Donald Trump’s potential cabinet is the very definition of scraping the barrel. So, it makes sense that his nominee for United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is someone with a track record of having terrible takes on all things health: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy comes from a family esteemed for its influential Democratic politicians, but has decided to disavow that tradition for a sliver of power under the Trump administration. While this might surprise some, anybody who has looked into his life will see that this is very much in line with his previous levels of decision-making.
Kennedy is known for his strange opinions on all sorts of matters, and his views on animals and nature are… something to behold. Recently he’s been in the news for claiming he once dumped a bear carcass in Central Park, and it’s been alleged (by him) that he has a parasitic worm in his brain. The creature supposedly was lodged in there after a trip to South Asia, although this was revealed in divorce proceedings as a reason as to why Kennedy shouldn’t have to pay as much alimony as he was on the hook for, so take that story with a grain of salt.
Brain worm or no brain worm, Kennedy has pushed several dangerous positions in his time, using his family name to amplify disinformation. He has previously repeated lies that fall in line with the anti-vaccination movement, and has also been heavily involved in organizations that repeat harmful lies about vaccines.
Another of his strange, “health”-based crusades is his love of raw milk. This is one of the weirder hills that many of the conspiratorial right have chosen to die on (in some cases quite literally), and now it seems that this position is beginning to have negative effects not just on those who like to chug unpasteurized milk, but people who come into contact with them.
California health officials have confirmed that the H5N1 strand of bird flu has been detected in a sample of raw milk in the state, and that the virus, per the tweet above, has “spread to nearly 500 herds in 15 states.” Other dangerous bacteria that raw milk can carry are salmonella, e-coli, and listeria.
Raw milk is milk that hasn’t undergone pasteurization, a process that involves heating up the liquid to get rid of harmful pathogens. Advocates of the drink claim this ensures the milk’s natural health benefits are maximized. A 2011 Canadian study concluded that the effect of pastureration on the liquid’s nutritional value was tiny, bar a slight reduction in vitamin B2.
There were plenty of commenters ready to rip into Kennedy after this news dropped, with many pointing out his strange habits.
Others weren’t aware of his love of raw milk, but were of course unsurprised that he was a fan.
With Kennedy on the cusp of being in charge of the nation’s health, his kooky nature is quickly sliding from a quirk to something truly dangerous. Then again, if he keeps drinking raw milk, who knows if he’ll be around long enough to take on the role of health secretary?
Published: Nov 25, 2024 07:13 pm