Accuse people of belonging to a “hate group”: that always works, right?

Whenever cults start feeling a bit of heat they like to accuse their critics of belonging to hate groups, wife-bashing, paedophilia etc. We see it from all sorts of cranks, all over the internet. I’ve been accused of belonging to a paedophile ring by a creationist wingnut who liked to create accounts pretending that he was a US Marshal or something – oh, Officer Thomas Kincaid where for art thou? By now everyone is aware of the tactics of the cult of Scientology, like declaring “SPs” under the renamed “fair game” policy of ElRon and his successors.

So, it is no surprise any time Meryl Dorey of the cult of anti-vaccination declares her critics to be a hate group. She does it every time she is found to be wanting as, well, a person of any decency or ethics; the fangs come out and she project(ile)s all of her glaring, demonstrable, proven flaws on to those who are holding her to account (whole thread here). This stuff is Cult 101. This time Dorey has even included a definition of a hate group, just to prove how her respectful and affable tone is backed by evidence of some sort.

From Dorey's Google Group, "Vaccination - Respectful Debate". Really.

Here is the main part:

As for your claim that SAVN is not a hate group, I beg to differ. Here is an excellent definition of what constitutes a hate group:

an organization or individual that advocates violence against or
unreasonable hostility toward those persons or organizations identified by their race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender or disability. Also including organizations or individuals that disseminate historically inaccurate information with regards to these persons or organizations for the pupose[sic] of vilification.[1]

SAVN fits in there very nicely.

Let’s have a look at this “excellent definition” of a hate group:

1. an organization or individual that advocates violence against or unreasonable hostility…

– this is a common trope invoked by Dorey whenever she feels the need to deflect attention from her own shortcomings on to those who are holding her to account. See under the heading, How Meryl Dorey lies about those who hold her to account, in this link, as to how Dorey has made regular, similar, false accusations against SAVN and others.

2. …toward those persons or organizations identified by their race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender or disability.

I’m not quite sure where Meryl Dorey and her Australian Vaccination Network fit in to any of these categories. The only one I can remotely square here is religion, but I’m sure Dorey herself would vehemently deny that any faith-based dogma is the bedrock of the anti-vaccination movement: “it’s about the science”, Dorey often implores. If lying and misinforming were considered a disability, then, we might be able to do that, at a stretch. Luckily, for the many of us who do have a disability, such a comparison would be an affront to decency not worth contemplating.

3. Also including organizations or individuals that disseminate historically inaccurate information with regards to these persons or organizations for the pupose[sic] of vilification.

Hang on a minute. Dorey isn’t talking about SAVN at all. She is obviously talking about the AVN, whereby, in the Public Warning about the Australian Vaccination Network:

The Commission’s investigation established that the AVN website:

  • provides information that is solely anti-vaccination
  • contains information that is incorrect and misleading
  • quotes selectively from research to suggest that vaccination may be dangerous.

So, it would seem that Dorey’s “excellent definition” of a hate group does not apply to SAVN at all; but, it does apply to Meryl Dorey and her AVN in at least one of the criteria. I say “one”, as there will be more to come after Dorey’s recent breach of privacy legislation in publishing the private contact details, from private communications, of people who emailed her to clarify outstanding questions Dorey had refused to previously clarify. This is for a future post, as the fallout from Dorey’s breach is not finished. Not by a long shot.

As to Dorey even using the “hate group” trope to begin with: list member “Peter McCarthy” puts it succinctly:

Terms like “hate group” are subjective, derogatory and inappropriate for this debate site. Trying to demonise a group that argues against you/yours in this way demonstrates anything but a desire for open and constructive debate.

Give the man a another hammer: he’s nailed it.

As to vilification: no one does vilification like Meryl Dorey. If Dorey disagrees with you, your decision (the HCCC investigation is “illegal”. This Australian Human Rights Commission finding is “illegal”. The Uniting Church is “corrupt”), or your line of work; then, you can expect to be called all sorts of names, and compared to all sorts of sexual abusers.

All of the above terms have been used by Meryl Dorey on those with whom she disagrees

About reasonable hank

I'm reasonable, mostly.
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