Parenting and Science Part 1: Vaccinations

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I am no parenting expert. I have a two year old son, he is my only child and like most parents, my wife and I are learning as we go. However, I do tend to have a lot of advice for new parents, or soon to be parents, based on my own research and I have lots of opinions on the do’s and don’ts of parenting.

My opinions comes from science. I like to base my views on empirical evidence whenever possible. So I am going to blog about parenting advice. I am not the be all end all, but I will link to great resources to help you along your way in making these decisions.

So I will attempt to make this a new series of posts on my blog, starting today with part 1.

Vaccines.

One of the first things you will be asked about in the hospital are the vaccinations. This seems like a scary decision, you just got your new born baby in your arms and they want to stick it full of drugs and poke them with needles? What are the side effects? Are they dangerous? How important are these vaccinations, can’t we get them for our kid later, when they are older?

These are all valid questions, but there are not different answers (barring any known health issues brought up by the doctor). Get vaccinated. This is one of the most important things you can do for your child, and the other children you child will come in contact with. They do not have a very strong immune system, and there are lots of viruses and diseases they are susceptible to. You should also keep in mind, if your child is not vaccinated and happens to be carrying a virus, they could infect a child who for medical reasons cannot be vaccinated. We must think about vaccines globally, we should all be looking out for each other. Do not simply rely on the hope that everyone else is vaccinated so you and your child are safe. We have a responsibility to everyone our child will come into contact with. Take this responsibility seriously.

First things first. Parents. Get your vaccinations! You are the first place they can get these illnesses from. Get your whooping cough shot and your flu shot, well in advance. Don’t get them the day of, or after, get them weeks before. Especially the mothers. Its very important that you have your flu shot up to date during your pregnancy.

Follow the doctors recommendations on your child’s vaccines. Avoid the pseudoscientific claims of people like Dr Sears who will try to sell you on a vaccine schedule that is not medically approves or tested and will result in long periods of time that your child will not be vaccinated against.

Here is the CDC info on child vaccinations and schedule: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/easy-to-read/child.html

The most important thing to remember is vaccines are safe and very effective. They have been medically and scientifically tested for safety. Countless reports and studies are conducted to continue monitoring each and every vaccines safeness and effectiveness. Your doctor and medical professionals are here to help you and your child. This is something very important to keep in mind. If you have questions or concerns, you should speak to your doctor. They will better explain and set your mind at ease about this decision.

Here are some links to great articles about vaccination, You will notice many come from the same or similar blogs. These are all science related parenting sites who all do an amazing job citing their sources and presenting you scientific facts, not their own personal opinions. I recommend following each and every one of these sites as well. They are worth it.

http://www.mommadata.com/2010/02/autism-vaccine-debacle-is-no-debate-and.html

http://www.mommadata.com/2013/04/to-vaccinate-or-not-to-vaccinate-with.html

http://doublexsciencejr.blogspot.com/2013/03/vaccines.html

http://www.doublexscience.org/vaccination-attitudes-are-contagious/

http://www.chop.edu/service/vaccine-education-center/home.html

http://scienceofmom.com/2012/01/11/on-parenting-science-and-trust-and-choosing-to-vaccinate/

http://www.mommadata.com/2009/11/fears-over-swine-flu-shot-blame-it-on.html

http://www.mommadata.com/2011/01/sloppy-science-meets-slimy-science.html

 

Conscription: Is a Draft the Moral Thing to Do?

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In chapter 4 of Michael Sandel’s book Justice: What is the Right Thing to Do, Sandel deals with the issue of morals in a free market. Sandel did this by applying libertarianism and utilitarianism to two different scenarios where the morally right thing to do is more ambiguous.

The two issues he dealt with were the volunteer army and pregnancy for pay. Both made important cases for libertarianism in that each scenario could be viewed as impeding on someones freedom or liberty, meaning one choice, to a libertarian was a clear correct choice and one was an infringement on their rights. Both scenarios also showed an important role of utilitarianism and the principle of utility, meaning the end result brought the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people. Though from the Utilitarianism argument, the issues of right and wrong were not as clear cut.

Out of those two issues, I will be addressing the volunteer army. Sandel talks about two major scenarios in front of us. A total volunteer army, meaning paid soldiers who signed up to join the military, versus conscription (draft). Meaning a draft to fill the ranks from citizens. The libertarian argument seems clear cut, a volunteer army is made up of citizens who decided on their own to join the military and any draft would be a violation of citizens rights. The utilitarian argument however, may not be so cut and dry. Using the principle of utility, we should look at what makes the greatest number of people happy, and at first glance, that is a volunteer army, most citizens would be happiest knowing they do not have to go into battle and a smaller number of citizens are doing so of their own free will, meaning they signed up for the task.

A much closer examination however, reveals this may not be the proper use of the principle of utility. You have to first exam who makes up the military. It is filled with soldiers who make up the working and middle class of our country, the children of working class parents, and many are minorities. They are joining the military not out of a desire, but out of necessity. They don’t have job opportunities awaiting them, they don’t have the ability to pay for college, and the military offers them that chance. But once soldiers are joining out of necessity, you immediately remove the libertarian argument that they are joining fully of their own free will. How free is a choice when it may be your only choice. The wealthy are not joining the military. The sons and daughters of congressmen, CEO’s, corporate bankers, these are not the children filling up our ranks and heading off to battle. As Sandel quotes in the book “rich man’s war, poor man’s fight” (p. 76).

So is this the principle of utility in action? Is this class inequality what is right for greatest amount of happiness? I don’t believe so, and I don’t think John Stuart Mill would think so either. This inequality, Mill would argue lessens the value of life of the soldiers compared to those who do not have to enter the army for a job, schooling or whatever other reasons have forced men and women to join based on necessity. These soldiers are not living life to the highest end. A volunteer army can only be morally justified in a pure egalitarian country. No class inequality or social stratification can exist.

The only moral solution I could find was a draft. A draft where every eligible man and women had an equal chance of being drafted and your social status had no weight on your rank or job in the military. The presidents son is just as likely to see combat as the son of a steel worker in Pittsburgh. No deferrals of any kind, your parents paying to enroll you in college just to avoid the war won’t help you.

This is the only way to ensure that if congress wants to declare war, they do so knowing their own children could be sent away. This goes against every belief of a libertarian, and I believe many utilitarians would try to argue the same, but if you want to argue morality, you cannot do so while oppressing the classes you consider beneath you and claiming your life is more valuable than theirs. I do not believe society can be truly happy on the suffering and death of others, and because of that, I see that the principle of utility could be easily applied to defend the draft.

My Thoughts on Boston

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These are some thoughts on the events in Boston, MA today. I was at work all day during these events, but as news came in, I jotted down notes and thoughts and have tried to organize them below. These events hit very close to home, my Mom was at the marathon, I grew up in New England and I have friends and family very close to this situation.

What a day. When my twitter popped up with a CNN Breaking News post that two bombs had gone off in Boston, at the marathon finish line, I could not have grabbed my phone and texted my mom faster, knowing, as a runner, she would be in that crowd of people watching the race today.

Speculation and Profiling

She was fine, and was safely away from the blast area, but then I was left to wonder why, how and who. I won’t even try to speculate on who, I can come up with 100 different cases that so and so, or this or that organization but what good does that do? I have no proof or evidence. I will leave rampant, unchecked reports and lies up the media like CNN, Fox and NBC. Though, it’s hard to continue to blame our media for this fast news, when this is the culture we allow to exist and as consumers demand immediate information and can’t wait for accuracy.

I am full of speculation, and theories, but I will wait until we know more until I arrogantly comment on what I think happened today.

I saw on the news police arrested a 20 year old Saudi Arabian* man for questioning. Oddly my first thought was not one of international terrorism, or feeling of relief that they got someone, instead I thought immediately of racial profiling. Why was this man arrested? Was it the color of his skin? His accent? Did they have a real suspicion if was him? I also thought about how our government and media was probably ready to pin this on any dark skin man they could find. I even saw a comment on one news organizations site saying “this has North Korea written all over it” and under it, hundreds of people agreeing. I wonder why they think that? Yes, North Korea are loud mouths, who love to threaten us, but I don’t think this is why people think it’s them. I think they are grasping for their excuse to attack, even though, by all accounts, nothing about todays activities say North Korea at all.

Right now, we don’t know who did this, we do not know if this was foreign or domestic, so lets be careful and leave the racism at the door, keep your nut jobs conspiracies to yourself and lets wait until we actually know more before all the keyboard experts dissect todays events.

(*I have since heard on NPR that no one has been arrested, but some people have been talked to and questioned. No real details more than that.)

Solidarity

Reports of runners, running straight the hospital to donate blood and then the Red Cross coming out and saying no more donations are needed for today, because so many people donated, this is solidarity. I don’t consider patriotism a virtue, but I consider humanism one, and today, I saw humans do something amazing and i’m proud of each and every person who acted altruistic today. Today people put politics and their beliefs aside and finally saw everyone as equal and human. A lesson I hope we can continue to learn outside of tragedy.

What’s Next?

If we do learn this was an act of international terrorism, lets not make this an argument for more bloodshed. How many lives do we have to lose in our world for our continued tit-for-tat political aggression policies.

I also hope the American people don’t revert to post 9/11 mindsets and the Islamophobic, anti middle eastern rhetoric doesn’t kick back up. We have a terrible history of being more racist and enter into a dangerous nationalist mentality in our country whenever tragedy strikes. I hope this time it can be different, and we can continue our sense of social solidarity without a racist or violent and deadly end.

And on a final note, if you are religious, please stop thanking God for those who are unharmed, etc, it’s an insult to those who are injured or lost their lives. Each time I hear “My friends are safe, God is great!” I wonder what they would say to those whose friends and family are not safe, are your friends just that more important? Today a tragedy happened, stop using this as a reason to praise your God and exclaim how great he is. I wonder, if he is so great, why did an 8 year old child die today? And don’t you dare tell me God has a plan…

 

Book Review: Justice: Whats the Right Thing to Do, by Michael Sandel

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Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? by Michael J. Sandel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such an amazing book. Assigned as a “text book” in my moral philosophy class, it was a fun and thought provoking read. Covering so many different aspects of morality and justice and using allegories that made total sense to each idea. I think everyone should read this, I have recommended it already to so many people, even before I finished it.

Click here to buy the book!

Book Review: Working Class And The Transformation Of Learning: The Fraud Of Education Reform Under Capitalism by Jack Barnes

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Working Class And The Transformation Of Learning: The Fraud Of Education Reform Under CapitalismWorking Class And The Transformation Of Learning: The Fraud Of Education Reform Under Capitalism by Jack Barnes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of the best arguments for a socialist revolution I have read. Barnes lays our exactly why capitalist education is a farse. We are not educating our youth, we are indoctrinating our youth. We are making them servants to the bourgeois capitalists and stripping away their desire to grow and learn.

education should never be left up to capitalists to turn schools into a working class factory to fill their factory floors. The time for education reform is now, and the path to working class freedom is socialism.

Click here to buy: Working Class and the Transformation of Learning: The Fraud of Education Reform Under Capitalism

Book Review: Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All by Paul A. Offit

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Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us AllDeadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All by Paul A. Offit

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Easily one of the best and most important books I have ever read! Every single person, especially parents should read this! Probably more than once. The anti-vaccine movement is dangerous and has so much blood on its hands. I will recommend this book to every single person who mentions vaccines to me and many who do not.

Click here to buy: Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All

Book Review: The State and Revolution by V.I. Lenin

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The State and RevolutionThe State and Revolution by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is very important for those interested in understanding Lenin’s view on a Marxist revolution and addressing many of marxisms critics at the time. This is a short, but too the point book and Lenin spends a great deal of time dissecting quotes and writings more from Engels than even Marx.

If you are interested in Marx, Lenin or marxism in general, this is a must read book.

Click here to buy The State and Revolution

Anthropology Report

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I am really excited today to be listed on Anthropology Report. This is an amazing website I find myself visiting a few times a week as it’s an amazing resource for all things anthropology. I can always seem to find a blog or site relevant to something I am researching for personal or school use. It’s an honor to be listed among what I consider some of the best sites on the internet.

Anthropology Report is run by Jason Antrosio, he also happens to run another amazing site called Living Anthropologically. I may visit this site even more. Antrosio offers amazing insight to happenings around the world in anthropology, like the most recent public debate over such anthropologists Jared Diamond and Napoleon Chagnon in their most recent books The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? and Noble Savages: My Life Among Two Dangerous Tribes — the Yanomamo and the Anthropologists respectfully. Its a great website especially for those with a budding interest in anthropology and or students of it like myself.

Antrosio has also wrote a book called Anthropology I: Human Nature, Race, Evolution in Biological Anthropology that I highly recommend to everyone. In it he address topics such as human nature, the social construct of race and our evolutionary past. Pick this up, you will not regret it. I plan to do a further review of this book later.

Be sure to check out both sites and to follow Jason Antrosio on twitter at: @JasonAntrosio

Whatever the social form of the production process, it has to be continuous, it must periodically repeat the same phases. A society can no more cease to produce than it can cease to consume. When viewed, therefore, as a connected whole, and in the constant flux of its incessant renewal, every social process of production is at the same time a process of reproduction.

Marx, Karl, Capital: Volume 1: A Critique of Political Economy (Penguin Classics)