Why does she remain so beloved though, despite the likelihood her kid didn't even have autism?
1. The miracle cure, even though it wasn't even a cure.
2. The religious angle.
3. The American penchant for conspiracy theories.
4. The American anti-intellectual strain, as Richard Hofstadter noted 50 years ago.
Karl Greenfield notes all those, in the first page:
But she can't be ignored. If the debate about vaccine safety is settled — vaccines don't cause autism; they don't injure children; they are the pillar of modern public health — then why are so many parents reconsidering vaccinating their children? The answer has to do with our era's strained relationship with scientific truth, our tendency to place more faith in psychological truths than scientific ones. McCarthy's emergence — the Playmate turned pseudoscientist, the fart-joke teller cum mother warrior — can make one feel nostalgic for the time when celebs turned up on talk shows only to hawk their flicks or books, not to promote explosive public-health ideas. But McCarthy says she is speaking the truth — her truth.
And, her "truth," as Greenfield notes, is all emotional tugging. No actual truth.
That said, it's a very good story.
The Salon story on McCarthy, though, has some serious scientific holes and weaknesses, namely, by being wishy-washy pablum. Contra the story, McCarthy IS a "full-range loon."
And, note my original, in-depth blog post for why, in very scientific terms, there's been an "explosion" in autism.
Update, March 2, 2010: Meanwhile, due to fear tactics of people like Andrew Wakefield and Jenny McCarthy, one in four parents are afraid to vaccinate their children.
One good thing? Some doctors are refusing to treat anti-vax parents or their children any more.
Update, March 13, 2010: Three more federal vaccine court rulings have all rejected a vaccines-autism link; specifically, all cases ruled out the thimerosal-autism link.
As I've said before, I sympathize with the pain of parents, mothers especially, who suffer with the struggles of raising autistic children.
BUT, but — many, many other parents in general and mothers in particular go through such struggles without grasping at conspiracy theories in general or blaming vaccines in particular.
And, in doing so, endangering their children and other children, on the vaccines issue, and dumbing down America, and paranoiafying it up, at the same time.
Update, March 30, 2010: Salon does a great job of showing how she can't even keep her nuttery straight.
Update, Jan. 6, 2011: Well, we know now that the lies of Andrew Wakefield involved deliberate fraud.
And, Anderson Cooper calls Wakefield the liar that he is:
Too bad Anderson didn't also call him a mass murderer.
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ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that the US media is finally getting a clue about nuts like McCarthy as well as the unethical mad-scientist who started the whole false rumor about MMR's, Andrew Wakefield. The GMC ruled that Wakefield "failed in his duties as a responsible consultant", acted against the interests of his patients, and "dishonestly and irresponsibly" in his controversial research. The big question is: when will Keith Olbermann finally apologize for desparaging Brian Deer?
ReplyDeleteDD
Jenny McCarthy believes that she is an "Indigo" mother and her son is a "Crystal" child, which basically means that she's completely insane.
ReplyDeletejenny McCarthy's well informed study on autism is finally being proved. She has helped many families globally with her passion and compassion for a group of children who were basically ignored and mocked by society. Her personal beliefs on religion is no body's business, this is a free country and religious expression is one of our great freedom's. All of those who speak so badly of her need to have a child with autism for a day to see the love and feel the pain.
ReplyDeleteHey, Anon No. 2, from the way Jenny talks recently, she doesn't even know what condition her child has, it seems, let alone being "proven right."
ReplyDeleteAnd, "well informed study"? That gets mocked! Because she doesn't have one!
Why don't people see beyond big boobs and flashy smile? Why is so much anger? Why don't you follow the suggestion and get yourself an autistic kid...
ReplyDeleteThen you will have a right to say anything.
Because mother would try anything for her child, and I was devistated with diagnosis and Jenny's books help me and my son. Yep they did, the diet works you want it or not. And really who cares as long as Jenny and others like her keep bringing the awarness to world.
Anon. 3:
ReplyDeleteFirst, I never mentioned "big boobs." You did.
Second, repeated medical research shows diets don't work for autism. Therefore, either your child doesn't have it or you're putting some placebo effect on your perceptions. Who diagnosed your child?
Third, Jenny doesn't bring "awareness." By her (and Bill Maher, etc.) opposing child vaccination, they bring **death.**
I never believed that he was autistic to begin with. It sounds like he had a seizure disorder which was brought under control by medication yet she saw the opportunity to jump on the bandwagon and make herself money off of this. She is repulsive.
ReplyDeleteAnother mm who reminds me of McCarthy has a blog called "Hidden Recovery" and also just wrote a book. She claims her son was autistic too yet she won't reveal who she is or who he is. I wonder why? What snake oil salesmen.