I'm a scientist and my mother is an anti-wax & it drives me mad

[Nhamashal]

I have to let it out because I am so angry.

I have a PhD and currently work in Oxbridge as a scientist, I specialise in immunology and cancer. I am the first of my family to go to University, and I am deeply grateful for all of the opportunities they provided me with.

But... My mother, since I taught her how to use google and youtube few years back, became obsessed with fake news. She is only 56 yo and now believes, for example, that 5G masts caused coronavirus, doubts the pandemic is even real, repeatedly sends me anti-wax videos and again today said she won't take the COVID vaccine if there is one. I told her that's selfish, she doesn't care.

This post is not to argue with people who have similar views to her.
I just need to have a moan here, because I tried to explain how vaccines are made and how they work to her and she tells me (every bloody time!!!) "what do you know" and then answer with something along the lines of "well I only spent 10 years studying it" etc and she dismisses it and goes to watch another youtube video posted by some charlatan. Someone tried to scam her into ordering me an "whole body bio-resonance" scan via zoom

I can't stand talking to her anymore, we always end up arguing. We have other issues, for which I am resentful but this particularly makes me so angry and upset.

AIBU to feel angry at her naivety and lack of any respect for my work?

Sorry, thought this was about pubes!! Carry on...

You mean anti-vax?

Was she always like that? Have you been vaccinated?

Limit contact if you're arguing a lot. It sounds like your relationship is already strained so why keep punishing yourself?

Yanbu btw

@rooty123

Sorry, thought this was about pubes!! Carry on...

this made me laugh thanks i realised now I spelled it wrong, sorry long day today and english isn't my first language when i'm tired i tend to make these mistakes e.g. bowl of fruit becomes ball of fruit etc

@dementedpixie

You mean anti-vax? Was she always like that? Have you been vaccinated?

I have, yes. No she only became like this when her friend got pregnant at age over 40 and her little daughter has been diagnosed with OCD. My mother found the autism and vaccines video (which has been retracted!) and from there, there is no stoping her

How does she feel about threading?

Feel your pain.

Perhaps direct her to more critical thinking videos, a Ted talk?
As a scientist too I feel your pain. Critical thinking skills need teaching in school.

I suppose one question is, would she have the flu jab, being in the at risk group?

My advice is not to discuss it with her.

Explaining it will not help. Beliefs like this often correlate with a lack of trust in authority or a sense of powerlessness, or are part of a group identity.

I'd change the subject and find out how she's feeling in general.

(I was a scientist, am now researching this kind of stuff & have a conspiracy theorist in the family so I feel your pain.)

thanks ya'll

she won't listen to anything I send her if it doesn't agree with her point of view and she's never had a flu jab

i try not to discuss it, but she is now becoming worse and worse - she calls me and pleads with me to come back to and live in our home country (I've been living in UK for 15 years...) because she has "listened to a prophecy and there is a war coming etc etc and our mother land is the only safe place". She sent us this prophecy, and my sister and I were laughing so hard, trying to reason with our mother that if we ourselves claimed archangel Gabriel spoke to us, she would tell us we were crazy, yet when someone else says it I should uproot my life and move back home

@LemonandLavender

How does she feel about threading?

i think she plucks it