Comments on: Using Disability for Propaganda Purposes

By: Grant

Grant — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 23:36:21 +0000

I’ve seen Erwin Alber use this image before along with other ridiculous images. VINE is one of the more “odd” anti-vaccine Facebook sites, with everything from conspiracy theories to Alber’s belief that vaccines contain mind-control devices. (I’m being serious – we asked him if he could confirm this on sciblogs and he did.)

A wider pity is that a number of so-called “vaccine caused” cases are proving to be driven by genetic causes (many have their origin in de novo mutations, so their genetic nature isn’t as obvious as the more classical inherited genetics). Children with Dravet’s Syndrome, for example, apparently often go on to show autism-like traits.

While I’m writing here – I was “supposed” to be co-ordinating a blog carnival (see my website like, it might be linked on my name or avatar) on disability in the sciences but haven’t got enough entries to make a real go of it – disappointing. It might just still happen.

By: KathyH

KathyH — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 02:22:00 +0000

Thank you for posting about this. I shared it earlier today on informed parents of vaccinated children, on Facebook, and it has gotten a lot of attention. I hope that all this attention, from many sources, makes the point to people not to devalue others in such a manner.

By: Penny

Penny — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 23:03:37 +0000

I wonder if the children whose images were altered and collaged into that graphic khew they would be portrayed that way? Did their parents say “Sure, cut up the photo so it looks like she’s crosseyed and drooling, good idea”? I doubt it.

I wonder if VINE feels any concern for the real-life kids who will be mocked and jeered and excluded by the same folks who share this graphic? I doubt it.

The existence of this graphic says, loud and clear, these people don’t care about kids–any kids.