswd,

It might be controversial, but I think people have legitimate reasons to not trust public health authorities. They have had to fess up in the past after years of misleading people about a number of things, from tobacco, sugar, alcohol, cannabis, … The Spanish flu is only called “Spanish” because Spain was the only country willing to acknowledge it during war time. It didn’t help also that more recently, the White House admitted to lying about the lack of need of face masks at the very beginning of the COVID pandemic, because they didn’t want people to take them away from hospital workers who needed them.

So with that, I understand why people will want to be selective about what public health guidelines they’ll choose to trust and not trus.

Add to that, that getting a vaccine shot is unpleasant. And consoling your baby after they got vaccinated is even more unpleasant. From there, you can understand the mental shortcut that some people make, choosing to ignore the proven impressive track record of vaccines to limit or even eradicate contagion of some diseases, and all of a sudden, all vaccines are a lie.

erogenouswarzone,
@erogenouswarzone@lemmy.ml avatar

Not only that, but this whole thing has become a hot-button issue, and any time that happens, all logic and scientific facts are the first thing to go.

For example, there are people that are allergic to certain vaccines. That is a fact. They are a small amount of the population, but they do exist, and they will die or get really sick if they get whatever vaccine.

Try telling that to someone who blindly follows the media’s crushing message of “All vaccines are good. Anyone who doesn’t get a vaccine is a stupid, poor redneck” They will not be able to hear it. They will think you’re anti-vaxx.

lortikins,

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here yet is that at least in America, we have had a historic problem with minority groups (especially Black people) and distrust of the medical field in general that's pretty freaking justified. This study speaks about it in depth. but here's some relevant points from the abstract:

Given that the virus has hit the Black community the hardest, I am concerned now that vaccine hesitancy may perpetuate the health disparities that we are currently seeing in the numbers of infections and deaths taking place. Most studies, for instance, at this point, have found that Blacks as a community have the highest levels of individuals who state they will never get the vaccine or are not sure if they will get the vaccine, Fig. Fig.11 [7, 8]. Many studies have noted that Black people cite distrust in the government and in the medical profession. Black people cite our nation’s history of racism in medical research and in medical care as key reasons for their hesitancy [9, 10].

For some people it is a real, deep distrust in the government. Like I said though, it's justified. You don't have to look far to see examples of what they're talking about. J. Marion Sims was hailed as a medical hero for developing new surgical techniques, but he practiced and developed them on non consenting black slave women and immigrant Irish women. That's by far from the worst though, if you've never read of it, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study is fucking horrifying.

The Public Health Service started the study in 1932 in collaboration with Tuskegee University (then the Tuskegee Institute), a historically Black college in Alabama. In the study, investigators enrolled a total of 600 impoverished African-American sharecroppers from Macon County, Alabama.[6] Of these men, 399 had latent syphilis, with a control group of 201 men who were not infected.[5] As an incentive for participation in the study, the men were promised free medical care. While the men were provided with both medical and mental care that they otherwise would not have received,[7] they were deceived by the PHS, who never informed them of their syphilis diagnosis[6][8][9][10][11] and provided disguised placebos, ineffective methods, and diagnostic procedures as treatment for "bad blood".[12]

The men were initially told that the experiment was only going to last six months, but it was extended to 40 years.[5] After funding for treatment was lost, the study was continued without informing the men that they would never be treated. None of the infected men were treated with penicillin despite the fact that, by 1947, the antibiotic was widely available and had become the standard treatment for syphilis.[13]

The study continued, under numerous Public Health Service supervisors, until 1972, when a leak to the press resulted in its termination on November 16 of that year.[14] By then, 28 patients had died directly from syphilis, 100 died from complications related to syphilis, 40 of the patients' wives were infected with syphilis, and 19 children were born with congenital syphilis.[15]

This study kept uneducated, rural black people from receiving adequate care for their known Syphilis infections for TWENTY FIVE YEARS after we knew about how to treat the disease. People were infected. Children were infected. People died from this study.

For background, I'm very pro-vaccine, so much so that I wanted to study biomedical sciences and immunology. But I think it's extremely important to realize the sociological backgrounds as to why some people distrust the system and are suspicious of "free medical care" especially when sponsored by the government. The first study I linked talks about it, and I definitely agree that there is SO much work to be done in the US around trust in public health institutions.

JJ_2086,

In my personal opinion, which may be controversial, I want to highlight a trend I observed when I moved to Europe as a child. At that time, I noticed that there were predominantly left-leaning communities that promoted anti-vaccine sentiments, even to the extent of including such ideas in school books.

Moving on to the present, many left-leaning ideologies seem to harbor a strong opposition towards America and capitalism in general. While this might be considered my "conspiracy" theory, it is worth noting that prior to the Ukraine war, several left-leaning political parties appeared to be quite open to engaging in business with Russia. It is a well-known fact that Russia has been operating troll farms for a significant period of time, manipulating public opinion with half-truths, fake news, and employing tactics like .

For instance, Germany phased out its nuclear plants, a decision that, in my opinion, increased its dependence on Russia for energy. While the green movement is undoubtedly important, it is worth questioning the role of gas in achieving environmental goals.

Now, let's consider who would benefit from a divided West, both internationally and within nations. Every year, we witness a growing political and societal divide. It is essential to be aware of the forces that seek to exploit these divisions.

Edit: The right and left have flip flopped in many areas in this regards in my opinion and my theory is Russia used to to their advantage.

SteveXVII,

A little conspiracy theory that I made up myself is that pharmaceutical companies spread the antivax-theories themselves, to prevent the measles from going extinct like smallpox.

Serpent,

That sounds mad! Good work though. Do you believe it?

Grant_M,
@Grant_M@lemmy.ca avatar

It’s just another way hostile foreign governments (Chinese, Russian etc.) insert chaotic propaganda to exploit and widen divisions within democracies. Some influencers work as agents of these governments, while many more are using it as an opportunity to increase their own celebrity which in turn fattens their wallets.

latca,

Some folks genuinely don’t like any synthetically created pharmaceuticals. But I have a feeling that some politicians and media personalities are spreading misinformation to keep people fearful and therefore under their control. If those in power keep people fearful of the big bad vaccines then they can swoop in and save them from it.

WhoRoger,
@WhoRoger@lemmy.world avatar

It's a fight against establishment and governments. Sometimes it swings one way, other times the other way.

Plus if one side of the political spectrum fights for something, then the other side needs to fight for the opposite. Simple as that.

(And the more one side pushes, the more will the other side push back. Action and reaction.)

Knightfall,
@Knightfall@lemmy.world avatar

From my viewpoint (central Canada, urban) people do not like to be controlled and mandated. So many fought back through any means necessary. That includes denial, fear mongering and trying to discredit science and fact to avoid having to stay home, social distance, and get a needle (which many people have phobias of).

MushuChupacabra,
@MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world avatar

The movement seems to be more about expanding its base than informing or protecting them. Once ensnared, followers will reliably go to the polls, and vote the way they are told to vote.

Being staunchly antivaxx is detrimental to good health at the personal level, and at the public health level.

Based on real world outcomes, the antivaxx lobby gets enough of their base to vote as directed, to offset any lost votes due to base members dying for lack of protection from vaccines.

I mean, they kill off only a small portion of their base with bad advice, but get the political results that they want. Why would they care?

Therefore,

It has popped up organically my whole life, presumably from a lack of trust of pharmaceutical companies and government health agencies. Some risks of certain vaccines have been overvalued by the population and spread. Then there is the inorganic spread which has value on an intranational level. "If my rival is largely antivax I'm at an advantage" etc

sock,

i find the anti vax stuff is because some people genuinely believe its dangerous and was pushed too fast because of money and corporate sponsors (yet those people arent against capitalism just against when capitalism doesn't serve them)

yet a lot of the claims of myocarditis and whatever is largely unsupported by studies and currently the anti vax folks are just going waiting for a source to say theyre correct because if i want to counter antivax i show any study theyre claiming exists

they cant show studies becuase low n behold they dont exist and facebook was lying. shocker

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