For many decades, health professionals of all kinds have recommended parents vaccinate their kids, and get their own, as well. Since the advent of vaccines, many diseases such as polio, measles, smallpox, whooping cough and a myriad of others have been either eradicated or reduced dramatically. Unfortunately, modern times have brought a resurgence of these deadly, and once-controlled diseases.
Why is this? The so-called “anti-vaxxer” movement. Parents who believe, for one reason or another, that these vaccines are evil or cause other problems, and that their children should not be vaccinated. Some claim religious beliefs, such as the “Christian Scientists”. Though it has been proven through years of research and use that these shots are safe, there are people who resist.
I believe the whole shebang started with a report by this doctor named Andrew Wakefield that linked autism to being vaccinated as a baby. It was later proven to be fraudulent, but that didn’t stop a certain person named Jenny McCarthy from being a huge anti-vaccine advocate, claiming that her son developed autism at age 2 because of his infant vaccines (even though in 2014, she stated that her then-12-yer-old son, now around 17, showed no signs of autism🤔)
Of course, just because this Jenny McCarthy is a celebrity, some people fawn over every word she says, taking it as gospel truth. I find it quite moronic to believe the words of some person who was a Playboy magazine centerfold (that’s probably the only reason why she’s even known today) over years of scientific fact. However, people still roll with it. And, because of this, things like measles, whooping cough and mumps are making a comeback, with a vengeance.
Holy shit, people are fucking stupid🙄. All four of my kids received all their childhood vaccinations, and none of them are autistic. Sure, a couple of them have depression, but then so do I. All my kids are fine, in terms of those other diseases. Why on god’s green Earth would someone endanger their child’s health and life, because of some weird notion that getting a little shot is going to cause their kid to become autistic? They might get a little rash or have a sore arm for a day, but they’ll be fine. Probably even better for the minor poke. If anyone is fucked up in the head, it’s the dumbass parents, in my opinion.
If there’s any vaccine that might be questionable, it’s the ubiquitous flu shot. Is it that big a money maker that they keep offering it? I mean, every year, the prevalent flu strain is changing and/or mutating. The flu shot drug changes annually, depending on what the scientists and the CDC think will be the big flu strain. One year is H1N1 (“swine flu”), the next year it’s H3N2. Another year it’s something else. No one knows what’s lurking around the corner, so flu shots are a huge guessing game. Now, I’m not saying don’t get one. If you want some protection, then by all means, go get it. I haven’t had a flu shot in several years, and (knock on wood) I haven’t really gotten sick for a couple or three years now. Yeah, I’ll have the occasional runny nose or seasonal allergies, but as far as stuck-in-bed sick with a fever and whatnot, it’s been a minute. There was one time I remember quite well when I really got sick. It was around the end of 2002, beginning of 2003. That winter, anyway. My oldest son was a baby then, my daughter was a little girl, not even of school age yet. My little girl was the only one who didn’t get sick. My son was ill, my wife (we were still on good terms at the time) and myself. We’d all caught the bug and it lasted for the better part of a week. Since I lived next door to my parents at the time, I would send my daughter over to pay with grandma and grandpa most of the time. She was lucky and was spared that time. It was definitely hell for the rest of us. Weak, feverish, fussy baby. Yeah, it was no fun at all. But the last time I was weak, dizzy and stuff like that was probably, like I said in about 2016. One of the rare times I have called out of work for being sick.
Okay, that was quite the tangent. Back to the vaccines. Most places require that, for public school enrollment, children must be up-to-date on their shots. There have been places where a religious exemption was allowed. However, with the resurrection of these lovely diseases, some school districts are not allowing the exemptions👏. Which to me is just fine. For the districts, it’s more of a position of covering their own ass and taking the liability away from themselves, should these unvaccinated kids contract any one of these myriad of illnesses. Hell, at all the local schools here, there’s a sign on the door that a child should stay home from school if they’re sick. You know how it goes. One kid at school brings the bug, everyone seems to catch it. After all, kids (especially the little ones at elementary school) are not the most hygienic bunch out there. Shit, there are adults who don’t wash their hands after taking a dump. Go in, do their business, wipe their ass and walk out with nary a drop of water touching their hands🤮. People who do that: y’all nasty! No wonder door handles and shopping carts are riddled with microscopic poop particles. That’s why some places have little handles on doors to open with your forearm or foot, and grocery stores now have sanitizer wipes at the front doors to wipe the carts down. Imagine going shopping and touching that crap💩. Speaking of gross habits, I’ve seen numerous times in a fast food joint someone walking out of the restroom with their drink cup, oftentimes without the lid! That’s just plain wrong on so many levels! How you gonna take a drink into the bathroom and expose your beverage to all that shit bacteria and god-awful stench‽ Are you people fucking nuts? I’ll take the chance of getting my drink tossed in the garbage, but I will never take it or food into a bathroom. It’s been shown that air hand dryers just spread the poop bacteria throughout the restroom. They might be “eco-friendly” saving a tree or two from paper towels, but they’re unsanitary as fuck. Just thinking about it makes me want to slather my hands in sanitizer right about now.
I’m not sure how I went from vaccines to hygiene, but that’s the nature of my blog. It’s spontaneous as my thoughts flow from my demented (but now somewhat stabilized) brain to virtual paper. It’s as random as I am😁.
Whether you decide to vaccinate your kids or not is purely your choice. Rare instances occur where for some reason, a child cannot be vaccinated. I’m not referring to that. It’s these parents who willingly refuse to vaccinate their offspring. Personally I think you’re stupid and need your head examined if you refuse, but that’s my opinion and your choice. You’re free to choose as you wish, but you are not free to choose the consequences of your choices. That is for nature and, if you’re religious, your god to decide.
So, if you haven’t died from [insert name of disease here], I’ll see you next week for another random installment of this crazy ride that is my blog. Until then, take care, be safe and be well.
Ray’s Rants of the Week 