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Maher on Vaccines

whatthebutlersaw said:
You're saying he's more like that kid in class that noted that the teachers liked it when the clever kids questioned what they said, so in a bid to seem more clever started talking back all the time without discernment? And then got surprised when it didn't work, but just got everyone annoyed with them?
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Well, thats not what I said, but it might describe him.
 
Skeptoid had a nice (to me, keep in mind I'm a layman here;)) podcast on vaccine ingredients tonight ;) .
 
What's troubling is that people who should know better let Maher off the hook for his woo laden views on Medicine just because he says nasty things about religon.
 
Insect Repellent??

This isn't the first time Bill Maher has gone off about insect repellent in vaccines. Does anyone have any idea what he's talking about? Obviously a search of the CDCs ingredient list turns up nothing, despite his claim that it's "right on their website". The only attempt at an explanation I've been able to track down is Orac's blog entry from Oct. 17, but that was largely speculation since Maher didn't elaborate on what he meant. My best understanding is that he's probably referring to an ingredient used in insect repellent, but purified water is used in some insect repellents! (Maybe I should forward him that dihydrogen monoxide alert that was going around a while back.)

Anyone have some light to shed on the subject? He's clearly off his rocker when it comes to vaccines, but I'm still curious about what he's trying to say.
 
I watched last season of his show on HBO... He basically hijacked the last 3 episodes of his own show (seriously? hijack your own show? what on earth is the point of that?) with anti-vax rants that were so over the line insane that his guests all ended up staring at him in complete and utter shock. One of those last 3 episodes, he happened to have a cardiac surgeon on (cardiac surgeon who used to be a congressman or something), and the cardiac surgeon got bombarded with all the anti-vax/anti-doctor/BigPharmaCT junk as well, instead of the political issues that he thought he was there to discuss...

The cardiac surgeon's response (summed up and paraphrased)? No. The science is there. You need to look at the science.

And that's the thing. Maher doesn't look at the science. He's just as deluded and indoctrinated in woo as the religious people he makes fun of, if not more so.

It's really quite sad that people have come to think of him as representing skepticism and critical thinking, because those are two things that he really doesn't practice.
 
Given the propensity for Maher's ilk to not grasp chemicals, formulations and multiple uses for vaccine excipients, my guess would be borate. Kind of like how 'anti-freeze' is also in vaccines (not).
 
SkeptiChick said:
It's really quite sad that people have come to think of him as representing skepticism and critical thinking, because those are two things that he really doesn't practice.
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Absolutely. Maher is really part of the "new endarkenment" that David Colquhoun talks about it. He and Oprah.
 
SkeptiChick said:
And that's the thing. Maher doesn't look at the science. He's just as deluded and indoctrinated in woo as the religious people he makes fun of, if not more so.
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I have described Maher in the past as "ascientific." Nothing he says has anything to do with science. Those times when he spouts the science line, it is because it fits his anti-republican, anti-religious agenda. Basically, if it can be used against republicans or religion, it is good. That's why he can support gardisal while being anti-vaccine.

It has nothing at all to do with science.

The only question left is, does an ascientific worldview constitute anti-science? I think there is a strong case that deliberately ignoring science when forming an opinion is an anti-science approach. It is one thing to be unaware of the role of science and its methods, but that is not the case here.
 
pgwenthold said:
I have described Maher in the past as "ascientific." Nothing he says has anything to do with science. Those times when he spouts the science line, it is because it fits his anti-republican, anti-religious agenda. Basically, if it can be used against republicans or religion, it is good. That's why he can support gardisal while being anti-vaccine.

It has nothing at all to do with science.

The only question left is, does an ascientific worldview constitute anti-science? I think there is a strong case that deliberately ignoring science when forming an opinion is an anti-science approach. It is one thing to be unaware of the role of science and its methods, but that is not the case here.
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I think Bill Maher is just plain Anti Establishment. He sees Republicans and Religon are being part of the Establishment.(and I have no doubt he will eventually turn on Obama and the Dems as well).
And,sadly he also sees Modern Medicine as being part of the "establishment" don't forget, part of his dogma is that Modern Science based medicine is a huge fraud. It that is not Anti Scientific, what the hell is?
 
dudalb said:
I think Bill Maher is just plain Anti Establishment.
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This is exactly the impression of him that I've been starting to form. Also as ectoplasm pointed out, he's showing signs of being anti-authoritarian.

He lets rip with "I think you could be wrong", that catch-cry of the skeptic. He points it at religion and a lot of us are lead to believe he's taking a position of reason. But then he turns around and points the same argument at vaccines and medicine. And one must being to wonder if he's just saying it for the sake of it. He doesn't have a well defined contrary argument, just "nah, you're wrong".
 
dudalb said:
What's troubling is that people who should know better let Maher off the hook for his woo laden views on Medicine just because he says nasty things about religon.
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Yup. That is troubling, and it's hypocritical to boot. If non-religious skeptics hold back criticism of Maher simply because he's non-religious, then we will have just destroyed our own credibility.
 
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As much as I love Bill Maher's show from time to time, he can be a real dumbass sometimes...He still buys into the Kennedy Woo too
 
I am a fan of Bill Maher and watch him regularly. Even so, he is definitely not a very scientifically versed individual nor does he show any real interest in scientific claims that disagree with his personal views. To label him a contrarian anti-establishment anti-authortarian cynic feels accurate to me. Personally I find him humorous and occassional insightful. Though not about medicine or health. As for turning on the Democrats and Obama, depending on personal views it has already happened. Though he generally roots for the Democrats it is more as a "better than the other option(s)" association as opposed to actual agreement. For Obama he admitted on his show that he probably was caught up in the election rhetoric and likely projected much of his own wants in a President. There has also been a few rants and blogs about Obama failing to do what is right.

In my opinion Maher is best in his element when dealing with extremists, or at the least moderates attempting to reconcile extremists views. When getting down to certain details he can be quite dogmatic and stubborn. Medicine is not his field and he definitely comes across as the eccentric celebrity idiot whenever he brings out his views on health.

As for his religious views, he has shifted over the years. At best you could say he is uncertain. He feels confident there is not an interventionist supreme creator as is espoused by the Abrahamic religions. He brings up still falling back on belief in a higher power in times of duress and thinks it is something he will never truly get over.

BTW I saw his routine in Eugene, OR a week ago. A fun show and thankfully he mostly steered clear of the health talk that usually makes me groan. The aging hippy crowd turned out in force.
 
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