Embedded in the hive-mind of the anti-vaccination ‘cult’

Okay, it is not strictly accurate to call the anti-vaccination movement a “cult”. One of the main features of a cult is the existence of a supreme leader; anti-vaccinationism is a many-headed beast, with many charismatic leaders – such as Andrew Wakefield – in many countries. So the term “cult” is used more loosely in the title, here.

However, anti-vaccinationism, like many denialist movements, does indeed have many cult-like characteristics, and I would certainly use the term “unsafe group” to describe the movement due to the constant threat it poses to public health. The following list is a 23-point selection from 33 characteristics of cults and unsafe groups:

Carol Giambalvo  

– Isolation of members (physical and/or psychological isolation) from society.

– Uses deception in recruiting and/or fund raising.

– Promotes dependence of the members on the group.

– Uses mind altering techniques (chanting, meditation, hypnosis and various forms of repetitive actions) to stop normal critical thinking.

– Appear exclusive and innovative.

– Controls the flow of information.

– Instills a fear of leaving the group.

Rick Ross

Warning signs of a potentially unsafe group.

– No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.

– No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.

– Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.

– There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.

– Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.

– The group is always right.

– The group is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.

Warning signs regarding people involved in/with a potentially unsafe group.

– Extreme obsessiveness regarding the group resulting in the exclusion of almost every practical consideration.

– Whenever the group is criticized or questioned it is characterized as “persecution”.

– Uncharacteristically stilted and seemingly programmed conversation and mannerisms, cloning of the group in personal behavior.

– Dependency upon the group for problem solving, solutions, and definitions without meaningful reflective thought. A seeming inability to think independently or analyze situations without group involvement.

– Hyperactivity centered on the group agenda, which seems to supersede any personal goals or individual interests.

– A dramatic loss of spontaneity and sense of humor.

– Increasing isolation from family and old friends unless they demonstrate an interest in the group.

– Anything the group does can be justified no matter how harsh or harmful.

– Former followers are at best considered negative or worse evil and under bad influences. They cannot be trusted and personal contact is avoided.

I’ve only been following the goings-on of the anti-vaccination movement for a little over 6 years. But, one thing which stuck out immediately is that the debate with anti-vaccinationists is not an evidence-based debate. Sure, anti-vaccinationists claim to have reams of evidence; but, their evidence is up there with that of creationists. The debate with anti-vaccinationists is a belief-based – or faith-based – debate. Like creationists, it doesn’t matter what evidence one presents to anti-vaccinationists; all one receives in return is fallacious argumentation, discredited citations, and vitriol.

Today, I’ll be quoting anti-vaccinationists to show what it’s really like to be embedded in their closed and secret groups. It is easy to become inured to their ugly behaviour and their outrageous claims; and sometimes it is only when one presents this behaviour to someone unaccustomed to the antivax movement that one is reminded of just how demented it is. And it is by presenting these very common examples that one can see just how much the antivax movement resembles a cult.

First, I want to focus on the insular nature of antivax groups. These groups reinforce and reward behaviour which promotes the notion that antivaxers are the recipients of privileged  information which sets them apart from the mainstream “sheeple” who are seen as unworthy,  unknowledgeable, and compliant. When their special knowledge is rejected, antivaxers turn on the venom.

On January 5 2016, admin of Unvaccinated Australia, Brittany Smith of Adelaide sought the counsel of her brethren:

Brittany Smith I’m so upset and I’m literally crying… I need support from my fellow anti-vaxxers…. an old friend of mine had a baby with his partner two days ago and despite me sending all the vaccine inserts, trying to arrange a time to give a booklet on vaccination he consented to the Heb B vaccine on day one… WHY? WHY? WHY? WHHHYYY? LET’S PRAY THE BABY STAYS SAFE 😥 😥 😥 😥 😥  Arghhh so heartbreaking 😥

Smith’s colleagues piled on:

Lulu Langford Sadly happens all the time. All we can do is pray the baby is safe. And they wake up.

Trent Wiseman Sadly for now you’ll go through that with most of them Brit. Slowly slowly. Just keep calmly and respectfully saying your piece. Keep drip feeding information, your friends will keep the knowledge in the back of their minds and should they start to question further themselves, they’ll know to come to you. Be gentle with them and yourself. Too much preaching and you’ll just push them away

Miriam Baxt I wonder if they seriously read what you gave them? I used to give non vax health related stuff to family (usually online articles so was via email) & they just got nasty about it all

Unitatum Spiritus [real name Steve Kefalinos] I guess the worst part is besides the poor baby.. It was the most useless and easily explained vaccine of them all.. I mean a baby getting hep b… Hmm
You did your best Brittany Smith x

Brittany Smith Thank you Unitatum. Yeah that’s why I am upset. It’s the baby that matters! D: Hopefully it doesn’t die from SIDS…

Sharon Heilbronn Foolishness cannot be exolained. There was obviously pressure from some other source that made him say ok. Sometimes the Drs and nurses do it do blase that it gives the parents s false sense of security.

Clare Bailey I would recommend a book by Jennifer Barham Floreani called Well Adjusted Babies. It’s a holistic read & packed with info including a chapter on vaccines. Gifting this book to anyone expecting or with kids could open the door to informed & thought provoking reading without being too “in your face”.

My midwives were so convincing & intimidating with their vaccine speil I felt vulnerable. It took a lot of determination to stand my ground & not fold.

Greg French You tried your best Britt, you can’t do any more. The brain washing is strong. Hold your head up proud that you tried and you aren’t part of the brain washed. And say a little prayer to your God, for the baby.

It is important to remember, as one reads through these examples, that these people really do believe the things they are saying. They really do believe that they are acting out of altruism. They really do believe that vaccines kill; and no amount of post surveillance evidence will change their minds.

On January 12 2016, Leisha Smith (Leisha Allen), of Mandurah WA, actually uses the term “unique” to describe what sets anti-vaccinationists apart from the “conforming” masses. From Vaccine Free Australia:

Leisha Smith I really hate how many of us perceive pro vaxxers to be idiots. These people have simply fallen for a very expensive worldwide campaign that’s gone on for decades. They’re trusting in their doctors, their media and their government which we should actually be able to trust in. They’re conforming just like they’ve been taught throughout their entire education.
They’re not idiots. We’re just the unique ones that didn’t fall for the system. We got lucky

Her colleague is less charitable towards outsiders:

Sarah O’Reilly I sort of agree with you. I get frustrated that they are unwilling to even look that is what makes them idiots in my opinion. The unwillingness to see it different is what makes it very hard to deal with. If they even opened their minds a little they would see the truth. It is all because of their belief systems that they are unwilling. If they change what they believe then they think they are stupid because they believed in the first place. It is all about how we look at it.

Even in this amazing circle there are belief patterns that do my head in. I have been talking to people about a certain subject and because it is against what we have always been brought up to believe they tell me I am wrong. We are open to the vaccines but I can tell you there are a lot in this world that are not open to other things. So it depends on the level of stupid.

On January 9 2016, Robert Thompson gave us an insight into another aspect of anti-vaccination isolation; here is the exclusive antivax dating scene. From the Anti-Vaccination Australia group:

Robert Thompson With all these vaccination laws ahead of us, especially thinking of the single dating parents or those who have teens who are dating age, I’m wondering if a commitment to strictly NON VAX dating site would be beneficial considering the future ahead of our kids/grandkids, having a partner who is of the same mind in this regard would lessen the stress in the union of potential parenting. Just a thought, What do you think??

On January 2 2016, in Anti-Vaccination Australia, Bron McAllister advocated starting up a whole new anti-vaccine society:

Bron McAllister It’s been said before, the only way to rid ourselves of this toxic environment is to get out of it & start a new society. I like Michael Tellinger’s Ubantu movement where small towns survive without money only on reciprocity where every person contributes to the community 3 hours a week & basically live off the land and start trading our organic food & hand made products to neighbouring town. The shops will then be forced to close & it will cause a ripple effect, capitalism cannot sustain us for much longer so it’s an eventuality. I hope to be living in rural south west WA within the next 8 years and start up something like this, it’s been my dream to live off the land since I was 16!

But, as with any cult, there are also victims. And, often, these victims are supported to remain in the cult. Possibly the saddest of these stories are the victims who blame themselves for some imagined “vaccine injury” they inflicted on their child; these are stories we hear commonly from the autism community, thanks to Andrew Wakefield and his conga-line of callous, cashed-up crackpots.

This person from Port Macquarie commented on January 10 2016, in the Vaccine Free Australia group:

The tears – I chose to vaccinate my daughter and I injured her feeling so broken right now… Every now and then it’s hard to cope with as I blame myself.
On the special needs page I’m in on FB they are all giving flu shots to their non verbal kids and I just can’t imagine the damage in their brains.
They can’t express themselves already injured and the doctors jam them full if Vaccs . Feeling down

And the members reinforced the self-blame this person holds, whilst telling her not to blame herself:

Bec Fitzgerald Dont blame yourself. You made the best decision you could with the infomation you were given. Love you babe.

Rixta Francis Don’t blame yourself that you didn’t know what you didn’t know. I know that’s hard. I still very often feel like “how could I have been so stupid to get myself injected with flu shots?” They damaged me. I can’t even imagine how parents feel when their children have been injured. Hugs to you.

Lucia Guzzardi is a person who featured recently in the news, as a Melbourne anti-vaccination activist whose baby was hospitalised due to whooping cough. Guzzardi lied to treating physicians about her intention to vaccinate her baby once she was discharged, all the while commenting in the Unvaccinated Australia group denigrating the healthcare professionals who were attempting to protect her baby from harm.

On January 2 2016, Guzzardi was active again in Unvaccinated Australia, arguing against the effectiveness of the whooping cough vaccine:

Lucia Guzzardi Vaccine is suppose to medically only work for 5 years. But as we have seen and know, from the amount of WC around, and there is much more than they make out because it can get misdiagnosed, vaccine doesn’t work………..

She also noted to a colleague that her baby had recovered, after being hopitalised:

Persephone Rose how is your daughter going Lucia Guzzardi?

Lucia Guzzardi She is good! Happy and in good health.

Persephone Rose great news i have been wondering how yous got on

On January 3 2016, Guzzardi was praising Tristan Wells, the man who advocated for the execution of health care workers, and called bereaved parents “evil fascists”:

Lucia Guzzardi Tristan are you going to write a book soon!!!!!!!

And with blinding hypocrisy, on January 7 2016, Guzzardi ranted against immunisation, by citing vaccine injuries:

Lucia Guzzardi Thanks Lynne. Wonder how the pro vaxxers will feel when they are made to pay compensation for injuries??? Where is the responsibilities of those actually responsible!!!!!!! Why should ANYONE but the MAKERS pay anyone anything when their product hurts someone. Does this happen in any other industry.

Lynne Hopewell The pro vaxers will be paying for their own compensation as they are pro vaxers lol lol they won’t have a choice I will never vaccinate I don’t care how much they take off us

Lucia Guzzardi Wonder how they will feel about that!!!

Lynne Hopewell Yes I wonder I think most would be happy if they know theres a back up if anything goes wrong nothing could bring a child back

Only yesterday, January 10 2016, in Vaccine Free Australia, Caroline Duffy bragged to her colleagues of how she refused all vaccinations and medical advice about her premature baby:

Caroline Duffy Hi ladies. A while ago I posted on here about my baby girl born at 26 weeks. At the time she was still in hospital and all the doctors and nurses were trying their hardest to get me to vaccinate her. Everyday a different nurse/doctor would give me their professional medical ‘opinion’ on why I should give in and sign the consent. I would always ask to see the study which was carried out to show vaccines are safe for extremely premature low weight babies (she was only 740 grams at birth). There was no such study. Well they tried so hard to change my mind. They got social workers and psychologists on to me. It was really getting me down and making me dread going to visit my daughter in hospital. But with the support of my husband I went in there day and night with my head held high. One day the constant questions stopped. I later found out my husband had gone in one day and had a few words. Told them to leave me alone, I’ve been through enough, stop trying to force the issue. At the very end of my daughters stay they gave it one last push. I actually laugh about it now. Well I am proud to say that on 14th December my baby girl came home. 100% vaccine free, exclusively breast fed (ps they tried to make me give her formula because of her anaemia). She is thriving and growing. She’s 3 weeks corrected and weighs 3.4kgs. The battle is constant as now I have the community nurses in my ear about vaccines. But I have come out of this stronger then ever and I have no problem looking them in the eye and saying ‘no she will not be jabbed, and I don’t want to discuss it with you’ 😕

Duffy’s colleagues reinforced her harmful beliefs and their results:

Allison Walker Go you!!
You should run classes!!!

Kathy Matthew Go you!! Glad it made you much stronger and kudos to your fab hubby

Sophie Krokos Your baby girl is beautiful, good on you mum for not giving up and standing your ground, you saved your daughters life by saying No, well done

Sissy-Rae O’Brien Fantastic job! I admire your strength! Xx

Danielle Thompson I’m so happy for you that’s awesome news!! Well done on braving the barrage and good on your husband for getting them to lay off. Your poppet is so cute and precious too xxxx

Suzie Connelly Robertson She is so lucky to have parents like you. Good on you for holding your ground.

Laura Leslie Murphy She’s gorgeous and better for it! proud my daughter was preemie born 1kg. And all Vaccs given. MMR made her regress and have brain injury. I can’t believe they have preemies on the same schedule !!! Good on you!

Clair Berry Your so awesome hun!!!! Love your strength and courage to fight that battle everyday!

Julia Gilby Congratulations- she looks amazing. Just stop going to the community nurses. Weigh her at the chemist 🙂

Christine Phethean What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. You are evidence of that. You are strong and you know your facts.

Emma Wiseman I love everything about this, and not to mention she is absolutely beautiful!!!!

Greg Wilson One day your daughter will thank you for protecting her from the greedy vultures. The effort will be worth it in the end. Congratulations, and congratulations, you have a normal baby.

Sue Davis What a gorgeous, healthy looking daughter you have. Bright eyed and bushy tailed! She will thank you one day!

The second point on which I will focus is the related special knowledge of which antivaxers believe they are endowed: a knowledge with its own mythology, replete with fables, and a narrative of harm inflicted by an overarching medico-industrial complex. Many anti-vaccinationists concoct incomprehensible texts of gibberish which bear no resemblance to established scientific theories, instead drowning themselves in waves of denialism. These texts are then lapped up by the adoring colleagues who aren’t really sure what they are reading, and never question if these pitiful theses are made from whole denialist cloth.

One such concocter of the absurd is Tristan Wells, whose online tome of things he feels are correct has been deconstructed and mocked around the world. His fawning colleagues won’t even dare to click on links which prove Wells is not up to scratch. Some even praise Wells whilst admitting they have not read it:

Rixta Francis is another anti-vaccination campaigner who has put saliva to paper, recently self-publishing a book based on what she thinks happens. This review of Francis’ vanity publication is one of the best things currently on the internet; so, do read the whole thing if you get a chance. It is much better than exposing yourself to Francis:

I’m not even sure it’s fair to post a review of a ‘book’ like Rixta Francis’ slim vanity publication. It’s so self-evidently inept, and so unlikely to be taken seriously even by Francis’ allies in the antivax movement, that any comment you can make about it feels uncomfortably harsh. Still, insofar as Francis wants her work to be taken seriously enough that she’s put out a book, then she also invites, and indeed should welcome, critique. It’s also worth dwelling on “The Fiction of Science” as a remarkably clear example of one of the key flaws that drive anti-science thinking. I’ll come to that in a moment.

This book sets out to deflate a number of claims made by and on behalf of science. Francis, as quickly becomes evident, doesn’t understand how science as a method of inquiry actually works. [read more…do it]

On January 6 2016, in Unvaccinated Australia, Amber Borsotti lamented the degradation of the human condition, in so much that medical advances have allowed the less then fully-able to procreate and lead full lives. Among her supporters in Borsotti’s lamentation is Dr Kevin Coleman. Really!

Amber Borsotti The saddest and most unfortunate thing about the whole vaccination thing, in my view (and I dont mean to be insensitive here to peoples loss or suffering of any kind due to illness or death) is …..

Once upon a time according to natures law people got ill and recovered -stronger or weaker- as their body was able, they got viruses and bacteria etc, and in the worst cases died…. Now what we have is much the same, people still get ill and people still die, only with the added element of the interruption to natural processes and new variations of disease. We now have hugely increased disability on many levels, physical, mental, immunological, neurological…. Peoples ability to pass on their healthy genetics will be damaged and impaired along with their competent ability to offer proper care with any certainty. We will have in the future many many more permanently ill people who are dependent on more care and more interventions and less and less people who have strong and resilient bodily systems….

We will become a gradually, progressively disabled humanity.

Borsotti’s colleagues concur:

Lynette Kennedy I think we have made some fantastic medical progresses over the past 50 years, with micro surgery and numerous devices and yes even drugs which have saved lives and improved the quality of life for many people but how far should they be allowed to go? Now medical science and the highly profitable pharmaceutical companies have joined up and they have really over stepped the ethical mark and want to force medicate everyone whether they need it or want it or NOT. Creating a new Frankenstein era of medicine with out any morals or ethics, using and abusing all life forms for their own ends.

Kevin Coleman Well put Lynette.

Tara Brown You are spot on, Amber. With all this forced vaccination, the only outcome will be an injured disabled human race, apart from those who have the power to avoid it. Which, no doubt, will be the media moguls and cartel, mafia, and big pharma hierarchy. It’s so scary. So sad. I fear for my children and future generations.

Greg French Creating life long customers.

One colleague even likes a bit of inspiration porn:

Allona Lahn The fact of the matter is we are ALL going to die.. some sooner rather that later. That is life. Illness is an important part of life it gives us compassion, humility, patience, respect and many other qualities, when people die and or we are sick we appreciate what we have, reflect on who we are and how lucky we are. I have nearly died due to Auto Immune issues and I have also had a full term still born baby and I don’t blame anyone, that is life, that is part of who we are and makes us have compassion, understanding, love and makes us human. All these things give you strength, understanding, wisdom and insight. When you see a disabled person, how lucky do you feel?! Universal law and nature is amazing!

The thread rounds off with another common theme in these conspiracy groups: the futuristic, dystopian, end-times narrative, against which all thinking anti-vaccinationists should rise up, lest they be culled:

Kayla DÁssumpcao Wes Penre speaks about this.. the industrial world as the future will be named.. nano tach will come in to save the day with replacing limbs and organs til we are no longer humans but a type of cyborg. .. anti vaxers and those who don’t follow suit will be forced to leave the industrial areas and live off the land. Sounds good to me but… many will be culled before that I fear …

Sit back and ponder a moment; how ferociously terrifying would it be to exist inside these people’s heads?

On January 10 2016, in Anti-Vaccination Australia, Daniel Whitelock cranks it up another notch with a Freeman on the Land argument embellished with a New World Order dystopia, replete with a microchip on top:

Daniel Whitelock Wish we never had to sign our children’s birth certificates, making them chattel for the government, by which they can impose their laws on the ALL CAPS corporate fiction (straw man) that is created by that document.

In the NWO vaccinations will be mandatory for everyone I believe, dissenters will just have their chip switched off.

Among the fables told by anti-vaccinationists – apart from the usual claims about the lack of vaccine safety and efficacy – is the horrifically concerning misinformation regarding the need for newborns to receive Vitamin K, to prevent intracranial haemorrhage. This is misinformation that can and does kill newborns much quicker than other anti-vaccination misinformation. In 2012 a baby died because her parents refused Vitamin K, and the Hepatitis B immunisation, because of misinformation. This baby is, sadly, not alone.

On January 9 2016, in Anti-Vaccination Australia, Tami Perrin posted from a Brisbane hospital where she had just undergone a birth by caesarean section. Perrin bragged to her colleagues about how she was refusing Vitamin K for her baby:

Tami  Perrin I just had a baby – I’m still in hospital- I declined hep b and Vit k. They mAde sure every single nurse who walked in knew I chose not to do these injections.
I can see how uneducated people in this area get pressured into doing it.

Just glad I don’t follow the heard

Her colleagues were, of course, effusive in their praise of Perrin:

Jason Wood Well done Tami! I get that every time I go to the royal children’s hospital. Usually a smartarse in there to spoil what should be a magical day. Congratulations!

Brianandtracey Simpson congrats 🙂 make sure someone (you or family) are with your baby at all times 🙂  all the best for a happy and healthy future

Tami Perrin Yes he hasn’t left my sight – I don’t trust them one bit

Stephen Exeter Your a great mother.
Respect.

Trevor Simons Congrats! Your Bub is very lucky to have smart intelligent mum.

Ayla Mills That’s awesome congratulations on your new healthy bundle of joy. Dw doctors are always going to be like that I was getting sown up and had lost so much blood I kept passing out yet the doctor still kept arguing with me about not vaccinating. I laughed at her and said yeah sure we’ll do me a favour and guarantee that my child will be completely safe. She shut up damn quick 🙂

Ramana Braye I’m due to give birth in 8 weeks, I plan on telling them I have medical exemption if they want to discuss it with anyone they can call my doctor…hopefully that should side step their crap

Tami Perrin Yeah I told them I know how to research, I’m studying to be a naturopath

Tony Ciniglia Don’t let these ignorant misinformed BULLIES intimidate you!!! you’re awesome!

Debi Leeper Well done! Many know HepB is so unnecessary and still allow the VitK to be injected. The research I’ve looked at recently is alarming.

Steph Brill Stay strong! I got so much pressure from every midwife when I was in hospital but stayed strong. On the plus side, I had to take my son last night to emergency for a bad bump to the head and when I said he wasn’t vaccinated to one of the nurses, she said good on you 🙂

Gloreen Andersen Well done. Strength to you. Don’t leave your baby alone anytime. They have been known to do things without consent

Dan WF Congratulations. Sad thing is medical staff are equally a bunch of sheep, they don’t question nor think outside the standard teachings

Wayne Baird Good girl. Stay strong

Lina Minawiyeh I did the same with my last baby. They had the doc come in at about 2 am after a 36 hour labour to educate me and let me know my baby can die of bla bla bla because I refuse vit K. Seriously I slept through the whole lecture.

Kimbo Jimbo U don’t need to give them any shots! None of my kids have had anything and they have never seen a doctor smile emoticon
Respect to u 🙂

Tristan Glenn Congratulations Tami on being strong. I hope your partner supported your decision 100% as well. By the way, did you see them sneak a pin prick into his foot and take blood for the governments DNA bank register? did they ask you for consent to take your babies DNA? i bet not.

Aleena Noad is  registered nurse:

Aleena Noad congrats and well done mumma

Only about one quarter of the thread has been included, above.

The third point I want to cover is the compulsion that anti-vaccinationists have to proselytise, evengelise, and recruit other members of the community. Like any zealots, anti-vaccinationists are not content to merely put their own children at risk – claiming that they are doing the opposite – but, they are compelled to spread the good word about their special knowledge: to protect the sheeple from themselves, and from the evil overlords of Big Pharma, and from the fascist governments who are out to  poison the compliant voters.

Recently we saw the awful Hollie Singleton crusading on our television screens, until it was made public that she thinks it is fine for the weak to die off just as nature intended. Anti-vaccination organisations like Meryl Dorey’s execrable Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network have proselytisation as their core financial principle. They are the same the world over. This desire for power – to push their ideology beyond their own indoctrinated membership – is what brings anti-vaccinationists undone; especially because they are not very intelligent.

On January 6 2016, in Unvaccinated Australia, callous anti-vaccination activist Lo Mong Bridge (Zili Lau) advocated that the cabal should form coalitions with people like “the gays”. That’s what she said, alright:

Zili Lau Renata Bialkowska has such good ideas, it’s worth sharing.

It makes good sense strategic sense, to barter with other human rights groups. Making alliances with the gays & other human rights groups to get them on our side & we’ll piggyback onto their cause. We have to get cunning & do what the politicians do, which is “you scratch my back, & I can scratch yours”!
That’s the only way to get more numbers rather than working in isolation in our 2% of the population group, we could increase our voice to 40% ………..!

Mong Bridge’s colleagues chimed in, with equal offensiveness:

Erica French From my experience the gay community is very pro Vax and I have no idea why?!?

Erin Anne Because they don’t have kids and therefore don’t care about any possible adverse side effects. I doubt they would be getting any vaccines themselves.

After a few of Mong Bridge’s colleagues questioned her terminology, Mong Bridge erased any mention of “the gays”, or the whole community. She decided she would no longer include them, at all. Thinking is hard:

Amber Russell Zili Lau do you want to edit your post so it doesn’t say ‘the gays’. Case in point- saying ‘the blacks’ is offensive. Same goes for ‘the gays.’

Zili Lau Thanks for picking that up Amber. I’ve now changed it. As I think it’s more worthwhile aligning with environmental groups. I reckon a majority who care about the earth also care about what goes into their own bodies!

On January 3 2016, registered nurse Aleena Noad posted in Anti-Vaccination Australia about letterbox drops that had taken place around the Mount Tamborine area:

Aleena Noad This was left in my mail box whilst I was on holidays. I had to read it twice to make sure it wasn’t actually pro vax!
Any thoughts?
I like it but I think some of the resources are pretty outdated and old.
Always good to see action though.
More pics in comments

Noad’s anti-vaccine colleagues made plans to create their own flyers for distribution:

Brianandtracey Simpson awesome – big shout out to whoever done this. great to see. now if only we could force people to actually open their minds and read before they threw it in the bin. but even if you only get one person to read it was still worth it 🙂 

Megan Johnson This is what we all need to be doing! Lets get some facts printed off and do letterbox drops 🙂 

Tiana Theoharris Great idea Megan

Amy Daniels Love this!

Megan Johnson Whos kickass on computers in the group? I can press print but thats about it. Some simple easy to read facts and some ingredients and great links would be awesome.

Amy Daniels Im a graphic designer. But ive only researched what was relevant to my condition re vaccines so im not as knowledgeable as the other ladies on here

Jason Wood Casually place these in Dr’s and hospital waiting rooms. Haha.

Amy Daniels Or in centrelink. Its so depressing in there they have a big screen playing constant vaccine ads while people wait and watch it looks like the brainwashing of sheep

Megan Johnson Lets make a stand and commit ourselves to getting the truth out there, I think letter drops are a good start 🙂 

Meg Rhiannon Will definitely get in on the letter dropping. I need the exercise as well 🙂

Cat Wilson can these be added to files so we can print them off?

Brittany-j Toretto I can design flyers im a graphic designer

Brittany-j Toretto I will make some up by the end of the week & post them up here for people to hand out i think this is an awesome idea

Kelli Hurley Love it!! Would love to see this being put in everyone’s mail box!!

Joanna Mander Great idea we should all print off some everyone and distribute in our neighbourhoods

And speaking of proselytising in Centrelink, we cannot go  past this disturbing video made by Frank Vazquez, ranting in his local Centrelink office about “crimes against humanity” whilst his poor daughter makes uncomfortable noises of distress.

On January 8 2016, Vazquez published this video under the public setting, thereby giving permission to all viewers to use this video in whichever manner they choose, as per Facebook Terms of Service:

__________________________________________

The fourth and final point I want to cover surrounds the frequent attacks anti-vaccinationists heap upon those whom they perceive to be a threat. Everyone is fair game. Often emitting cries that they are being persecuted, anti-vaccinationists are renowned for vilifying bereaved parents of whom they are jealous. They are renowned for vilifying critics and inciting violence against those who merely report on the cruel activities of the antivax pressure groups. They are renowned for condoning anti-Semitism and sexism, and have no problems affiliating with thugs. And they condone death threats made by their colleagues.

Anti-vaccinationists concoct a narrative of persecution. They are the freedom fighters battling the harmful outsiders who are intent on corrupting purity. Antivaxers even attack their friends from the safety of their closed and secret antivax groups. Friends become the other; a threat; a source of ignorance which must be rejected in the pursuit and protection of ideology. Friends are derided. They are excommunicated.

On January 7 2015, Sarah Foskett unloaded on one of her ungrateful friends, in Vaccine Free Australia:

Sarah Foskett I’m, so, so, so tired of posting good, quality, information on vaccines (the info that Courtney posted only a short time ago with masses of links to doctors discussing the matter etc) only to get responses from friends like: “but myself and my children are fully vaccinated, and we have never reacted, and no amount of reading will convince me that vaccines are bad” ….. We have become a dumbed-down, numb society and I fear for my children’s future if it continues like this.

How does she know that her children haven’t reacted? How does she know that they wouldn’t have been different, smarter, quicker, brighter, without the toxic vaccine doses?

The limitations on these peoples thinking scares me – so she’s never seen a ‘serious’ reaction within her small circle? This means they are safe?
And this woman is a newly registered health care professional! I fear for her patients, but I don’t want to start an argument with her (though she regularly argues with me on the topic) because my long-term friendship with her means more than my views on healthcare. I just wish she’d read some of the stuff I post rather than arguing with it, it would make so much difference in her life, and the lives of her future patients.

The members reinforced the ideal of Foskett’s privileged status:

Bradley Dobson How does she know her children’s children won’t react. Hate to think what the schedule will look like then…..

Tristan Wells You can’t ask people to confront their cognitive dissonance you have to shove it in front of their faces.

That is where the “a 70kg adult receiving the equivalent dose as babies would get around 400 vaccines over the space of 18 months” comes in.

Sarah Foskett lol thanks Tristan, unfortunately a comment like that would start an argument with her. The cognitive dissonance is strong in this one 😉

I just needed to vent – the frustration gets to me sometimes.

On January 9 2016, in Unvaccinated Australia, Emma Gibney sought confirmation of one of the enduring narratives, the deaths of the many caused by the harmful outsiders:

Emma Gibney  How many children have died from the current Australian Immunisation schedule?? Arguing against a pro vaxxer making huge claims that anti vaxxers are liars and no evidence??

The usual misinformation was supplied by Gibney’s colleagues, including PhD holder, Pavel Kalinov. The very link provided by Kalinov brings up a warning that “adverse events” are not an indication of causation. This is a common, inconvenient fact upon which anti-vaccinationists build their dishonest fables of mass harm and death:

Pavel Kalinov http://apps.tga.gov.au/PROD/DAEN/daen-entry.aspx

– search for “vaccine”, select “all”, limit to all year 2014 (last with full data), order by “deaths” – you get 8 for that year.

These are people who do not care that an “adverse event” (no causation established) is fundamentally different to a “side effect” (causation established).  The lies continue:

Kayla DÁssumpcao Most sids cases would be. Since that’s on all vaccine inserts too .. I know mmr and dtap have that stated as a side effect. Babies don’t just go to bed healthy and fine then die through the night .. there are obviously the few that’s suffocate etc. But most are from vac

Kayla DÁssumpcao The sids we site claims roughly 3,500 babies die a year from sids.. …

Emma Gibney I just want to say a huge thank you to you all. Sometimes I feel I’m on my own fighting against the world with regards to vaccinations. To have you all take time from your families and lives to support me with the questions I have put up here over the last few months makes me very thankful I’m with a group of supportive, likeminded parents, grandparents and health advocates. Thank you

Just today, January 11 2016, I received this blog comment wishing for the harm of babies, based upon these fables of the corruption of purity by forces which seek to harm the innocent:

Please, please, vaccinate all your beautiful children and all your grandchildren and all your great grand-children…because the human genome can only withstand 3 generations of Big Pharma vaccine assault anyhow.

And, only some hours ago, on January 11 2015, in Unvaccinated Australia, a News Limited journalist was the target of a conspiracy theory in which her name was mocked, and her identity transferred onto me:

Lulu Langford [real name Louisa Kenzig] The meaning of the name Monique is ‘Advisor’ and Hore… well…. I reckon it’s Hank.

Lynette Kennedy After reading some of her previous articles, I say forget Dee Hore.

Maria Murphy She can barely construct a sentence. So…I guess that means she’s perfect for the Herald Sun.

Finally, some of the most hateful attacks from anti-vaccinationists, in the last few days, have come at the expense of Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. Using Facebook to go after Zuckerberg, and his baby daughter, antivaxers let fly with their full arsenal of delusional denialism.

On January 10 2016, in Unvaccinated Australia, full-mental-jacket conspiracy theorist, Adam Crabb, kicked off:

Adam George Crabb How perfectly timed & this looks like a publicity stunt to me. Show us the child actually getting vaccinated, prove that this is a real doctors office & i may consider believing this. Look at his wording, ‘Doctor’s visit — time for vaccines!, This is a creepy thing for anyone to say & who says it like that anyway? It’s like saying, ‘Candy Store – Time For Yummy Treats.

His broken co-conspiracy theorists joined in:

Margherita Ghezzi If that baby got anything done (I would bet NO), it would only be saline solution… conjectures yes, but I am 99.999% convinced as most people I think

Hanan H Saleh Unless he has video footage of her getting her shots I won’t believe it.

Sharon Heilbronn I wouldn’t even believe it then!

Hanan H Saleh I’d personally have to be the one doing it to be convinced lol

Mark Krinkel Another victim of legal drugging

Melissa Grainey I would 100% believe that the injections his daughter got were 100% normal saline with not an actual vaccine in sight

Georgie Rush Bullshit its a stunt to get people to vaccinate.

Sophia Constantine Yeah right as if he’d actually be injecting his own daughter with the same shit they’re using to depopulate us minions with..

And this was tame.

On January 9 2015, on the Facebook profile of Flat Earther, Nikki Cornish (yes, she really is a Flat Earther), Zuckerberg copped more flak:

Nikki Cornish I believe this is all put on.. There is no way he would be vaccinating.. He knows the truth.. But he’d be getting a nice reward for posting this photo and pushing the vaccine agenda!

Cornish’s friends concurred:

Matthew Stewart This is billshit

Bouamama Jazil He isn’t his child 😀  and he isn’t the owner of Facebook, it’s all lies

Persephone de Kari Bio terrorist propaganda whore

Nikki Cornish ^^^^ right!! But if I say all that I’d look reallyyyy crazy!!

Marc Andrew Garibaldi Nikki. You are spot on. He is probably sitting in his own house.

Nikki Louise Cole He’s a coward and even more ridiculous than he already seems by all the other stuff that is said or not said that we will never know the real truth about.

Rodolfo Plasencia If he knows the truth he doesn’t love it.

Time for attempting of murder of his own child. This is an involuntary act portrayed by millions or billions in the world..just for money, perks, kickbacks, acceptance, control, greed, nastiness all the way to the devil, the temporary governor of this system of things. Pure nastiness. Get any fruit juice, ideally organic, will be better than pretty much anything of this planet (Gen. 1:29).

Mark Zuckerberg, read just a little bit more.

But the worst was exposed, yesterday, on Refutations to Anti-Vaccine Memes. Anti-vaccinationists actually desired the death of Mark Zuckerberg’s baby, whilst also using anti-Semitism to attack Zuckerberg:

Just think about this. How far into an ideology must one be to desire the death of a 6 week old baby girl?

That’s why I loosely refer to anti-vaccinationism as a cult.

Thanks for  reading.

__________________________________________