
Two dead after YouTube conspiracy video claims drinking bleach cures autism - pseudolus
https://www.businessinsider.com/mms-jim-humble-bleach-autism-cure-youtube-2019-5
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rando444
That was an extremely difficult read.

Especially part with the moderators of these forums encouraging the parents to
up the dosage of poison in response to photos of their children's medical
issues brought on after they started 'treatment'.

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pseudolus
The Guardian published a more detailed backgrounder on this quackery and some
of the people behind it [0].

[0] [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/18/bleach-
miracle...](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/18/bleach-miracle-cure-
uganda-us-pastor-robert-baldwin-sam-little)

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fzeroracer
Is there a reason why this was flagged?

I'm a bit incredulous here, because topics discussing how YouTube censors
people (even tangentially) can spark a massive discussion which isn't flagged
and buried, but ones about the harms of some conspiracies spread on YouTube
seem to be buried immediately.

If HN wants to really be a site that advocates for intellectual curiosity and
sunlight being the best disinfectant, then harmful and anti-scientific beliefs
should be exposed, discussed and challenged.

~~~
dang
Users flagged it, no doubt because it doesn't gratify intellectual curiosity,
which makes it off topic for HN. See
[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html).

Battling "harmful and anti-scientific beliefs" may be an important thing to
do, but it isn't about curiosity, and frankly it brings out shallow comments
and ugly sentiments in internet forums.

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zelon88
If a girl can go to jail for texting her depressed boyfriend encouragement to
commit suicide, why can't we throw these fraudsters in jail for manipulating
stupid people?

~~~
lez
So how do politicans, do not deserve the same (in case they do the same)? Or
when Mark Zuckerberg manipulates the mood of fb users? Where is the line?

~~~
bitwize
I don't know, but somehow I think deliberately tricking people into doing
things that directly cause physical harm to themselves falls on the illegal
side of that line.

~~~
lez
I'm quite sure the girl was not deliberately wanting his ex to die. The "I'll
kill myself if you leave me" kind of emotional blackmailing is just too common
among hurt exes.

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bitwize
Oh, this is Miracle Mineral Solution. I've heard of this disgusting quackery
for years and years. I'm surprised YouTube is getting around to this just now.
They need to read more Respectful Insolence at the Goog.

~~~
dragontamer
There's also a conspiracy theory going around that drinking Hydrogen Peroxide
is healthy for the body. Uggghhh...

People who fail at basic chemistry and biology need to shut the hell up before
people die. Its called "Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide" because you use it to
clean food. Not because you can drink it.

Hydrogen Peroxide is so reactive that it will (eventually) turn into water.
the H2O2... the extra "O"... will bubble away under natural conditions.

\--------

Anyway, I should be surprised that people are literally drinking bleach.
But... I'm not... because I'm still jaded from learning about the H2O2 guys.
In fact, Hydrogen Peroxide was historically considered a bleach.

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senectus1
Whats the Darwin Award for taking other people out of the gene pool?

Murder 1 maybe?

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stunt
Well if you can convince people that the earth is flat, a bleach miracle
shouldn't be hard right?

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tinus_hn
So what is the business model here? Is this stuff sold?

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microwavecamera
Why did this get flagged?

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szuze
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_worms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_worms)

This is just too funny to be true.

~~~
ealfert
Instead of funny, your link provided the answer to a previous post that asked
how MMS made money and what their motivation may be.

"These 'ropeworms' are often discussed, with images shared and claimed as
evidence of successful detoxing, on autism forums and Facebook groups, where
bleach enemas (for example MMS) are falsely claimed to cure autism.[6] In one
group, 8500 members have allegedly been charged $60 to join, half a million
dollars combined, leading to questioning of the leaders' intentions."

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tanilama
Well, YouTube can't really stop people from being stupid.

~~~
tombert
Of course they can't, but they conceivably could reduce the spread of material
that stupid people are going to use to hurt themselves (or their kids).

~~~
tanilama
You mean more censorship

~~~
tombert
Ugh, I am so tired of people making this argument every single time something
horrible happens and people suggest, you know, DOING something about it.

First off, they don't have to censor, they could just stop recommending these
videos, and that would help a lot.

Second, if you seriously can't see why a for-profit corporation restricting
content that literally leads to children being poisoned and dying isn't
anywhere near Orwellian, then I am afraid that we have nothing further to
discuss.

~~~
vibrato
Ugh I’m so sick of people ignoring the brainwashing of the populace via media
control

