This little tweet popped up in one of my tweetdeck columns related to the ongoing Stop The AVN campaign.
There are several problems with this. For one thing, Meryl Dorey herself ignores the harm caused by infectious disease and denies that those children hurt could have been saved by science-based medicine, instead callously claiming that diseases such as whooping cough are trivial, treatable with witchcraft and probably not even real, what with all that talk of germs and all. Germ theory is bunk, apparently.
Aside from all that, though, the immediate, glaring problem I had was "what the fuck is a social sociopath?"
So I asked. And I got a response
Wow. I'm clearly awesomely important, to have received a twitter reply from the queen ant herself. But the thing is, my question was serious. I'd never heard the term before.
Anyway, I did a bit of searching, and I found lots of content about the "anti-social sociopath", but I did also find this pop-psychology book in which a PhD author outlines a description of a detached and manipulative relationship-driver in what is essentially an abusive relationship. I quote:
"a 'sociopathic relationship' that involved lies, cheating, manipulation, verbal and even physical abuse"
Who do we know that manipulates others for personal gain, lying, cheating, manipulating and occasionally verbally abusing others? Who smothers her favoured acolytes with fawning praise on the one hand while fleecing them for any dime they can give with the other? Who spreads known and provable lies about vaccination and science-based medicine while simultaneously maintaining the bland face of the concerned mother? Who folds her hands under her chin, spouts nonsense about autism, then asks for money which you know won't go to the stated cause, contrary to Australian law? Who's the cat that won't cop out, when there's danger all about?
No, wait, not Shaft.
Oh yeah, Meryl Dorey.
Can you dig it?
As far as I know, she's never stooped to physical abuse, unless you count witholding evidence-based treatment in favour of vitamin C when her dog was bitten by a snake - resulting, unsurprisingly, in the inevitable death of the dog. I certainly have evidence of all the other factors, as do many SAVNers who monitor her cynical operations day-in, day-out.
Putting that aside, I find much to be recommended in the description of a social sociopath in our favourite* frootloop antivaccination activist.
But apparently it's me. Because Dorey is nothing if not opportunist, even in the field of schoolyard digs.
Epic Win.
* not favourite
posted @ Saturday, May 5, 2012 10:38 PM