Ohhh, you had to, didn't ya? :) Thank the skies that you've got the thick skin, sir! The people observer in me is always intrigued by the reactions to these kind of discussions. I'd be more amused by it too, if the topic weren't so very vital to our health as a race. It's that big.
It's so interesting to me how often people willingly and blindly fall into the for or against category on hot button topics like this. Nearly all of the comments on this post up to this point, and I've read them all, are partisan in nature. I'm not even convinced that some of the comments in favor of your points on the potential link between vaccinations and autism are coming from a standpoint of knowledge, and not simply just because they like and trust you. Yeouch! Isn't that a terrible thought? I'm a mean person. Forgive me.
It's the missionary's dilemma, I think. When you're attempting to show folks whose eyes are not opened to the layers and layers of myth heaped on top of society, not opened to the conditioning that we've all received to respect and obey authority, then it can be so difficult to tell if your words have truly been heard, or if that "authority" has simply been transferred to you, a job that I very much doubt you'd want. Then there are the ones who dismiss your careful statements outright, because YOU are not the Authority (Are you a doctor? No! Case closed!!). So interesting to me to see how the mind works, or, rather, can be made to work.
As for my personal opinion? No, we may not be doctors, but we ARE parents. We are not given young human charges so that we can transfer our power as mothers and fathers over to any outside agency whatsoever. When it comes to MY children, I AM the highest authority over their welfare until they are old enough to take care of themselves. There is no doctor, no government official, no rabid parent wishing to control what happens to MY children, who has greater power than I do. As such, each parent has a responsibility, an obligation, to educate themselves on any procedure, food, event, schooling, and yes, vaccination, that others wish to impose upon their charges. The power has always been yours. The notion that you should trust anyone else blindly with the bright human spirit that you have the care over is statist thinking. Own yourself. Own your responsibilities.
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This is a brilliant comment. Thank you.
And this. Wow. You really drew something out here that I have always felt, but have never really managed to put into words:
Yes.
Have a fantastic weekend!
~Graham
You too!