by Anna Norris

Preying on the Anxious prone to Paranoia.

I got to wondering how and why Anti vaxxers persist in their beliefs even while there’s abundant evidence that vaccines save lives and only extremely rarely cause serious side effects. I lost at least one friend to raving conspiracy theories, her Facebook page brimming with Bill Gates as the devil ,and even the “ shedding” theory of contagion from the vaccinated which I’d prefer not to pay any attention to. I lose peace of mind when exposed to too much hateful quackery. She wasn’t the only person I know taken in, just the most floridly obsessed.
By now most of us will have been challenged by a friend or family members’ gullibility to misinformation. Sadly I now see these people as dealing with something like a mass psychosis.

Big Money.

Turns out there’s big money in the anti vax game, very big money indeed.
And, if success to you looks like being rich ,owning a fancy home, and getting a lot of attention, being ethical just may not come into it. These people are making massive profits on the basis of pushing theories that bring about others deaths.
And their lies spread like wildfire online.

Ma and Pa Misinformation.

Kind readers, I trust you will not take the following as a “How To”.
Heard of the Bollingers? Ty , a former Accountant and bodybuilder and his wife, Charlene, started making big money by spreading ineffective treatments, and selling products and “ misinformation packages” to people desperate for a cure for Cancer. Their video series, ironically named The Truth About Cancer, is still apparently available. “More than 450, 000 people signed up to view the series the year it debuted according to the figures the Bollingers posted online, and 25, 000 bought copies…the couple would have grossed $5 million in sales. For the Bollingers and a network of similar influencers, speaking out against vaccines, including the coronavirus shots, is not just a personal crusade,( they’d lost family members to cancer. ..ed.). It’s also a profitable business.”*
“ While we have generated income from our documentary films, we find nothing wrong with making a living.” Ty wrote this year”.*
Seeing the money to be made they followed up with The Truth About Vaccines, which was taken down by YouTube in May 2021, as it was contributing to the ongoing Pandemic woes.

“A study by Newsguard ranks the Bollingers’ Facebook page as one of the largest superspreaders of misinformation as of April 2020.”*
As well “ The couple played a significant role in organizing pro Trump demos that culminated in a riot at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.”*
It seems there are things they find “nothing wrong with” that those with more conscience would find plenty to be troubled by.

A Social Problem.

How and why are these activities allowed to happen, and, what’s more, are profitable? I put it down to the Sociopathic qualities of Capitalism without limits and the assumption that “Success “ too often ,and to too many ,equates to having more and garnering more attention without an emphasis on quality content or even a nod to the truth. “For good reason, the traditional public health approach to such misrepresentations is to provide a clear warning initially to those responsible for such misinformation in the form of what in the United States are called cease and desist orders. However, where there is non-compliance in face of such governmental communications, robust legal action needs to be initiated with condign imposition of penalties to deter and punish unethical quackery during a pandemic.”*

In this time of Joe Rogan, JPSears, Christiane Northrup and other household names cashing in on misinformation, I’d say it pays in health and happiness to be aware of the snake oil salespeople in our midst. How about you? Drop a comment and let me know your thoughts.

*“ More than 450,000 people “etc… Spreading vaccine fears. And cashing in. by Liz Essley Whyte June 8 2021 for the Centre for Public Integrity.

• “ While we have generated income from our documentary films..” Liz Essley, as above.
• “ A study by Newsguard ranks the Bollingers’… Ty Bollinger, subject,Wikipedia
• “ The couple played a significant role.. Ty Bollinger,subject,Wikipedia
• “ For good reason, the traditional public health approach..” Ian Freckelton QC ncb.nim.rih.gov
COVID-19: Fear, quackery, false representation, and the law

Further Resources:

The trouble with J.P. Sears ( + why we shouldn’t support Toxic “ Influencers”
Apollo Love, Dec. 2020, Elephant Journal

Celebrity doctor in Miami blocked from Instagram over COVID -19 misinformation claims
Travis Anderson, April 30, 2020, Boston Globe

270 health experts to Spotify; Joe Rogans’ Covid misinformation is a sociological issue of devastating proportions. Megan Sauer, Jan 14 2022, CNBC.com

COVID conspiracy Nurses Among those Who Spoke At Trump’s Violent D.C. Rally
Justin Ling, Vice

‘This is a disinformation industry’: Meet the media startups making big money on vaccine conspiracies. The Associated Press, Fortune