Now that it looks like he was passed over for a couple of Trump cabinet positions, Oklahoma Senator Marcuswayne Mullin is settling back into his safe and happy role as the right-wing blue-collar “everyman” of the Senate.
It’s a role that Marcuswayne plays well.
We were reminded of this yesterday morning when Marcuswayne stopped by Meet The Press to show off his southern truck-nut charm, justify Trump’s trolling cabinet picks, and then go full Jenny McCarthy by spreading doubt and misinformation about the safety of vaccines.
Check this out:
That’s great!
I like how Oklahoma has switched from having a right-wing doofus Senator who would go on Sunday morning talk shows and spread lies and misinformation about global warming to having a right-wing doofus Senator who “questionizes” the safety and efficacy of vaccines. We really know how to pick them, huh? Maybe next week James Lankford can go on Face The Nation and question the use of fluoride in the water supply.
In other news, this would probably be a good time to point out that the development and adoption of vaccines and antibiotics is – with all respect to bathing – probably the greatest health advancement we’ve made as a species.
They have safely and effectively protected people from cruel viruses and diseases that have brought so much pain, harm, and death to humanity since we were first domesticated by the agricultural age about 10,000 years ago, so I guess it’s no surprise that a doofus caveman like Marcuswayne has questions about them.
In fact, hearing Marcuswayne blabber on and on about why he thinks vaccines should be “questionized” – which they have been through countless studies and scientific reviews – and then haphazardly suggesting, without any scientific evidence, that they could be the root cause of autism, reminds me of one of my favorite memes from the pandemic:
In honor of Marcuswayne, I thought it would be nice to crudely update it:
Feel free to use it when it fits.
Anyway, to address some of Marcuswayne’s vague questions about vaccines, I’ll start with this:
Correlation does not imply causation.
I doubt Marcuswayne knows what those big words mean, so let me explain...
Yes, autism diagnoses—just like vaccine use—have increased big time over the last 50 years, but what hasn’t? Pesticides, air pollution, screen time, plastics production, wireless technology, processed food additives, mass media consumption, artificial sweeteners, parental age, prescription drug use, social media, LED lighting exposure, and even skinny jeans have all surged during the same period. I'd say any of them are more likely culprits than one tiny shot.
Yet despite that—and the inconvenient fact that vaccines have undergone years of rigorous testing, followed by continuous monitoring, to ensure their safety and efficacy—Marcuswayne and his legion of dimwits set their sites on the thing that’s saved millions of lives and prevented countless epidemics.
Talk about major league morons, huh?
More than likely, the rise in autism diagnoses is due to:
1. Environmental or genetic factors that are being studied by scientists.
2. Improved healthcare access, shifting social norms, and a better understanding of the condition.
Fifty years ago, many kids on the spectrum were just seen as “a bit odd” and left to fend for themselves in school, often becoming easy targets for bullies like Marcuswayne, before being chewed up and spit out by society.
Now—thanks to our knowledge of the condition and how to handle it—we can provide kids who have autism the support and setting they need to thrive and become functioning members of society.
Well, at least until Trump dissolves the Departments of Education and National Institutes of Health. Then it may be more of a challenge.
Anyway, I’ve probably written more than I should about a topic that will likely get blacklisted on social media by algorithms because it touches on vaccines. But whatever—that’s the world we live in, a place where truth gets drowned out by some dimwit’s fear and ignorance.
We’ll continue monitoring the Sunday morning talk shows to see what stupid things our state’s leaders say next.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
