Provocateur Is French For Game Show Host

 You may remember a little while ago there was a global pandemic. Millions of people died. It was in all the papers. Don't remember? Well, maybe if I told you that it was all over Al Gore's Internet, would that tweak your memory? 

I thought so. 

So, millions of people died, and then medical science intervened, in that way that medical science has a way of doing. Vaccines were developed and millions of people were saved. From dying. And there were parades and magazine covers and songs written about it. 

You may not remember that last part, since instead of elevating these doctors and scientists to an honored position in our pantheon of heroes, we have chosen to continue the "debate" over whether or not these vaccines were effective. Some have stretched this argument to include death via vaccine. Doctor Anthony Fauci never got his victory lap. Instead, he resigned at the end of 2022, happy to have escaped the death threats and ignominy that seems to have come as a matter of course after saving the world. 

Meanwhile, most of us have put our masks aside, and started to venture out like it was 2019 all over again. Except for the fact that folks like Joe Rogan won't let vaccinated dogs lie. Instead, Joe feels the need to stick his podcast stick in the hornets nest of anti-vax and stir it around. Having latched onto Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the kind of fringe nutjob that makes such good pod, Joe has been working to set up a battle royale between his boy RFKJR and scientist Peter Hotez. A winner take all debate in which the worth of vaccination can be settled once and for all. More than two years ago, I did my own accounting on the relative worth of Mister Rogan's opinions. Now, after the fires of the global pandemic have cooled substantially, he feels the need to kick at them, aided and abetted by yet another "expert" who just happens to be running for President. A lot of people are. A lot of Republicans are. And now, there are two Democrats. Joe Biden, who brought the country back from economic and medical catastrophe, and the nephew of John F. Kennedy. Among the many and varied conspiracies to which RFKJR commits to is the old chestnut about the CIA being behind his uncle's assassination. And that prescription drugs are the root of mass shootings in America. HIV/AIDS were caused by the use of "poppers" in the gay culture. And yes, vaccines are bad. 

As if that weren't enough, Rogan and RFKJR have noted science-hobbyist Elon Musk goading from the sidelines. They guy whose cars and space rockets explode, whose investment in Twitter lost two thirds of its value since he took over: this is the team that is going to pick nits about the value of vaccination. Did I mention that Joe Rogan is also a former game show host? Maybe we can find a vaccination for that.