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by tstrimple 282 days ago
This is it quite frankly. Platforming anti-vaxxers creates more anti-vaxxers no matter how thoroughly their arguments are discredited. Just the fact that conspiracy theory lunatics are put on the same stage as actual fucking experts elevates the opinions of the ignorant masses to the same level as actual research and results.

You saw the exact same thing when big name scientists started debating religious zealots on the TV. It literally does not matter how many facts are presented or how logically outmatched the Christians are. Just the fact that there is a Christian apologist on the same screen as Bill Nye makes the Christian claims more credible and has proven to be an incredible fund raiser for them. Same thing happens when we entertain debates with flat earth believers. Doesn't matter that in every debate and in every experiment the flat earthers are proven to be completely ridiculous people. The more their ideology is exposed and debated the more morons who think there must be something to it.

The "great marketplace of ideas" is full of spam and outright lies and the majority of the population aren't equipped in the slightest to navigate it.