Being Empty-Headed Only Requires Having a Head

Yesterday, Rob Schmitt of Newsmax pondered about using vaccines and asked if it “in a weird way is just generally kind of going against nature.”  And then continued this SchmittTheory that if "something's supposed to wipe out a certain amount of people…”  well, gee, tough luck, that's just kind of the way evolution goes."

“Like, I mean,” he said, “if there is some disease out there -- maybe there's just an ebb and flow to life where something's supposed to wipe out a certain amount of people, and that's just kind of the way evolution goes. Vaccines kind of stand in the way of that. Do you follow what I'm saying? Does that make sense to somebody in medicine?"

Answer to the first question – yes, I follow what you’re saying,

Second answer – No, it makes absolutely no sense to anyone who is seriously in medicine. The point of becoming a doctor is to save lives.  And the Hippocratic Oath begins “First, do no harm.” 

Bonus answer, since he didn’t officially ask – Yes, his suggestion is indeed going against nature in a very weird way.

A few things though. 

One is that Mr. Schmitt (who gracefully acknowledged he wasn’t a doctor, which I suspect did not come as a shock to most anyone) leaves out defining how many “a certain amount of people” is who will be wiped out.  So far, 4 million people have died of COVID-19.  And that’s with the help of science, hospitals, doctors and medicine.  In the Black Death of the 14th century, around 30 million people died in Europe alone, which was one-third of the continent.  (That would be the equivalent today of 100 million Americans, Or 2.5 BILLION people around the world.)  So, what is an acceptable “certain amount of people” to Mr. Schmitt?  We’re already well-past a few thousand or even a couple million worldwide.  So, several tens of millions?  Into the hundreds of millions?  Or what about nearly all of humanity?  Not only is that a “certain amount of people,” but it would be part of evolution.  Death doesn’t stop just because the Rob Schmitts of the world say, “Whoa, okay, that’s enough now.” 

In terms the far-right might understand, that’s why God created doctors.

Indeed, Mr. Schmitt ignores that science is actually a part of nature, too.  As is education and learning how to eradicate diseases, like smallpox  And learning how to treat disease and all manner of medical injuries.

Mr. Schmitt says he isn’t an anti-vaxxer or pro-vaxxer (a strange claim, but swell, let’s go with it).  No, he insists “I'm somebody that's looking at this thing and trying to figure it out."

In fairness, I suspect that most eight-year-olds look at the concept of catching a deadly disease and figured it out pretty quickly.  Science – good.

Honestly, I suspect that Rob Schmitt didn’t think his pandering all the way through and merely figured it would appeal to the base Newsmax viewer who would accept it at face value.  The problem is that thinking this “all the way through” only requires the same effort it takes to hiccup and then look around to see if anyone heard you.  But I suspect that’s also the standard for commentary analysis on Newsmax.  And acceptance by its viewers.  I also know that when you’re a host on Newsmax and have a lot of accepting viewers and say things that are only thought through to the degree of “Look at meeeee!” but will get believed and passed along by one’s adoring, unthinking minions, it’s up to others to not let it sit untouched as the norm and take it to the next step.  Pretty much literally the next single step, since reality is that close. Because, honestly, this is now sort of the norm today for far-right “news” commentary.  One after another spewing lies and misinformation just for effect – vaccinations, masks, voter fraud, stolen elections, Trump is from God, January 6 was peaceful patriots, Democrats eat babies, each just one small falsehood to feed the base, and it all piles and piles and piles on itself and ultimately the whole morass becomes the foundation of today's Republican Party.  And so, responding to the foolishness is as much for the glassy-eyed viewers believing anything that confirms what they want to be true as it is for the Robb Schmitts out there pandering, lying or even just as ignorant as those watching them.

So, okay, let's accept this ScmittTheory and carry it to its logical conclusion.

What if that “certain amount of people” which something is supposed to wipe out is only just one single person.  Isn’t that just evolution, too, and so we let it?  But carrying that thought further, what if that one certain person is your baby, struggling to survive after child birth on a life-support incubator? Or what if it's your spouse having a heart attack or stroke?  Just let them die as part of "evolution" or call 9-1-1? What if you are that certain person who has "something," like cancer or leukemia, which after all are part of nature? 

When we see a news story about a natural disaster where a hurricane destroys town, and a “certain amount of people” are trapped, buried under the rubble.  Does Mr. Schmitt ponder if we should call off rescue operations?  Because, after all, that’s just the ebb and flow to life where something's supposed to wipe out a certain amount of people, and simply the way evolution goes. 

When there’s a mine disaster, and all the workers are trapped below, should there be no effort to rescue them, because doing so would be “going against nature”?

But then, all that coal was underground as part of nature in the first place.  Should the miners even have been there?

“Do you follow what I’m saying?”

And if Mr. Schmitt ever responds and tries to say, “Oh, of course I’m okay with science, and things like electricity, math, physics, television, cars, airplanes, and computers,” why on earth does he draw the line at medicine???

I would suggest that if we're going on evolution and survival of the fittest, then understanding the majesty science is one thing that helps make mankind especially fit.  And those who don't get that, like Rob Schmitt and are okay with potentially hundreds of millions being "wiped out" – whatever his mythical “certain amount” is -- are high on the list of those who are not going to survive.