He does not apologize for his past beliefs, which would be even better. But you have to give the man credit for reversing his stance on a core belief that he campaigned on(www.factcheck.org/2025/02/rfk-...) in the face of education. God damn! It takes the strength of a cervix to back down like that. - ThreadSky

emergentsquirrel.bsky.social • 58 days ago

He does not apologize for his past beliefs, which would be even better. But you have to give the man credit for reversing his stance on a core belief that he campaigned on(https://www.factcheck.org/2025/02/rfk-jr-minimizes-measles-outbreak-in-texas/) in the face of education.
God damn! It takes the strength of a cervix to back down like that.

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owlsome-ovo.bsky.social•58 days ago

Did you read the Fox piece? He doesn't state it as clearly as that & he doesn't urge people to get vacc'ed. He's dogwhistling the whole way, minimising the dangers and he's always been inconsistent.

I find it problematic to present *that* as a clear change of mind and as being convinced by science.

emergentsquirrel.bsky.social•58 days ago

I hear the condescension in your rhetorical question, and the assumptions it implies about me, someone you know nothing about except that ze has a different opinion than you. I hope you find incentive some day soon to have an open trusting conversation beyond your epistemic bubble. Not today :-/

owlsome-ovo.bsky.social•58 days ago

I didn't mean to be condescending at all, I was just wondering whether you've read it. I don't know how I should've asked that differently. I did not mean to talk down to you - or anybody else - at all. I was just curious to hear how you'd arrived at your conclusion given how the text is phrased.

emergentsquirrel.bsky.social•58 days ago

If you are curious, the text "Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity" and the explicit subtitle and the only other sentence emphasized in large font, led me to my conclusion. Please introspect, my friend, we are on the same team.

owlsome-ovo.bsky.social•58 days ago

Thanks! That's helpful and I'm sure we are!

I'm just worried that all the qualifications and language surrounding that are reducing the impact of that, you know. Do you care to hear a couple of the spots that irritate me? If not, that's perfectly fine.

emergentsquirrel.bsky.social•58 days ago

We applauded Mitch McConnell for breaking ranks with his friends and opposing RFK's nomination, we should do the same when RFK breaks ranks with his anti-vax voter base and opposes what he preached even 5 days back.

emergentsquirrel.bsky.social•58 days ago

Unfortunately not, but don't let that discourage you from making a separate post if you feel strongly about it. An article with this subtitle in Fox News amounts to a Republican standing up to his friends, and this takes great courage, as an old man called Dumbledore once told us.

owlsome-ovo.bsky.social•58 days ago

Imagine he turns around and says something outrageously anti-science again and the last thing people read all over the place was "Oh well, he's changed and trusts science now." It'll legitimize his next nonsensical take. It's not black and whit with him ever.

icedoctord.bsky.social•58 days ago

Problems with the character limits of posting here. This is an extraordinary reversal after his statement last week that we shouldn't worry about this measles outbreak at all. This is a positive development no matter how you look at it, but I didn't mean to imply he had found Jesus on everything

emergentsquirrel.bsky.social•58 days ago

You shouldn't have to explicitly say that he hasn't found Jesus to share someone's direct verbatim opinion and how it makes you feel, now, in the moment. For one, I wouldn't have read that character-unlimited, caveat-riddled version and it would not have made my day if I didn't read it. Thank you :)

owlsome-ovo.bsky.social•58 days ago

That's a pitfal of the platform, for sure. :)

And don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy he's pivoting in this direction for once. But his piece is full of difficult passages and doesn't state clearly that he wants people to take the vaccine. It makes me worry that it's often sold as pro-science.

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