Dr. Peter Hotez’s Fearless Battle Against Antiscience, Antisemitism, and RFK Jr.

COVID-19, current events, health and wellness, Medicine, pandemic, pandemic communication, Science communication 7 Minutes
(Wherein Bill Maher Gets Pulled Into RFK Jr’s Allegedly Reasonable Vortex)

Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, is Professor of the Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine and the founding dean of the Baylor College of Medicine’s National School of Tropical Medicine. Hotez has been instrumental in developing and delivering nearly 100 million doses of a safe, non-proprietary, Covid vaccine to low and middle-income countries.

His dedication to protecting children worldwide from tropical and other diseases spans decades.

The opening tweet above was the first in a thread (series) that Dr. Hotez placed on Twitter recently in his constant attempts to show the facts about Covid vaccine safety–as well as the dreary statistics of unnecessary deaths due to anti-vaccine sentiment.

Hotez is a prominent educator about vaccine safety and the need to discredit phony attacks on science. An author, his books include Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism, about his daughter. His forthcoming book, to be published in September, is The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist’s Warning.

In successive tweets on June 27, 2023, he linked to “different estimates of the deadly impact of vaccine refusal and hesitancy in America,” noting that the sources cover varying time frames but “are generally similar/convergent.”

Study after study found that vaccines are safe and effective in preventing death from Covid-19, including the omicron and delta variants.

But this is science, and science is now being challenged–not by rigorous studies–but by conspiracy theories.

I admire Hotez’s willingness to continue delivering his message on Twitter, where he is subjected to constant personal attacks–just as former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci was until he retired after receiving consistent, disgraceful assaults on his personal and scientific integrity.

Hotez has been dogged about his life’s work–and, as a friend/colleague said–“fearless.“

In 2019, that doggedness led him to participate in “The Joe Rogan Experience”–a podcast run by the self-described “standup comic/martial arts fanatic/psychedelic adventurer”–to discuss vaccines.

At that time, Rogan asked Hotez about anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

“[H]e seems like a very intelligent guy. How could he not be aware of the science behind this? And what is he getting wrong?”

Hotez responded:

“What he’s getting wrong is just about everything…it’s all nonsense.”

Rogan then asked Hotez if he’d be willing to debate Kennedy.

Hotez said:

“I’m uncomfortable with the idea of a debate because it’s like debating a Holocaust denier about whether the Holocaust exists.”

Fast forward to the present, and Rogan is airing Kennedy’s stuff. When Hotez tweeted his dismay, Rogan offered to donate $100,000 to Hotez’s selected charity if he’d join Rogan and Kennedy on the podcast “with no time limit.”

Hotez refused, though he said he’d go on Rogan’s show again without Kennedy. He’s getting support for his position, but he was also harassed outside his home and has become a favorite target of an amorphous group of haters on Twitter.

As for Kennedy, two in-depth examinations of his past and present are worth reading: one is in New York Magazine, written by Rebecca Traister; the other is in The New Yorker, by David Remnick.

Those who know Kennedy best, his family members, do not support his pseudoscience campaigns. (See Politico: “RFK Jr Is Our Brother and Uncle. He’s Tragically Wrong About Vaccines.”) And though his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, does so publicly, she has said she disagrees with his positions.

This man who’s talking about how lovely it is that he draws people from the left and right hangs out with Roger Stone and Steve Bannon while appealing to people’s fears. (Much of his funding is coming from Republicans, and he’s publicly espoused views in accord with Trump and Putin, but that’s another story.)

This week, Kennedy was overheard discussing a “theory” that COVID-19–the virus, not the vaccine–was not only created by humans, but was “ethnically targeted” to spare Jewish and Chinese people.

Interestingly, Hotez, who is Jewish, has just published a paper about the linkage between anti-science and antisemitism.

Here is the abstract for the article, which was published in Perspectives in Biology and Medicine (behind a costly paywall, unfortunately):

“Recent surges in antivaccine activism and other antiscience trends now converge with rising antisemitism. During the COVID-19 pandemic, authoritarian elements from the far right in North America and Europe often invoked Nazi imagery to describe vaccinations or at times even blame the Jewish people for COVID-19 origins and vaccine profiteering. Such tropes represent throwbacks to the 14th century, when European Jews were persecuted during the time of the bubonic plague. This article provides both historical and recent perspectives on the links between antiscience and antisemitism, together with the author’s personal experience as a Jewish vaccine scientist targeted by both dark forces. New approaches to uncoupling antisemitism from antiscience, while combating both, are essential for saving lives and preserving democratic values.“

As I was finishing this post yesterday, I read Robert Hubbell’s Today’s Edition. I’m including just a bit of it, but I encourage you to read his explication of Kennedy’s dangerous rhetorical slipperiness. The title: “RFK conspiracies arrive at their ugly conclusion.”

          “But for the accident of his DNA, RFK Jr. would be an isolated, fringe figure whose irrational views would consign him to the dark corners of the internet where conspiracy theorists gather to assure one another that they alone have discovered the global conspiracies that secretly control our lives. The good work that RFK Jr. has accomplished in some areas has been overshadowed and cast into doubt by his willingness to adopt baseless, harmful, and (most recently) antisemitic conspiracy theories. Despite Kennedy’s flawed and dangerous thinking, he currently garners 15% support in polling for the Democratic nomination for 2024.

          “Over the weekend, we learned that Kennedy’s conspiratorial thinking regarding the origins of Covid and the (alleged) evils of vaccines led him to the place where many conspiracy theories seem to inevitably land—blaming ‘the Jews’ for the world’s problems. Most conspiracy theories begin by blaming the ubiquitous and anonymous ‘they,’ which inexorably morphs over time to ‘liberal elites,’ then “Bill Gates and George Soros,’ and then ‘the Jews.'”

Here’s the link to the NY Post article and video so you can watch Kennedy in action.

Apart from the deeply worrisome public revelation of Kennedy’s biased thinking, it’s impossible to estimate the numbers of deaths he’s been responsible for over decades. One of his claims is that HIV was not the cause of AIDS, and he has denigrated available treatments.

This is the kind of thinking, Rebecca Traister writes, that led Thabo Mbeki, the president of South Africa from 1999 to 2008, “who shared Kennedy’s skepticism, and his distrust kept crucial therapies unavailable in his country for years, resulting in an estimated hundreds of thousands of needless deaths.” (*See correction below)

Kennedy has done the same thing with children’s vaccines, claiming they cause autism. A Time magazine essay reported that millions of children have now been studied, including a Danish study that followed every child born in Denmark over twelve years, yielding no relationship between vaccines and autism.

You can see from Dr. Hotez’s book on the subject that he has a personal as well as professional concern here.

After Kennedy spoke against the MMR (mumps/measles/rubella) vaccine to local anti-vaxxers in Samoa in 2019, the Samoan Ministry of Health declared a measles outbreak, with several thousand cases and 83 deaths in children under age five.

Not surprisingly, Hotez has written about the extent of damage anti-vaxxers have done concerning measles, which had been all but eradicated in the US by 2000. His 2016 article “Texas and Its Measles Epidemics” was apparently the first time he moved from being a quiet respected scientist to publicly, fearlessly, exposing the anti-vaxxers. He hasn’t looked back.

When the Covid epidemic struck, Kennedy claimed Covid vaccines are the deadliest ever. The amount of misery this one man has been responsible for is staggering. And so, apparently, are his zealotry and his ego.

I understand why Hotez won’t debate Kennedy.

A British microbiologist and science communicator named Souxsie Wiles made the case well in an admiring article about Hotez titled “The price paid for standing up against vaccine misinformation.”

“Debates are a terrible forum for discussing important issues like vaccines, where persuasion and charm are more likely to sway an audience than facts. And that’s assuming it’s just facts that are being shared, and not mistruths and lies. Often debates are just a way to legitimise and spread such mistruths and lies.

But there remains a gaping hole in our national, indeed, worldwide, conversation that isn’t being filled. Meanwhile, Robert Kennedy, sounding calm and serious but saying wacky and dangerous things, is attracting attention from a willing press by telling people he’s being “deplatformed” and that anyone who debunks his theories is a censorious and narrow “institutionalist” protecting corrupt institutions.

I’m not sure how we fill that hole. However, I’m very glad that Peter Hotez and his colleagues continue to insist on telling us the truth about science and the perils we face by refusing to acknowledge it. To do so should not require fearlessness, but that appears to be one of the tragic crises of our time.

Annie

*Correction: Based on Rebecca Traister’s statement that South African president Thabo Mbeki “shared Kennedy’s skepticism,” I originally made the erroneous assumption that Kennedy had been responsible for Mbeki’s refusal to permit treatment for AIDS to enter South Africa. I received a comment from Tara C. Smith, PhD, a reputable researcher and academician who has written on this topic, clarifying that Kennedy had not been involved with Mbeki, and his HIV denial has been a more recent development. I have revised that part of this post accordingly and thank Dr. Smith for taking the time to set the record straight.

Published by annieasksyou

I've been a nonfiction writer for many years, exploring diverse topics that pique my curiosity, as noted in my first blog posting (Greetings!). I'm seeking dialogue with others committed to joining me in this exploration, sharing my conviction that different views can be exchanged in a respectful, civil discourse where we can learn from one another and be agreeable, even when we disagree. These postings depend for their enrichment on your participation: your ideas, insights, knowledge, opinions, and personal stories.

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32 thoughts on “Dr. Peter Hotez’s Fearless Battle Against Antiscience, Antisemitism, and RFK Jr.”

  2. The problem and the solution have been recognizes and reported for over 400 years. “The first thing we do is, let’s kill all the lawyers.” Dick the Butcher in Act IV, Scene II of William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part II,
    Why we continue to suffer this inanity is unfathomable. Of course lawyers would know more than any other profession to the practice of education, gynecology and SCIENCE, one need only examine the curriculum they are required to study. Maybe there is a way to create morons.(apologies to morons)
    I enjoyed the banter in the Mahaur clip where he states science can only be done with blind studies. I’m no expert as I only have a BS in Bio and practice peritoneal dialysis every night so I only have a “working knowledge” of the stratum corneum. It might not be common knowledge but the skin does not just protect from the outside in but also the inside out. Where we arrive at DMSO. Dimethylsulfoxide is an agent with a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects, including membrane penetration, anti-inflammatory effects, local analgesia, and weak bacteriostasis. The principal use of dimethylsulfoxide is as a vehicle for other drugs, thereby enhancing the effect of the drug, and aiding penetration of other drugs into the skin. Meyler’s Side Effects of Drugs (Sixteenth Edition), 2016
    If you ever need a bone marrow transplant you will appreciate DMSO even though a double blind experiment is impossible due to the fact that every exposure will be known as it causes every single time the symptoms of garlic ingestion regardless of mode of delivery. Justice is blind due to the fact that lawyers cannot be trusted to perform unbiased Truth. Why they think the rest of us also cannot is simple arrogance. Congress used to be a safe space to institutionalize them and isolate them from society but then we had the bad idea that we could put in businessmen with them without consequence.
    I have tried to leave gratuitous violence behind me. I will however likely stand idle if an answer is sought to the question “what do you call a bunch of lawyers chained to the bottom of the ocean?”

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    1. Though we sure as hell have seen plenty of corrupt lawyers these days, Richard, if our democracy is saved, it will be through the efforts of folks like Jack Smith, Marc Elias, Jamie Raskin, and the three Justice minority on SCOTUS. But your point is well taken that RFK Jr is spouting nonsense. He actually did good work as an environmental lawyer before he went off the rails over vaccines.

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      1. An equal opportunity exploitation. Sometimes comedy is harsh. Beat me with a stick but please forgive me. 🙂
        “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. […] They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people”

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    2. “The problem and the solution have been recognizes and reported for over 400 years. “The first thing we do is, let’s kill all the lawyers.” Dick the Butcher in Act IV, Scene II of William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part II,”

      This is a quote, by an usurper, saying they should eliminate the legal threat to their scheming.

      It’s possibly the most horrendously misconstrued line in all of Shakespeare canon.

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      1. Thank you for your comment, brucedesertrat. It prompted me to do a little research. The attached link provides what I think is a thoughtful look at two interpretations with different emphases, from which the writer concludes: “Let’s kill all the lawyers” is a complicated phrase that (somehow, always) refers to the importance of maintaining a[n] fair rule of law that protects the people. Whether lawyers symbolize evil or good is almost irrelevant; the most important thing about this quote is the upholding of a fair and just law system itself.”

        Of course, that conclusion leads to the question of who upholds the system—and how?

        https://lithub.com/what-did-shakespeare-mean-when-he-wrote-lets-kill-all-the-lawyers/

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      2. A murderous usurper’s language maybe a bit crude. Better maybe a usurping slaver,
        When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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  3. Thanks again very much, Annie! I was fortunate enough to meet Peter Hotez years ago when he spoke to our local pediatric society. He’s a wonderful and highly informed doctor of Infectious Diseases (actually specializes in tropical medicine, like malaria, which has become relevant in the U.S. recently).
    Robert Kennedy is very apparently a conspiracy theorist, and I agree with the reasoning Dr. Hotez gave for not debating him. So sad that the son of our long-ago Attorney General has stooped to this level.
    Hope you’re well, and your Summer is good!

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    1. So interesting that you met Dr. Hotez, George! He sounds like a wonderful man whose entire professional life has been devoted to children’s health worldwide, including in many places that much of the world ignores.

      RFK Jr stands in stark contrast: he is creating an enormous amount of mayhem. And it’s scary to hear people hanging on his every word as he repeats this junk “science.”

      Happy summer to you, too, George. Stay cool!

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      1. I really have immense respect for Dr. Peter Hotez!

        As to RFK, Jr., I think his latest comments about COVID- 19 being “engineered” to spare Jews and Asians may have “done him in” as a Presidential candidate—hopefully so!

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Reblogged this on Filosofa's Word and commented:
    Our friend Annie writes today about the latest headline-making Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has sullied the family name with his ridiculous lies and conspiracy theories, and the anti-science, anti-Semitic movements that seem to be gaining a foothold in the U.S. (and many other nations) today. Excellent post, Annie, and two thumbs up to Dr. Peter Hotez!

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    2. Slam comedy night! I have always taught those in my care that the TV remote control was not invented by a guy with a home gym and bulging biceps. Well done! 🙂

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  5. Probably the world’s largest single source of stupid nonsense is the fact that rich and powerful ignoramuses so often refuse to listen to experts. It goes from the pope vs Galileo down to the Titan sub implosion, and Kennedy is just another example. Vaccines are probably the most effective technology ever invented for preventing death and suffering. The rejection of them is a big part of why the US has now dropped out of the world’s top fifty countries in life expectancy, with the drop in life expectancy (which is still ongoing here, in contrast to other developed countries which are recovering from the dip during the pandemic) being mostly concentrated in “red” areas.

    The link between anti-science conspiracy beliefs and anti-Semitism is of long standing, but it’s especially ironic in this case, since in fact it was the refusal of hard-line Christian churches to observe basic precautions early in the pandemic that played a major role in helping covid spread so fast here.

    The contrast with Hotez’s work, which has probably helped save millions of lives in those “low and middle-income countries”, is stark.

    Hotez is right to refuse to debate the issue. Debates are a good way of addressing policy questions or helping voters choose between political candidates, but they’re almost worthless for addressing scientific issues, since they put the emphasis on assertions, rhetoric, and showmanship rather than on hard evidence, which is the only thing that matters in science. There is also the problem that a debate elevates nonsense in the mass public mind by putting it on the same stage with reality. Scientists generally don’t “debate” creationists or flat-Earthers for the same reason — it creates the false impression that there is a legitimately debatable dispute there.

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    1. I’m glad you pointed out the “real world” consequences of the anti-vaxxers on US life expectancy, Infidel. It’s been such a dramatic shift—caused by ignorance and entirely preventable.

      Yes: the stark contrast between Hotez’s work and Kennedy’s disgraceful and lethal campaigns was precisely the point of my post.
      Thanks.

      I strongly agree with the decision NOT to debate scientific issues with pseudo scientists. I just wish there were a more effective way to reach the public with the truth. Hotez is certainly doing more than his share.

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  6. Terrific post, Annie. Thank you. Axelrod certainly summed it up. And I agree, a debate would give the lunacy too much space. The “rich and powerful ignoramuses” should have no claim on the time and attention of our experts.

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  7. It’s scary now how people would rather believe anything but the truth. I think antiscience partly comes from people in our society claiming that they’re ‘free’ and therefore they don’t need to follow government advice or believe scientific facts because America is the land of the free and they won’t be forced to do anything. It’s just sad and can cause needless deaths like these tweets show.

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  8. Wonderfully informative post Annie Hotez’s work of great benefit to Humanity, he is a hero.
    Sorry if the next bit comes across an extreme. Put it down to my being born close to WWII and the folk memories of extremism and ignorance, mixed in with a rather strong view about how government should work……..

    Quite frankly, I put forward a case for anti-vaccine and climate change deniers to be considered as dangers to public health and progress and in consequence should be treated as extremist groups with terrorist links. Making comments and arguments are one thing, threatening those who work for the public good is quite another. These folk are a public menace, I loathe their ignorance and the sensationalist hacks who write pulp fiction making as fact to satisfy the neurosis of the reader and make a fast buck.
    Freedom of Speech?
    Only with responsibility.

    OK I’m done.
    Sorry ’bout that.

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    1. No apologies needed, Roger! With regard to free speech absolutism, I don’t think we devote enough attention to the concept of “falsely shouting fire in a crowded theater.” The fire is raging, and the brave fire-fighters need a bigger megaphone. I appreciate your comment!

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      1. Thank you Annie. (That was a restrained watered-down version- Ask Jill what happens when I get really carried away!).
        The Democrats need a mix of Robert Kennedy and LBJ- most of the current clop of Republicans would never get up again- Trump as an opponent would have been a gift to either of them.

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  11. I think you’re misreading. Kennedy had nothing to do with Mbeki. His arrival at HIV denial came relatively recently. In 1999 he wasn’t even yet a prominent antivaxxer. (I’ve written academic articles on both topics).

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    1. Thank you for taking the time to point out this error, Dr. Smith. Based on Rebecca Traister’s writing that Mbeki “shared Kennedy’s skepticism,” I had assumed there was a relationship between the two men vis-a-vis HIV and treatments.

      I have revised the text accordingly and added a correction.

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