Overheard on Facebook

[seathink]

An awesome, convenient, powerful boat for sale. It's been kept in the garage and it was only in the water once ....

[mustachepungoeshere]

Overheard on the weekend...

Family with two young teenagers. Mum hasn't worked since before kids were born. Dad is a tradie who was just made redundant.

He's applied for a few jobs but they're offering about $30k a year less than what he's asking.

"So what car do you think I should buy with my redundancy payout?"

[dragoncar]

Overheard on the weekend...

Family with two young teenagers. Mum hasn't worked since before kids were born. Dad is a tradie who was just made redundant.

He's applied for a few jobs but they're offering about $30k a year less than what he's asking.

"So what car do you think I should buy with my redundancy payout?"

A camper van

[markbike528CBX]

Overheard on the weekend...

Family with two young teenagers. Mum hasn't worked since before kids were born. Dad is a tradie who was just made redundant.

He's applied for a few jobs but they're offering about $30k a year less than what he's asking.

"So what car do you think I should buy with my redundancy payout?"

A camper van

"And take the skinheads bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven.

[dragoncar]

Overheard on the weekend...

Family with two young teenagers. Mum hasn't worked since before kids were born. Dad is a tradie who was just made redundant.

He's applied for a few jobs but they're offering about $30k a year less than what he's asking.

"So what car do you think I should buy with my redundancy payout?"

A camper van

"And take the skinheads bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven.

I'm sorry to say I only recently realized the "camper van" part of camper van beethoven.  I always just thought it was a guy named camper (hangs head in shame)

ps it's a good song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INnFvMgET1E

[penguintroopers]

Not financially related, but I've got one FB 'friend' who is all bothered about the new HR bill requiring that students attending public school have their MMR vaccines. Majority of her argument is "I've never been vaccinated and I've been fine! and are you ADULTS keeping up with your boosters?! Because that makes you essentially unvaccinated too!"

1. Your survivorship bias is very strong.
2. I'm sure you do other risk-mitigating procedures in your daily life (i.e. wear a seatbelt), so why is this different? (everything in vaccines has been proven safe)
3. I'm sure that adults who need their boosters will get them

It takes everything within my willpower not to want to smack her into next week.

"But I'm a medical professional too, so I'm all educated!"

Fine, you may see the statistics and have a different opinion, but I don't care about your opinion when there is a sick child (when this was preventable!) involved.

[Imma]

None of my grandparents had vaccines and they all got very old. All four of them lost siblings to preventable diseases though....

I have a little bit of understanding for people who don't vaccinate for religious reasons because it's God who decides who gets ill, not us - although as you say the same could be said about seat belts and they probably do wear those. But people who completely deny that vaccination works at all...  Two of my coworkers are anti-vaxx and very vocal about it. I get my flu jab every year and recently got a menigitis booster - yes, adults get them too, at least the sensible ones. I didn't tell them because I don't even want to have this discussion. It hurts my brain that such intelligent people can say such stupid things. Not overheard on facebook, but at least one of them has tried to show me "proof" on facebook why vaccination doesn't work, so it kind of counts, I guess?

[DadJokes]

I can't even handle conversing with that level of stupidity. I admire your ability to do so.

[Kitsune]

None of my grandparents had vaccines and they all got very old. All four of them lost siblings to preventable diseases though....

I have a little bit of understanding for people who don't vaccinate for religious reasons because it's God who decides who gets ill, not us - although as you say the same could be said about seat belts and they probably do wear those. But people who completely deny that vaccination works at all...  Two of my coworkers are anti-vaxx and very vocal about it. I get my flu jab every year and recently got a menigitis booster - yes, adults get them too, at least the sensible ones. I didn't tell them because I don't even want to have this discussion. It hurts my brain that such intelligent people can say such stupid things. Not overheard on facebook, but at least one of them has tried to show me "proof" on facebook why vaccination doesn't work, so it kind of counts, I guess?

I mean... My grandfather lived to adulthood, sure. But my great-grandmother had 22 pregnancies, 18 live births, and 10 adult children.

Let's just say that I don't particularly like those odds.

[ysette9]

The measles scares all around us infuriate me. My family is vaccinated but I’m pregnant, so exposure for me would cause significant damage. I never really appreciated how vulnerable of a position that puts me in. It feels massively unfair.

What a bunch of freaking idiots. I share the sentiment of wanting to wring necks.

[I'm a red panda]

The measles scares all around us infuriate me. My family is vaccinated but I’m pregnant, so exposure for me would cause significant damage. I never really appreciated how vulnerable of a position that puts me in. It feels massively unfair.

What a bunch of freaking idiots. I share the sentiment of wanting to wring necks.

The measles thing terrifies me too.  We waited until first vaccines to travel with our first daughter, but that still doesn't cover MMR, which is typically at 1 year can be done at 6 months, but you can't vaccinate an infant before then.  So that really limits travel (we will NOT fly before 6 months; when normally we would have much earlier), but quite honestly- it makes even going to the grocery store scary.

I read today an article about the woman who played Marcia in the Brady Bunch. She had a line that was something like "if you have to get sick, measles is the way to go" and is now being used by anti-vaxxers.  The actress has said she got measles as a child (and obviously not a case with massive complications) and it was nothing like the TV show portrayed, and her kids are vaccinated, and her image is being misused. 

I've also seen photos of babies with measles on facebook, and the comments are blaming THOSE babies parents for not vaccinating; not the people who spread it. People don't seem to understand that infants CAN'T be vaccinated.

[fredbear]

... It hurts my brain that such intelligent people can say such stupid things. Not overheard on facebook, but at least one of them has tried to show me "proof" on facebook why vaccination doesn't work, so it kind of counts, I guess?

I read recently that Boulder is just above San Luis for lowest vaccination percentages in Colorado.   San Luis County has the excuse of extreme poverty, rural isolation and comparatively poor access to education.  Boulder touts itself, frequently and in print, as an exemplar not just to the rest of the state, but to the nation, and when our heads are self-swollen to cosmic rotundity, even to the admiring and waiting world.  We actually have political 'leaders' state, for instance, that we need to do something with special deliberation or special seriousness because the world is watching and waiting for our example.  People sometimes remark that the extreme right and left tend to meet; perhaps with all our acuity we will dimly notice that the spiritually hubristic and the screamingly funny copulate on the 'news' pages of the Boulder Daily Camera. 

Yet with all our education and all our investigation - we are, after all, host to a great research university - we can't seem to discover that Wakefield's seminal paper was not merely wrong, or unconfirmed, but fraudulent; was withdrawn; and he stripped of his MD.  Or if we do, we murmur darkly that it was the sinister influence of Big Vax and Big Pharma and Big Codswallop that got this modern Galileo stifled. 

Across a generation gap I share your relief when the grandchildren's mommies, daughter and daughters-in-law and none of them airheads, get the kids safe to the age when they can start their vaccinations.  Ladies, strength to your arm. 

[Imma]

I heard through the grapevine that the husband of a facebook friend of mine (a girl I went to high school with) who frequently posts anti-vaxx stuff has succesfully threatened with divorce if she didn't consent to their baby being vaccinated. The husband is a softie normally so I was really happy to hear that he's finally stepping up as a parent and doing what's right.

I am super glad that in my country kids over the age of 12 do not need the consent of their parents for vaccination and can be vaccinated without their parents' knowledge, as long as the doctor is of the opinion that the minor has seriously considered their decision. If there's a charity that is actively approaching unvaccinated minors and informing them of this option, I would gladly support it.

The measles outbreaks in other countries have been scary. We haven't had an outbreak yet, thankfully, but nationally we're under the 95% vaccinated-threshold. What worries me most is that these are not isolated cases - there are fundamentalist Christian and Steiner schools full of unvaccinated kids. An outbreak could do so much damage there, way more than when one or two unvaccinated kids go to a public school. I remember back in the 90s there was an outbreak of polio in a fundamentalist Christian community and one of my dad's coworker's kids got sick. Yes, that's right. Kids died of POLIO in the Netherlands in the 90s. In one of the most medically advanced countries in the world with a free public health system kids got polio and passed away or were disabled for life, because apparantly it pleased the Lord to give them polio.

[Zaga]

My dad was/is an anti vaxxer, but mom got us vaccinated anyways on schedule.  I'm very thankful for this.

[Rural]

Boulder touts itself, frequently and in print, as an exemplar not just to the rest of the state, but to the nation, and when our heads are self-swollen to cosmic rotundity, even to the admiring and waiting world.  We actually have political 'leaders' state, for instance, that we need to do something with special deliberation or special seriousness because the world is watching and waiting for our example.

Why do politicians in Boulder think this? Genuinely confused. I have no idea what Boulder has done about anything, except that I assume marijuana is legal since it's legal statewide. But I have never heard anything specific about how anything is done in Boulder in a lifetime spent in the US.

[ixtap]

Boulder touts itself, frequently and in print, as an exemplar not just to the rest of the state, but to the nation, and when our heads are self-swollen to cosmic rotundity, even to the admiring and waiting world.  We actually have political 'leaders' state, for instance, that we need to do something with special deliberation or special seriousness because the world is watching and waiting for our example.

Why do politicians in Boulder think this? Genuinely confused. I have no idea what Boulder has done about anything, except that I assume marijuana is legal since it's legal statewide. But I have never heard anything specific about how anything is done in Boulder in a lifetime spent in the US.

You have had your head buried in the sand. Boulder comes up whenever cities are discussing bikeability and city maintained open spaces, and consistently tops lists for happiness and fitness.

[OtherJen]

Boulder touts itself, frequently and in print, as an exemplar not just to the rest of the state, but to the nation, and when our heads are self-swollen to cosmic rotundity, even to the admiring and waiting world.  We actually have political 'leaders' state, for instance, that we need to do something with special deliberation or special seriousness because the world is watching and waiting for our example.

Why do politicians in Boulder think this? Genuinely confused. I have no idea what Boulder has done about anything, except that I assume marijuana is legal since it's legal statewide. But I have never heard anything specific about how anything is done in Boulder in a lifetime spent in the US.

Also confused, and also a lifelong US citizen and resident. I know very little about Boulder beyond Stephen King’s “The Stand” and reruns of “Mork and Mindy.”

[Rural]

Boulder touts itself, frequently and in print, as an exemplar not just to the rest of the state, but to the nation, and when our heads are self-swollen to cosmic rotundity, even to the admiring and waiting world.  We actually have political 'leaders' state, for instance, that we need to do something with special deliberation or special seriousness because the world is watching and waiting for our example.

Why do politicians in Boulder think this? Genuinely confused. I have no idea what Boulder has done about anything, except that I assume marijuana is legal since it's legal statewide. But I have never heard anything specific about how anything is done in Boulder in a lifetime spent in the US.

You have had your head buried in the sand. Boulder comes up whenever cities are discussing bikeability and city maintained open spaces, and consistently tops lists for happiness and fitness.

So then I guess there is no self-swelling nor cosmic rotundity.

[Rural]

Boulder touts itself, frequently and in print, as an exemplar not just to the rest of the state, but to the nation, and when our heads are self-swollen to cosmic rotundity, even to the admiring and waiting world.  We actually have political 'leaders' state, for instance, that we need to do something with special deliberation or special seriousness because the world is watching and waiting for our example.

Why do politicians in Boulder think this? Genuinely confused. I have no idea what Boulder has done about anything, except that I assume marijuana is legal since it's legal statewide. But I have never heard anything specific about how anything is done in Boulder in a lifetime spent in the US.

Also confused, and also a lifelong US citizen and resident. I know very little about Boulder beyond Stephen King’s “The Stand” and reruns of “Mork and Mindy.”

I know it has a university. And mountains. But I didn't know Mork and Mindy was set there, though I did watch it (not in reruns because I'm old).

[chouchouu]

Someone on one of the parenting groups asked for eco friendly plates and stuff for a birthday party. I offered to lend mine for free, her reply was "no thanks I have those same plates but I'm after disposable!"

Seems disposable biodegradable plates and cutlery are all the rage as everyone is using them yet somehow can't be bothered washing a few plates.

[NorCal]

Someone on one of the parenting groups asked for eco friendly plates and stuff for a birthday party. I offered to lend mine for free, her reply was "no thanks I have those same plates but I'm after disposable!"

Seems disposable biodegradable plates and cutlery are all the rage as everyone is using them yet somehow can't be bothered washing a few plates.

Yikes.  Sometimes I wonder if all of these "eco-friendly" products do more harm than good.  They can certainly act as an excuse to behave in the most wasteful manner possible.

[mm1970]

My dad was/is an anti vaxxer, but mom got us vaccinated anyways on schedule.  I'm very thankful for this.

My neighbor is an anti-vaxxer.  When her 20-yo son went to the doc right before going off to a UC, he went in without her (she was still driving him to the doc!)  He said: Give me all my vaccines please.

She was pissed, or so the story goes.

[ysette9]

My dad was/is an anti vaxxer, but mom got us vaccinated anyways on schedule.  I'm very thankful for this.

My neighbor is an anti-vaxxer.  When her 20-yo son went to the doc right before going off to a UC, he went in without her (she was still driving him to the doc!)  He said: Give me all my vaccines please.

She was pissed, or so the story goes.

Good for him

[markbike528CBX]

My dad was/is an anti vaxxer, but mom got us vaccinated anyways on schedule.  I'm very thankful for this.

My neighbor is an anti-vaxxer.  When her 20-yo son went to the doc right before going off to a UC, he went in without her (she was still driving him to the doc!)  He said: Give me all my vaccines please.

She was pissed, or so the story goes.

Good for him

AND he doesn't need boosters for a while yet.  Fresh immunizations with up-to-date vaccines before heading out of the house sounds like a great idea, especially given some exposures you'd get at college (UC?), per the news lately.
 

[chouchouu]

Someone on one of the parenting groups asked for eco friendly plates and stuff for a birthday party. I offered to lend mine for free, her reply was "no thanks I have those same plates but I'm after disposable!"

Seems disposable biodegradable plates and cutlery are all the rage as everyone is using them yet somehow can't be bothered washing a few plates.

Yikes.  Sometimes I wonder if all of these "eco-friendly" products do more harm than good.  They can certainly act as an excuse to behave in the most wasteful manner possible.

Apparently the biodegradable plastic bags are worse for the environment because they degrade into smaller particles that can be consumed by animals.

[marty998]

My dad was/is an anti vaxxer, but mom got us vaccinated anyways on schedule.  I'm very thankful for this.

My neighbor is an anti-vaxxer.  When her 20-yo son went to the doc right before going off to a UC, he went in without her (she was still driving him to the doc!)  He said: Give me all my vaccines please.

She was pissed, or so the story goes.

Good for him

Good boy. Teens and young adults spread meningococcal so easily (on top of all the other "eradicated" diseases mentioned above).

So important to be up to date.

[mm1970]

My dad was/is an anti vaxxer, but mom got us vaccinated anyways on schedule.  I'm very thankful for this.

My neighbor is an anti-vaxxer.  When her 20-yo son went to the doc right before going off to a UC, he went in without her (she was still driving him to the doc!)  He said: Give me all my vaccines please.

She was pissed, or so the story goes.

Good for him

AND he doesn't need boosters for a while yet.  Fresh immunizations with up-to-date vaccines before heading out of the house sounds like a great idea, especially given some exposures you'd get at college (UC?), per the news lately.

Yep, especially with what's going on right now, it was good timing.

[Sugaree]

On one of the community FB pages, someone reported that there's a kid, 8-11, standing outside with a sign that he's looking for odd jobs to make money to buy his mom a Mother's Day gift.  Cool, huh?  Except that here comes the busybody patrol clucking about how dangerous that is.  How he could get kidnapped because we're close to a major interstate.  Newsflash.  We've been close to a major interstate for decades and there has not been one single child abducted by a stranger from here in my entire life.  These are the same busy bodies that are going to complain about "kids these days" and how lazy they are.  Can't win for losing with these people. 

[Proud Foot]

On one of the community FB pages, someone reported that there's a kid, 8-11, standing outside with a sign that he's looking for odd jobs to make money to buy his mom a Mother's Day gift.  Cool, huh?  Except that here comes the busybody patrol clucking about how dangerous that is.  How he could get kidnapped because we're close to a major interstate.  Newsflash.  We've been close to a major interstate for decades and there has not been one single child abducted by a stranger from here in my entire life.  These are the same busy bodies that are going to complain about "kids these days" and how lazy they are.  Can't win for losing with these people.

The busybody patrol sounds like the kind of person who would call city code enforcement on a child for having a lemonade stand.

[Just Joe]

That kid is required to have a business license and needs to have the health inspector visit... /s

[Dave1442397]

That kid is required to have a business license and needs to have the health inspector visit... /s

And the parents should be arrested immediately for neglecting their child :)

[Kitsune]

From someone who I considered a friend years ago:

30% of posts: therapy for her autistic toddler would cost SO MUCH and they can't afford it (desipte the friends who have offered to chip in), disabled people have it so rough, life is unfair, woe is me... 
30% of posts: pictures from large stadium concerts, usually front-row seats
30% of posts: rants about how poor people can never get ahead.
Remaining 10% of posts: pictures of packaged meal kits (that go for 10$/portion...) because with those Disabled Spouse can cook dinner (grocery delivery would accomplish the same result, but who asked me)

... Now, to be fair: therapy IS expensive (and necessary), disabled people DO have a harder time and it sucks, and it IS hard to be poor. But those 800$ concert ticket prices could seriously be applied to other areas of life, thereby making them easier. It sucks not to have the things that are important to you, I totally get it... but y'know, I have a family income at least 3x theirs, and I never, EVER have the money for 800$ tickets - hell, more than 5$ and I'm like naaaaaah. (But if one of my kids needed therapy, I could pay for it upfront...)

It's just hard to watch. 

[FireHiker]

... Now, to be fair: therapy IS expensive (and necessary), disabled people DO have a harder time and it sucks, and it IS hard to be poor. But those 800$ concert ticket prices could seriously be applied to other areas of life, thereby making them easier. It sucks not to have the things that are important to you, I totally get it... but y'know, I have a family income at least 3x theirs, and I never, EVER have the money for 800$ tickets - hell, more than 5$ and I'm like naaaaaah. (But if one of my kids needed therapy, I could pay for it upfront...)

It's just hard to watch.

Oh yes, I know someone like this (at work, not on facebook). They have some real, serious issues at no fault of their own and it sucks, even if money was no issue. BUT...the way they spend money (including the concert front row seats...which were more like $1500 each last time they went) only makes things worse for them and yes, it is hard to watch. Life may give you a cactus, but you don't need to sit on it...

[Kitsune]

... Now, to be fair: therapy IS expensive (and necessary), disabled people DO have a harder time and it sucks, and it IS hard to be poor. But those 800$ concert ticket prices could seriously be applied to other areas of life, thereby making them easier. It sucks not to have the things that are important to you, I totally get it... but y'know, I have a family income at least 3x theirs, and I never, EVER have the money for 800$ tickets - hell, more than 5$ and I'm like naaaaaah. (But if one of my kids needed therapy, I could pay for it upfront...)

It's just hard to watch.

Oh yes, I know someone like this (at work, not on facebook). They have some real, serious issues at no fault of their own and it sucks, even if money was no issue. BUT...the way they spend money (including the concert front row seats...which were more like $1500 each last time they went) only makes things worse for them and yes, it is hard to watch. Life may give you a cactus, but you don't need to sit on it...

Your last line basically sums it up. You may be playing the life game on 'difficult' mode, but maybe don't give away your gear before starting?

[OtherJen]

... Now, to be fair: therapy IS expensive (and necessary), disabled people DO have a harder time and it sucks, and it IS hard to be poor. But those 800$ concert ticket prices could seriously be applied to other areas of life, thereby making them easier. It sucks not to have the things that are important to you, I totally get it... but y'know, I have a family income at least 3x theirs, and I never, EVER have the money for 800$ tickets - hell, more than 5$ and I'm like naaaaaah. (But if one of my kids needed therapy, I could pay for it upfront...)

It's just hard to watch.

Oh yes, I know someone like this (at work, not on facebook). They have some real, serious issues at no fault of their own and it sucks, even if money was no issue. BUT...the way they spend money (including the concert front row seats...which were more like $1500 each last time they went) only makes things worse for them and yes, it is hard to watch. Life may give you a cactus, but you don't need to sit on it...

Your last line basically sums it up. You may be playing the life game on 'difficult' mode, but maybe don't give away your gear before starting?

I have a few people like this among my friends and family. I can't really do much other than nod empathetically and say "that sucks," because so many of the financial and other difficulties are self-inflicted.

[CindyBS]

From someone who I considered a friend years ago:

30% of posts: therapy for her autistic toddler would cost SO MUCH and they can't afford it (desipte the friends who have offered to chip in), disabled people have it so rough, life is unfair, woe is me... 
30% of posts: pictures from large stadium concerts, usually front-row seats
30% of posts: rants about how poor people can never get ahead.
Remaining 10% of posts: pictures of packaged meal kits (that go for 10$/portion...) because with those Disabled Spouse can cook dinner (grocery delivery would accomplish the same result, but who asked me)

... Now, to be fair: therapy IS expensive (and necessary), disabled people DO have a harder time and it sucks, and it IS hard to be poor. But those 800$ concert ticket prices could seriously be applied to other areas of life, thereby making them easier. It sucks not to have the things that are important to you, I totally get it... but y'know, I have a family income at least 3x theirs, and I never, EVER have the money for 800$ tickets - hell, more than 5$ and I'm like naaaaaah. (But if one of my kids needed therapy, I could pay for it upfront...)

It's just hard to watch.

I couldn't agree with you more.  And I have a kid with Autism and Cancer (he's in remission and much better) as well as a few other disabilities.  My kids' disabilities have cost us several hundred thousand dollars in lost wages, medical deductibles, therapy bills, etc. 

I cringe at some of the Go Fund Me's and other fundraisers for people with disabled kids.  I fully realize most people are not in the place my family is, but there is a lot of people who don't want to adjust their lives in anyway and lower their spending at all when a tragedy hits.   I've had a friend tell me in confidence how "people" have noticed that we did not use our son's illness to milk everyone for money the way some people do.  We have a particularly egregious neighbor who does this.

[mm1970]

... Now, to be fair: therapy IS expensive (and necessary), disabled people DO have a harder time and it sucks, and it IS hard to be poor. But those 800$ concert ticket prices could seriously be applied to other areas of life, thereby making them easier. It sucks not to have the things that are important to you, I totally get it... but y'know, I have a family income at least 3x theirs, and I never, EVER have the money for 800$ tickets - hell, more than 5$ and I'm like naaaaaah. (But if one of my kids needed therapy, I could pay for it upfront...)

It's just hard to watch.

Oh yes, I know someone like this (at work, not on facebook). They have some real, serious issues at no fault of their own and it sucks, even if money was no issue. BUT...the way they spend money (including the concert front row seats...which were more like $1500 each last time they went) only makes things worse for them and yes, it is hard to watch. Life may give you a cactus, but you don't need to sit on it...

Your last line basically sums it up. You may be playing the life game on 'difficult' mode, but maybe don't give away your gear before starting?

So so hard to watch.  I have a friend who used to be like this, but they've made a lot of changes.  They still like concerts, but have been spending less and going to fewer. 

Sometimes we have conversations about other things though.  Like summer camps.  My kids are in summer camp all summer, because, well, I work full time.  I have to do that.  She doesn't work in the summer, but also doesn't want the kids home all summer fighting AND cannot afford full time summer camp.  I def feel her there.  On the other hand, I intentionally choose approx half of the summer to be full day, cheap camps.  So, $200 a week per kid.  Not educational camps by any means, or fancy surf camps or art camps.  One way to get around this is to figure out how much you can afford per kid, and see where you can get the most bang for your buck.  If you can spend $400 per kid for the summer, then maybe do one full day camp for $200 and a couple of weeks of half day camp.   Or choose the 6 week half day camps that are super cheap and subsidized by the city.  But if you have $400 per kid for the summer, then a single camp at $350 is going to eat into that.

I tell my husband sometimes that I would LOVE to get a break from work.  You know, a few months in between jobs would be awesome!  As long as it's not when school is out, ha!

[Dave1442397]

I tell my husband sometimes that I would LOVE to get a break from work.  You know, a few months in between jobs would be awesome!  As long as it's not when school is out, ha!

[remizidae]

Not financially related, but I've got one FB 'friend' who is all bothered about the new HR bill requiring that students attending public school have their MMR vaccines. Majority of her argument is "I've never been vaccinated and I've been fine! and are you ADULTS keeping up with your boosters?! Because that makes you essentially unvaccinated too!"

1. Your survivorship bias is very strong.
2. I'm sure you do other risk-mitigating procedures in your daily life (i.e. wear a seatbelt), so why is this different? (everything in vaccines has been proven safe)
3. I'm sure that adults who need their boosters will get them

It takes everything within my willpower not to want to smack her into next week.

"But I'm a medical professional too, so I'm all educated!"

Fine, you may see the statistics and have a different opinion, but I don't care about your opinion when there is a sick child (when this was preventable!) involved.

OT but: I’m not at all confident that adults are all up to date on their shots. How would you even find out whether you need a booster? Most adults don’t have primary care doctors.

[CindyBS]

Not financially related, but I've got one FB 'friend' who is all bothered about the new HR bill requiring that students attending public school have their MMR vaccines. Majority of her argument is "I've never been vaccinated and I've been fine! and are you ADULTS keeping up with your boosters?! Because that makes you essentially unvaccinated too!"

1. Your survivorship bias is very strong.
2. I'm sure you do other risk-mitigating procedures in your daily life (i.e. wear a seatbelt), so why is this different? (everything in vaccines has been proven safe)
3. I'm sure that adults who need their boosters will get them

It takes everything within my willpower not to want to smack her into next week.

"But I'm a medical professional too, so I'm all educated!"

Fine, you may see the statistics and have a different opinion, but I don't care about your opinion when there is a sick child (when this was preventable!) involved.

OT but: I’m not at all confident that adults are all up to date on their shots. How would you even find out whether you need a booster? Most adults don’t have primary care doctors.

Doctors can run a test often called "running titers" - basically they see if you have the antibodies.   I got a MMR booster a few years ago b/c at the time I was working with an unvaccinated child and some of these measles outbreaks were starting.  My doctor didn't even bother to run titers based on my age (early 40's at the time) - she said it was pretty likely the immunity was all gone and she just went ahead and vaccinated me.    I hadn't had any boosters other the ones in the normal course of getting vaccinated as a kid. 

[merula]

OT but: I’m not at all confident that adults are all up to date on their shots. How would you even find out whether you need a booster? Most adults don’t have primary care doctors.

Cindy's right about titers, but also, healthy, non-elderly adults who contract measles are less likely to suffer serious health impacts.

And I would be just fine if this law was expanded to adults. I had to convince my entire family that they weren't going to see my newborn unless they got their flu, MMR and Tdap boosters, which wasn't fun. I'm still pretty sure my brother flat-out lied to me.

[SwordGuy]

OT but: I’m not at all confident that adults are all up to date on their shots. How would you even find out whether you need a booster? Most adults don’t have primary care doctors.

Cindy's right about titers, but also, healthy, non-elderly adults who contract measles are less likely to suffer serious health impacts.

And I would be just fine if this law was expanded to adults. I had to convince my entire family that they weren't going to see my newborn unless they got their flu, MMR and Tdap boosters, which wasn't fun. I'm still pretty sure my brother flat-out lied to me.

Ask for proof.  It *is* that important.

[Kitsune]

For the most part, in terms of boosters:
- healthy adults who have had the MMR vaccine should, probably, have retained some immunity, but no proof without titers... which cost more to run than administering the booster, so most doctors do that on request. CLSC if you're in Quebec; it'll be free.
- tdap every 10 years AND before becoming pregnant, because pertussis kills babies and also tetanus kills adults.
- Flu vaccine every year, seriously, y'all, no one needs this.
- If you're over 50, shingles vaccines can save you a LOT of pain. Also, if you're over 65, a pneumoccocal vaccine is recommended.
- And, if I'm covering bases: it's recommended for younger adults/teenagers/ideally children who are not yet sexually active and haven't caught HPV yet, but it is VERY prevalent. If you have any intent of having new sexual partners, get the HPV vaccine regardless of your age (but if you're over 26 you'll need to pay for it out of pocket). Lack of STDs and lower cancer risk is a great thing, guys.

Note: I'm not a doctor but I manage a medical clinic, these are fairly standard recommendations, supported by the Canadian government: (https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/vaccination-adults.html for reference)

[Goldielocks]

OT but: I’m not at all confident that adults are all up to date on their shots. How would you even find out whether you need a booster? Most adults don’t have primary care doctors.

Cindy's right about titers, but also, healthy, non-elderly adults who contract measles are less likely to suffer serious health impacts.

And I would be just fine if this law was expanded to adults. I had to convince my entire family that they weren't going to see my newborn unless they got their flu, MMR and Tdap boosters, which wasn't fun. I'm still pretty sure my brother flat-out lied to me.

Ask for proof.  It *is* that important.

What?  Adults need MMR boosters? 

GAH.  I have had so many MMR shots in my lifetime.. maybe 4?  (but I did not take the records from my parent's place, thinking I was done with that by age 18).. I have even had both red measles and german measles.

The extra booster shots were for 1) an outbreak in my area when I was a kid and everyone needed to get a booster to go back to school, as they discovered that the shots / series given out when I was young were not as effective as previously thought (e.g. see "had measles as a child" above.).. and 2)  they automatically gave a booster to all 12 year old girls in my health area because measles on pregnant moms is very dangerous.

Instead of demanding that all adults get a MMR booster, pause for a moment, and ask your regional public health for more information.  For my area, it is extremely unlikely for an adult over 50 year old to not be vaccinated and to have never contacted measles (as it is highly contagious and vaccinations when they were children were less common, so nearly everyone without the vaccine got measles).  How likely is it that adults in your area need vaccines?

[Kitsune]

OT but: I’m not at all confident that adults are all up to date on their shots. How would you even find out whether you need a booster? Most adults don’t have primary care doctors.

Cindy's right about titers, but also, healthy, non-elderly adults who contract measles are less likely to suffer serious health impacts.

And I would be just fine if this law was expanded to adults. I had to convince my entire family that they weren't going to see my newborn unless they got their flu, MMR and Tdap boosters, which wasn't fun. I'm still pretty sure my brother flat-out lied to me.

Ask for proof.  It *is* that important.

What?  Adults need MMR boosters? 

GAH.  I have had so many MMR shots in my lifetime.. maybe 4?  (but I did not take the records from my parent's place, thinking I was done with that by age 18).. I have even had both red measles and german measles.

The extra booster shots were for 1) an outbreak in my area when I was a kid and everyone needed to get a booster to go back to school, as they discovered that the shots / series given out when I was young were not as effective as previously thought (e.g. see "had measles as a child" above.).. and 2)  they automatically gave a booster to all 12 year old girls in my health area because measles on pregnant moms is very dangerous.

Instead of demanding that all adults get a MMR booster, pause for a moment, and ask your regional public health for more information.  For my area, it is extremely unlikely for an adult over 50 year old to not be vaccinated and to have never contacted measles (as it is highly contagious and vaccinations when they were children were less common, so nearly everyone without the vaccine got measles).  How likely is it that adults in your area need vaccines?

The point, for measles, is not that they haven't been vaccinated - it's that the population that has recieved the recommended 2 shots have a 3% chance of having no immune response (5% if you've just had one dose, statistically).

97% herd immunity is usually fine, until people stop vaccinating.

And you don't now if you're part of that 3% unless you get lab tests that show that your blood produces an immune response (in which case: yay 97% effectiveness!) or just get a booster, which is, in most cases, cheaper and easier.

[Sibley]

I recently took all my vaccine records (except flu shots, apparently I don't save those) to the doctor and asked for boosters on whatever I needed. They appreciated the complete-ish record, sorted through all of it, asked questions about my lifestyle, and determined I needed 3 things. HPV was one as I missed the original age cutoff. Also got the pneumonia one cause if I got sick it'd be really bad. Don't remember the 3rd.

That's in addition to me getting TDAP a couple years ago cause I poked myself with a rusty nail, needed tetanus booster, and TDAP was available.

[CindyBS]

OT but: I’m not at all confident that adults are all up to date on their shots. How would you even find out whether you need a booster? Most adults don’t have primary care doctors.

healthy, non-elderly adults who contract measles are less likely to suffer serious health impacts.

Please, please do not only take into consideration if you are a healthy adult - but who you may infect who is not a healthy adult.  That means every immunocompromised person including anyone going through cancer or chemo, every baby under age 1, every transplant patient, etc.  Measles is so contagious that you can walk through a room where there is an infected person and have no "contact" with them and still get it.  Then you are usually infectious for a few days before you see any symptoms.  Basically any public place is potentially a place to get and spread measles without having any formal contact with anyone. 

My son is immunocompromised and while measles would be difficult for any healthy adult - it has a 20-70% death rate in kids like him.  It is so, so scary.  He is not able to get a MMR vaccine.

[Imma]

I recently took all my vaccine records (except flu shots, apparently I don't save those) to the doctor and asked for boosters on whatever I needed. They appreciated the complete-ish record, sorted through all of it, asked questions about my lifestyle, and determined I needed 3 things. HPV was one as I missed the original age cutoff. Also got the pneumonia one cause if I got sick it'd be really bad. Don't remember the 3rd.

That's in addition to me getting TDAP a couple years ago cause I poked myself with a rusty nail, needed tetanus booster, and TDAP was available.

You got the HPV vaccine as a sexually active adult? I was also too old to get it when it was introduced and was refused the shot later because I was already sexually active. I guess I need to talk to my doctor again sometime! The HPV shot take up rate is something like 40% where I live. The argument I've heard most is that it's an STD and the parents are sure their daughter is a "decent girl" who won't sleep around. Well, for one, you have no idea what your young daughter's sexual behaviour will be like when they grow up, and you can also contract HPV through involuntary sexual contact and even from the only sexual partner you'll ever have. I really don't understand why we only vaccinate girls and not boys. 

I am also immunocompromised and can't get some shots. The ones I can get, I absolutely make sure I get, including boosters. My immune system needs all the help it can get.

[Kitsune]

I recently took all my vaccine records (except flu shots, apparently I don't save those) to the doctor and asked for boosters on whatever I needed. They appreciated the complete-ish record, sorted through all of it, asked questions about my lifestyle, and determined I needed 3 things. HPV was one as I missed the original age cutoff. Also got the pneumonia one cause if I got sick it'd be really bad. Don't remember the 3rd.

That's in addition to me getting TDAP a couple years ago cause I poked myself with a rusty nail, needed tetanus booster, and TDAP was available.

You got the HPV vaccine as a sexually active adult? I was also too old to get it when it was introduced and was refused the shot later because I was already sexually active. I guess I need to talk to my doctor again sometime! The HPV shot take up rate is something like 40% where I live. The argument I've heard most is that it's an STD and the parents are sure their daughter is a "decent girl" who won't sleep around. Well, for one, you have no idea what your young daughter's sexual behaviour will be like when they grow up, and you can also contract HPV through involuntary sexual contact and even from the only sexual partner you'll ever have. I really don't understand why we only vaccinate girls and not boys. 

I am also immunocompromised and can't get some shots. The ones I can get, I absolutely make sure I get, including boosters. My immune system needs all the help it can get.

You vaccinate the girls because HPV specifically causes cervical cancer, which boys... don't have. (Also penile and throat cancers, equally devastating though less frequent).

That said, the Quebec government does recommend it for boys, and I seem to recall the CDC does too.

And you CAN get vaccinated once you're sexually active - the public plan here won't cover it over age (I believe) 25, but theres no indication to NOT, unless you just want to assume you've caught it already... seems irresponsible from a medical standpoint, and I would definitely push further

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Yes, the HPV vaccine is also for boys.

I had a very awkward conversation with a very Catholic aunt who was talking about getting her girls the HPV vaccine, which did not exist until I was (a) 26, so right at the top of the age range at that time and (b) had been married several years. She did not see what me being married had to do with my chances of getting cancer. I changed the subject.