Back in February, Orac noted that the tide seemed to be turning in the fight against antivaccinationists, and predicted that 2009 would be a banner year for the forces of reason if our efforts could be sustained. Unfortunately, the antivaxxers aren’t about to make it easy for us.
As you’ve likely already heard, Jenny McCarthy signed a multi-year deal with Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions, giving the antivax “mommy warrior” her own talk show, a blog on Oprah’s webstie, and who knows what other privileges. Skeptics throughout the blogosphere cried out in lamentation when the news broke last Monday, and with good reason. Oprah has already been largely responsible for launching Jenny’s dangerous antivax message. This new development will at the least serve to further legitimize McCarthy, if not to directly spread her medical ignorance.
Still, I remain optimistic that Orac’s prediction may yet pan out. As the antivaxxers become more vocal, so, too, do their opponents.
Clearly, it would be incredible if we could get Oprah to rescind her endorsement of McCarthy. But as satisfying as it would be to see Oprah smash Jenny into a million little pieces, I’m not holding my breath. It’s discouraging enough that she has such a long, full history of promoting magical thinkers. But more importantly, antivaccinationism (and McCarthy’s role therein) is no mystery. Unless Oprah utterly failed to vet her latest acquisition, she should have had some exposure to the facts by now, which means that she has decided either not to believe the facts, or not to care.
Oprah may in some instances be a fool, but she’s clearly not stupid, at least when it comes down to business. Her schtick is all about empowering women, and that’s precisely Jenny McCarthy’s mission. Never mind, apparently, that she’s empowering women to rebel against medicine, to spread disease and endanger children.
Meanwhile, the continued media presence of the antivax movement will give us all the more opportunities to speak against them. More and more, the fence-sitters on this issue will be prompted to choose a side, and I remain optimistic that we on the side of reason can sway them. We have the facts on our side, for one thing. Sadly, thanks to antivax efforts, we also have a growing narrative. Since the inception of the antivax movement, they have claimed the narrative of helpless children and families squaring off against a cold, faceless medical establishment. However, as the consequences of declining vaccination rates build, we’re more and more able to put a human face on our side of the struggle, faces like those of Dana McCaffery, or the daughter of James Randerson, environmental editor for The Guardian.
The antivaxxers are going to continue to get louder, and granted, Jenny McCarthy’s deal with Oprah could be pretty damn loud. But their message is bankrupt. If we remain diligent, we may yet be turning things around.
