Jim Carrey's anti-vax antics expose the tactics of internet cranks

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It is by teasing out these crank tactics that we can see Carrey's tweets for what they are: well-intentioned but misguided attacks against a lifesaving practice that has been proven time and again to be safe and effective according to our very best scientific practices.

Emotional escalation

Carrey's tweets are notable for his use of CAPSLOCK, the typed equivalent of shouting.

Carrey's anti-vaccination tweets also included photos of autistic boys, further escalating emotions. We feel sympathy for the boys and their families, but this is a poor substitute for statistical studies, which haven't found any connection between vaccines and autism.

Carrey's use of photos of autistic boys may also have backfired. One photo showed Alex Echols, who suffers from Tuberous Sclerosis, a genetic disorder often leads to autism. Echols' autism has nothing to do with vaccines, yet he was initially used to emotionally bolster Carrey's arguments (Carrey has since apologised).

Mercury matters

Ideas touted by cranks are often superficially true, yet misleading. A splendid example is:

Does Carrey's tweet "make sense?" No.

I'm pro-science

Historian of science Michael Gordin succinctly notes:

No one in the history of the world has ever self-identified as a pseudoscientist. There is no person who wakes up in the morning and thinks to himself, "I'll just head into my pseudolaboratory and perform some pseudoexperiments to try to confirm my pseudotheories with pseudofacts."

Cranks often proclaim their love of science while simultaneously attacking it. Carrey tweeted:

The tactic of proclaiming support for science while simultaneously undermining it isn't restricted to comedians. The Australian newspaper has claimed it "supports global action on climate change based on the science," but often repeats stories sourced from the internet that reject peer-reviewed climate science.

Dismissing experts

So how does Carrey dismiss the work of thousands of medical researchers from around the globe? Very easily. Like many internet cranks, he makes unfounded accusations of scientific organisations being corrupt:

Even sympathetic media generally tone down bloggers' claims of criminal activity. That said, it is curious that innocent activities such as data processing and analysis are sometimes referred to as (more ominous sounding) data manipulation.
A less severe variant of the corruption tactic is claiming experts have a conflict of interest, as they are paid to undertake their work. Of course, this allows one to dismiss evidence from almost any professional - be that a doctor, lawyer, psychologist or scientist - leaving only courageous internet amateurs.

Popularity

Why is anyone paying attention to Carrey when it comes to vaccines? The answer is celebrity. He is a successful actor, with almost 15 million followers on Twitter. If he says something controversial, millions of people immediately know about it.

Crank ideas, which have been rejected by the scientific community, only remain alive while they have support from the public, celebrities, millionaires or politicians. Without popularity, crank ideas wither and die.

Cranks and their supporters know they must remain popular to survive, and game the system. Cranks often badge themselves as "coalitions", "institutes", "networks" and "alliances." Cranks can buy social media followers or use "follow back" accounts to give the appearance of significant support. Websites often contain myriad links to fellow cranks, which may be an attempt to game search engine rankings. So cranks may appear more significant to the public and media than they truly are.

Of course, to have celebrity support is incredibly helpful to cranks. Along with Carrey, Bill Maher, Robert F Kennedy Jr. and Jenny McCarthy have promoted the anti-vaccination cause. They have helped keep this cause alive, even though it's at odds with medical research.

Carrey almost certainly means well. But, like many internet cranks, he doesn't have the expertise to distinguish scientific fact from dangerous myth. The recent death of a woman from measles and the Disneyland measles outbreak highlight just how dangerous such myths can be.