"Exploring Science Literacy and the Literacy Communities of the Anti-Vaccination Movement"
Wyn RichardsWyn Andrews-Richards is a rhetoric scholar with specific research interests in literacy studies (particularly science literacy/aliteracy), writing center studies, political rhetoric, and feminist rhetoric. She will begin her masters program in August 2016 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Contents |
Autism and the MMR VaccineParents magazine, which hosts online parenting communities, recently published an article referring to another study proving that there is no correlation between the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine and autism. The comments section after this article has a different feel than the comments found in the anti-vaccination group on Facebook. Though, there was a mixed reply: there were comments from people who were pro-vaccine as well as those who were anti-vaccine. Some of Kata’s analysis proved very true about the rhetorical tactics of members of the anti-vaccination movement. One commenter said in reference to a much “-liked” comment by an advocate of vaccination, “This is an absurd response. Autism/forever over mumps for a week. Do you have children? These articles are paid for by big pharma. They want your money, and don’t care about people.” The conspiracy theories about the government and “big pharma” are discussed specifically in Kata’s analysis. One commenter on the article on the Parents website states, “No vaccines for my kids…never. It’s not because of autism though.” In response to this comment, someone wrote, “Is it because idiocy, rampant paranoia, and a complete lack of understanding in science?” This commenter points out the lack of science literacy as being problematic in the anti-vaccination movement. Yet, this poster's method was far from constructive. In a report for NBC entitled “Don't Call Them Dumb: Experts on Fighting the Anti-Vaccine Movement," risk communication expert David Ropeik addresses the psychology surrounding the mindset of an anti-vaccination advocate: “When you attack someone’s values, they get defensive. It triggers an instinctive defensiveness that certainly doesn’t change the mind of the vaccine-hesitant person. When they get defensive, they carry their campaign more fervently and that has the chance of poisoning other people" (NBC, 2015). |