I remind myself of how I got to where I am in terms of not caring much about antivax attacks. It was only after years of being terrified of them and the awkward conversations with my bosses when they started attacking me through my work. 1/https://twitter.com/JtSebelius/status/1130630201392664583 …
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None of them were hostile to my hobby, though, and even the apathetic ones never told me they thought I should stop, although in one case I could tell that he probably wished that I would stop because it would be fewer headaches. 3/
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I realize that I'm highly privileged in this. I'm an academic surgeon, and my blogging activity falls under academic freedom and free speech. The culture at universities tends to close ranks around members whose speech is being suppressed by cranks. 4/
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If I worked for a private company or hospital, the reaction of administration to complaints about my blogging and social media activity might be VERY different, depending on the company. 5/
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To give antivaxers an idea of how little effect their complaining about me now has, I'll relate an anecdote. The last time I met with my cancer center director, he joked that no one had complained about my blog to him lately. 6/
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I should have said that I'd try to do better for next time, but I was so flabbergasted that the quip didn't occur to me until later. 7/
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Don't get me wrong. Harassment by antivaxers and quacks has had an effect. My Google reputation is trashed. If I ever needed or wanted to change jobs (fortunately I have no such desire right now), I do wonder how that would affect my search. 8/
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Still, I do view attacks by antivaxers and quacks as badges of honor and evidence that I'm effective. 9/9
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End of conversation
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