The Problem Isn’t Science—It’s Capitalism

Ah, vaccines. The one topic guaranteed to turn any casual conversation into a verbal cage match. Ever since COVID-19 hit, anti-vaxxers have been screaming from their social media rooftops, spouting theories that range from “vaccines are pure poison”to “Bill Gates put microchips in them.” You know, because obviously, the richest man in the world just really wants to track your Walmart runs.

But here’s the thing: the science behind vaccines? Rock solid. It’s not the science that’s failing us. It’s capitalism. That’s the dirty little secret no one wants to talk about because it’s so much easier to scream “Big Pharma bad!” than to actually read, say, a peer-reviewed study.

Let’s get one thing straight: science isn’t the enemy. The real culprits here are profit-driven pharmaceutical companies and the system that lets them cut corners, fund shoddy research, or—let’s be blunt—outright bribe researchers to get the results they need. Money talks, and in medicine, it’s practically screaming. Even the most altruistic, save-the-world doctor has a price, and Big Pharma knows it.

Medicine, Made-to-Order for Profit

Capitalism has given us a one-size-fits-all approach to medicine. It’s not about treating patients as individuals anymore—it’s about efficiency. Got a problem? Here, take this pill. Ten milligrams or twenty, whatever’s in stock. Need more tests? Sorry, your insurance doesn’t cover those.

This isn’t how medicine used to work. Doctors once had the time and curiosity to actually care about outcomes. Now, they’re buried in administrative red tape, their every decision dictated by profit margins, not patient welfare. It’s not that doctors don’t care; it’s that they’re not allowed to care. Their orders come from risk analysts and bean counters, not from sound medical science.

Enter the Armchair Experts

Of course, when the actual healthcare system is failing, it’s only natural that the internet steps in to fill the void—with memes and misinformation, naturally. Suddenly, everyone with a Wi-Fi connection is an “epidemiologist,” churning out half-baked theories from poorly interpreted white papers.

Case in point: I recently stumbled upon a viral meme claiming that “79.4% of babies who died of SIDS had a vaccine that same day.” Alarming, right? Except, that’s not what the study says. The actual statistic is that 79.4% of babies who died of SIDS had received multiple vaccines in one day at some point in their lives—not the same day they died. But hey, why let facts get in the way of a good panic?

If that kind of statistic were true, vaccines would be recalled faster than you can say “class action lawsuit.” But we live in an age where fear travels faster than facts, and nuanced discussions are as extinct as Blockbuster stores.

Instead of engaging in an important conversation about why we are administering multiple vaccines to babies on the same day—when it may not be medically necessary or safe but is done primarily for cost-effectiveness—we are sidestepping the issue by attacking science itself, and this is why we remain stuck in a cycle of fear and misinformation, never making meaningful progress.

The Real Issue: A Broken System

Let’s be clear: I’m no cheerleader for the U.S. vaccination schedule. I didn’t follow it for my own kids. I delayed their shots until they were older because I didn’t feel comfortable pumping a newborn full of multiple vaccines in one sitting. And guess what? I’m happy to have a rational, science-based discussion about that choice. But that’s the key: rational.

What we can’t do is have an intelligent conversation about healthcare when we’re drowning in misinformation and clickbait designed to enrage rather than educate. The problem isn’t that vaccines exist; it’s that our entire medical system is a Frankenstein’s monster stitched together with dollar bills and duct tape.

Thirty-three other countries have figured out how to provide universal healthcare, yet somehow, the U.S. insists it’s just too complicated. Meanwhile, the CEOs of healthcare companies are raking in billions while millions of Americans are denied basic care.

But no, it’s easier to go after the science because it’s scary, mysterious, and poorly understood by the average person. The idea of CEOs getting rich off human suffering? That’s boring. Not headline-worthy.

Follow the Money

If we really want to fix this mess, we need to stop blaming the scientists and start holding the profiteers accountable. We need to get money out of medicine and go back to respecting the science that saves lives.

Until then, keep your critical thinking caps on, and for the love of all things logical, fact-check the memes.