Trying to persuade an antivaxxer to vaccinate (or even to stop spreading antivax misinformation) is almost impossible. Being antivaccine is part of their identity as much as religion, political beliefs, and other ideologies. Motivated reasoning and confirmation bias rule them. 3/
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If they insist on a massive randomized placebo-controlled trial over 20 years showing that vaccines do not cause autism and react negatively if it's pointed out that such a study would be highly unethical, they're antivax. 14/
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However, here's perhaps the most useful standard in terms of responses to the question about evidence. If they keep moving the goalposts as you provide evidence that meets each set of standards they answer you with, they are almost certainly antivax. 13/
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Again, there's very little point trying to engage with real antivaxxers. The cost in terms of time and effort far outweighs the benefit of the tiny likelihood that you might get them to start to change their minds. 14/
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Instead, target the fence-sitters, the "vaccine curious" and averse who might be reachable. To do that, however, you need to know how to distinguish them from antivaxxers. It takes time to develop an accurate "I know one when I see one" instinct about antivaxxers, as I have.15/15
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I forgot: One other VERY good indicator of an antivaxxer: The grift. If the person sells "substitutes" for vaccines, woo to treat "vaccine injury," or "alternative vaccine schedules," he is almost always an antivaxxer. 15a/15
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