Paranoid Cynic, Alert Consumer or Naive Wallflower--Which One Are You?
Naïve, Obedient Wallflower
These people are often called "sheep" by the conspiracy theorists and gloom & doom soothsayers. As such, these N.O.W.s are always ready to just follow along--like sheep, they prefer to just follow their master(s), instead of making waves, asking questions or challenging the authorities. Ironically, these people manage to escape the violent fate of mavericks, iconoclasts or even alert consumers; by all means, their lifestyles often keep them out of trouble, mostly because bad people don't see them as much of a threat.
On the other hand, these people often end up being the victim of the many "wolves" and predatory people out there. N.O.W. may appear to stay safe but that is often an illusion. In fact, these people are often used as guinea pigs, sometimes by the very government they so childishly trust. Victims of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments are excellent examples to bring up. These people (blindly trusting, unsuspecting blacks) were given to understand that they were being cured of a disease when, in fact, something more sinister and shameful was being done to them. The government not only knew about this unforgivable abuse but actually funded it.
Are vaccines being given to millions of American children responsible for the autism epidemic now presently out of control in the US? Yes, vaccines have done much good in developed countries; in fact, they are responsible for the fact that infectious diseases are no longer the main killers--now having been replaced by chronic diseases (i.e., cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc.). On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with questioning everything children are being exposed to (including vaccines) until we find out what is causing these unacceptable autism rates.
If you are "sheep," it's easy for you to just close your eyes and, just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz keep saying "Follow the Yellow Brick Road (to pharmaceutical-industry-sponsored propaganda)!" After all, vaccines have done a lot of good. So has radiation, but radiation (in excessive amounts) has also caused some problems; so has fluoridated water, but, again, legitimate concerns about its long-range toxicity have been brought up.
Just because something has done much good is not reason enough to reject all questions about potential safety issues that may come up along the way! Then again, a Naïve, Obedient Wallflower may find it easier to just let the experts and journalists fight it out.
Conclusion
A Naïve, Obedient Wallflower may want to believe that vaccines couldn't possibly be to blame for autism (especially if the government doesn't even want to consider the possibility--even though, at the same time, it admits it has no idea whatsoever what is causing autism!) but is this a responsible position to take? Both the cynic and the alert consumer, one can openly say, would answer to the negative. Wallflowers may be too afraid to ask questions, but, should everyone else be equally afraid or squeamish?
If transparency, truth and accountability matter, then there is no reason for anyone to get upset because someone comes up with a unpopular theory. Until mysteries (like the vaccine/autism connection) are full resolved, all possibilities need to be considered--at least that is what both the cynic and the alert consumer would say.
By all means, avoid becoming a paranoid cynic, if you can help it. Your best bet is to probably become an Alert, Well-Informed Consumer--unless, of course, you value your personal safety and peace of mind above everything else. The question is, though, will you really be "safe" by being naïve and blindly obedient?
The government may not put you on the TSA's "no fly list" if you never badmouth Uncle Sam, but how exactly will you protect yourself against harmful things that the government and corporate America may be sanctioning? Or is it possible that the US government and the pharmaceutical industry are 100% innocent of all the abuses some "troublemakers" continue to bring up? You be the judge--what you cannot be, however, is an uninvolved, unaffected bystander!
Copyright, 2014. Fred Fletcher. All rights reserved
References & Resources
1. Fletcher, Fred & Fletcher, M.S. (2015). What Type of MODERN DAY CONSUMER Will You Be? Uncle Sam Publishers.
3. http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/searching-for-answers/vaccines-autism
4. http://www.safeminds.org/research/New-Scientific-Evidence-Links-Autism-to-Vaccines-and-Mercury.html
5. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762136.html
6. https://www.aclu.org/national-security/frequently-asked-questions-about-no-fly-list
