CDC officials’ resignation emails(insidemedicine.substack.com)
insidemedicine.substack.com
CDC officials’ resignation emails
https://insidemedicine.substack.com/p/breaking-news-read-three-top-cdc
165 comments
Is this about the upcoming reveal of the autism findings, or is the article just feeding that as the cause?
I thought the understanding for base rates of autism was that people are living longer and starting their lives later. Becoming financially stable later, having children later. Having children later rather than earlier significantly increased the risk of autism.
After that then the question becomes about intensity of autistic symptoms, where the base rate of autistic children makes sense given the data, but the intensity and thus increased likelihood of seeking diagnosis may be increasing as a second factor which sits on top of expanded diagnosis standards.
For intensity, there are suggestions that maybe obesity, plastics/chemicals could be contributing, but it sounded like there wasn't enough data on it.
I'm not sure what other answer they found. RFK has said he doesn't think people should follow his personal health advice. He knows he's neither a scientist or a doctor and supposedly there was some team of scientists working on it. I'm not prejudging that they can't have arrived at some useful result, but it's obviously very politicized.
I thought the understanding for base rates of autism was that people are living longer and starting their lives later. Becoming financially stable later, having children later. Having children later rather than earlier significantly increased the risk of autism.
After that then the question becomes about intensity of autistic symptoms, where the base rate of autistic children makes sense given the data, but the intensity and thus increased likelihood of seeking diagnosis may be increasing as a second factor which sits on top of expanded diagnosis standards.
For intensity, there are suggestions that maybe obesity, plastics/chemicals could be contributing, but it sounded like there wasn't enough data on it.
I'm not sure what other answer they found. RFK has said he doesn't think people should follow his personal health advice. He knows he's neither a scientist or a doctor and supposedly there was some team of scientists working on it. I'm not prejudging that they can't have arrived at some useful result, but it's obviously very politicized.
Science Vs just explored the rise in autism [0].
Maureen Durkin, an epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, just presented a paper [1] (currently in peer review) studying 8 year olds from 2000 to 2016, categorizing and counting autism severity over time. The most severe cases were unchanged, or decreased, and the largest change was in those with no measurable functional limitations.
This unpublished paper suggests that identification of children with milder symptoms is the strongest driver.
[0] https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/autism-the-real-reason...
[1] "Trends in the Prevalence of Autism By Adaptive Level between 2000-2016: Evidence from a Population-Based Sample of 8-Year-Old Children in the United States" S. M. Furnier and M. S. Durkin
Maureen Durkin, an epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, just presented a paper [1] (currently in peer review) studying 8 year olds from 2000 to 2016, categorizing and counting autism severity over time. The most severe cases were unchanged, or decreased, and the largest change was in those with no measurable functional limitations.
This unpublished paper suggests that identification of children with milder symptoms is the strongest driver.
[0] https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/autism-the-real-reason...
[1] "Trends in the Prevalence of Autism By Adaptive Level between 2000-2016: Evidence from a Population-Based Sample of 8-Year-Old Children in the United States" S. M. Furnier and M. S. Durkin
They should follow them into the job market and see the effects as an adult for those with "no measurable functional limitations".
The category doesn't imply those cases are no-ops. It's used to highlight the sensitivity of our diagnostics.
On the podcast, Durkin frames improved detection as a positive, because it means people will get the care they need.
On the podcast, Durkin frames improved detection as a positive, because it means people will get the care they need.
Lol. Wasn’t there some autism fad in tiktok?
Base rates going up isn't fully understood but a large part is likely just changes to diagnosis. There's a recent summary of research evidence here: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02636-1
> Is this about the upcoming reveal of the autism findings, or is the article just feeding that as the cause?
No, it's almost certainly about vaccine science and recommendations. Hence all the other resignations today.
(though who knows, maybe RFKjr will really go for it and bring back full-throated vaccines==autism next week)
No, it's almost certainly about vaccine science and recommendations. Hence all the other resignations today.
(though who knows, maybe RFKjr will really go for it and bring back full-throated vaccines==autism next week)
It is not just about that. The trump admin fired high level and long-standing officials within cdc over disagreements about vaccine policy and that was followed by a bunch of resignations in protest.
I am really glad to be French and live in France. We have plenty of problems, some serious, some not, some easy to solve, some not.
But at least I have faith that if I get sick I will be able to afford it and that we will sustain this perk.
We also have a reasonable pride with education do there is hope we will still have educated people as we go on.
My real great is that economic pressure from the US and China will force us off these tracks.
Or a war.
But at least I have faith that if I get sick I will be able to afford it and that we will sustain this perk.
We also have a reasonable pride with education do there is hope we will still have educated people as we go on.
My real great is that economic pressure from the US and China will force us off these tracks.
Or a war.
I think more important than most of the specifics here is how Dump is choosing government appointees: Someone who is terrible at whatever job they are given, and the public proclamation that "no one should take my advice" is an acceptable statement.
Wouldn't it be better that he at least says shit like, "as we ramp up militarization, killing and removing all the foreigners will get less germs in the air, aheeyuk" Like he is trying at a bare minimum brain level at the job?
Wouldn't it be better that he at least says shit like, "as we ramp up militarization, killing and removing all the foreigners will get less germs in the air, aheeyuk" Like he is trying at a bare minimum brain level at the job?
If I was a foreign state asset that somehow became the US president, I don't really know how I could hurt the US's leadership more than what's happening right now. In that light, each move Trump is doing is quite brilliant.
It's so sad to see these attacks on institions that are intended to save lives and cure horrible diseases.
Many moons ago, during civil service and volunteer work with kids, I've occasionally been confronted with parents who were anti-vaccination or followed some esoteric stance on medicine. When the anger faded away, those days always made me so very sad and frustrated that the only thing you apparently can do is play the very long game of education and somehow try to keep up hope for a more enlightened future.
Worth reiterating since the phrase "attacks on institutions" more usually implies bureaucratic maneuvers. These people have incited actual murderous gun attacks: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj0y796qqp9o
It's a crying shame that given the choice, the voters picked the modern-day equivalent of Lysenkoism[1].
[1] Which due to the timing of its adoption and abandonment did avoid outright causing famines in the Soviet Union... And went on to kill tens of millions of people in China.
[1] Which due to the timing of its adoption and abandonment did avoid outright causing famines in the Soviet Union... And went on to kill tens of millions of people in China.
The inability for intelligent people to frame their policies and positions in ways very stupid simple people can understand is the biggest failing of the last 50+ years if not longer.
It is odd to see someone in a society which worships willful ignorance and aggressive stupidy advance the position that somehow the smart people are responsible for not having figured a way to force the morons to a position that they have no intention of occupying.
They believe that the set of values and beliefs that they hold true or false advantage them and perceive education as an attack on their values. Most if them are happy to degrade and diminish anyone who tries some are willing to murder.
They believe that the set of values and beliefs that they hold true or false advantage them and perceive education as an attack on their values. Most if them are happy to degrade and diminish anyone who tries some are willing to murder.
> in ways very stupid simple people can understand
The problem is rarely the ability to understand. It is the ability (or desire) to listen that many lack.
The problem is rarely the ability to understand. It is the ability (or desire) to listen that many lack.
These people have no trouble listening. They're deeply into people like Rogan, Trump, their pastor, RFK etc. and eat up their every word.
They will listen to anyone who tells them what they like to hear. They will not listen to anyone who tells them what they don't like to hear. They shop around for truths they prefer like they're items at Costco.
Somewhere along the line they had to develop preferences which indicates some level of listening.
People’s preferences tend very strongly toward whatever requires the least action on their part. If the problem is with someone else, then you never have to be part of the solution
It’s political preferences, not laziness. People aren’t listening to Rogan or whoever and ignoring the CDC because of laziness. They are doing that because they follow what their social and/or political community thinks and does.
Feels like this whole thread is trying to pin this on individual preferences or whatever. But it’s a social effect, and individual personalities or intelligence have very little to do with it. If you lived in these communities, unless you are neurodivergent, you would be doing the same thing.
Feels like this whole thread is trying to pin this on individual preferences or whatever. But it’s a social effect, and individual personalities or intelligence have very little to do with it. If you lived in these communities, unless you are neurodivergent, you would be doing the same thing.
>If you lived in these communities, unless you are neurodivergent, you would be doing the same thing.
As someone who grew up in one of these communities, this has not been my experience. Many, many people move away, and for varied reasons. What you're left with are people who stay in economically declining areas and want to blame everyone else for it. It's selection bias, and it is absolutely based on personal choice.
As someone who grew up in one of these communities, this has not been my experience. Many, many people move away, and for varied reasons. What you're left with are people who stay in economically declining areas and want to blame everyone else for it. It's selection bias, and it is absolutely based on personal choice.
I don't think people have gotten stupider or leaders have gotten worse at justifying their policies. IMO what is happening here is a consequence of a catastrophic loss of trust in elites and institutions.
I'm tempted to agree, but I can't shake the question: …Manifested as blind trust in an elite and their institutions?
I'm eagerly waiting for people to have a catastrophic loss of trust in the elites and the institutions of and behind the Republican party.
Strangely enough, though, a billionaire slumlord from New York is never what people mean when they say 'elites'.
Strangely enough, though, a billionaire slumlord from New York is never what people mean when they say 'elites'.
I disagree, Trump is about as elite as elites come. And the Republicans are hardly underdogs - they're long standing incumbents in many ways.
What's happening is that the Republicans have captured populist messaging pretty well, the Democrats just haven't.
Populism is usually stupid but it's extremely effective if you can flood information stream, particularly new ones. I mean, Radio pretty much made Hitler.
The timing here is perfect. Internet has just become mainstream and is still trusted and our brains haven't developed patterns of discernment. In addition, the economy for every day working people is bad. Its the perfect breeding ground for populism.
What's happening is that the Republicans have captured populist messaging pretty well, the Democrats just haven't.
Populism is usually stupid but it's extremely effective if you can flood information stream, particularly new ones. I mean, Radio pretty much made Hitler.
The timing here is perfect. Internet has just become mainstream and is still trusted and our brains haven't developed patterns of discernment. In addition, the economy for every day working people is bad. Its the perfect breeding ground for populism.
The problem seems to be that Americans are willing to suffer a lot of personal loss as long as they can ensure someone else suffers even more.
There’s a similar joke about Russians:
A genie says to a Russian, “I will grant you one wish.”
The Russian says, “I want a million dollars.”
The genie says, “… but whatever I give you, I will give your neighbor two of.”
The Russian responds, “Well in that case, I want a poke in the eye!”
A genie says to a Russian, “I will grant you one wish.”
The Russian says, “I want a million dollars.”
The genie says, “… but whatever I give you, I will give your neighbor two of.”
The Russian responds, “Well in that case, I want a poke in the eye!”
Humans display a reduced set of consistent behavioral phenotypes in dyadic games
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.1600451
I think the bigger failing in that regard is the educational system. There shouldn't be this many stupid people, and they shouldn't be this stupid.
It’s a big mistake to thing of people as stupid: they’d be far less dangerous if they actually were.
The problem isn’t lack of intelligence but the information space they inhabit and the feeling that they have somehow been mistreated. There’s an entire genre of “why are leopards eating my face?” schadenfreude posts about MAGAs asking why Trump is doing some “surprising” thing he said he was going to do for years. Because they’re _not_ stupid, once they’ve thrown in with a side they’ll put a lot of effort into coming up with rationalizations or attacks to try to “balance” things out. The bitter grievances are really powerful because they let people talk themselves into seeing things as necessary sacrifices: sure, you’re losing Medicaid and paying more in taxes but the alternative is living in a world where Riley Gaines was forced to tie for fifth so I guess you just have to tighten your belt on behalf of female athletes.
The problem isn’t lack of intelligence but the information space they inhabit and the feeling that they have somehow been mistreated. There’s an entire genre of “why are leopards eating my face?” schadenfreude posts about MAGAs asking why Trump is doing some “surprising” thing he said he was going to do for years. Because they’re _not_ stupid, once they’ve thrown in with a side they’ll put a lot of effort into coming up with rationalizations or attacks to try to “balance” things out. The bitter grievances are really powerful because they let people talk themselves into seeing things as necessary sacrifices: sure, you’re losing Medicaid and paying more in taxes but the alternative is living in a world where Riley Gaines was forced to tie for fifth so I guess you just have to tighten your belt on behalf of female athletes.
With all due respect, what you're describing is still stupidity. 'A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds' as Emerson said.
The people who voted for Trump (or against Biden) because they hadn't been paying attention over the last decade and just thought the price of eggs was too high were stupid. The people who knew exactly what Trump was about and just didn't think the leopards would eat their faces were stupid. The people who voted because they just wanted to be entertained watching the world burn were stupid.
There's more than one kind of stupidity, and when they combine en masse into a big dumb avalanche it can absolutely be dangerous.
The people who voted for Trump (or against Biden) because they hadn't been paying attention over the last decade and just thought the price of eggs was too high were stupid. The people who knew exactly what Trump was about and just didn't think the leopards would eat their faces were stupid. The people who voted because they just wanted to be entertained watching the world burn were stupid.
There's more than one kind of stupidity, and when they combine en masse into a big dumb avalanche it can absolutely be dangerous.
Fair, I guess my point was not to underestimate your opponents: assume that they’re just as smart and motivated but are using their talents based on the Fox News cinematic universe / Christian nationalism.
I live in DC so right now a lot of my neighbors are having surreal conversations with their extended family members who are saying things which would make sense if you started with certain false pretenses like all of the police statistics being faked. One of them was telling me about how they were talking with someone who had an Ivy degree, serious job, etc. but wouldn’t believe that our downtown wasn’t a movie gangland even though his own relative was telling him they take young kids in those area all the time and never see anything more unsafe than an out of control toddler on a bike. They kept coming up with complicated “maybe you missed” theories because they couldn’t bear to question that one starting premise. If you want to call that stupid, sure, but I think we might want a different term it.
I live in DC so right now a lot of my neighbors are having surreal conversations with their extended family members who are saying things which would make sense if you started with certain false pretenses like all of the police statistics being faked. One of them was telling me about how they were talking with someone who had an Ivy degree, serious job, etc. but wouldn’t believe that our downtown wasn’t a movie gangland even though his own relative was telling him they take young kids in those area all the time and never see anything more unsafe than an out of control toddler on a bike. They kept coming up with complicated “maybe you missed” theories because they couldn’t bear to question that one starting premise. If you want to call that stupid, sure, but I think we might want a different term it.
>frame their policies and positions in ways very stupid simple people can understand
This doesn't matter when the intelligent people are working within the confines of reality and their opposition lies gratuitously. The stupid people are choosing the option they want to believe and apparently no amount of education or framing is going to change that.
This doesn't matter when the intelligent people are working within the confines of reality and their opposition lies gratuitously. The stupid people are choosing the option they want to believe and apparently no amount of education or framing is going to change that.
Personal responsibility applies to improving and maintaining one's own intellect, and not relying on others to do it.
Disagree, I think they've done a moderately good job of it. The problem is that you have other intelligent but cynical people who are prepared to invest fortunes in convincing stupid people to believe things that actively undermine their interests. Long before 4chan and social media came along, you had tabloid newspapers, radio stations, and publishers whose sole goal was to dumb people down by appealing to paranoia, selfishness, and vapidity.
> The inability for intelligent people to frame their policies and positions in ways very stupid simple people can understand
"disease very bad. disease may kill. inject this. you less likely to get disease."
=> "How dare you infringe upon my bodily freedom!"
Realistically, how farther down can we dumb things from here?
"disease very bad. disease may kill. inject this. you less likely to get disease."
=> "How dare you infringe upon my bodily freedom!"
Realistically, how farther down can we dumb things from here?
> "disease very bad. disease may kill. inject this. you less likely to get disease."
The actual argument is that by everyone getting injected, society as a whole crosses a threshold where viruses fail to spread exponentially and don't cause pandemics.
It's a more nuanced, more complex reason that some (incredibly selfish) people are just unable to grasp.
"Why would I ever a tiny personal risk to stop other people getting sick!?" was a very common argument during the COVID pandemic.
The actual argument is that by everyone getting injected, society as a whole crosses a threshold where viruses fail to spread exponentially and don't cause pandemics.
It's a more nuanced, more complex reason that some (incredibly selfish) people are just unable to grasp.
"Why would I ever a tiny personal risk to stop other people getting sick!?" was a very common argument during the COVID pandemic.
>"Why would I ever a tiny personal risk to stop other people getting sick!?" was a very common argument during the COVID pandemic.
its a very american take, but unfortunately that particular mind virus has spread very far and wide
its a very american take, but unfortunately that particular mind virus has spread very far and wide
You can't people that stupid shouldn't actually get a vote in the matter.
and when you get to this point, you show your true colors and the dumbest, meanest animal is still gonna recognize your nature.
you have to respect people, you have to care about their agency even to their detriment or else who are you saving?
you have to respect people, you have to care about their agency even to their detriment or else who are you saving?
or else who are you saving?
Civilization.
Civilization.
lol buddy look who's in power right now. you ain't doing a good job of that.
[deleted]
At this point, I don't think it's an inability - all sorts of messages get broadcast - but an unwillingness to actually talk to people with different worldviews.
The easy way to spread a pro-health message to the people who really need to comply with it is to say "letting disease spread is Nergal worship (2 Kings 17:30), and America is a Christian nation." Just spam that, nonstop, until it is as embedded in their minds as whatever derangement Trump has come up with this time - because this is the kind of thing they respond to.
The second thing is more complicated: to admit that a lot of "sexual health" only applies to people engaging in highly risky behavior, and should be handled separately both in messaging and in practice from general health. You can still make them support it, but with an explicit "do good even to the sinner" messaging. Throw in a few "We are currently promoting abortion because free school lunches have been canceled" and you WILL see movement.
Both of these are considered abominable among the current Democrat party, because it involves speaking the language of people with different values.
The easy way to spread a pro-health message to the people who really need to comply with it is to say "letting disease spread is Nergal worship (2 Kings 17:30), and America is a Christian nation." Just spam that, nonstop, until it is as embedded in their minds as whatever derangement Trump has come up with this time - because this is the kind of thing they respond to.
The second thing is more complicated: to admit that a lot of "sexual health" only applies to people engaging in highly risky behavior, and should be handled separately both in messaging and in practice from general health. You can still make them support it, but with an explicit "do good even to the sinner" messaging. Throw in a few "We are currently promoting abortion because free school lunches have been canceled" and you WILL see movement.
Both of these are considered abominable among the current Democrat party, because it involves speaking the language of people with different values.
Why would they listen to nonsense that makes them uncomfortable, as opposed to their expressed preference of listening to nonsense that makes them comfortable?
It doesn't matter how much you cite Matthew 19:24 to someone who already had their brain rotted by, say, prosperity gospel. They don't give a shit.
It doesn't matter how much you cite Matthew 19:24 to someone who already had their brain rotted by, say, prosperity gospel. They don't give a shit.
Yep. They’ll even rewrite the Bible to take out the bits they don’t like.
https://www.conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project
https://www.conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project
I am 99% sure that's entirely satire, seeing as there are no external references/users thereto.
It was very much a thing for a while.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservapedia#Conservative_Bib...
It met a good amount of backlash, though.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservapedia#Conservative_Bib...
It met a good amount of backlash, though.
You must’ve not hung out among Louisiana Democrats lately
This has nothing to do with intelligence, and everything to do with cults, beliefs, fears, Russian disinformation campaigns, political alignment, etc.
I've seen intelligent people fall for crazy conspiracy theories. Once all those antivaxers became pro-Russia, which basically has nothing to do with each other, it became clear were all this disinformation was coming from (talking mainly about Central Europe here, but I'm sure it applies to US too)
I've seen intelligent people fall for crazy conspiracy theories. Once all those antivaxers became pro-Russia, which basically has nothing to do with each other, it became clear were all this disinformation was coming from (talking mainly about Central Europe here, but I'm sure it applies to US too)
Once all those antivaxers became pro-Russia, which basically has nothing to do with each other
Not necessarily the case, as Russia has a longstanding record of propagating public-health misinformation. See https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39419560 for instance.
This has been a part of their national agenda since the Communist revolution. "If we can't improve our own country, at least we can fuck up everybody else's."
Not necessarily the case, as Russia has a longstanding record of propagating public-health misinformation. See https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39419560 for instance.
This has been a part of their national agenda since the Communist revolution. "If we can't improve our own country, at least we can fuck up everybody else's."
Yeah, nothing Trump has done has been particular surprising, but the enthusiasm with which huge portions of America have welcomed or shrugged at his insa has been the real shocker.
IMO there's a small (very) enthusiastic portion of America, then a much larger portion that simply didn't like inflation and would've voted any incumbent out of power. Very poor timing that has already caused generational damage, at least.
Inflation in November 2024 was 2.7%. That's higher than the Fed target, but hardly "throw out the incumbent at all costs". I know that "inflation" is what they told pollsters, but I have a hard time believing that. Maybe some of it; not all of it, or the biggest part of it.
As to what it actually was... that's less clear to me. I'm sure it was a multiplicity of factors, some of which reflect poorly on us as Americans. (All of us.) I think we accept the "inflation" explanation because it's easier than confronting those.
As to what it actually was... that's less clear to me. I'm sure it was a multiplicity of factors, some of which reflect poorly on us as Americans. (All of us.) I think we accept the "inflation" explanation because it's easier than confronting those.
This speaks to the gap between what economists measure and what the public sees.
Here's a more on-the-ground perspective: The price of food went up 50% during COVID, and you caused it since you were in power. You will make it go back down to how it was before, or I will vote for someone else.
(The average voter runs on simpler emotions like this and does not take into account that Trump will most likely cause much more inflation, which is what he has done)
Here's a more on-the-ground perspective: The price of food went up 50% during COVID, and you caused it since you were in power. You will make it go back down to how it was before, or I will vote for someone else.
(The average voter runs on simpler emotions like this and does not take into account that Trump will most likely cause much more inflation, which is what he has done)
Spot on IMO
Incumbents (left- and right-wing alike) lost power in almost every election in the world in 2023 and 2024, and the overwhelming majority of voters said the economy was their number one issue.
> It's a crying shame that given the choice, the voters picked the modern-day equivalent of Lysenkoism[1].
Those voters (who needless to say had never heard of Lysenko) were told by trusted, well-spoken, authoritative, legitimate seeming sources that this was a mainstream position and a very reasonable one. The people who needed to say it was bullshit were deliberately excluded.
And yeah, that applies specifically to Fox News and Facebook, but also to Rogan and the manosphere, and to 4chan.
And to HN, quite frankly. If you want to know why people turned away from science just go back and watch the discourse around late COVID or whatever. And note how it was utterly dominated by the loons in throwaway accounts. Some of us tried fighting back and ended up incessantly flagged and rate-limited, so we gave up. "Reasonable" HN posters fled the field in favor of bland tech discussion (or retreated in the face of "moderation"), and someone looking at the issue without context might assume that the modern Lysenkos must have had a point.
Those voters (who needless to say had never heard of Lysenko) were told by trusted, well-spoken, authoritative, legitimate seeming sources that this was a mainstream position and a very reasonable one. The people who needed to say it was bullshit were deliberately excluded.
And yeah, that applies specifically to Fox News and Facebook, but also to Rogan and the manosphere, and to 4chan.
And to HN, quite frankly. If you want to know why people turned away from science just go back and watch the discourse around late COVID or whatever. And note how it was utterly dominated by the loons in throwaway accounts. Some of us tried fighting back and ended up incessantly flagged and rate-limited, so we gave up. "Reasonable" HN posters fled the field in favor of bland tech discussion (or retreated in the face of "moderation"), and someone looking at the issue without context might assume that the modern Lysenkos must have had a point.
Modern social media teaches you to either engage if the topic gives you happy brain feels, or disengage completely so it never shows up in your feed. The more you "fight" a cause, the more you promote it and the more you see it.
FWIW HN doesn't have personalized feeds like that. We all see the same front page. But regardless:
The loons loved it indeed, and it was all over the front page. Right here. Blaming that on the rest of us seems ridiculous, but sort of besides the point. I don't care about blame, I'm saying that whoever you want to blame, it is us, right here, on HN, not some abstract "voters". We made this problem. We told people that masks didn't work and vaccines were poison. If not you and I personally, people writing prose in proxy for us did.
On balance, Hacker News stood solidly on the side of RFK2 and against the CDC in this particular war. It just did.
The loons loved it indeed, and it was all over the front page. Right here. Blaming that on the rest of us seems ridiculous, but sort of besides the point. I don't care about blame, I'm saying that whoever you want to blame, it is us, right here, on HN, not some abstract "voters". We made this problem. We told people that masks didn't work and vaccines were poison. If not you and I personally, people writing prose in proxy for us did.
On balance, Hacker News stood solidly on the side of RFK2 and against the CDC in this particular war. It just did.
I think you're overestimating how influential Hacker News is on the discourse of society at large.
Many people here were (and still are) solidly anti-vaccine but in the grand scheme Hacker News was just one of innumerable maelstroms on the internet, and far from the biggest. More realistically, Hacker news is just full of people who aren't any more immune to propaganda than anyone else.
Many people here were (and still are) solidly anti-vaccine but in the grand scheme Hacker News was just one of innumerable maelstroms on the internet, and far from the biggest. More realistically, Hacker news is just full of people who aren't any more immune to propaganda than anyone else.
I'm not blaming HN specifically or especially, I'm saying that tut tutting about all those dumb "voters" and "Lysenkoists" is shortsighted. The problem is right here. If you want to know why "they" were so dumb you only need to answer why WE were equally dumb.
My general sense is that the tut-tut set is very much an overlap in the Venn diagram with the libertarians who deliberately enabled this nonsense originally and refuse to treat with their own complicity.
But I've spent most of my limited budget on posting about this, so I'll stop now.
My general sense is that the tut-tut set is very much an overlap in the Venn diagram with the libertarians who deliberately enabled this nonsense originally and refuse to treat with their own complicity.
But I've spent most of my limited budget on posting about this, so I'll stop now.
One of the many parallels of this administration with communism
And this was written before the USA took a 10% stake in Intel, turning it into a Chinese style state-owned enterprise!
Now they can demand that Intel investigate internal “waste fraud and abuse” since it’s partially owned by the government. It goes from “the government should run more like a business” to the government telling businesses “run more like the government running more like a business”
No kidding. Can you imagine how conservatives would have reacted if the banners going up around DC[1] had Obama's face on them?
1: https://bsky.app/profile/donmoyn.bsky.social/post/3lxfamzutk...
1: https://bsky.app/profile/donmoyn.bsky.social/post/3lxfamzutk...
> the modern-day equivalent of Lysenkoism
Another communist parallel: MAGA is aimed in the general direction of a Great Leap Forward [0] to screw over the American economy and industry with incompetent autarky, and also a Cultural Revolution [1] for persecuting "woke elites" (subject-matter experts) leading to international brain-drain.
I really hope the American people can put the brakes on that, because it took China decades to recover.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution
Another communist parallel: MAGA is aimed in the general direction of a Great Leap Forward [0] to screw over the American economy and industry with incompetent autarky, and also a Cultural Revolution [1] for persecuting "woke elites" (subject-matter experts) leading to international brain-drain.
I really hope the American people can put the brakes on that, because it took China decades to recover.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution
Sorry, but thats what USians choose and looks Trump was better alternative then Lady-do-nothing-California.
And you literaly insult peoples that actually lived in Warsaw Pact, check your body count numbers.
And you literaly insult peoples that actually lived in Warsaw Pact, check your body count numbers.
The good news, at least, is that next week there's a chance we'll finally get to the bottom of the whole autism thing! https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-claims-we-...
Seriously. If you voted for this, you owe civilization a debt that you will probably never be wealthy enough or long-lived enough to repay.
Seriously. If you voted for this, you owe civilization a debt that you will probably never be wealthy enough or long-lived enough to repay.
I have no reasonable theory as to how Trump/RFK will be able to reveal credible information about Autism that wasn’t already available from public research papers.
As an autistic person with 3 kids with ASD, I get triggered by this bullshit nearly daily. I sincerely hope that whatever "reveal" they have planned does not further harm our ability to access the early interventions that my kids are benefiting from.
It will be nothing. He has already made it clear he doesn't even know what autism is.
He doesn't know what tariffs are, either, but did that stop him?
RFK I meant. From comments he's made it's clear he thinks autism refers to being nonverbal or similar.
But sure yes I'm sure Trump doesn't the understand it either.Heck tons of practicing therapists don't even understand it.
But sure yes I'm sure Trump doesn't the understand it either.Heck tons of practicing therapists don't even understand it.
Not to be pessimistic, but I’m pretty sure that whatever they do will do more harm than good, given how much of a hot mess the current administration is.
Welp, better hope they don't decide it's a heritable condition that can only be solved via sterilization programs! Because that has absolutely happened before in North America.
I think it's more likely that it will be used as an excuse to actively harm and oppress autistic people and anyone else they can use pseudoscience to try to label as 'damaged' or 'unnatural', rather than merely taking away existing aid.
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wakawaka28(3)
I respect their decisions, but our country deeply needs scientists so committed to the Hippocratic oath that they’d rather resign than contribute to endangering public safety.
Those who do not seek power are most fit to hold it.
I have nothing really to say other than this is saddening to read.