ipl-logo

Conspiracy Theories Pros And Cons

1170 Words5 Pages

William Welsh
Candace Deal
Engl 1101
03 October 2017
Conspiracies: The Unseen Harm
When most people think of conspiracy theories the first thought that comes to their head is a crazy old man who lives in a shack in the woods or their crazy uncle who thinks chem trails are real. The truth is, almost anyone can believe in conspiracy theories, but why? The most common explanation is that it’s due to a lack of control in the person’s life. (Oaklander, Paragraph 3) Conspiracy theories tend to show up when people are afraid and feel they are in a helpless situation they can’t control. Conspiracy theories make people feel like they are in control of their life. They make people feel that if they know the secret that the big scary man is keeping from …show more content…

Before the vaccination was introduced, up to 500 Americans died each year (from the measles). (Szabo, Paragraph 6) The introduction of the measles vaccine was a huge success for the whole world. However, this once officially eliminated disease is now coming back. This is a result of people choosing to avoid the vaccine. This is not just a few cases of people going against the grain, but a movement called the “Anti-Vaccination Movement.” These people believe there is a link between the measles vaccine and autism. This link is commonly attributed to a belief that there is mercury inside modern vaccines. Historically, people have avoided vaccines for a multitude of reasons including religion and hysteria, but the link between autism and the measles vaccine was first proposed by Andrew Wakefield. (Novella, Paragraph 7) He conducted a controversial study in 1998 that has been accused of falsifying information. This study claimed to prove that the measles vaccine caused children to develop autism. The conclusion paragraph of the paper was the most controversial part of the paper. Ten of the paper’s original thirteen authors have since retracted their conclusion. (Novella, Paragraph 7) The link between vaccines and autism has been debunked plenty of times by a wide range of people. These people who trust the anti-vaccination movement believe that the pharmaceutical companies are falsifying …show more content…

The anti-vaccination movement has not fully gotten out of hand yet and can still be stopped. There are people out there who try to spread the word and end the movement but it’s a complicated issue. The only way to solve the issue is by legally requiring children to be vaccinated up to a certain age or separating the unvaccinated children from the rest of the children so they can't infect the populous. The movement has been losing traction in recent years due to being debunked so frequently but it’s not dead. The anti-vaccination movement affects everyone and is something that needs to be solved together. To conclude, the anti-vaccination movement is a very complex issue. It is accused of fear mongering and spreading false science, but is not impossible to understand why it is gaining popularity. It is only natural to believe in conspiracy theories and be interested in them. The problem is that this conspiracy theory results in the contraction of whooping cough and measles in young children. The movement has been debunked extensively and shown how truth got foggy. The movement is a result of not researching thoroughly and can be stopped with the

Show More
Related
308 Words | 2 Pages

In chapter 11 of In the Time of Butterflies, a positive aspect of prison for Maria Teresa is the strong relationships she built with the other women because it gave her something to depend on while she was going through tough times. On April 8, Maria Teresa wrote about her conversations with the other women in prison. Her and another lady Magdalena started talking about the strong connection that all the women shared in jail. After the conversation began between the two, the other women came over to Maria Teresa and Magdalena and started to share their ideas and opinions. All the women were starting to come together as a group and their relationships were getting stronger.

Read More
151 Words | 1 Pages

Knopf explains, how measles can be a deadly disease. As less parents are vaccinating their children, they can no longer rely on “herd immunity”. The lack of vaccinations can be linked to a direct fear of autism. However, with the

Read More
901 Words | 4 Pages

Summary and Reflection on The Panic Virus Amid the ongoing dispute that links vaccines with autism, Seth Mnookin has published The Panic Virus in 2011. Due to what must be the success of the book, the author has re-published the book with an afterword in 2012. The book’s purpose is to provide perception of the truth using scientific facts and evidence. The author’s curiosity and interest in the issue grew after the realization of the suspicion of his friends toward the medical establishment and instead rely on journalism and media.

Read More
1443 Words | 6 Pages

Researchers say that this is due to the fact that people have “feelings of political powerlessness.” They believe that the government is such a powerful force that it would leave the regular people defenseless if they were actually conspiring. Because of this, people tend to blame and create conspiracy theories to make the people who are most powerful seem like they are at fault. When applied to 9/11, we can see use this information to understand how someone would be able to come to wondering if the government were behind the attacks. This falls back under Jan-Willem van Prooijen’s research that was mentioned, who found that people who believe conspiracy theories are those who feel that they lack control in their lives.

Read More
1553 Words | 7 Pages

Harrison and James Moulton Thomas analyze the government theory using behavioral science in The Kennedy Assassination, Unidentified Flying Objects, and Other Conspiracies. “There is no real way to disprove an allegation of cover-up, but for many people the number, popularity, strength, and persuasiveness of such theories seem to outrun the verifiable data….since JFK’s assassination was a large, momentous event it must have had a large or momentous cause” (Harrison and Thomas 115). There is psychological reasoning as to why people believe conspiracy theories, and it is because they feel there has to be grand, elaborate causes to immensely tragic events like the JFK assassination. People that believe cover-ups must also have a sense of distrust for their government. Threats of nuclear war were prominent in the 1960s and paranoia was extremely high within each government and country involved.

Read More
276 Words | 2 Pages

Vaccination Nation is about the controversy of vaccinations causing autism. The United States federal court denied any link between autism and vaccines, more specifically the MMR vaccine. Vaccines causing autism has been the talk on news, celebrities and magazines. Despite scientist denying that there is no connection this topic has gained several legal claims against vaccines. This has led parents into panic about autism.

Read More
583 Words | 3 Pages

Individuals and Lobby groups such as ‘The Australian Vaccination Network’ lobby against a variety of vaccination-related programs, suggesting that vaccines are unsafe and dangerous. For some parents “the (slim) probability of imposing disability and possibly death on one’s own child (through the vaccination) outweighs the (natural) chances of contracting the disease,” (Jones 2001). These organisations/individuals have been labelled as controversial, by medical doctors and the Australian government who believe “the relative risks of vaccines versus contracting the actual illness….clearly favour vaccination,” (Jones 2001). Vaccination programs work to eradicate disease when all eligible people participate, but when parents suspect that such programs

Read More
1690 Words | 7 Pages

These people use conspiracy theories presented by others or conclude their own theories based on their own research, life events, and opinions. Research has found that these conspiracy theories give people a sense of control over their lives in some way. They continue to carry these theories with them and take comfort in them to help make sense of something they just can’t seem to make sense of. These are usually big traumatic events like for instance the terrorist attacks on 9/11, JFK assassination, and mass shootings (Ratner 1). These events are like a big puzzle you know what the picture is supposed to be but you have that one big gigantic enormous piece missing right in the center labeled why.

Read More
557 Words | 3 Pages

After several hours of Julia vaccinating her child, he developed Autism. the child had lost his language, social skills, control over his body and got rapidly sick for 3 years. After this experience, Julia stopped her other children from getting vaccinated. However, Julia is not against vaccination, as she stated that “ I’m not out to band vaccines, I believe in the concept of a eradicating infectious diseases. But right now one size fits all for everybody is not working”(The doctors,2008).

Read More
536 Words | 3 Pages

"Born a Crime" by Trevor Noah is an illuminating memoir that explores the intersections of race, identity, politics, and social institutions in apartheid South Africa. The book recounts the author's childhood experiences growing up as a mixed-race child in a country where interracial relationships were illegal and children like him were considered a crime. Through personal anecdotes and stories, Noah shares his upbringing in poverty and the challenges he faced navigating a society that was deeply divided along racial lines. His experiences reflect social stratification, which is the division of society into different groups based on social class, race, or other factors.

Read More
449 Words | 2 Pages

The vaccination wars debate is a large controversy over whether children should receive the recommended vaccines or not. This debate takes into consideration the possible risks to the child, family, and the community versus parents having a choice to say no to vaccines, despite pressures by society and the government. Furthermore, the debate discusses that although there are rare side effects of vaccinations, but overall they are safe and in the best interest of the child and the community. For instance, it was believed that autism was caused by the MMR vaccine. Except, with scientific proof, there showed to be no correlation between the MMR vaccine and autism.

Read More
1242 Words | 5 Pages

However, there are more resounding evidence that disproves the relationship between vaccines and autism that can’t be ignored. The study, published by the Lancet in 1998, conducted by Dr. Andrew Wakefield ignited a controversy in the medical world. 12 children believed to have developed autism participated in a study that reviewed their medical histories and evaluated their developments. They were reviewed for any underlying biological/physiological factors that could affect the child’s health.

Read More
982 Words | 4 Pages

Many people may think that vaccination is a bad thing, that instead of preventing it causes illness, that is not natural. Natural or not, there are many reasons as to why we should vaccinate us and the younger generation. Most of the time children don’t like vaccination because it hurt, but is the responsibility of a parent to seek the wellbeing of his or her child. Vaccination it’s a preventive measure of various diseases. Unfortunately, things like the anti-vaccination movement, the misinformation on the Internet, and the believe that vaccination causes more damage than is worth, have led our society to think that it’s right not to vaccinate.

Read More
1426 Words | 6 Pages

Unfortunately, the anti-vaccination movement is becoming increasingly popular due to individuals’ unfounded fears and imagined consequences associated with the idea of purposely inserting a disease into one’s body. However, despite one’s beliefs, vaccines are essential not only to a person’s well-being, but to the health of those around them. Mandatory vaccinations do not cause autism; rather, they save lives while upholding values of

Read More
1288 Words | 6 Pages

News Flash! Recent outbreaks of what the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) call vaccine-preventable diseases demonstrate the effects of the anti-vaccination movement. “Antivaxxers” as they’ve come to be called, as noticed on this author's Facebook page, are a population of parents who make a conscious decision not to vaccinate their children. The goal of this paper is to shed some light on the Antivaxxers, their arguments for choosing not to vaccinate their children, and research that proves the Antivaxxers’ theories are wrong. After all, vaccines aren’t something to be concerned about, they are proven to be effective.

Read More

More about Conspiracy Theories Pros And Cons

Related Topics

Open Document