Re: Becoming peaceful

[Guest guest]

Instead of attempting to NOT do something (re-examine our failed

cases), I recommend finding solace in actively looking at more

general aspects of the problem. You're only seeing the tip of the

iceberg with the idea " if I only had the RIGHT information, " but I do

think that's at least enough to plot an evasive course from drowning

in misery.

Did you see the recent " Vaccinations " episode of the TV show,

" Bullshit " ? I'm usually elevated to ridicule or indignation, as

intended, by Penn & Teller's exposees; this time, I was more myself

sympathetic to the " BS " camp. Whereas we, the plagiocephaly

community, have only to contend with a general lack of concern, there

is a solid medical-scientific consensus against parents who fear that

vaccinations cause autism.

God bless McCarthy's pediatrician, who steps right up to the

camera and says he saw, personally, a child become autistic after

receiving a vaccination, which determined his opinion. It's about

ways of knowing, epistemology. Science is a great source of truth,

but it may not be the best way to decide which simple perceptions to

discard entirely. What if the scientific hypothesis that experience

inspires is too narrowly defined? What if the toxic mercury that was

supposed to cause autism came from mercurichrome, instead of

vaccines; and what if it did cumulative harm to the epigenome of a

child's reproductive cells, delaying susceptibility to the disorder

by a generation? All those studies that failed to find a connection

might look less authoritative, and more like tragic

misunderstandings, when the truth is finally known.

The episode closes with a parent, a father much like myself, giving a

supposedly ridiculous soliloquy on pragmatics: how the

pharmaceutical companies are in it for money, which influences the

government, etc. I'm sensitive to those arguments, too. Yeah, maybe

they don't actually make a lot of money on vaccines; so the man may

have spoken mistruth. But they would stand to lose a lot of money in

court if such harm were found. Bottom line is, you can't trust 'em.

Just like we can't trust our pediatricians anymore.

How *did* they decide to take mercurichrome off the market? Why are

baby bottles BPA-free? No growth hormone in drinking milk? Were

scientists beating the responsible authorities over the head with

conclusive findings? I doubt it. Fear is necessary, healthy and

adaptive.

In conclusion, a gross generalization: there are too many dorks in

the world right now. Officious, ignorant, blustering. I think we

need to find out what's causing THAT. I bet it's pesticides.

--

Thad Launderville

town, Vt

Clara age 2, STARband '10

On Sep 2, 2010, at 2:27 PM, afschisler wrote:

> [...] I'm not sure how to come to terms with it. And move on. And

> stop looking - LOOKING at my son's face, his eyes, his forehead.

> At some point, he'll notice, and wonder why and what I'm looking

> at. And I don't want to do that to him, ever - maybe it will never

> bother him. So I don't want to plant a poison seed.

>

> I just feel RESPONSIBLE - and like I failed him. And I feel like

> others failed him too.