This will be unethical and it wouldn’t ever happen but to point to you how weakened our minds are and how much of education we need, I am going to make this point. The researchers would have easily gotten almost every Ghanaian to rush to take part in this exercise if they went to the pastors—I mean if the church became the unequipped trial centres.
You do not play smart science cards with people who hate to employ reason, people who detest evidence (science) and opt for faith (believing without evidence). If you really want to be accepted by them and your methods participated, play along with them by opting for the sort of outstanding stupidity they accept.
Countless Ghanaian religious people use this thing called ‘holy water or oil’ and without any scientific research to show that this thing works, they spend their money to buy them and freely use them. Yet, a vaccine which has passed several stages of testing with evidence to back it wouldn’t be allowed for trials. Someone will say, but holy water has no risk attached to it. But who stands up against the many concoctions being sold in Ghana and in the churches?
Look, if the researchers had ‘bribed’ some pastors in Ghana and had positioned these so called men of God who are good at selling a non-existing God to these people to the extent that they are ready to die for this God, they wouldn’t have any problems at all.
The pastors would have gotten almost everyone to rush for the vaccine—all they had to do was pray over it and say, ‘God has sanctified it’ for use. Wouldn’t this have been the easiest, unquestionable and cheapest way to have gotten the vaccine freely tested?
But science is built on reason and it doesn’t do that—so it employs reason in its researches. Now the standing block is getting the unreasonable people of Ghana to reason. I’ve tried it and continue to try it, but it doesn’t seem to work with majority of these people.
As usual, reason may lose—paving way for the entrenched ignorance and superstition to continue. Majority of the people on social media who have become mouth pieces against this vaccine trial do not even know what a vaccine is—same as the many who commented on this blog.
Many think, an Ebola virus will be introduced into the participants’ bodies and then a medicine later injected into the bodies to try and kill the disease. If this is the true understanding of what a vaccine is to these people, then good luck trying to get them to become willing participants.
I deeply pity the researchers; it’s ‘bad’ science is not like religion else this exercise would have been easily conducted with our bunch of people without anyone questioning it. How many Ghanaians do you see questioning the absurdity in the Bronze Age religious books and doctrines they worship?
It works that way for them so any attempt to inject them with reason would likely fail.
There was sharp division in thoughts beginning of this week within the GMA. As off now, majority seem to agree that the trial should go on. Of course all concur education and dissemination of information was poor to start. So it seems the trial might come on after all. Of course this is Gh, where illiteracy is just……
All this Ebola trial group have to continue to do is propagate their agenda….which started late, but nonetheless is on… James here I guess is dedicated to your blog. One amazing concern is, the propagandists are never talking about possibility of failure, their focus is mostly the gains.
Rumors have it that, some people have already been tried. True or false, I wonder their level of information.
Chris you might have a theme/aim for your block. If nation building is anywhere lines up in your aim, then kindly revise the demeaning derogatory levels. Unless is it part of your style, it gets worrying at times.
I support Chris in his choice of words and tone when it comes to this issue and other issues concerning Ghanaians and Ghana. Ghanaians have no sense. They will always behave like spoiled brats on serious issues and we need adults to yell, spank and hustle them into the real world. Ebola is a serious issue that can cripple the whole continent and add to the already disastrous economic state Africa faces. Imagine if the rest of the world decided to quarantine the whole continent because of a pandemic. While this remains a serious threat Ghanaians in their infinite wisdom have their thumb up their ass blowing snorts and spewing garbage 24 hours a day. It’s time serious people in the Ghanaian community use their bully pulpit to shout down the ignorant muthaf**kers pretending to know what the hell they are talking about and filling the heads of ignorant Ghanaians with nonsense and fear. When afia schawznegger is the medical adviser for Ghanaians you know the country is gone to the dogs. I wish the IMF had made the trials of vaccination part of its conditions. After all they are investing in the country and need to secure their investment. If the country becomes Ebola infested how would they get their loans back.
Ghanaians are infantile in their thinking and should be handle as such. I wish the skepticism Ghanaians are showing with this life saving vaccination is directed at their fake churches, prophets, bishops, apostles and seers. Who have plundered and rendered the entire country backward and retarded.
There isn’t one sensible journalist on the air in Ghana I respect. They are all gas bags full of themselves. If there were any sensible ones, they will be communicating the benefits of these trials and the fact that it is a preparation to stave off an impending storm which will be more damaging than anything Ghana has seen.
Chris keep up the good work. When it comes to ghana don’t hold back because it takes a certain level of grit to remove the formaldahyde of nonsense and superstition that has withered and shrunk the Ghanaian mind. Like my favourite comedian, George carlin, use to say calling an idiot an idiot doesn’t have the same impact as calling him a f**king idiot. Words are powerful. Using the deference and diplomatic approach when dealing with ignorant and dumb Ghanaians doesn’t work. You need to break that hard shell of stupidity they surround themselves with. And being polite doesn’t work.
When a f**king idiot and ignoramus like Afia schwarnegger thinks their ignorant opinion matters on such a serious issue you call her out. Because this is a serious issue that cannot be left to the idiots on the air.
One of our problems in Ghana is our inability to call people on their bullsh*t. This has allowed those in power to get away with murder.
Personally I prefer hurting their feelings to being diplomatic. Which is why anyone spreading lies and misinformation on the vaccination is a retarded f**king cunt. If it’s too hard for your ears tough bananas but consider what they are trying to do.
PS. Debbie if your life is on the line whom would you trust? The GMA or the world scientists? When was the last time GMA created anything close to a vaccine? They are a bunch of unproductive blowhards. No better than the flies buzzing around the turds in Ghana.
Aaaaoouuch!!!!!!!
Unproductive , unprogressive, not learning, not reasoning….can be said of every sector, engineering, Shippers’, agro, education…..every area! That is why we are perhaps where we are. If the GMA/EPA/Pharmaceuticals…in this instance, are the bridge between us and the scientists and researchers in medicine, then we have to find a subtle and a solution finding atittude of handling such issues, …..my plea.