Walter Matthau as Albert Einstein in the movie IQ.
The Slow Death of Skepticism
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By Jeff Charles
American society has experienced some less-than-ideal changes over the past few years, many of which deal no small damage to the culture and the relationship between Americans of all stripes. With this change, the public has lost certain values that shaped the nation for the better. One of society’s most devastating losses is the notion of healthy skepticism. While many people simply believed what they were told, plenty of Americans did not rush to accept the ideas, news stories, and political rhetoric with which they were presented. “Question everything” was a constant refrain for these individuals. But for years, the notion of skepticism has been under assault from the progressive left, and today the nation is seeing the results of their efforts. (read more)
The Day Skepticism Died
I was called an “idiot” recently by a relative in the medical profession for questioning the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. “They’re the safest and most tested vaccines and they offer excellent protection from the virus,” I was told. But the vaccines were rushed into emergency approval, apparently without animal testing and certainly no long-term testing (there simply wasn’t time). Still, the CDC and Dr. Fauci said they were “safe and effective,” so we should simply believe them, right? Well, question the so-called ‘mainstream’ narrative on just about anything these days, be it medical research or election integrity, and you are sure to be branded with an unkind expletive yourself. Healthy skepticism is dead.
The inventor of mRNA technology (what drives the Phizer and Moderna vaccines) lives in Madison County, Virginia and he is questioning the efficacy of the vaccine he helped to make. He’s Dr. Robert Malone and he simply points out that viruses are ‘survivors,’ mutating in the face of his technical barrier to their nasty effects on us. [1.] He points out that naturally acquired immunity makes for a better protection – for those unfortunate enough to have suffered the virus – often protecting the victim from subsequent variations of the virus that the design-specific vaccine can’t. He also sees the benefits of prophylactic regimens using older established drugs like Ivermectin. Surely, he points out, if the virus is so dangerous we should be using every tool in the box against it.
But that is not helpful to the bureaucrats who chant the mantra: “Vaccinate EVERYONE.” You won’t find a lot of stories about it in the mainstream media and social media ‘fact checkers’ are quick to shoot down any discussion that varies from the desired narrative. Healthy skepticism is dead. The ‘fact checkers’ have buried it.
Indeed the narrative has supplanted the normal and healthy pursuit of the truth that journalism is supposed to pursue. The drug Remdesivir, used to treat COVID-19 cases in hospitals, has been linked to liver damage. But you won’t hear about it in the media. Likewise, the use of ventilators has been questioned – but our local hospital is still apparently using them in cases where the latest findings indicate the administration of oxygen might produce better results. Ivermectin is unduly resisted, though researchers like Dr. Pierre Kory have produced a pretty convincing body of evidence supporting its use. [2.]
The problem is not a new one. When Dr. Edward Jenner discovered that people who had had cowpox were immune to smallpox, he invented ‘vaccination.’ The word is derived from the Latin word for ‘cow.’ The media of his day were unkind to him too, presenting cartoons of people who had been ‘vaccinated’ sprouting cow heads. It took years for his simple observation to find its way into medical practice. [3.] We are not doctors and are not prescribing medical advice here, but we surely want to ask the hard questions. Shouldn’t we be making these decisions about our health with the best and most complete information available to us?
NCAA golfer John Stokes, a young and healthy individual, suffered myocarditis after taking the jab and his recovery will be long and arduous. He will be out of competition for the entire season. Indeed there are enough cases of myocarditis in young people after vaccination to warrant a halt to the practice for investigation. But in the mainstream media only Tucker Carlson dares to go there. [4.] The rest of them are strangely silent about it, even as the proponents of universal vaccination make plans to inoculate children! Healthy skepticism is dead! If those who profess to care so much about preserving our lives really do care, shouldn’t they be reviving healthy skepticism in the face of emerging knowledge? If the vaccine is more dangerous to young and healthy individuals, what will it do to even younger people? I’m not a scientist, but I thought science was about asking?
But healthy skepticism is dead, and those we trust to engage in it have conducted the burial.
