On autismvox.com, the latest conversation is on how the fear of autism has fueled some of the fury against the HPV vaccine. Authur Caplan's article in the Philadelphia Inquirer discusses how this fear of autism shapes public health policy. Another instance of the myth of autism... (I still don't understand how people can be so afraid of having a child like Tobey?)
Anyways, I think the rhetoric of fear and blame and its latest manifestations in the HPV debate are interesting. There's so much rhetoric to look at here... I guess that's what I can do after I get some papers evaluated.
That and I believe the HPV debate also centers on the notion that women should not have sex and if they do, they deserve to die from cancer. "I don't want to give my daughter the wrong message: sex is okay." Translation: You should never have sex because if you do, you can die. From cancer. Of the Cervix.
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Once I got past the annoying pop-up ads on the Philadelphia Daily News page, I enjoyed (arguably not the right word - but bear with me) the seemingly non-biased way that Caplan presents his article. I am particularly amazed that someone of his scientific background is able to write in such a clear and simple manner.
In fact, I was overwhelmed enough by the delivery, that I don't really want to comment on the content (no kids = no ethos to discuss vaccinating them). Caplan has been on the forefront of EVERY controversial "bioethics" issue to hit the news lately, and while knowing that he has all the credibility (and more) to discuss the connection (or lack thereof)between thimerosal/mercury and autism made me "listen" more closely than I might have otherwise, I am still hesitant to take everything he writes as "truth."
My interest in Caplan (I ran across him when I was writing an Op-Ed article on Terri Schiavo a couple of years ago) is that even as MSNBC correspondent, author, educator, and very credible scientist, Caplan continually gets in heated mudslinging debates with leaders in both parties... Kennedy, Bush - no one is immune (no pun intended) from his poison barbs. BUT - he seems (my opinion, of course) to thrive in the limelight and on the fact that he has become a "character" who represents to scientific community. So that naturally makes me suspicious anytime I see his name attached to a hot topic (political or scientific)...
Then again, I HATE Rick Perry with the firey-hot-passion of a thousand suns, so I instantly mistrust ANYTHING that he thinks is a good idea. Of course, even scum-sucking liars occasionally hit on something that IS a good idea, and the fact that Perry will personally profit from the vaccine doesn't preclude its importance or necessity.
I know I'm rambling on both sides of this debate, and I think it's because of the issue of trust. I don't think that vaccinations and autism are linked, and I think that the HPV would have been a reality YEARS ago if it weren't part of a "female" issue (and therefore largely ignored by the still male dominated scientific community). BUT, I do take exception that Gardasil is so disgustingly expensive (let's not even get into Perry's connection to Merck)and that it hasn't been lauded as the niftiest discovery in years (it's not like getting a POLIO vaccination was an option). I suppose that in mind, we (the world at large and Texas in specific) wouldn't be having this debate at all if 1)people understood autism, 2)Perry wasn't a sneaky ass whose every movement needed to be questioned, 3)Gardasil was a MALE vaccine, 4) the Health professions hadn't lost so much credibility with the average American over the years, and 5)Insurance was the biggest scam in American history...
How's that for a Friday-night-I-have-no-life-rant? :)
I watched Monk tonight. That show cracks me up, but with all the "Rochelle talk" we've all been doing about disability rhetoric and the visual representation -- I didn't passively watch it as I would have normally. I don't read any of the disability list-servs, but I wonder how (or even if?)THAT particular show/character has been addressed by that community of scholars...?
He (Monk) is suffering from extreme OCD, of course, but he is definitely autistic as well (though I haven't watched the show consistently enough to know if they ever directly say this). They don't really portray him as a savant, so to speak, but he is highly intelligent and skilled in observation (sound like a short blonde-haired boy we all now and love??). He suffers AND he overcomes, and in the end, he is a functioning member of society (albeit an odd one).
I love it because to me, Monk is normal and not - all in the same sweep (and who really IS normal anyway??). He is difficult and loveable and wholely unique --- all the ways that you so often speak of Tobey. To me, he seems a positive (though obviously a "Hollywood-ized") depiction of "disability." But, I wonder now - how does the community embrace Monk (the show AND the character)? Do you know?
Sort of off topic, but only sort of--I've been swamped with a lot of things lately, so of course my computer finally gave up the ghost, so I was forced to get a new one (I was trying to wait till I got all my projects done).
Vista has a lot of new accessibility features. The features themselves aren't new (audio for the visually impaired, magnification, other things), but they're all in one place, they all come with Vista (in the past you had to have separate software for some of the features).
By the way, I've had to change email thingies, so if any of you have emailed me at charter address, I may have lost it. I'm still at the same address, but I'm no longer using Outlook.
Dr T--Is Vista an operating system like Windows or a search engine like Explorer or Firefox?
As someone who isn't visually impaired but technologically challenged, I can't imagine how difficult it must've been to load all of those different programs onto the computer. It's amazing the progress that's been made since the ADA in 1991. Of course, there's much more to do, but...
Oh, and I did email you but I'll just email you again just in case...
Donna-- I think the canon of delivery is crucial to discussions of autism and vaccines. In fact, I took that idea and expanded on it in my next blog. And, I think you make an excellent point regarding the distrust of the health insurance agencies.
I haven't seen Monk, yet, and I haven't heard anything about the show on the list serv (although Dr. T might know more than I do), but I also haven't heard any thing negative about him, either. And, trust me, if this group had a bone to pick with him, I'd be still reading about it.
I think that the television show does take away some of the stigma of mental conditions. It takes away some of the stigma to a certain extent...
Rochelle, Where have you been? Vista is the new operating system for PCs. There's no avoiding it. I'm having a few compatibility issues, but mostly it's running pretty smoothly.
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