Gnostic Vaccines

I see a lot of these anti-vaccine people say that they’re not actually against vaccines. They just refuse to get the COVID vaccine because they don’t believe it’s a real vaccine. They think it’s any or many of countless bizarre conspiracies. So don’t worry! They’re good people! They’re not actually against science! They believe in science! They just don’t believe that any inconvenient example of science is actually science.

It reminds me of something like Gnosticism, which seemed to be a way to get out of being religious without seeming like a total heretic in times when disbelief in the divine would have been dangerous. Those dudes claimed to believe in God, but they got out of actually doing anything with that belief by saying the real God completely hopped out of this reality. The supposed God that everyone actually worships is a false and corrupt one, and since any signs of piety wouldn’t be able to reach the real one, a good Gnostic might not have to be that distinguishable from a denouncer of God.

But yeah. Science. Vaccines. They’re good actually.

Spoils of Infinity War

“Endgame” just came out. “Game of Thrones” is ramping up to its finale. Talk about spoilers and the ethics thereof has not been more prevalent in recent memory.

Now, I remember hearing about some study a few years ago where scientists claimed to prove that spoilers can enhance the consumption of a story because humans subconsciously enjoy putting together a puzzle when they know the end result. Which is fine for some people.

But in recent weeks, I’ve heard that study cited far too much by all sorts of people who hold it up to be some sort of universal truth. But humanity’s not a hive mind, and it’s insane to claim that someone who avoids spoilers actually just doesn’t know that they secretly want them.

I’m not the most fervent opponent of spoilers. Its a personal decision. Like everything, people bear some responsibility for avoiding what they don’t want in their lives, but they also have the right to be annoyed at those who ruin their fun. People generally understand themselves enough to know what they want, and no study is going to trump individual taste. It’s not like vaccination. That stuff doesn’t care if you like needles. It’ll help you anyway. Not the same deal here.

Bonus Question!

Best needle?

Gun.