24 Comments
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Tim's avatar

You'd think they would start by checking if heavy metal and forever chemical contaminants in unfiltered water used by pregnant women or in baby formula milk have a strong connection to autism or not, but then they'd have to consider actually cleaning that shit up, which sounds expensive. Better to simply ignore what we already know about lead poisoning and Parkinsons disease, and definitely not look around and see what our tainted water might be doing to cause mental health issues and or neurodivergence. Otherwise we could have a real problem on our hands, and this administration isn't equipped to handle real problems if they can't possibly be addressed with violence.

Richard Hennick's avatar

But autism has been around forever in human cultures. It just hasn't been called that. And it generally seems to have been regarded more often as a blessing from the gods than as a curse.

Tim's avatar

Ok and tainted water has been around forever as well. Generally science isn't supposed to default to a blessing from the Gods. Besides I said neurodivergence and mental illness not autism. Considering we are finding strong correlations between Parkinsons disease, and forever chemicals, and we know what lead can do to your mind. It shouldn't be blasphemous to suggest pollution might have something to do with all the suffering that I personally have been experiencing from my own neurodivergence my entire life. I feel blessed sure, but I'd trade feeling blessed for feeling comfortable in my own skin pretty much any day of the week. How do you know that cliché you just responded with isn't sponsored by dow chemicals in the first place. Saying we don't need to look into it because it's a blessing from God seems pretty convenient for them and their ilk to me.

Zija Pulp's avatar

Yes, Tom, one might well think to start with studying increasing pollutants and chemicals in our environment to see how/if they affect our bodies. But if we did THAT, the government might have to confront and tell chemical companies to STOP. And that might affect the $$$ lobbyists throw their way.

Better to blame one medicine, to contain the damages.

R D Noisemaker's avatar

You nail it every day, Michael! Hats off to you!

Richard Hennick's avatar

You know, my first reaction to this whole big Tylenol announcement was that the Orange Genius had tried to shake down the manufacturer for an "investment" in pharmaceutical manufacturing in the US, plus of course a hefty cash contribution to the Presidential library (where the Boss will keep his Archie comics).

And they told him in no uncertain terms exactly what to do with himself.

So now he is slandering their most famous product, and setting an example for other companies that also received his "offer you can't refuse".

Zija Pulp's avatar

Honestly, this theory is more plausible than RFK Jr’s—it certainly has more evidence.

J. Rock's avatar

The US government should just write a check to the Tylenol makers now and save the price of the trial and the insanely large judgment they will have to pay.

Not A Believer's avatar

You are spot on with this one! The whole administration we have now in the obscene white palace, formerly known as The White House, is roomfulls of humans with empty minds and a corner office of ugly, cheap glitz and glam.

Sharon Hudnall's avatar

But pregnant women should guzzle all the Diet Coke and crap they like because Shitler does.

Nancy Goody's avatar

Truth! Such a shameful thing.

CAROL F. HAUCK's avatar

Donnie and RFK pull shit out of the air. Neither one knows what the fuck they're talking about.

Jill Shackford, M.Ed., Ph.D.'s avatar

Hmmm. I wonder why we're not all autistic. Maybe we who aren't, are all just whacko: evidenced by bothering to hear, read, or consider the possibility that acetaminophen (loooong researched) is the origination of autism in children. Maybe Johnson & Johnson's Bandaid products are! (Pssst. Don't pose that improbability to crack H.H.S. Sec'y Robt. F. Kennedy, Jr., though, or he'll empanel more lunatic-fringies to determine and decry that Bandaids are responsible for learning disabilities.

Michael, as usual, this 'toon is a stellar artistic translation of complicated, dangerous, madness.

Audrey Eve's avatar

Evidence, shmevidence!

Why waste time with data and scientific research, when you can just make up whatever false claims you want (about Tylenol and vaccines) and scare pregnant women and mothers of young children to death? And, the best part is you don't have to back up anything you're saying because there's no evidence to support it in the first place.

Dennis Reynolds's avatar

Only one guard for all that evidence? Maybe toss a couple ICE agents in there to search for foreigner nationals who've come to destroy our way of life while there's still time.

betty aberlin's avatar

oh, God, yes. exactly.

Kay-El's avatar

Took me a second to absorb what I was seeing, which was absolutely nothing. Well done.

James Hatfield's avatar

It makes sense if you've had a worm in your brain.

Richard's avatar

And yet, here we are.