Jack C. Askins, M.D.: SO HOW IS YOUR CONFIRMATION BIAS?
by Jack C. Askins, M.D.
Confirmation bias. We all have it, you know. It is part of the human condition. You can deny it but then that would be confirming your bias. And bias isn’t always a bad thing. Absence of bias, if it were to mean absence of opinion, would reveal a colorless and uninteresting human being. Opinions, and our dedication to them, contribute to our diversity, intellect, wit, and appeal. It is when bias in the form of opinion is used by those in positions of leadership and authority to silence alternative opinion (and bias), that it becomes tyranny and fascism when administered. The Founding Fathers of this country had that figured out and it is why we have freedom of speech in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
This is the definition of confirmation bias that applies to the world of medicine and science:
In psychology and cognitive science, confirmation bias (or confirmatory bias) is a tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions, leading to statistical errors.
Confirmation bias is a type of cognitive bias and represents an error of inductive inference toward confirmation of the hypothesis under study.
Confirmation bias is a phenomenon wherein decision makers have been shown to actively seek out and assign more weight to evidence that confirms their hypothesis, and ignore or underweigh evidence that could disconfirm their hypothesis. As such, it can be thought of as a form of selection bias in collecting evidence.
In the course of doing literature research on the Covid virus and the pandemic, it became apparent that over the past 18 months, and particularly during 2021, confirmation bias was alive and well, stronger than ever, and being exploited by political leadership and the media to drive their agenda and change our culture. We were no longer having objective discussions on the medical science involving diagnosis and treatments of this virus. Diversity of opinion was no longer being tolerated.
When language is controlled by those with a bias to be confirmed, it can be used to silence and bully those with an opposing opinion. Words and concepts and their historical meanings can be gradually changed to represent hate, ignorance, or “misinformation”.
Dr. Mark McDonald is a prominent California psychiatrist who recently had the following quote that deals with the use of language to confirm the bias of those favoring mandated vaccines and to denigrate those who favor medical and body autonomy: “Pandemic of the unvaccinated” has emerged as an expression of propaganda meant to provoke anger toward those who exercise medical choice in deferring or refusing the experimental vaccine. It is meant to isolate, shame, and humiliate anyone who will not agree to surrender medical autonomy to the state. It intentionally divides Americans against one another while simultaneously distracting attention from the medical reality of poor vaccine efficacy and vaccine harm. The expression is devoid of scientific meaning but full of coercive psychological power. It must be challenged.
People have concerns about the mRNA shots and cite as the basis for their concerns it’s new technology never before used to create a vaccine, or the abbreviated approval process and lack of long term complications and outcome data, or the frantic coercion being used to promote and mandate its acceptance. There has been no acknowledgement of the people with natural immunity which is known to be better than vaccine immunity. Instead of a respectful dialogue that provides answers to their concerns, the mRNA hesitant are denigrated and turned into dangerous pariahs out to infect and harm the vaccinated. The word “antivaxxers” is now being used to refer to people who have these concerns.
So what is driving all of this mandate madness as it comes from hospital administrators and their physician advisors? It probably is not concern for public health as it has been shown that injecting hospital workers with these experimental drugs will not reduce Covid in the community. Nor has there been data to suggest hospital staff infecting patients. Follow the money is always a high percentage bet. Apparently the Feds pay more for a Covid diagnosis. We have all heard about the patient who was said to have died from Covid 19 when it was actually the gunshot wound to the head that caused his demise. Set those cycle thresholds high enough on the PCR machines and most anyone can be Covid positive. Follow the money.
Now, the Feds have gone full unconstitutional and tied hospital Medicare reimbursement to compliance with the “vaccine” mandates. If this stands, what will be mandated next? Abortions required to be done in all hospital facilities? How about gender re-assignment surgery on kids? Perhaps without parental consent. Medicare is due to run out of money soon. Maybe they will mandate no pacemakers or hip replacements, or dialysis after age 70. There is now a report of a woman in Colorado who has been denied consideration for a renal transplant because she is not “vaccinated” Use your imagination; there are no limits anymore. If they can require all citizens to be enrolled in an experimental drug trial without informed consent, they can do anything they want. This isn’t about public health.
But what of the physicians? Physicians do not appear to be profiting from this pandemic and the mRNA shots unless they bought stock in Pfizer or Moderna.
No, uninformed and misinformed probably explains most of the physician collaborators. There may be a few CDC zealots who believe everything that Dr. Fauci says as gospel, perhaps not realizing the CDC, the NIH, and perhaps the FDA have been compromised and politicized. Name one thing the CDC has been right about the past 21 months. As for the FDA, they abandoned all historical benchmarks and norms to “approve” this drug. Now that “leadership” physicians (local and national) have made their decisions, they seem not to be bothered by facts and new data discrediting this “vaccine” fiasco. That’s called confirmation bias.
For the hospital administrators and physicians who may read this piece, here is a short psychological test to determine how your confirmation bias is doing. If you become angry upon reading this, and ignore or discount its messages, you can be assured that deep part of your brain from which arise anger, hubris, arrogance, and confirmation bias is intact and functioning full strength. If however, you are motivated to do more reading and not just that which supports your current positions on vaccines and mandates, then you have taken a big step towards controlling and overcoming these base emotions. In either case, show some spine and do something positive for your fellow hospital workers, your colleagues, your community, the hospital, freedom and liberty and stop this evil and misguided mandate.
“Dr. Jack Askins is a cardiologist in Wichita Falls, TX. This is the first article in a series of four he has authored that we intend to publish here. His reasoned scientific voice needs to be heard during these times as the COVID-19 Vaccines have become politicized through government mandates. We are encouraged by his boldness and expertise that he brings to the subject.”
