What is the link between polio, pesticides and cell phone radiation? You may think “none”, and you’d be right. Unfortunately, no one told Jonathan Benson (well, they probably did, but if you tell Benson anything he doesn’t already believe, he seems to conclude that you’re part of the conspiracy). Benson is a staff writer at NaturalNews, and though he doesn’t have the flair for hysterical commitment to glaring fallacies exhibited by Mike Adams, he is no less a champion of lunatic pseudoscience, denialism and conspiracy theories. The question above reflects the contents of Benson’s piece “History shows polio caused by pesticide exposure, then was eradicated by decline in DDT use.” It sure wasn’t vaccines, since vaccines don’t work and is part of a conspiracy; no, what caused polio was DDT, but for some reason the powers that be are trying to hide this for nefarious reasons. How does he get to the conclusion? Well, there is a correlation between the decline of polio and the decline in the use of DDT, therefore causation. Well, there is, in fact, not a correlation either, especially not when looking at what happened before the 1950s, but Benson is only interested in the parts that he can force to fit, not the ones that don’t.
NaturalNews has over the last few years, made some valiant attempts to expose the ADHD conspiracy with misunderstandings, incompetence, fallacies and threats of lizard people. Yes, according to NaturalNews, ADHD is a scam of Big Pharma and psychiatry (Jonathan Landsman), caused (according to Ethan Huff) by mercury from vaccines (which isn’t there, but you know – conspiracy), pesticides (Sharon Heller), and anesthesia (Peter Smith). Benson has, in that regard, helpfully provided us with a discussion of how it can be treated: homeopathic cures (“work better than Ritalin” according to JB Bardot) and eating organic food. Evidence? Hah, NaturalNews saw through and rejected the Big Pharma brainwashing mantra “back up your claims by evidence” right away, and they haven’t looked back.
Diagnosis: Idiot