I'm Not Going To Talk to You. You Can't Talk. I'm Telling Everyone You're a Liar.
Welcome to Modern Democracies!
I encourage everyone to watch the video at this link.
It is just under 17 minutes long and is worth the investment of time because it highlights a massive problem that is consuming the very fabric of our previously great democracies. It was an opportunity given to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to address the massive censorship that has been chronically imposed upon him. I do not care what your political background is, you need to let people who have different opinions voice them freely.
At the present time, way too many people judge and label others based on distorted sound bites that are often taken out of context. Take the time to listen to people’s full perspective and do it with a safety lock placed on your emotional triggers. If you are not willing to do this, then shut up with your opinions.
Especially if you disagree with what you hear from someone else, discuss it in a real-time conversation with the person. This is how we can sow respect despite differences in opinions in what has become a massively divided world.
Way too many people refuse to in engage in respectful discussions with their ‘listening ears’ on. Instead, they hide under the false premise that ‘to discuss is to give a platform to some kind of misinformation’. Consequently, they run to social media to levy judgements with only partial facts. Sadly, many knowingly adopt this strategy with nefarious intent. This only take us further down the path towards the complete destruction of once-great democracies.
I have the utmost respect for how calm and respectful RFK Jr remains despite the overwhelming might of the industrial censorship complex trying to thwart so much of what he says. I have developed a deep appreciation for his highly informed insights and respect that he can back up what he says with lots of primary data and evidence.
The new catch-phrases, “misinformation”, “disinformation”, and the ridiculous “malinformation”, and the groups that operate under the guise of combatting their associated harms have become cancers in this world. These groups need to be defunded and disbanded or basic rights and freedoms that are supposed to be protected by constitutions will continue to be eroded.
I am as fallible as any other person. However, I do try to take responsibility when I become aware of having fallen for an incorrect narrative and having caused harm as a result. As an expert vaccinologist I am embarrassed to admit that I allowed myself to be blindly led to the idea that RFK Jr was somehow an ‘antivaxxer’. I didn’t question what I used to read about him in reports from state-funded media. I allowed myself to get too busy to go the original source and, therefore, failed in my promotion of critical thinking.
Indeed, I used to cite RFK Jr as an example of a so-called ‘antivaxxer’ when teaching my students about vaccines. Having finally taken the time a few years ago to actually listen directly to RFK Jr’s own messaging, it quickly became apparent that he and I are actually like-minded on the subject. He is not ‘antivax’. Instead, he is in support of applying rigorous safety and efficacy testing to proposed vaccines, doing so in a very transparent and non-conflicted way, being willing to prevent their use if a risk-benefit analysis does not warrant it, and allowing people freedom to make their own decisions about their personal health after being fully informed.
When I became aware that I had been disseminating what could genuinely be labeled misinformation about someone else, I did what a mature, responsible human being should do. I set my pride aside and requested permission to have a phone call with RFK Jr. He was very kind in granting me a phone conversation in which I explained how I had wrongfully promoted him as an antivaxxer to my students. I sincerely apologized to him and asked for his forgiveness. He did not chastise me. Instead, he readily accepted my apology.
But, I also recognized that a private apology does not suffice when public harm has been done. As such, I have gone on public record with this apology several times over the past couple of years in public interviews and written documents so it can be freely used by anyone to correct my past mistake.
I actually shed some tears when hearing RFK Jr’s recent testimony in front of congress. I am now in a position where I can empathize with the crushing weight of having many people and even entire organizations throw their weight into trying to censor what you have to say. I could feel RFK Jr’s pain and sense his underlying frustration and am so happy that he had this important opportunity to correct many of the lies that have been spread about him.
The big question is, what is it going to take to get the power brokers to loosen their ever-tightening grip on censorship?
I was particularly saddened to learn of the letter that was ignorantly (and possibly nefariously) signed by so many members of congress ahead of this recent testimony in an attempt to censor RFK Jr’s expressions of concern about censorship.
This nonsensical situation brought back horrible memories of June 17, 2021. That was the day when I, along with Dr. Patrick Phillips, and Dr. Don Welsh, were hosted by Member of Parliament Derek Sloan to present in a parliamentary press conference about censorship of scientists and physicians trying to express genuine science-backed concerns about public health measures being deployed during the declared COVID-19 pandemic.
Remarkably, this parliamentary press conference about censorship was the first-ever parliamentary press conference to be censored in Canada! We spoke in front of an almost empty room. The room would normally be filled with members of the press. Only Rebel News showed up. But they were kicked out by the parliamentary staff with the accusation that they did not constitute ‘legitimate media’. So, those of us who presented had to conduct our interviews with Rebel News on the lawn beside the parliament buildings after the press conference; you know, the place to which the ‘unwanted’ are relegated by our government.
YouTube cut the livestream part way into our presentation. The only reason why an uninterrupted video of the conference exists is because, by law, all official parliamentary press conferences must be recorded by the parliamentary cable channel (known as “CPAC”), for which there is a single camera at the back of the press gallery. This uninterrupted video can be found at this link. When the entire video was reposted to YouTube, it was taken down after rapidly accruing almost 1 million views, shattering all previous records for otherwise dry and boring CPAC videos.
We actually had parliamentary security attempt to prevent the press conference from proceeding. I also think it is very important to note that Derek Sloan, as an independent, was the only Member of Parliament that supported the press conference. Not one other Member of Parliament publicly supported expression of concerns about censoring scientists and physicians during what had been declared to be a public health crisis. Not a single member of the Liberal, NDP, Green, or Bloc Quebecois parties supported this discussion. And I noted with particular dismay that this complete absence of support also extended to the conservative party. Shame on all of them! It was extremely odd as a citizen of Canada to be walking around inside our parliament buildings and having them feel like a ghost town.
Take any relationship in your life and stop talking to that person. Then censor them. Tell others that the person is spreading ‘mis-/dis-/mal-information’. Let that person ‘preach to the choir’, but never let them address those being taught to dislike them. Then see what happens to that relationship.
Now broadly apply this strategy throughout entire democracies. Where will it lead?
I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong with being labeled an "antivaxxer" other than for the usual cessation of any meaningful discussion. I identify as such - it strikes me as reprehensible to think that this is somehow a pejorative, aside from how unaware people use the term. Even Bret Weinstein seems to be pretty close, save for his assertion that the idea of the technology is a good concept. You are my favorite one of the covid dissidents. I have the utmost respect for you. Millions of us owe you such an incredible debt of gratitude. I highly value your thoughts.
Dr. Bridle, thank you for your honesty, integrity and humility. Your are an example of what we need more of in this world - people who are courageous enough to consider information that challenges their perspective, and then make a change when they discover their position was incorrect. Tragic that our politicians are so closed to thinking for themselves.