Can you guess why the Brady Bunch measles episode did not accurately depict kids with measles?
And why anti-vaccine influencers continue to bring it up?
The Brady Bunch Did Not Accurately Depict Kids With Measles
Mostly, it was because the Brady Bunch was a sitcom.
A sitcom that was noted to have simplistic writing and light storylines.
A sitcom that rarely covered controversial topics.
And even when they did, like when Greg was caught smoking, they would gloss over sensitive issues.
For example, when talking about why Greg shouldn’t smoke, while Carol said “there is scientific evidence about smoking,” she didn’t say anything about lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease, or nicotine addiction.
Why not?
Because the Brady Bunch was a sitcom with simplistic writing and light storylines.
What else?
By the time the Brady Bunch measles episode aired, in 1969, measles deaths were already down 90%.
Why?
Because we had started using the first measles vaccine in 1963!
Not surprisingly, before that, measles was depicted much differently on TV.
Just consider The Crisis, a 1958 episode of Lassie, in which Timmy gets sick after several classmates are diagnosed with measles.
How sick?
Timmy: “Dad.”
Paul: “What is it, son?”
Timmy: “I changed my mind about wanting the measles if it makes you feel like this.”
Timmy gets so sick that Lassie has to go and get help!
But that’s not a story that you will hear from anti-vaccine influencers…
Instead, they will continue posting about the Brady Bunch, even as measles cases soar to record levels and more people are dying.
