Sorry, can’t find any better sources for this.
The animator then asked Maher what the “downside” of “getting a vaccine” was, which caused the comedian to go on an anti-vax tirade.
“The fact that you the fact that you don’t even have a clue what’s the cost of getting a vaccine that you don’t know the answer to that. You completely want to shut your eyes to the fact that there are repercussions to all medical interventions, including a vaccine, all vaccines,” he ranted. “They come, they say side effects, just like every medication does. You can see it in the literature. They can’t write it on their back on the vaccine. So you have to dig them. And of course, there is a vaccine court because so many people have been injured.”
“Explain to me how the vaccine is bad.”
“OMG dude you’re so dumb for not knowing.”
“Okay… So just tell me what’s so bad about them?”
“Dude, just stop being stupid.”
To play devils advocate: He isn’t entirely wrong. There are inherent risks with vaccines, and they can and do cause harm to a small percentage of people.
Now to stop talking crazy: The harm caused is extremely rare, and the percentage of affected people is quite small. These risks aren’t unknown or hidden, and they usually come from allergies or a compromised immune system’s.
Before I got any of my COVID vaccines, the nurse explained the risks, what to look for and gave me a pamphlet.
I’m not listening to Maher or MacFarlane about it because they don’t know what they are talking about.
MacFarlane seems to have read the brochure, at least. He wouldn’t be my go-to for health care advice, but he does appear to be reasonably well informed.
Its crazy to me as to how many people will use a “comedian” as one of their sources for healthcare information.
I mean if I wanted advice on how to be a shitty comedian then I would ask Maher for advice because he is a pro at that. But I ain’t taking his advice or even his opinion for my healthcare.
Its crazy to me as to how many people will use a “comedian” as one of their sources for healthcare information.
Comedians are consistently some of the loudest people in the room.
Even then, you can get people in white coats and stethoscopes to show up on TV shows and tell you medical-sounding things. I see them all the time in commercials and on daytime lifestyle shows. And they’re very popular bit-characters in reality tv productions.
But then that’s a big snag in the whole “Who do you trust?” game. Come out to Houston and talk to Dr. Steven Hotze. He will tell you all the same crazy shit Bill Maher is saying, and he’ll do it with an M.D. after his name. Even a strict “I only trust doctors” rule-of-thumb only gets you so far.
I mean if I wanted advice on how to be a shitty comedian then I would ask Maher for advice
Dude’s been a shitty comedian longer than I’ve been alive. Its genuinely amazing how long that guy has clung to the national spotlight, given how many vastly more talented comics have come and gone alongside him.
“The fact that you the fact that you don’t even have a clue what’s the cost of getting a vaccine that you don’t know the answer to that. You completely want to shut your eyes to the fact that there are repercussions to all medical interventions, including a vaccine, all vaccines,” he ranted.
Lots of Italians agreeing with Maher’s rhetoric: Italian hospitals collapse: Over 1,100 patients waiting to be admitted in Rome
’ “Covid has slightly decreased in the last week, flu is spreading, but other viruses have also caused ‘overcrowding’ in hospitals and a very strong pressure on emergency services,” De Laco explained on Tuesday, according to local media.’
COVID, Flu, and RSV all have vaccines available to the public.
Self solving problems are the best problems.
Vaccines are great for young people with strong immune systems. They are significantly less effective for the elderly and newborns and the immuno-compromised.
So if you get a nice thick herd immunity of healthy people surrounding the immune-weak, you can avoid sudden rampant disease spread into - say - retirement homes or daycares, which spike the incidence of illness for everyone. Also, keeping rates of spread low reduces the incidence of mutation and the chance for a given virus to evade the current vaccination protocol.
This isn’t an individualist problem. Either we all immune together or we all get variants separately.
Vaccines are great for young people with strong immune systems. They are significantly less effective for the elderly
Less effective for the elderly compared to what? Staying unvaccinated? With diseases like COVID and flu the elderly are the group that should get vaccinated over nearly every other group.
"The data suggests that boosters and updated vaccines are more important for older adults. " source
and newborns
Children are the second most important vaccination group after the elderly. Children represent the “high transmission” category. source
and the immuno-compromised.
Well sure, because vaccines work by educating the immune system. Without a functioning one, a vaccine isn’t going to help much, which is why the rest of us with otherwise healthy immune systems need to be vaccinated because they can’t.
So if you get a nice thick herd immunity of healthy people
That doesn’t work with highly mutagenic diseases because exposure to infection doesn’t produce long standing immunity.
Less effective for the elderly compared to what?
Compared to their younger counterparts. Older people have weaker immune systems. So prepping the immune system against a virus isn’t as reliable. You can be vaxxed and still get sick. And even milder illnesses can have long-lasting effects.
"The data suggests that boosters and updated vaccines are more important for older adults. "
Precisely because their immune systems are weaker. But at least as important as vaccinating the elderly is vaccinating the aid workers and family members in regular contact with them. An 8-year-old with the flu can absolutely deliver a death blow to an ailing vaccinated elderly relative. One of the leading causes of death in NYC, during the height of COVID, was sick nurses showing up for duty and passing the disease on to whole communities of elderly residents.
Children are the second most important vaccination group after the elderly
Because they’re messy bitches more likely to fail at basic hygenie.
Without a functioning one, a vaccine isn’t going to help much
Yes. Exactly.
That doesn’t work with highly mutagenic diseases
Highly mutagenic diseases are harder to vaccinate against, which is why we have annual flu shots and multiple flu shot variants. Also, why we can’t vaccinate against the common cold.
Nevertheless, getting healthy people vaccinated when you can helps insulate people with weaker immune systems from coming into contact with the disease from the start, which improves the survival rate for everyone involved.
I think we are nearly in agreement with one another. Vaccination (of all kinds) is important for as many people as possible.
Absolutely. My concern is that it is often treated as an individualist problem (if you don’t want to get sick then getting vaccinated is your responsibility) when disease spread is a more complex problem (vaccines have variable effects by individuals and exposure risks rise as fewer people are vaccinated).
Vaccination cannot be left to personal conviction. It has to come as a form of general public policy. And, as a result, it has to be publicly researched, funded, and distributed, rather than left to the whims of individuals.
Is he so fucking stupid that he thinks the NVICP was set up for COVID?
The NVICP was established as part of the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (Public Health Service Act, 1987; 100 Stat. 3756, codified as Title XXI of the Public Health Service Act at 42 USC 300aa-1 et seq. (Supp. V 1987)), but it did not become operational until the fall of 1988.
I bet I can count on two hands the number of COVID vaccine “injuries” that have been paid out from this fund.
Bill Maher is a moron, I don’t understand how he is still on the air.
EDIT: Correction, the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) was actually started in May 2023.
EDIT2: I found the relevant data for this:
CICP data for COVID-19 claims (as of December 1, 2023)
Total COVID-19 CICP claims filed: 12,700
Pending Review or In Review: 10,863 Decisions: 1,837 Claims found eligible for compensation: 38 Claims compensated: 10 Claims pending benefits determination: 27 Claims with no eligible reported expenses: 1 Denied: 1,799 Requested medical records not submitted: 337 Standard of proof not met and/or covered injury not sustained: 257 Missed filing deadline: 954 Not CICP covered product/not specified: 251This is an incredibly small percentage of the vaccinated population.
Bill Maher is a moron, I don’t understand how he is still on the air.
There is a huge audience for reactionary bullshit. I’m embarrassed to admit that it took me too long to realize that’s what he sells, but when half of every show was whining about trans people it got super obvious.
That’s where I tuned out too. His outrage that a trans woman might be a better swimmer than a biological woman is way down the list of things I care about. Why does he get so worked up?
Maher isn’t funny at all, despite having a “comedy” show.
I’ve never found him particularly funny, but more importantly, and I say this as someone who did standup for a few years, he berates his audience when they don’t laugh at his jokes. I used to watch his show, and he told his audience, “fuck you,” when they didn’t laugh numerous times. That is something you absolutely do not do in comedy. Even insult comics don’t insult the audience for not laughing at their jokes.
If he was a jobbing stand up I’d totally agree but he’s got his audience who presumably are ok with him berating them every time an undercooked joke bombs.
He was still touring last I checked, although admittedly that was 4 or 5 years ago.
Oh sure. I remember him saying that his crowd is turning up to see him specifically though, they know who he is and that he throws a tantrum if the laugh isn’t big enough. He’s not sharing a bill or playing to anyone who doesn’t want to see him.
Maher is one of those older guys who thinks they figured everything out 30 years ago and doesn’t need to try any more. The epitome of a lazy, entitled boomer.
The epitome of a lazy, entitled boomer.
Right, because that kind of intellectual arrogance is definitely a generational trait that us Millennials and Zoomers don’t ever need to worry about.
So much generational bullshit that people buy into these days. What garbage.
Right, because that kind of intellectual arrogance is definitely a generational trait that us Millennials and Zoomers don’t ever need to worry about.
Your words, not mine,
So much generational bullshit that people buy into these days. What garbage.
In your rush to take offense, you missed my point completely. I’ll paraphrase:
Older people (omitting any triggering mention of boomers) can often struggle to keep their opinions and thinking relevant as they can become less receptive to new information.
It was true 100 years ago and it’ll be true 100 years from now.
Older people (omitting any triggering mention of boomers) can often struggle to keep their opinions and thinking relevant as they can become less receptive to new information.
It’s got nothing to do with age or receptivity to new information. Vaccines aren’t new. This isn’t an instance of an old person not understanding something that came about “past their time.” Furthermore, there are plenty of younger people who are on the anti-vax bandwagon, so I’m not sure what your obsession with age is.
I don’t think I’ve misunderstood you at all; I just think your opinion is wrong, bigoted, and ignorant.
It’s got nothing to do with age or receptivity to new information
Disagree.
Vaccines aren’t new.
mRNA ones are pretty new.
This isn’t an instance of an old person not understanding something that came about “past their time.”
How do you know?
Furthermore, there are plenty of younger people who are on the anti-vax bandwagon
Yes, Maher is like this on a whole raft of issues though.
I just think your opinion is wrong, bigoted, and ignorant.
OK.
The problem with Bill Maher has nothing to do with his age. He sucks, it’s true, but lots of guys exactly the same age as him do not suck.
lots of guys exactly the same age as him do not suck.
I get that but it’s absolutely connected to his age. He’s spent the last 30 years in a bubble of wealth and privilege and has never had any pressure to update his thinking.
This. He has no idea what it’s like to be an average person anymore so his commentary is disconnected and misses the point. The guy lives in an echo chamber… I honestly can’t believe he still has a show because I don’t know anyone that still watches.
What amusing is that he frequently accuses both the left and the right of existing in their own little bubbles. Self awareness isn’t his strong suit.
So, you’re admitting it’s not about his age. It’s about his wealth.
If that’s what you’re saying I’m with you. Ageism is as wrong as any other bigotry.
it’s absolutely connected to his age.
I can’t be more clear on this.
