Opinion vs. Fact

A few months ago, I was at my mom's house when somehow the topic of discussion got on Jenny McCarthy and her anti-vaccination nonsense. If you've been living on Mars for the last few years, the story in a nutshell is that some doctor found a link between childhood vaccinations and autism, until it was discovered that he faked his data and there never was any link between the two. Numerous testing done since his initial study report no link between vaccinations and autism, yet despite this certain members of the media went nuts and started spreading the idea that the two were somehow causally linked, resulting in frightened parents refusing to vaccinate their children, which in turn resulted in the rise of mumps and measles and other completely preventable diseases, and even deaths.

One of the biggest opponents of vaccines in America these days is Playboy centerfold Jenny McCarthy, who maintains that her son developed autism as a result of vaccinations, but that she cured his autism by giving him a wheat and dairy-free diet.

As unbelievable as her story is, the more unbelievable thing is that a lot of people are buying it.

But that's not what I'm going to talk about here. I was at my mom's house and Jenny came up in conversation. I mentioned she was anti-vaccination, and my mom didn't know what I was talking about. I gave her the quick run-down, and she said something that blew my mind. She said "well, honey, everyone's entitled to their opinion."

I love my mom with all my heart, but I couldn't believe something like that could be said by an otherwise intelligent adult. I said something like "yeah, but not when they're wrong," and dropped the subject, but it's taken me a little pondering to figure out exactly why she's wrong. Surely everyone IS entitled to their opinion, right? And I'm pro-freedom; I'm totally in favor of everyone's right to believe every bit of insanity they want to believe in. So why CAN'T Jenny McCarthy believe what she wants?

Here's why. Because there's a difference between fact and opinion. Jenny McCarthy saying that her child came down with autism after getting a vaccination is not an opinion. It's a statement of fact; only it's not a true fact, it's provably wrong.

Opinions are one thing, facts are totally another. If I say I believe "Abbey Road" is the best Beatles album, that's my opinion and I'm entitled to it. Someone else can make a very good case for why they believe "Sgt. Pepper" is a more cohesive album, but it's not going to change my opinion about "Abbey Road" if that's the album I personally prefer.

But if I said that the world is 6,000 years old? That's a statement of fact, and it's demonstrably false. I'm entitled to believe the world is 6,000 years old, but everyone else is completely entitled to tell me that I'm wrong, and should do so.

Jenny McCarthy's son did not get autism from a vaccine. Alternative medicine does not work. Intelligent design is not a viable alternative to the theory of evolution. These are not opinions, they are statements of fact. Let's stop allowing people to spout bullshit and treat them like it's their opinion that they're entitled to.