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What are the strategic considerations behind the active spread of anti-vax theories? (mander.xyz)

submitted 1 year ago by notsofunnycomment@mander.xyz to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

29 comments fedilink hide all child comments

When it comes to spreading disinformation about climate change or the risks of smoking, I can clearly see how it protects economic interests (e.g. the value of the assets of the fossil fuel industry or the tobacco industry). I therefore understand that these lies are (have been) regularly pushed by people who do not necessarily believe in them.

But what are the strategic considerations behind the active spread of anti-vax theories? Who gains from this? Is it just an effective topic to rile up a political base? Because it hits people right in the feels? Is it just a way to bring people together on one topic, in order to use that political base for other purposes?

Or is anti-vax disinformation really only pushed by people who believe it?

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[–] sock@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

i find the anti vax stuff is because some people genuinely believe its dangerous and was pushed too fast because of money and corporate sponsors (yet those people arent against capitalism just against when capitalism doesn't serve them)

yet a lot of the claims of myocarditis and whatever is largely unsupported by studies and currently the anti vax folks are just going waiting for a source to say theyre correct because if i want to counter antivax i show any study theyre claiming exists

they cant show studies becuase low n behold they dont exist and facebook was lying. shocker