Chili's Cancels Fundraising for Anti-Vaccination Autism Group

[NickB79]

http://io9.com/chilis-cancels-fundraising-for-anti-vaccination-autism-1559627654

Chili's had planned to donate 10% of its customers' checks on April 7th to the National Autism Association, an organization that claims vaccines "trigger or exacerbate autism in some, if not many, children." This evening, Chili's announced it will be canceling the event based on feedback received from its guests.

Thank. Fucking. God.

This stupidity needs to end.

[X_Digger]

1. My guess? Some Chili's PR flack saw the name and thought, "Sounds legit." n/t

[Mugu]

2. My guess, is that your guess,

is exactly right.

[riqster]

3. Based solely on the name, it would sound legit.

Research is SO important.

[bullwinkle428]

11. Because unfortunately for some people, "'Google searching' is SO HARD!!1!"

"That wasn't mentioned in my job description!"

[MO_Moderate]

4. Whew, that was a close one

I can't imagine why Chili's would support an organization that helps millions of autistic children and their families. Don't they know that believing as they are told is more important than actually helping people?

[NickB79]

5. Do you think vaccines cause autism?

This organization does.

There are far better autism awareness groups to donate to that don't promote the return of dangerous diseases AND use REAL science to fight autism.

The repudiation of another anti-vax organization is a good thing.

[MO_Moderate]

19. Don't believe it one little bit

But I do believe all support is needed.

[NickB79]

20. Groups like the NAA HINDER helping those with autism

By making parents think that autism is caused by vaccines and can be cured by chelation therapy, they give parents of autistic children a false sense of hope, a comparatively easy solution, that ends up stunting real therapies that may be more time-consuming and intense BUT are shown to provide real, long-lasting benefits.

They keep researchers bogged down having to prove over and over again that vaccines don't cause autism instead of working on the root causes of it.

And they give prospective parents the idea that they can simply prevent autism by skipping vital vaccinations that will ultimately lead to recurrences of dangerous, sometimes fatal diseases.

The "support" they give to those with autism or autistic children is not support at all.

[MO_Moderate]

22. Their primary mission is to help and support

those who must deal with autism on a daily basis.

If you have issues with that, then choose not to eat at Chili's and donate your money some other way. Don't bully Chili's to support your own personal beliefs.

[jeff47]

25. We invaded Iraq because Saddam had WMDs.

The stated primary mission is not necessarily the actual primary mission.

An organization that only spends 20% of its money on its "primary mission" is not being truthful about its primary mission.

[proverbialwisdom]

39. I've looked and can't confirm that. What's your source?

https://www.facebook.com/NationalAutism

National Autism Association
April 4

In 2010, NAA saw a need. We saw children dying and we responded. We created the AWAARE Collaboration, AutismSafety.org, and with everyone's help, we put 10,000 Big Red Safety Boxes into the hands of those at highest risk of wandering away. We're parents and we love our community. Thank you to everyone who believes in us.

#autism #NeverGiveUp

[center][img][/img][/center]

[Walk away]

27. I'm sorry but that makes no sense at all. Maybe, like Chileis, you didn't read...

about what the organization stands for.

[MO_Moderate]

35. I have read what it stands for

and I know some who have benefited from its support. The immediate needs of the suffering is more important than some one else's politics.

[yellowcanine]

37. So recommendations of the CDC are "someone else's politics"?

Okay you do not know what you are talking about.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/child-adolescent.html
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Concerns/Autism/Index.html

[Walk away]

38. Then the people you know must be the "charity's" office staff because....

if 80% goes to the people who run the place then very little money goes to the dangerous propaganda that they spew and even less to individuals.

[yellowcanine]

36. There are kids getting measles because of propaganda spread by this group.

And whooping cough, mumps, etc. Putting out incorrect information is harmful.
There are some kids who can't be vaccinated because they have compromised immune systems. Because of this group and others many kids and adults who could be vaccinated against diseases are not and the decrease in herd immunity puts people with compromised immune systems at risk. Of course the healthy kids not getting vaccinated are also at risk, but not as much, because they likely will fight off the diseases but in the meantime they infect others.

[Hip_Flask]

7. If your local Holocaust denier works the soup kitchen once a month...

... It doesn't take away from the fact that he is a batshit crazy asshole who shouldn't be associated with.

Fuck anti-vaxxers and their bullshit...

[FarCenter]

9. Study Shows Autism Begins During Pregnancy

Emerging research presents new evidence that autism begins during pregnancy.

Investigators analyzed 25 genes in postmortem brain tissue of children with and without autism. These included genes that serve as biomarkers for brain cell types in different layers of the cortex, genes implicated in autism and several control genes.

Their findings are published in the online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

“Building a baby’s brain during pregnancy involves creating a cortex that contains six layers,” said Eric Courchesne, Ph.D., professor of neurosciences and director of the Autism Center of Excellence at University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego).

“We discovered focal patches of disrupted development of these cortical layers in the majority of children with autism.”

http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/04/07/study-shows-autism-begins-during-pregnancy/68189.html

[DebJ]

10. My husband grew up in Jersey. When I told him the Jersey stats for autism

(1 in 48 I think it was) he said of course. Pollution.

[MO_Moderate]

21. Studies also show

that climate change needs to be addressed. Do we reject millions of dollars in help from orgs who believe it is cyclical rather than man made?

[jeff47]

26. You have that backwards.

This is the opposite situation. Giving millions to those who believe it is cyclical, not receiving millions.

[sakabatou]

8. Good

[shanemcg]

12. The only thing that bugs me about these things

Is rather than do their own work to get their point of view across (I mean the people that are offended evidently that vaccine might be associated with autism and why would someone be so offended by that?), they have chosen to go the path of ensuring other people don't get to fund raise for an issue that they evidently believe in enough to have done the work to organize. I wonder if it was lots of customers or just a few really loud ones.

Seems like there is a lot of stifling other people's speech these days, rather than doing the heavy lifting of educating people that THEIR POV is the correct one. It's just something I personally don't like.

[DeadLetterOffice]

15. Very little of their $$ actually goes toward supporting those with Autism

or their families.
Check out their most recently available financials.
http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2014/04/national-auti.html

And there is "free speech," and then there is "willfully disseminating known misinformation," and I feel absolutely no obligation to support the latter.

[Walk away]

28. And add to that, resulting in danger to the community.

Anti-Vaxers are dangerous to everyone else's children.

[DeadLetterOffice]

34. They are a menace to adults too.

Those who for one medical reason or another CANNOT get vaccinated and thus depend on herd immunity to keep themselves uninfected.

[shanemcg]

40. several points brought up

I don't think giving this group an avenue to fund raise is Chili's endorsement of their cause, nor do I see how Chili's customers are being forced to subsidize something against their will by them allowing this fund raiser.

People have a right to think that autism is on the rise due to vaccinations. They have a right to organize and raise funds to spread their ideas. If they are so wrong and stupid show them that by doing the same for your POV, rather than making the other people shut up. Seems the right thing to do from my POV.

Other people can't take vaccines, so other people should be forced to, even though they believe they could be doing grave damage to themselves of their children? I don't think any one should be forced to do anything like that, just like I don't believe the govt has the right to tell you with what you may treat yourself.

[DeadLetterOffice]

42. I'm going to assume that you are not

completely uniformed about the dangers the anti-vaxx crowd pose to society as a whole.

I am also going to assume that you really do understand the difference between belief (using [commonly accepted and extensively researched] vaccines could be causing grave damage to themselves or their children) and fact (using [commonly accepted and extensively researched] vaccines DOES NOT ACTUALLY cause grave damage to themselves or their children in the vast majority of cases, barring those who are allergic to ingredients in the vaccines).

Further, I will assume that you are fully aware that state laws allow for religious exemptions from vaccines, as well as medical ones for allergies and such. They do not, however, allow for exemptions because a person chooses to believe patently untrue statements made by fraudulent parties and bogus 'researchers.'

Based on the above, I shall therefore lastly assume you a troll, bid you a good day, and wish you a pleasant and hopefully brief stay here at DU.

[shanemcg]

43. call me a troll and dumb besides, classy

I'm going to assume some things about you too I guess.

But one thing we know for sure is you're an authoritarian who THINKS they know it all.

Oh, yes, people that don't vaCcinate are such a danger to you. Should they be locked up in camps or just be given the choice of take the shot or execution? We already know they shouldn't be allowed to express their point of view, right?

I can only assume that lots and lots of right wingers who weren't totally insane decided they must be Democrats, juding by a lot of things alleged Democrats post these days.

Just so I'm clear, a person must not only want to force vaccinate people, but shut them up besides to be a good Democrat these days?

Thanks for the warm welcome and wishes.

[DeadLetterOffice]

44. "Should they be locked up in camps or just be given the choice of take the shot or execution?"

Thank you for proving my point about trolling.
Off to the ignore bin with you.
Good lord...

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

17. "offended"?

Well, I suppose promoting junk science that leads to outbreaks of preventable diseases among people who come into contact with 'anti-vaxxers' spreading easily preventable diseases is offensive.

But really, stupidity should be 'stifled' when it comes to public health. Science is not a 'debate'. There actually are 'right' and 'wrong' answers, not simply 'fair and balanced' nonsense. Reality actually matters, not the opinions of the ignorant. They can go fight over whether or not 'Honey Boo Boo' should be on tv.

[jeff47]

23. They are trying to kill people.

Anti-vaxxers are trying to kill people.

That isn't a "free speech" issue. It isn't a POV issue. It is bullshit made up by a doctor seeking to market his vaccine to replace the MMR vaccine, which was picked up by a celebrity. There is utterly zero evidence.

And the anti-vaxxers want people to die for it.

Seems like there is a lot of stifling other people's speech these days, rather than doing the heavy lifting of educating people that THEIR POV is the correct one.

One of the enduring errors in our society is the belief that when people disagree, they only do so out of ignorance.

That simply isn't true. A right-winger will not suddenly turn to the left when you show him that "welfare" families are not Cadillac-driving-T-bone-scarfing-lazy moochers. In fact, showing him example after example will just harden his belief - you must be hiding the "real" ones.

Similarly, the "vaccines cause autism" crowd is not formed from ignorance. It's formed from the belief that there must be an answer as to why their perfect little snowflake is autistic. So something must have poisoned them. You show them data that proves mercury-based preservatives can't be the cause, and they'll assume you're hiding the real data to protect "big pharma".

There is no education that can fix deeply-held erroneous beliefs.

[MrNJ]

29. very well put, thank you (nt)

[Warpy]

33. Follow the money

Most of it was spent on anti vaccination rubbish. Well, that and "administrative overhead."

It's a scam with an Orwellian name.

People aren't "offended" when scientific illiterates try to blame autism on vaccines, they're outraged because first, the science has been done and the kid was autistic in the womb and second, the whole blame-the-wrong-thing is just as bad as when psychiatrists blamed it on cold mommies and the kids don't get any of the correct help, and third, their unvaccinated kids are out there spreading diseases to kids who can't be vaccinated because they're on chemo for cancer.

Chelation is dangerous and does not work unless the kid has heavy metals poisoning.

I'm sorry to break it to you, but facts trump belief. That's not stifling anybody's free speech, it's just pointing out who is an ass when they exercise it and this organization is full of asses.

[proverbialwisdom]

13. More here.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024778736

[DeadLetterOffice]

14. The NAA looks to be a bit looney.

Go surf their webpages for a bit. Their first listed "cause" of autism is vaccinations, and they support chelation therapy. Both of which are completely unsupported by legitimate research.
According to one source (http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2014/04/national-auti.html), 80% of the organization's income goes to salaries, fundraising, and financing their annual conference, the Speakers List of which "reads like a Who's Who in Autism is Vaccine Injury."

[saidsimplesimon]

16. NIck, I agree. The threat of death

in greater numbers without vaccination will always be significantly greater than the lives saved. (That's assuming there are those who may be "allergic genetically" to toxins in the vaccines.)

[DeSwiss]

18. This stupidity needs to end.

Agreed.

[Tikki]

24. I know of a family with 4 children..1st appears Asperger's, 2nd autistic, 3rd autistic, 4th typical.

The first 2 children were vaccinated as babies…the 3rd and 4th children have never been vaccinated.

Tikki

[Moonwalk]

30. I'm autistic (Aspergers), brother's typical, both vaccinated. Uncle's autistic (Aspergers)...

...aunt and mother typical. None were vaccinated.

But, ultimately, our personal experience doesn't prove anything because we're a small sample. Larger samples, however, have been done and they have shown that vaccines have no effect one way or the other.

[Tikki]

32. I agree...

As far as I know, no one has asked either parent why their third child is autistic and yet unvaccinated...

Tikki

[Archae]

31. I also know a family...

4 generations, 5 kids, 7 grandchildren 7 great-grandchildren.
All were vaccinated.

None are autistic.

It's my family.

[Humanist_Activist]

45. I know its anecdotal, but that sounds like classical Mendelian genetics, a Punnett Square...

http://anthro.palomar.edu/mendel/mendel_2.htm