Amazon's Charity 'AmazonSmile' Funds Anti-Vaccine Groups (theguardian.com) 132
An anonymous reader quotes the Guardian:
Amazon appears to be helping fund anti-vaccine not-for-profit organizations through its charity arm, the AmazonSmile Foundation. The AmazonSmile fundraising program -- through which Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price of a shopper's Amazon transactions to an organization of their choice -- is promoted on the websites of four prominent anti-vaccine organizations... Numerous other anti-vaccine organizations are also listed by Amazon as eligible for the donations.
Amazon's donations are just the latest example of how US tech companies have -- wittingly or not -- helped to promote and finance the anti-vaccine movement... Not-for-profit organizations are key players in the anti-vaccine movement in the U.S.
Amazon's donations are just the latest example of how US tech companies have -- wittingly or not -- helped to promote and finance the anti-vaccine movement... Not-for-profit organizations are key players in the anti-vaccine movement in the U.S.
40 years ago (Score:1)
We did not used to have to advertise vaccines, and embark on huge censorship campaigns about them. What happened?
Re:40 years ago (Score:5, Insightful)
40 years of generously giving these nutjobs a seat at the debate table under the "marketplace of ideas" school of thought, and then social media connecting these sparsely spread nutjobs together and giving them a megaphone.
Re:40 years ago (Score:4, Funny)
A few years ago? They've been getting far too much attention since at least the late '90s, although that's around the time that shameful fraud Andrew Wakefield kicked this trainwreck into high gear.
Re: (Score:1)
Remember when the flat earth nutters had a bubble in the late 80s? This feels a lot like that. It is definitely not what it appears to be on the surface. There is something else at play here.
Maybe it is an effect of the opiates. 80's coke gave us flat earthers and 00's opiates gave us vaccine obsession?
It's like something Philip K. Dick would write.
Re: (Score:2)
My most pessimistic thought:
Philip K. Dick was an optimist.
Re:40 years ago (Score:5, Insightful)
The vaccines worked too well. There's very little living memory of just how bad these diseases were or the relative risk compared to potential vaccine complications.
Must be a 501(c)(3) charity (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1, Insightful)
Bullshit, they could remove it from the options of their system on a whim. The 501 status has nothing to do with whether or not Amazon offers that option, it's at their own discretion entirely.
Re: (Score:1)
Nobody asked what a moron would do or what a moron wants in terms of grammar or numbers, you don't matter to the discussion nor the reality. Sorry, FTFY.
Anti-vax is an unpopular political alignment that Amazon does not wish to be publicly associated or seen supporting. Once they realize they are supporting that, they have a decision to make one way or another.
Doing nothing = complicit with the accusation that they support it. That has costs.
Basic shit, sorry you're so confused about numbers and grammar
Re: (Score:1)
found the anti-vaxer
skip the simpering attempt to appear neutral, just come out and say it
when you can't even own your beliefs from an AC account, you basically confirm the stereotype that anti-vaxers are either morons or grifters
Do you hear yourself??? (Score:1, Insightful)
Bullshit, they could remove it from the options of their system on a whim.
Holy shit are you even listening to your own words.
Yes they could remove anything "on a whim". So maybe someone who works there decides to remove pro-gay charities "on a whim". Or a charity giving aid to refugees...
Once you start doing things "on a whim" it ends badly for everyone.
What is you damage that you even care if these groups get money? Don't like it, contribute or form a pro-vaccination group and get out the word! Don't st
Re: Do you hear yourself??? (Score:1)
The damage is that kids can die or be horribly hurt when *other* peopleâ(TM)s kids arenâ(TM)t vaccinated. This isnâ(TM)t a speech issue, itâ(TM)s a public health issue.
Re: (Score:2)
I wonder if Humble Bundle and others "donate" to anti-vaxxer just because their customers are anti-vaxxers? I know a lot of places started letting you donate a part of your price to any 501c3 of your choice. My guess is the company gets the write off instead of you.
I don't support the anti-vax crowd since an inherited allergy forces me to depend on the herd immunity for the 'R' in MMR. (So get your vaccinations! Fortunately my kids are good, but I'm counting on you!) Still, if I understand right, I su
This is what happens (Score:2)
When:
a.) a 501c3 is issued without vetting
AND
b.) a 5013c certification is simply accepted without looking into it who/what is behind it.
If the system allows it, it NOT the users fault. Just because you CAN, doesn't mean you should. Go fast. Break things.
Re: (Score:1)
So you think the government and/or near-monopolies should be in the business of deciding which organizations are charitable, based on their opinions on policy matters?
Wanna bet you'd be the first to cry if your favored "charity" was blocked for such?
Well, customer stupidity is good for business (Score:5, Insightful)
This is just one instance where this becomes glaringly obvious. Personally, I would not mind so much that a lot of people are complete morons. But the anti-vaxxers do harm others and that is not acceptable.
Re: (Score:1)
You see this argument a lot. What it leaves is the question of why you don't trust the vaccine you got? If someone has a suppressed immune system for whatever reason, then it really doesn't matter if they get vaccinated since it won't work. They should take special care to not put themselves in situations where they can catch something or protect themselves in other ways (such as masks and gloves). So again, either you trust the vaccine you get
Re: (Score:3)
I see you never heard of herd immunity. By the way, babies before 1 yr do not get the measles vaccine. Better hope one your sprogs doesn't get measles before their first birthday.
Re:Well, customer stupidity is good for business (Score:5, Insightful)
You see this argument a lot. What it leaves is the question of why you don't trust the vaccine you got?
First, the measles vaccine is known to "only" be 97% effective. Second, there are children too young to be vaccinated and third, some people cannot be vaccinated because of medical issues. Also, herd immunity for Measles is at 93...95%, so there is not a lot of margin. Also, who said they would harm me? I find it completely unacceptable that some people have the arrogance to endanger others without any good arguments on their side. I think we need these restrictions on non-vaccinated (by choice) people as well, for example no access to public places like schools, restaurants, shops, etc.
Re: (Score:2)
I was being sarcastic. And I may have confused threads, my apologies if so.
And if they block "your choice"... (Score:4, Insightful)
... it kind of defeats the "charity of your choice" nature of the program. "Your choice of the charities we approve of" isn't what they advertise.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:And if they block "your choice"... (Score:4, Insightful)
If I choose to have Amazon donate to the charitable wing of Islamic State (which kills fewer Americans than anti-vaxxers), then they should?
Re:And if they block "your choice"... (Score:4, Informative)
Islamic State isn't a legal charity in the US, so it wouldn't qualify on that basis.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
You think that spiel is a troll? Now go back and try to do it right.
Then choose a different charity... (Score:1)
So look through the list of other charities and there's tons of good ones...a bunch of schools often use Smile to help fundraise.
If you don't know a good charity I know I can recommend a small school northern MN - Vermilion Country School. It's a small school in a rural area trying to provide different experiences for students who don't get a lot of options. Donation funding goes towards school supplies and field trips.
Re: (Score:1)
What the hell are you talking about? Virtually all of the anti-vax movement is against MMR.
The entire movement started with a paper written by an unscrupulous doctor who was paid by lawyers for find something the could sue MMR vaccine manufacturers for and he basically tortured kids with repeated rectal examinations and other procedures. Then he claimed the kids' sudden onset of unusual behavior was caused by the vaccine (because there's no way kids would act differently after being forcibly anal probed b
Re:Hate Groups (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe because anti-vaxer stupidity has triggered extremely dangerous outbreaks of disease?
Just a thought.
Re: Hate Groups (Score:1)
Nutters. Simply nutters.
Re: (Score:1)