Darla Shine, wife of White House communications director Bill Shine, is a former television producer. She’s not a doctor or a nurse, and she has no medical expertise to speak of, but she didn’t let that stop her from sharing a dangerous anti-vaxx opinion on Twitter.
Shine saw a segment on CNN about the growing measles outbreak in Oregon and Washington state, where over 50 people have contracted the disease. The piece apparently made her nostalgic for a simpler time, the golden age of communicable disease.
After calling the story fake and accusing CNN of spreading hysteria, Shine pointed out that “the entire Baby Boom population alive today” had the measles as kids. It’s a bit of an overstatement, but not entirely wrong.
She really goes off the rails when she calls for bringing back childhood diseases because “they keep you healthy & fight cancer,” which they don’t.
Here we go LOL #measlesoutbreak on #CNN #Fake #Hysteria
The entire Baby Boom population alive today had the #Measles as kids
Bring back our #ChildhoodDiseases they keep you healthy & fight cancer— Darla Shine (@DarlaShine) February 13, 2019
I had the #Measles #Mumps #ChickenPox as a child and so did every kid I knew – Sadly my kids had #MMR so they will never have the life long natural immunity I have.
Come breathe on me!
— Darla Shine (@DarlaShine) February 13, 2019
She’s continued to post about the topic and retweet supportive replies, which are far outnumbered by Twitter users vehemently disagreeing with her.
Uhhh what? That's just not how science works. My 4 year old had her latest round of shots Monday. Was she sad? Yes. Will she grow up to avoid preventable diseases? Also yes. Will she be told vaccines work and people who say they're dangerous/unnecessary are WRONG? SO MUCH YES.
— The Antipinterester (@antipinterester) February 13, 2019
The wife of a top aide to the president is a health hazard. All by herself. Anti-vaxxers are killers, murdering children with fake science, trying to turn their ignorance into a fatal epidemic. https://t.co/h9H1nzytPQ
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) February 13, 2019
This isn’t the first time social media has gotten Shine in trouble. In since-deleted tweets, she lamented more than once that she couldn’t use the n-word. She also said that sunscreen is a hoax (it’s not).
Even worse was “The Darla Shine Show,” her nationally syndicated radio show. Shine called herself a sexist and said that women in the military should expect to be harassed. She also pushed standard bullshit about vaccines causing autism and more exotic theories, like her belief that the 2009 flu pandemic was a setup designed to sell more flu shots.
In the wide world of internet conspiracy theorists and anti-vaccination nonsense, Shine isn’t that remarkable. What makes her dangerous is the level of access she has to the center of power. As diseases that had been nearly wiped out by widespread vaccination come back thanks to rhetoric like Shine’s, it’s concerning that opinions like hers are present so near the center of power.
