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[ReplacementPelican]

Scientific literacy is rather poor. Stuff like anti-vaxx seems more prominent here than other countries.

I was born around the time the paper was published on the MMR vaccine but my parents and most others still vaccinated their kids. The study being wrong was as scandalous as the original story, it self-corrected and I've not really heard of anyone being against vaccines in the UK outside of this.

I was even more shocked when I heard that apparently it's more liberal people that believe this? That's crazy to me as I always assumed - being British - that it was only America's right that was scientifically regressive.

 

[CoffeeJanitor]

I blame conservatives and their FUD on science.

 

[AstroNut325]

I wouldn't even mind this, if only the people in charge would believe it and write some damn law to take care of the most pressing pollution crap going on right now.

Why would the people in charge do anything when it would just piss off their base and hurt reelection chances?

 

[forrest]

It's simple logic. C'mon fellow americans, get it together!

 

[AstroNut325]

It's simple logic. C'mon fellow americans, get it together!

They know deep down that doing anything about climate change will mean lifestyle changes. They'll remain ignorant until it's a direct threat to them.

 

[timetokill]

I was born around the time the paper was published on the MMR vaccine but my parents and most others still vaccinated their kids. The study being wrong was as scandalous as the original story, it self-corrected and I've not really heard of anyone being against vaccines in the UK outside of this.

I was even more shocked when I heard that apparently it's more liberal people that believe this? That's crazy to me as I always assumed - being British - that it was only America's right that was scientifically regressive.

American liberals tend to distrust corporations, and hence "big medicine" or "Big Pharma."

There are a shitload of "natural remedy" places in liberal American cities that peddle snake oil to hippies, and there's a large overlap with these people distrusting "unnatural" things like vaccines. So on one extreme you have religious exception to scientists "playing God" or something, and on the other you have "evil corporations" using "weird chemicals" when all you need is provided by mother earth, maaaaaan.

Our caveman ancestors didn't need vaccines, maaaaaaan.