RE: https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/@lauren/115963873612884664
Reminder that in the UK in 1900, before mass vaccination for childhood diseases began, 20% of all babies died before their fifth birthday (from diseases we currently vaccinate them against).
RFK jr's appointee wants to kill roughly 20% of all newborn Americans "to improve the breed" or something.
(Not including those paralysed for life by polio.)
There would be more kids left disabled or permanently harmed from these diseases, even if they did survive.
I've heard these 'common sense' views before but they're unscientific - the immune system doesn't get stronger from exposure to disease. It doesn't need to be exercised.
@cstross Trump is already the most prolific mass-murderer in history. They should give him an award. Something like a golden swaztika.
@cstross https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Alexander_(polio_survivor)
Considering he died not that long ago means there are polio survivors probably still floating around, so it isn’t that long ago polio was killing people. I also remember my mom talking about her mom taking them and standing in line for the vaccine when it came out because she knew how deadly it was.
@cstross …and infant mortality is already much higher in the US than in any other comparable country.
@cstross We improve with education. Our breed is HUMAN. UGH!!! People can be so evil! We are one species, on race.
I have this picture saved to my phone for just that reason
@cstross When I was growing up in Madrid in the late 60s, there were still lots of very young people around who had contracted and were scarred for life from polio.
My friend was about 3 years older than me. She had contracted polio at the age of 5. It had attacked her spine, and she had to wear a metal brace 24/7 around her torso and chest to keep her upright so her body wouldn't double over and suffocate her by collapsing her lungs.
It was incredibly painful. She moved slowly and jerkily...
@cstross Not to put a too fine point on that, but people in iron lungs also don’t breed easily.
Pure eugenics.
@cstross People who are anti-vaccination for whatever fruitloops reason need to spend some quality time in old churchyards looking at monuments to dead children put up bereft parents.
@cstross That means they’ll need even more white babies. Don’t these people talk to each other?
@bart Not to worry, Project 2025 is promising "marriage boot camps" for young white folks, along with subsidies for childbearing and obstacles to divorce. (Facepalm.)
They really *are* intent on taking the USA back to the 50s—the 1850s, that is, not the 1950s.
