A World Without Discourse, A Must Read: A Ten Commandments’ Tale

nobody’s voice should be suppressed

us vice president kamala harris

to understand the problem in context, i share with you three stories.

first, in my occupation, i have been blessed to interact with some brilliant doctors. one of them, a shoulder specialist, imparted upon me the following wisdom: he said that one great surgery often allows for five bad surgeries. he went on to explain that, as an expert in the field, he was able to know, based upon mris, x-rays, and physical examination as to the likelihood that a surgery would be successful. there were times, when he knew the odds were unlikely of success, he would do the surgery and it would yield great results. the operation’s success deluded him into reassessing his previous understanding of the odds of success. as a result, he would then attempt to replicate his unlikely success. the result of that was a number of unsuccessful surgeries. those surgeries brought him back to the realization that his original expert clinical judgment was correct. in sum, there is a reason why we label certain events as longshots.

second, dr. jonas salk, according to the salk institute, reports that “contrary to the era’s prevailing scientific opinion, salk believed his vaccine, composed of “killed” polio virus, could immunize without risk of infecting the patient. salk administered the vaccine to volunteers who had not had polio, including himself, his lab scientist, his wife and their children. all developed anti-polio antibodies and experienced no negative reactions to the vaccine.” salk dr. jonas salk, with this particular vaccine test, was able to achieve the greatest possible result imaginable. a vaccine without negative reactions.

third, google sponsored the shalva band to perform at their new york city offices. the presentation and performance is on youtube. in the presentation, one of the founders of shalva, an organization that assists individuals with disabilities, related the story of how the organization was founded. the founders malki and kalman samuels “created a therapeutic environment in which children with disabilities could grow and thrive. this approach was based on the samuels’ own experience with raising their son yossi who was left blind, deaf and acutely hyperactive as the result of a faulty vaccination.” shalva.org

these stories teach you the following: experts in the field of medicine can make amazing accomplishments with vaccines. experts in the field of medicine can try to replicate their successes and fall short. there are individuals in this world who have had family members severely impacted by vaccinations and that google and youtube are fully aware of that fact.

thus, i ask the following questions: if individuals such as the samuels, who have had family members severely impacted by vaccines, are hesitant about or against vaccines, aren’t their concerns legitimate and real? shouldn’t these individuals have a right to speak their minds concerning the issue?

further, the covid-19 vaccines, unlike the polio vaccine, are ones which can have serious side effects. thus, the decision to take the vaccine is not as simple as the decision to place a band aid on a wound.

perhaps, if i had chosen youtube or facebook as a platform, all what i have told you would be censored. it is reported that youtube and facebook are entering the realm of censorship with respect anti-vaxers. while i believe that vaccination is something within the medical tool box to cure or prevent diseases, i cannot and will not discount that they are individuals who are aggrieved by the notions of vaccinations. the current covid-19 vaccinations can have serious side effects. when there are medical risks involved, individuals should be afforded choice.

youtube and facebook are using anti-vax censorship as a trial run for further and growing censorship. according to the reports, alleged “expert consensus” is all that is needed to remove you from their platforms. the notion of “expert consensus” as a basis for censorship is frightening. questions arise as to who is an “expert” and what is “consensus” are issues. likewise, the combined notion of “expert consensus” is an even great issue. history is replete with “experts” in fields ranging from science to philosophy that were later found to be wrong.

there is often the issue of who is an “expert.” there are no official experts. experts are recognized based upon their qualifications. in my field, there are individuals who are certified specialists. personally, i have encountered many specialist who aren’t quite special. thus, expert is something that is either by reputation or by publicity. in sum, the label of expertise is completely subjective and not scientific.

there is often the issue of consensus. often, for some reason, there are letters which are signed by “one hundred doctors” or “one hundred clergy” to support certain positions. these letters are frankly laughable as to notions of consensus. people will often sign these documents without really knowing, caring or examining the content. they are akin to the birthday card being circulated around the office for signatures.

with no doubt, there will be expert consensus down the road that certain political parties or religious beliefs will be deemed as misinformation. thus, social media will have justification to provide greater and deeper censorship.

in sum, as much as you may love youtube and facebook, it is imperative that individuals cultivate information sources outside of their platforms.

censorship prevents discourse that can lead people to the truth. sadly, for many of those individuals who are pro-vaccination, i wouldn’t be surprised if they did not know about dr. jonas salk. he and his colleagues accomplishments are the most powerful arguments in favor of vaccination.

be well!!

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