Anti-vaxxers are using the same tactics as cults do to attract followers on social media

 

Editor’s Note: Steven Hassan, PhD, is a licensed mental health professional and one of the leading experts on cults and undue influence in the world. A former member of the Moonie cult, Hassan left the group 45 years ago and has dedicated his life to helping people out of cults and destructive situations.

 

...

"Anti-vaccination groups are doing the same thing today. ...these groups use social media to bombard their targets with messages that sow doubt, fear and confusion about the Covid-19 vaccine. As a result, a significant portion of the US population is refusing to get vaccinated and putting themselves at risk of being hospitalized or dying from Covid-19.

 

Here are three specific ways anti-vaccination groups use deception to influence the public:

 

Withholding vital information

...

"Anti-vax influencers tout anecdotes of adverse reactions without mentioning how rare they are. These anecdotes are a form of phobia indoctrination. Anti-vaxxers withhold information about the vaccines, causing people to fear that by getting vaccinated, they would be putting themselves at a high risk of severe side effects. The reality is that instances of serious negative physical reactions to the vaccine are very rare."

 

Distorting information

Anti-vax groups distort information by misinterpreting data and casting doubt on the scientific process. ... Anti-vax campaigns to distort information remind me of the way fears were implanted in me when I was a Moonie. I was programmed to hate democracy and believe that it was Satanic. After deprogramming, I realized that the Moonies had used corrupt brainwashing tactics on me to support their anti-democratic political agenda.

Outright lying

Anti-vaccination social media campaigns spew outright lies to sow doubt and confusion about the vaccination process. ... When people are not properly informed, deciding whether or not to get vaccinated can be a scary decision. People are constantly exposed to lies about the vaccines online, including false claims that they alter DNA or lead to infertility. Of course, we know that billions of doses have been administered worldwide. That is a huge sample size, and the absence of any widespread serious side effects speaks to the vaccine’s safety."

 

(more)

 

CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/29/perspectives/covid-19-vaccine-anti-vaxxers-social-media-cults

 

To use your - ad nauseam repeated words - CNN is not a 'trustworthy source'.

It's a bought and paid Pharma-shill. 

And it's no surprise that the reach of all of these lie-repeaters is ever decreasing.

Next...

Might I ask you, Khun Phoenix, what is your medical background?

19 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

A former member of the Moonie cult,

 

That's a good name for a cult. 

 

12 minutes ago, Bacon1 said:

Might I ask you, Khun Phoenix, what is your medical background?

 

Since you ask respectfully, and will hopefully not use my response in a 'Gotcha' comment, I will answer your question.  

> I have never in any of my post claimed any official medical qualifications, as I do not have them.  

But of course this does not mean that I am totally clueless about the subject and I am well acquainted with both the allopathic and holistic alternative approaches to health.  

Coming from a 'medical family' where each and every one of my family-members is a doctor, two of them even being world-wide known authorities in their medical speciality and having a completely different take on medicine/health, it is not surprising that the subject always comes up during family gatherings.  And contrary to this thread, the holistic alternative approach (including total rejection of any and all vaccines) in our family is not being ridiculed or violently attacked.  We simply agree that these are two different and irreconcilable world views, and my family members have an open mind and respectfully consider other's point of view when supported with valid arguments and personal experience.  The one thing that both sides are in full agreement on is that looking after your health is a personal responsibility and that their role as doctors is one of providing advice in which helping the patient and 'first do no harm' are the foundation.  

11 hours ago, Red Phoenix said:

The one thing that both sides are in full agreement on is that looking after your health is a personal responsibility and that their role as doctors is one of providing advice in which helping the patient and 'first do no harm' are the foundation.  

 

Yes, health is a personal responsibility --- and this is something that takes place over the course of a lifetime.

Daily habits for decades decide your health, usually not ONE thing like a vaccine.

 

Even if a vaccine does contain poisons, the human body is resilient.

What breaks down a body is decades of poisons.

Cigarettes are full of poisons. But they don't cause cancer unless you smoke for 20 years. 

 

All your threads are about vaccines as though this is the only factor that's affecting human health.

 

The health influencers I follow barely talk about vaccines. But they do talk about all the hundreds of other factors that go into keeping a body healthy. There are many factors involved in staying healthy.

 

Obsessing over vaccines is extremely narrow-minded. 

 

9 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Anti-vaxxers are using the same tactics as cults do to attract followers on social media

 

Editor’s Note: Steven Hassan, PhD, is a licensed mental health professional and one of the leading experts on cults and undue influence in the world. A former member of the Moonie cult, Hassan left the group 45 years ago and has dedicated his life to helping people out of cults and destructive situations.

 

...

"Anti-vaccination groups are doing the same thing today. ...these groups use social media to bombard their targets with messages that sow doubt, fear and confusion about the Covid-19 vaccine. As a result, a significant portion of the US population is refusing to get vaccinated and putting themselves at risk of being hospitalized or dying from Covid-19.

 

Here are three specific ways anti-vaccination groups use deception to influence the public:

 

Withholding vital information

...

"Anti-vax influencers tout anecdotes of adverse reactions without mentioning how rare they are. These anecdotes are a form of phobia indoctrination. Anti-vaxxers withhold information about the vaccines, causing people to fear that by getting vaccinated, they would be putting themselves at a high risk of severe side effects. The reality is that instances of serious negative physical reactions to the vaccine are very rare."

 

Distorting information

Anti-vax groups distort information by misinterpreting data and casting doubt on the scientific process. ... Anti-vax campaigns to distort information remind me of the way fears were implanted in me when I was a Moonie. I was programmed to hate democracy and believe that it was Satanic. After deprogramming, I realized that the Moonies had used corrupt brainwashing tactics on me to support their anti-democratic political agenda.

Outright lying

Anti-vaccination social media campaigns spew outright lies to sow doubt and confusion about the vaccination process. ... When people are not properly informed, deciding whether or not to get vaccinated can be a scary decision. People are constantly exposed to lies about the vaccines online, including false claims that they alter DNA or lead to infertility. Of course, we know that billions of doses have been administered worldwide. That is a huge sample size, and the absence of any widespread serious side effects speaks to the vaccine’s safety."

 

(more)

 

CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/29/perspectives/covid-19-vaccine-anti-vaxxers-social-media-cults

 

 

Weren't you the guy spreading all the COVID disinformation a few years back during the scamdemic?? I'm guessing you don't live in Thailand as well. 

 

CNN .. 5555555

4 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Even if a vaccine does contain poisons, the human body is resilient.

What breaks down a body is decades of poisons.

 

Utter rubbish. Many vaccines are full of toxins and that's going to stop. Mercury just doesn't disappear.

 

Why do mfgs need procecution immunity? 

 

The mRNA vaccines are not recommended for anyone now truth is out 🙏🙏

 

Shocking post

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Obsessing over vaccines is extremely narrow-minded. 

 

A look at his history. He appears to be paid shill or have some overarching interest in pushing vaccines 

10 hours ago, TonmaiYai said:

 

A look at his history. He appears to be paid shill or have some overarching interest in pushing vaccines 

 

Yeah, I'm a paid shill.

Someone should be paying me for this, but sadly no money coming in for my posts. 

 

5 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

 

Yeah, I'm a paid shill.

Someone should be paying me for this, but sadly no money coming in for my posts. 

 

 

No, the TallJohn poster. Look at his history 

1 hour ago, Bacon1 said:

Might I ask you, Khun Phoenix, what is your medical background?

 

Good question for Tall John as well

 

Yet, as we saw during COVID thousands of corrupt scientists and bureaucratic minions were perfectly fine with lying to the public,  ruining lives, families, children for their own profit. These scientists had degrees and pedigree a mile long. Who cares? Liars all

5 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

...

All your threads are about vaccines as though this is the only factor that's affecting human health.

The health influencers I follow barely talk about vaccines. But they do talk about all the hundreds of other factors that go into keeping a body healthy. There are many factors involved in staying healthy.

Obsessing over vaccines is extremely narrow-minded. 

Yes all the threads here are about vaccines, as this is the 'Covid and Vaccine studies' sub-forum.  

 

Note that I do agree that there are many other factors that are involved in staying healthy and banning toxicity (bad air / processed foods / loaded drinks / EMF radiation / etc.) is key.  But you seem to downplay the toxicity of vaccines by stating the obvious truth that the body is incredibly resilient.  Does that warrant coercing people into getting jabbed?  And as if this isn't bad enough: subjecting new-borns to toxic injections and providing +70 doses before they reach adulthood. 

For me that is the ultimate abomination, and hence my 'obsession' on spreading information about the subject, so that people can make up their own minds.  

 

10 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Anti-vaxxers are using the same tactics as cults do to attract followers on social media

 

Editor’s Note: Steven Hassan, PhD, is a licensed mental health professional and one of the leading experts on cults and undue influence in the world. A former member of the Moonie cult, Hassan left the group 45 years ago and has dedicated his life to helping people out of cults and destructive situations.

 

...

"Anti-vaccination groups are doing the same thing today. ...these groups use social media to bombard their targets with messages that sow doubt, fear and confusion about the Covid-19 vaccine. As a result, a significant portion of the US population is refusing to get vaccinated and putting themselves at risk of being hospitalized or dying from Covid-19.

 

Here are three specific ways anti-vaccination groups use deception to influence the public:

 

Withholding vital information

...

"Anti-vax influencers tout anecdotes of adverse reactions without mentioning how rare they are. These anecdotes are a form of phobia indoctrination. Anti-vaxxers withhold information about the vaccines, causing people to fear that by getting vaccinated, they would be putting themselves at a high risk of severe side effects. The reality is that instances of serious negative physical reactions to the vaccine are very rare."

 

Distorting information

Anti-vax groups distort information by misinterpreting data and casting doubt on the scientific process. ... Anti-vax campaigns to distort information remind me of the way fears were implanted in me when I was a Moonie. I was programmed to hate democracy and believe that it was Satanic. After deprogramming, I realized that the Moonies had used corrupt brainwashing tactics on me to support their anti-democratic political agenda.

Outright lying

Anti-vaccination social media campaigns spew outright lies to sow doubt and confusion about the vaccination process. ... When people are not properly informed, deciding whether or not to get vaccinated can be a scary decision. People are constantly exposed to lies about the vaccines online, including false claims that they alter DNA or lead to infertility. Of course, we know that billions of doses have been administered worldwide. That is a huge sample size, and the absence of any widespread serious side effects speaks to the vaccine’s safety."

 

(more)

 

CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/29/perspectives/covid-19-vaccine-anti-vaxxers-social-media-cults

 

 

This is hilarious 

 

This high quality source holds unscientific based PhD and a former Moonie. 

 

What a stretch. I guess the science based lies are really drying up. Just going for random opinion now

Even if all vaccines are perfect, what isn't known and cannot be known, is how all of the up to 80 shots people receive between birth and 18 years of age interact. This simply cannot be analyzed given the combinatorial nature of the problem. Maybe someday when quantum computers are a real thing, but not with current tech. Anyone bleating about how vaccines cannot be questioned hasn't thought about the issue in a deep and meaningful way. Vaccine skepticism is not cultist. And everyone should be skeptical about mRNA vaccines. So many things we were told about the mRNA payload itself and the lipid nano particles that deliver them to the nucleus of our cells has been shown to be incorrect. Given that, why should I trust the info supplied by pharma companies on more traditional vaccines? I deeply regret having got the two shots back in the day, and I will never submit to taking a booster under any circumstances.

12 hours ago, TonmaiYai said:

 

No, the TallJohn poster. Look at his history 

 

Ok, I'll look into it. 

 

In an age of digital ID's , vaccination status and forced vaccines,

talking about it is necessary.

Red Phoenix is doing a good job.

 

It is not that traditional vaccines are bad , it is all that they

put in it that you cannot trust anymore.

No trust in big Pharma/vaccine makers.

They too have an agenda.

12 hours ago, Red Phoenix said:

But you seem to downplay the toxicity of vaccines by stating the obvious truth that the body is incredibly resilient.  Does that warrant coercing people into getting jabbed?

 

Yes, I am downplaying the toxicity of vaccines.

 

I was in a restaurant the other day. The guy sitting next to me was in his 60s or 70s. He looked frail as hell. No muscles. And he was chain smoking and had a perpetual cough. 

 

I need to ask you to explain to me how this guy is even still alive. 

Clearly, he didn't start smoking yesterday. He's been smoking for 20 years at least.

Clearly, he's never done any exercise in his entire life.

 

So how did such a weak and frail man who chain smoked for 20 years survive all these jabs if they're so dangerous?

 

According to your theory, there are 2 possibilities:

1 - Most of us should be dead because the vaccines are that dangerous

OR 

2 - It would be a "survival of the fittest" scenario, where these vaccines are so dangerous that perhaps only people who are incredibly healthy with incredibly resilient might survive.

 

But that's not what I'm seeing out there. I'm seeing a bunch of frail smokers and obese diabetics all still clinging to life. Miraculously, they all survived the onslaught of these dangerous jabs.

 

Please refine your theory so it doesn't conflict with common sense and then get back to me. 

 

You don't need science. All you need is common sense. 

 

And by the way, I'm ALSO arguing that the you know what wasn't that dangerous either. Because if it were, all these chain smokers and obese diabetics would not have survived. 

 

Think about it. Death is a statistical thing. The sicker you are, the more that one poison might knock you out. But I don't see it happening. I see a bunch of sick people around me. Mixed together with a bunch of healthy people. 

 

 

2 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

 

Yes, I am downplaying the toxicity of vaccines.

 

I was in a restaurant the other day. The guy sitting next to me was in his 60s or 70s. He looked frail as hell. No muscles. And he was chain smoking and had a perpetual cough. 

 

I need to ask you to explain to me how this guy is even still alive. 

Clearly, he didn't start smoking yesterday. He's been smoking for 20 years at least.

Clearly, he's never done any exercise in his entire life.

 

So how did such a weak and frail man who chain smoked for 20 years survive all these jabs if they're so dangerous?

 

According to your theory, there are 2 possibilities:

1 - Most of us should be dead because the vaccines are that dangerous

OR 

2 - It would be a "survival of the fittest" scenario, where these vaccines are so dangerous that perhaps only people who are incredibly healthy with incredibly resilient might survive.

 

These are actually good points and I use them when arguing with some of my friends who claim that vaccines are all bad. But the 60 - 70 year old smoker probably had fewer than a half dozen vaccine shots when he was younger, and maybe got a couple more for travel and/or COVID. This isn't the same as kids today who are being subjected to literally dozens of them. We don't know much about the long term safety profile of some of the newer vaccines themselves, and almost nothing about interactions. We know literally nothing about the long-term safety profile of mRNA vaccines. The mRNA vaccine rollout was fraught with lies, incorrect information and coercion. And now in Japan we have thousands of people volunteering to be guinea pigs for self-replicating mRNA vaccines. No thanks, and excuse me if I remain a skeptic.

3 hours ago, Red Phoenix said:

To use your - ad nauseam repeated words - CNN is not a 'trustworthy source'.

It's a bought and paid Pharma-shill. 

 

You must be thinking about all the "conspiracy-pseudoscience" and "questionable source" non-sources that you flood this forum with on a daily basis.

 

CNN, on the other hand, as a "mostly factual" rating, along with a left-center bias mark, that your non-sources could only DREAM of having!

 

 

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/left/cnn-bias/

 

 

 

 

5 minutes ago, ecline said:

These are actually good points and I use them when arguing with some of my friends who claim that vaccines are all bad. But the 60 - 70 year old smoker probably had fewer than a half dozen vaccine shots when he was younger, and maybe got a couple more for travel and/or COVID. This isn't the same as kids today who are being subjected to literally dozens of them. We don't know much about the long term safety profile of some of the newer vaccines themselves, and almost nothing about interactions. We know literally nothing about the long-term safety profile of mRNA vaccines. The mRNA vaccine rollout was fraught with lies, incorrect information and coercion. And now in Japan we have thousands of people volunteering to be guinea pigs for self-replicating mRNA vaccines. No thanks, and excuse me if I remain a skeptic.

 

Ya, this above would  fall under the following rating from the OP's analysis:

 

Distorting information

"Anti-vax groups distort information by misinterpreting data and casting doubt on the scientific process. For instance, many anti-vax influencers claim that the vaccine is dangerous because it is new and was rapidly developed. But in reality, Covid-19 vaccines make use of technology that has been extensively studied for decades, and the vaccine had to go through usual rigorous testing for emergency approval."

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/29/perspectives/covid-19-vaccine-anti-vaxxers-social-media-cults

1 hour ago, FlorC said:

In an age of digital ID's , vaccination status and forced vaccines,

talking about it is necessary.

Red Phoenix is doing a good job.

 

It is not that traditional vaccines are bad , it is all that they

put in it that you cannot trust anymore.

No trust in big Pharma/vaccine makers.

They too have an agenda.

 

From the OP's analysis that pertains to your comments:

 

"Of course, we know that billions of doses have been administered worldwide. That is a huge sample size, and the absence of any widespread serious side effects speaks to the vaccine’s safety.

 

Phobias are common, but curable. If we do not take the time to analyze the data and actual risk, and if we allow ourselves to trust people and sources that are untrustworthy, we can go down a rabbit hole of paranoia and end up in real danger. Helping people overcome these fears is the only way to end this pandemic."

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/29/perspectives/covid-19-vaccine-anti-vaxxers-social-media-cults

 

2 hours ago, ecline said:

Even if all vaccines are perfect, what isn't known and cannot be known, is how all of the up to 80 shots people receive between birth and 18 years of age interact. This simply cannot be analyzed given the combinatorial nature of the problem. Maybe someday when quantum computers are a real thing, but not with current tech. Anyone bleating about how vaccines cannot be questioned hasn't thought about the issue in a deep and meaningful way. Vaccine skepticism is not cultist. And everyone should be skeptical about mRNA vaccines. So many things we were told about the mRNA payload itself and the lipid nano particles that deliver them to the nucleus of our cells has been shown to be incorrect. Given that, why should I trust the info supplied by pharma companies on more traditional vaccines? I deeply regret having got the two shots back in the day, and I will never submit to taking a booster under any circumstances.

They interact with the body to keep you alive. The science has been documented for centuries.

14 minutes ago, ecline said:

These are actually good points and I use them when arguing with some of my friends who claim that vaccines are all bad. But the 60 - 70 year old smoker probably had fewer than a half dozen vaccine shots when he was younger, and maybe got a couple more for travel and/or COVID. This isn't the same as kids today who are being subjected to literally dozens of them. We don't know much about the long term safety profile of some of the newer vaccines themselves, and almost nothing about interactions. We know literally nothing about the long-term safety profile of mRNA vaccines. The mRNA vaccine rollout was fraught with lies, incorrect information and coercion. And now in Japan we have thousands of people volunteering to be guinea pigs for self-replicating mRNA vaccines. No thanks, and excuse me if I remain a skeptic.

When I moved to Asia, I repeated all of my shots to document my compliance. 15 years later, I am still here and still collecting vaccinations. It was about 12 jabs, not 80. The 70 year old smoker is still here because he did not die of smallpox as a child, Guess why?

2 hours ago, ecline said:

Even if all vaccines are perfect, what isn't known and cannot be known, is how all of the up to 80 shots people receive between birth and 18 years of age interact

 

Yep, this would fall under the following:

 

Outright lying

"Anti-vaccination social media campaigns spew outright lies to sow doubt and confusion about the vaccination process."

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/29/perspectives/covid-19-vaccine-anti-vaxxers-social-media-cults

 

 

AND

 

"The president incorrectly said that doctors “pump” babies with “80 different vaccines” and “too much liquid” in a single visit. Children do not receive that many vaccines at once."

...

There is no evidence that the current schedule or vaccine dose sizes are hazardous to children or that additional “spacing out” of vaccines is needed. Delaying vaccination risks leaving a child unprotected."

 

https://www.factcheck.org/2025/09/repeated-falsehoods-at-autism-press-conference/

 

2 hours ago, TonmaiYai said:

 

This is hilarious 

 

This high quality source holds unscientific based PhD and a former Moonie. 

 

What a stretch. I guess the science based lies are really drying up. Just going for random opinion now

 

From the OP repoort:

 

"Editor’s Note: Steven Hassan, PhD, is a licensed mental health professional and one of the leading experts on cults and undue influence in the world.

 

Just now, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Yep, this would fall under the following:

 

Outright lying

"Anti-vaccination social media campaigns spew outright lies to sow doubt and confusion about the vaccination process."

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/29/perspectives/covid-19-vaccine-anti-vaxxers-social-media-cults

 

AND

"The president incorrectly said that doctors “pump” babies with “80 different vaccines” and “too much liquid” in a single visit. Children do not receive that many vaccines at once."

...

There is no evidence that the current schedule or vaccine dose sizes are hazardous to children or that additional “spacing out” of vaccines is needed. Delaying vaccination risks leaving a child unprotected."

 

https://www.factcheck.org/2025/09/repeated-falsehoods-at-autism-press-conference/

 

It isn't outright lying. Vaccination shots up to the age of 18 are between 30 - 40, many of which are combination shots. Add in flu shots and COVID shots and by the time you are 18 you will have had well over 50 injections. True that not everyone gets that many shots, but many do.

3 hours ago, TonmaiYai said:

Anti-vaxxers are using the same tactics as cults do to attract followers on social media

 

That may be 'cause they don't have multi-billion dollar budgets to hire teams that scour the interwebs and force the MSM and social media to remove anything they don't like. 

 

That's the tactic of the vaccine pushers.  The ones that claimed that the shots stayed in your arm.  Then they admitted that it may get into your blood, but not your organs.  Then they admitted that it gets into your organs, but it doesn't last long or do any damage.  Then they admitted that it may cause myocarditis, but that's rare and transitory, and it doesn't affect your DNA.  Now, it looks like that was a lie, too.

Did anyone catch the recent Google admission that they did, in fact, censor conservatives and anyone who questioned the "safe and effective" narrative?

 

3 hours ago, Red Phoenix said:

To use your - ad nauseam repeated words - CNN is not a 'trustworthy source'.

It's a bought and paid Pharma-shill. 

And it's no surprise that the reach of all of these lie-repeaters is ever decreasing.

Next...

I could understand that you and your friends are not happy with this post.

I don't agree in many ways with Hassan. But it's worth to follow him.

However, he has NOTHING to do the Big Pharma. And he's not bought.

And he's not telling lies but you.

Sorry, that I see you confused agitating.

2 hours ago, TonmaiYai said:

Yet, as we saw during COVID thousands of corrupt scientists and bureaucratic minions were perfectly fine with lying to the public,  ruining lives, families, children for their own profit. These scientists had degrees and pedigree a mile long. Who cares? Liars all

 

You have a strange perspective on the reality of what public health measures and vaccines did to hasten the end of the COVID pandemic and keep millions of people alive who otherwise would have died from COVID but didn't:

 

Per the New York Times:

 

The overall picture

 

"Here’s my best attempt to summarize the full truth about the Covid vaccines:

 

They are overwhelmingly safe and effective. They have saved millions of lives and prevented untold misery around the world. They’re so valuable that elderly people and those with underlying health conditions should be vigilant about getting booster shots when they’re eligible. For most children, on the other hand, booster shots seem to have only modest benefits, which is why many countries don’t recommend them.

 

And, yes, a small fraction of people will experience significant side effects from the vaccines. Eventually, scientific research may be able to better understand and reduce those side effects — which is more reason to pay attention to them.

 

Overall, Covid vaccines are probably the most beneficial medical breakthrough in years, if not decades."

 

https://archive.ph/HSUsy#selection-7853.0-7853.257