nozzlegear 3 days ago

Whoa, hold on. RFK may be right about this one thing in the same way a broken clock happens to occasionally be right, but let's not rush to take away his nutcase title. He has some truly messed up opinions about a variety of topics.

  • legitster 3 days ago

    The dude literally got a brainworm from eating roadkill.

    The idea that people want to take him seriously as a food safety crusader is wild.

    • blindriver 3 days ago

      The idea that he got brainworm from roadkill is literally a lie.

      • legitster 3 days ago

        I'm being flip, but it's not a lie. He doesn't know where the brainworm came from, and it was revealed later that he has been eating roadkill meat his whole life.

        Exotic parasites is a known risk when eating roadkill. It's not a difficult connection to make.

    • solarpunk 3 days ago

      He's not even really a food safety crusader, he's just a vocal proponent of the "whole foods movement". Other than that, he's a former heroin addict Kennedy dynasty failson.

  • Dig1t 3 days ago

    >truly messed up opinions about a variety of topics.

    I would actually really like to hear what the messed up opinions are, when I've watched interviews with him they've seemed pretty reasonable. He cites sources for basically all the claims he makes.

    • nozzlegear 3 days ago

      I hesitate to dive into this because I'm really not interested in arguing the nuances of RFK with people on the internet (not you, others). RFK Jr. has a long history of controversial statements regarding COVID, COVID vaccines and being anti-vaccine, or vaccine-skeptical as his supporters like to frame him.

      For me, one of his most controversial statements in recent memory had to be during a press conference he gave in 2023 when he stated that COVID might have been "ethnically targeted" to "attack Caucasians and Black people" and that "the people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese."

      He tried to defend the statement by citing scientific studies, which is a habit of his that his supporters admire about him. However, actual experts in the field pointed out that his interpretation of the studies was flawed and there was no credible evidence to support the idea that COVID was engineered or had evolved to target or spare certain groups.

      Sources:

      1. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-f-kennedy-jr-false-claim...

      2. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/jul/19/robert-f-k...

      3. https://nypost.com/2024/11/15/media/jake-tapper-rips-rfk-jr-...

      • Dig1t 3 days ago

        https://oversight.house.gov/release/final-report-covid-selec...

        >COVID-19 ORIGIN: COVID-19 most likely emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, China.

        >Wuhan is home to China’s foremost SARS research lab, which has a history of conducting gain-of-function research

        So the US government has concluded that the virus almost certainly came from a lab conducting gain of function research.

        What is gain of function? Making a virus more lethal.

        RFKs words:

        >There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately

        It DOES impact some races more than others.

        This is a completely plausible theory. I don’t understand why it’s a crazy idea at all.

        Why wouldn’t a country trying to make a virus more lethal also try to curve its lethality away from its own people?

  • alchemist1e9 3 days ago

    Like what? are you sure you understand his opinions?

    Many who finally talk to him directly who thought like you do find out maybe not so crazy.

    https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/01/14/los_angel...

    • HeatrayEnjoyer 3 days ago

      RFK Jr is not a good person, is not a smart person, and we should not attempt to whitewash or legitimize him. He has a complex early life, but his actions today are his own choices.

      https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236...

      • alchemist1e9 3 days ago

        LLM summary for your damning information:

        Based on the provided transcript, the accusations and criticisms against RFK Jr. focus primarily on: 1. Allegations of Sexual Assault: • Multiple allegations have been reported, including by Vanity Fair. His response to these allegations has been a mixture of acknowledgment and apologizing directly to at least one accuser. 2. Acknowledgment of Past Wrongdoings: • RFK Jr. himself has admitted to having a problematic past, described as “skeletons in the closet,” though these have not been exhaustively detailed in the transcript. 3. Entitlement and Privilege: • Growing up as part of the Kennedy dynasty, RFK Jr. is characterized as having displayed behaviors shaped by immense privilege and a sense of entitlement, including unruly and eccentric conduct during his youth. 4. Controversial Political Views: • While not explicitly detailed in this transcript, RFK Jr.’s political stances (e.g., vaccine skepticism and other fringe views) have been controversial and polarizing, drawing criticism from various quarters.

        There is no mention in the transcript of more serious accusations, such as criminal activity beyond the sexual assault allegations, nor evidence of deeper scandals. However, the discussion also suggests that there may be more allegations or controversies not covered explicitly in the transcript.

    • yakz 3 days ago

      I fail to see how your link supports your questioning or your statement, could you explain it? It looks like it's just the opinion of the owner of the Los Angeles Times, a person that some might feel is heavily biased.

      • alchemist1e9 3 days ago

        I’ll quote from another comment in this thread:

        > LA Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong is a doctor and transplant surgeon and invented drugs to fight pancreatic and other forms of cancer. He ACTUALLY talked to RFK Jr. and after listening to him talk and what he had to say instead of relying on mainstream media propaganda, he changed his opinion on him.

    • jjeaff 3 days ago

      RFK Jr has frequently and publicly claimed that the side effects and dangers of most all vaccines are worse than the diseases they prevent. There is no legitimate data that even suggests that is true. You can get into the minutia of potential dangers and health effects of vaccines all you want. But when you look at the actual outcomes, like with COVID, the public is far, far better off having taken them and RFK's fear mongering endangers the public health.

  • blindriver 3 days ago

    [flagged]

    • HeatrayEnjoyer 3 days ago

      Dr Oz is a licensed doctor as well. You need to do better than "but but the mainstream media!!!!1"

      • Dig1t 3 days ago

        Yeah we are not talking about Dr Oz, he has nothing to do with the conversation about food dyes or RFK's policy ideas.

      • blindriver 3 days ago

        Whataboutism isn't an actual defense. I don't know who Dr. Oz is and it has nothing to do with the issue above.

    • rad_gruchalski 3 days ago

      They’re all talking rubbish. Trump said he will finish the war in UA within 24 hours. They are just talking stuff angry people swallow like pelicans.

      You have elected a bunch of ego driven loonies. Just accept it and hopefully you still get to vote in four years time. What a great time for this planet.

    • rcpt 3 days ago

      > LA Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong

      Billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong who prevented the LA Times staff from publishing their endorsement of Kamala Harris?

    • Dig1t 3 days ago

      I agree, the news coverage of what he says vs what he actually says in interviews is very different.

klik99 3 days ago

Someone can be a nutcase but be right about some things.

Also, seeing photo of him slurping up McDonald’s on the plane, guess healthy food isn’t the highest priority for him? Just the one he’s loudest about

  • BytesAndGears 3 days ago

    Moderation matters. If you eat mostly whole, nutritious foods, it’s totally fine to eat processed food occasionally.

    No food is inherently unhealthy or bad, so I don’t think there’s any issue with him eating McDonalds on a plane. Maybe he was in a hurry, or just wanted to be social and stopped there with someone else who wanted it.

    What is unhealthy is when the majority of your food is not nutritious, which is currently the case for most Americans. So why not try to make common American foods more nutritious by default, as they are in most other wealthy countries?

    It was awesome living in a European country for a couple of years as an American. You learn that ingredient lists at the grocery store really are shorter in ways you don’t expect. It’s easy to buy a fruit yogurt that is just yogurt and fruit, for example. Not “yogurt, sugar, artificial and natural flavors” as you’ll find in many popular foods in the US. It was noticeable with a lot of different food choices.

    Also, whenever we would come back to visit the US, after living there for a year or so, we would always have mild digestion issues and stomach cramps for a week or so. This was common among many expats that we talked to. We visited over a dozen countries while we lived there, and the US was the only one that had that issue.

    • klik99 3 days ago

      I totally agree that moderation matters.

      But when you say "whenever we would come back to visit the US ... we would always have mild digestion issues and stomach cramps for a week or so" this does imply that there's something wrong with American processed food, and this isn't an issue of moderation.

      Despite not liking the man, I actually agree with RFK on the healthy eating and think it's good that he has raised awareness of it. Red dye has finally been banned, this is good! Heck, I'm very liberal, this kind of regulation is what the US should have been doing a long time ago and happy to see it happening.

      My point about RFK was not that he eats processed food sometimes and therefore he's a hypocrite, it's that he's willing to compromise his values for access to power. But hopefully it's just that one time to get on Trumps good side and he actually makes some good regulation about poisonous foods! The market is good at a lot of things, but not at keeping things healthy, so I'm glad republicans are seeing the value of regulation over unwavering belief in the free market.

  • s1artibartfast 3 days ago

    Every time I see this, I don't get it.

    It only make sense as a "gotcha" if you believe in absolutist purity tests. He looks fit and healthy.

    Is there a video somewhere of him swearing on a bible that he will die before eating McDonalds?

    • alchemist1e9 3 days ago

      Instead there are many videos of him talking about that McDonalds incident and how terrible Trump’s food choices are and he had nothing else to eat!

      Also there are memes from that picture of him grimacing and how frustrated he was.

    • klik99 3 days ago

      Let me be more explicit about my point. I believe RFK genuinely wants to promote healthy living, and I agree with that. But Trump requires loyalty to be part of his inner circle and forcing RFK to eat mcds is getting RFK to prove that loyalty. RFK obviously hated eating that burger. My point is, if he’s willing to compromise his values for access to power does he really prioritize his values or does he prioritize access to power?

      No “gotcha”, I’m not a partisan. I don’t like Trump but there are a few things he’s done I like, but even with those I often don’t like HOW he did it. For example Greenland, I think that’s great for USs long term prospects (shipping routes), but to say military action is on the table is reckless. Not every criticism is a gotcha, and just because I disagree with 90% of what RFK believes doesn’t mean I don’t think his commitment to healthy eating is good. Maybe that you read a criticism as an absolute indictment of someone shows you have more purity tests than what you criticize.

      Hope someday you get it

      • s1artibartfast 3 days ago

        I just don't see the rationale in framing it as a morality and value test in the first place that is worth reading into.

        I have a diet I try to follow in general. I break it all the time and it's not a big deal at all. Sometimes I'll eat a cheeseburger with my coworkers. What does that say about my character? Should it say anything?

        How much can one hate a burger? It's not like he is a Hindu or the burger contained his first born child.

        • klik99 3 days ago

          I mean, he says "Campaign food is always bad, but the food that goes onto that airplane is, like, just poison" on a podcast, and a couple of days later he's looking unhappy eating a mcds burger with trump in a very publicized photo.

          Eating a cheeseburger is one thing, but he literally calls it poison.

          Anyway, I hope he does succeed in pushing more regulation on what chemicals we have in food. I'm pro regulation for things like this - the market's always going to go to what's cheaper so regulation is needed to prevent companies poisoning consumers. I'm glad the republican party has come around to this point.

philistine 3 days ago

A broken clock is right once a day. RFK Jr. is not the nutcase we're told he is, he's a very slight different kind of nutcase that's just as bad because he mixes legitimate concerns with his absolutely insane point of view, and uses the same spurious arguments for both, muddying the water for everyone.

fnimick 3 days ago

I mean, he's still a nutcase. He can be right about some things for the wrong reasons.

If you hit upon a scientifically accurate conclusion through an unrigorous process, basically by pure chance, this doesn't make you a good scientist.

  • alchemist1e9 3 days ago

    Except he isn’t a nutcase. They twist his words incredibly.

    https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/01/14/los_angel...

    So many people who opposed him and then take the time to understand what is actually saying, not what they have been told he is saying, come to realize he is completely sane. Bernie Sanders is on that list fwiw.

    • dpkirchner 3 days ago

      The proof here seems to be an interview with someone (owner of the LA Times) who talked with RFK for a few hours came away believing he knows more than doctors. Is that right?

      • blindriver 3 days ago

        Yes, the owner of the LA times is an actual doctor and transplant surgeon.

    • azinman2 3 days ago

      He filed to get the FDA to revoke the polio vaccine. He’s rabidly anti-vax, routinely spewing lies that have been debunked repeatedly. He is absolutely a nut case that happens to have some points of view that many could agree with.

  • blindriver 3 days ago

    [flagged]

    • kstrauser 3 days ago

      My wife's a doctor, and had patients begging her for leftover Vioxx samples after Merck pulled it from the market, preferring to take their chances with heart issues rather than living in agonizing pain that Vioxx was especially good at treating.

      Turns out medicine's complicated, who knew?

      • blindriver 3 days ago

        Just because a drug works well doesn't mean that it's moral to release a drug that knowingly kills tens of thousands of people a year and then hide that data.

dyauspitr 3 days ago

RFK Jr. is very wrong about some very important things and those already make him a dangerous nutcase.

  • alchemist1e9 3 days ago

    You’re told he is wrong but I strongly suspect what you’re told he believes or says about those very important things is not what he actually does.