Senator endorses discredited doctor’s book that claims chemical treats autism, cancer

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EvolvedMonkey

Ars Scholae Palatinae
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It feels like there is a form or class of mental illness we’ve yet to formally classify, where an expert in an area becomes convinced they know something in a related field (but often not their own exactly) and then are unable to comprehend any competing concept. Eventually devolving to paranoia and perceptions of conspiracy, and getting feted by the Republican Party.
 
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It feels like there is a form or class of mental illness we’ve yet to formally classify, where an expert in an area becomes convinced they know something in a related field (but often not their own exactly) and then are unable to comprehend any competing concept. Eventually devolving to paranoia and perceptions of conspiracy, and getting feted by the Republican Party.
I think the term is mendacity.
 
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KrookedRooster

Ars Praetorian
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McCarthy, addressing ProPublica on Substack, wrote: “You point to various online guides that offer what could be considered dangerous dosing instructions. We agree, the internet is a terrifying wasteland of misinformation and disinformation.
Do...do you listen to yourself when you speak? (emphasis mine)

We provide an oasis in the wasteland! Sure, it might kill you, but also, it might not!
Spoiler: it will
 
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TheShark

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She dismissed warnings about chlorine dioxide’s toxicity in high concentrations, writing: “Everything has a toxic dose — including nutmeg, spinach, and tap water.”

OK, this is pretty funny because if tap water has a toxic dose it's not really because of the water. It's because of the...


wait for it...


chlorine dioxide.
 
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SixDegrees

Ars Legatus Legionis
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Its always the easiest chemials too eh,
ClO2

Chlorine di-oxide

Just cool enough to sound neat, but not too complex to be able to utter.

Also it has chlorine which sounds like chloroquine so must be great.

Sigh
The ultra-simple CN isn't exactly good for you, either.
 
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Mechjaz

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I like telling stories then relating them to the articles so here goes:
I dropped one of my fish in the toilet. He was appearing dead, but then he started swimming around in the bowl, and I couldn't get him out of there. I called the vet, who said that the fishie would have taken a lethal dose of Chlorine gas, and was ostensibly a dead fish swimming.

... These luddites are my fish swimming around in a lethal toilet bowl. That is all I have to add.
I'm not sure what you're saying with this.

Did you have bleach or some other chlorinated cleaner in your toilet bowl at the time?

Luddites were a group of people advocating for the socially responsible adoption of technology - what does that have to do with being anti-science/anti-medical science? They didn't disbelieve that the disruptions they faced existed, or vice versa (it's hard to tell how to phrase this, with simple facts being points of contention, apparently).

Why are they the fish swimming in your bowl? It is has the tone of a parable or allegory, but you dumped your fish in accidentally, and even tried to rescue it. These people are fish jumping into the bowl at the direction of hucksters, liars and scammers.

I'm sorry about your fish though. I had a goldfish that lived to be something like 13 years old, and I would have felt terrible had I taken him out of his aquarium before his fishful life ran its course.

Edit: phrasing, I legitimately didn't mean to sound grim or as if I was assassinating my fish, or imply that OP was doing the same.
 
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Bernardo Verda

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"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."
George Carlin

Has anybody studied how the distribution curve for politicians compares to the curve for the general population?
(Might, or might not, also need a historical baseline for proper context.)
 
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