Paul Offit's New Book "Autism's False Prophets" in NYT

[seaheroine]

Sorry if it has already been posted!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/he...nt&tntemail1=y

[just_lily]

Dr. Offit, a pediatrician, is a mild, funny and somewhat rumpled 57-year-old. The chief of infectious diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, he is also the co-inventor of a vaccine against rotavirus, a diarrheal disease that kills 60,000 children a year in poor countries.

Well, at least they disclosed his ties. Most articles don't even bother.

"There are parents who really believe that vaccines hurt their children, and to them, I’m incredibly evil. They hate me.”

No doubt.

Many doctors now argue that reporters should treat the antivaccine lobby with the same indifference they do Holocaust deniers, AIDS deniers and those claiming to have proof that NASA faked the Moon landings.

Wow. That is all I have to say about that. Wow.

On an unrelated note, had anyone ever heard of Amanda Peet before she got into this mess? I understand Jenny McCarthy's motivations, and I had at least heard of her before, but I have no why Amanda Peet is involved, and had never even heard of her.

[nicolebeth]

I can't believe that's how much doctors NEED to see the anti-vaccine lobby discredited. The sad part is that the media and doctors want it to be an all-or-nothing thing--if we simply want vaccine choice, in conjunction with honest opinions from our doctors, that wouldn't be interesting enough. Offit is essentially discrediting himself to me even more--and I probably pay him about as much mind as I do holocaust deniers.

Amanda Peet: she's been in a few "eh" movies--Diane Keaton's daughter a few years ago, who first had the affair with Jack Nicholson. Also, The Whole Nine Yards? And, on a TV show cancelled after one season. Probably something else as well. I would say her pro-vaccine campaign has made her somewhat more famous. Well, people need to do what they can do to stay in the public eye, especially after just having a child!

[In Exile]

Oh well, (Pr)Offit (this should became standard citing-especially for a guy that trys to downplay a colleague by calling him "Dr.Bob"- I suggest we call "Dr.Offit" Proffit or "Dr.Paul" from now on) should keep it up. That desperate kind of mud slinging and more parents will say, why the heck is he so desperate?

He's doing us a favor!

And Amanda Peet? I am sure they chose a nice white canvas, so to speak. While I am not a huge Jenny Fan (I think most people here did more research and can state more facts) and she plainly annoys me- she had a personal case. A damaged child. So Amanda Peet "white canvas" qualities are supposed to be the "counterweight" to loudmouth Jenny. Quiet, "reasonable"-not as "annoying" as Jenny. Remember, "loud" women are still suspect, a quiet woman is more "reasonable" in the eyes of many.:

Notice how Peet is keeping her child in the background, compared to Jenny? If loudmouth Jenny has a "sick" child, you know, that's kind of punishment. If nice and quiet Peet has a healthy child, oh well, that's only fair right? Very interesting. Peet is so bland compared to McCarthy- I am sure, that's not a coincidence...

According to legend Proffit was Peet's Pediatrician, don't know about the "truthiness factor" of this.

Whoever Pfroffit's PR Person is- they should rethink their Media Approach. Letting Peet do the "parasites" zinger is nothing but the old "divide and conquer". Last I checked England tried "divide and conquer" they lost an empire...

You catch flies with honey, not with vinegar. But Proffit and Merck know that they are on the sinking ship so right now it's "bad cop" because "good cop" stopped working a loooong time ago.

The problem for Proffit is- he doesn't get a anybody on the fence to vax- he only works as a nice pat on the back of those people that want to hear "non-vaxers are parasites and free riders"- but in the process he scares everyone away who just wants to make their own decision.

Way to go, Dr.Paul-talk about jumping the shark....

[fruitfulmomma]

Could someone explain to me why his older book, The Cutter Incident, is so popular around here?

[xmasbaby7]

I just wanted to share an amusing Dr. Offit story.

I attended the Green the Vaccine rally this past June in DC and during RFK, Jr's speech, he mentioned Dr. Offit and the whole crowd starting booing loudly.

Then people started screaming, "Here! Here! Here!" really loudly, trying to interrupt RFK, Jr. My friend and I thought Dr. Offit was present and people were ready to jump him, tarr and feather him.

Instead, not as funny, it was someone fainting from the heat, needing emergency care and water.

After I saw the person get water, I enjoyed my vision of a group of parents jumping on Dr. Offit like a mob.

He is the mentor to Amanda Peet's BIL, training at UPenn. FYI.

[In Exile]

Originally Posted by xmasbaby7

I just wanted to share an amusing Dr. Offit story.

I attended the Green the Vaccine rally this past June in DC and during RFK, Jr's speech, he mentioned Dr. Offit and the whole crowd starting booing loudly.

Then people started screaming, "Here! Here! Here!" really loudly, trying to interrupt RFK, Jr. My friend and I thought Dr. Offit was present and people were ready to jump him, tarr and feather him.

Instead, not as funny, it was someone fainting from the heat, needing emergency care and water.

After I saw the person get water, I enjoyed my vision of a group of parents jumping on Dr. Offit like a mob.

He is the mentor to Amanda Peet's BIL, training at UPenn. FYI.

And then he picks someone that close as his "public face"?? The guy has a serious issue with conflict of interest in general- and that's at least not very smart.

Proffit has been reprimanded by Congress for his involvement and conflict of interest with his ACIP tenure. And yet he is STILL enjoying the position at CDC the same way??? How is THAT possible?

[Gitti]

Originally Posted by In Exile

Proffit has been reprimanded by Congress for his involvement and conflict of interest with his ACIP tenure. And yet he is STILL enjoying the position at CDC the same way??? How is THAT possible?

It's all just a front to make people 'think' they are working on our behalf.
In reality they are all a cabal in cahoots.