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'''Robert F. Kennedy Jr.''' (1954 - ?), also known by his initials ''RFK Jr.'', is an American environmental lawyer known for promoting anti-vaccine propaganda,<ref name="mnookin-2017" /><ref name="NBC_2021-03-11" />  Kennedy is a son of U.S. attorney general [[Robert F. Kennedy]] and nephew of U.S. president [[John F. Kennedy]], both of whom were assassinated in the 1960's while in office.
{{Image|Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (33367298132).jpg|right|350px|Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in 2017.}}
'''Robert F. Kennedy Jr.''' (1954 - ?) is an American environmental lawyer who since 2005 has promoted a scientifically discredited theory about a link between vaccines and autism.<ref name="mnookin-2017" /><ref name="Smith_12/15/2021" />  He is the son of assassinated U.S. attorney general [[Robert F. Kennedy]] and is capitalizing on his famous name by running for president in 2024 as a Democrat and presenting an appealing image styled after his popular father, while embarrassing his family<ref name=nosupport /> for promoting paranoid and unscientific conspiracy theories about public health.<ref name="mnookin-2017" /><ref name="NBC_2021-03-11" />


After growing up in [[Washington, D.C.]] and [[Massachusetts]], Kennedy, Jr. graduated from [[Harvard University]] and obtained a J.D. degree from the [[University of Virginia]]. He began his career as an assistant district attorney in New York City. In the mid 1980s, he joined [[Riverkeeper]] and the [[Natural Resources Defense Council]] (NRDC), two non-profits focused on environmental protection, and became an adjunct professor of environmental law at [[Pace University School of Law]], founding the Pace Law School's Environmental Litigation Clinic. He held the post of supervising attorney and co-director of Pace's law clinic until 2017.  In 1999, he founded the non-profit environmental group [[Waterkeeper Alliance]], serving as the president of its board.
Kennedy, Jr. had a distinguished career as en environmental lawyer, graduating from [[Harvard University]] and obtaining a law degree from the [[University of Virginia]]. He began as an assistant district attorney in New York City. In the mid-1980s, he joined [[Riverkeeper]] and the [[Natural Resources Defense Council]] (NRDC), two environmental protection non-profits, and became an adjunct professor of environmental law at [[Pace University School of Law]], founding the Pace Law School's Environmental Litigation Clinic, where he remained until 2017.  He also founded the non-profit environmental group [[Waterkeeper Alliance]].


Since 2005, he has promoted the scientifically discredited link between vaccines and autism,<ref name="mnookin-2017" /><ref name="Smith_12/15/2021" /> Much of Kennedy's public health criticisms and writings have targeted prominent figures such as [[Anthony Fauci]], [[Bill Gates]], and [[Joe Biden]]. He has co-hosted ''[[Ring of Fire (radio program)|Ring of Fire]]'', a nationally syndicated radio program. He has written books including ''[[The Real Anthony Fauci]]'' in 2021 and ''[[A Letter to Liberals]]'' in 2022.  In July 2023, Kennedy, Jr. create an entirely new conspiracy theory about the origins of COVID-19; at a private fund-raiser, he said the following (which was captured on video on later published in the New York Post): "“There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. Covid-19 attacks certain races disproportionately.  Covid-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.”<ref name=targets /> There has never been a shred of evidence that any aspect of his assertion is true.
Kennedy, Jr.'s public health criticisms and writings often targeted prominent figures such as [[Anthony Fauci]], [[Bill Gates]], and [[Joe Biden]]. He has co-hosted ''[[Ring of Fire (radio program)|Ring of Fire]]'', a nationally syndicated radio program. He has written books including ''[[The Real Anthony Fauci]]'' in 2021 and ''[[A Letter to Liberals]]'' in 2022.  In July 2023, Kennedy, Jr. created an entirely new conspiracy theory about the origins of COVID-19; at a private fund-raiser in [[New York City]], he said: "“There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. Covid-19 attacks certain races disproportionately.  Covid-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.”<ref name=targets />
 
Kennedy's living blood relations have tried to disassociate themselves from him due to his pushing of various unfounded conspiracy theories, but nevertheless, Kennedy, Jr. has announced that he will be running for president in 2024 as a Democrat and has been using his famous name to raise large amounts of money.  On the campaign trail, he generally presents a very nurturing and appealing view of himself clearly patterned after the style of public statements his popular father made during his tenure as attorney general in the 1960's, and it is likely that he is garnering a large contingent of followers may not be aware of the extent of his promotion of unfounded conspiracy theories.
 
== Provenance ==
{{WPAttribution}}


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
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[https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/07/15/robert-kennedy-jr-covid-conspiracy/ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggests covid was designed to spare Jews, Chinese people], Washington Post, July 15, 2023.
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/07/15/robert-kennedy-jr-covid-conspiracy/ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggests covid was designed to spare Jews, Chinese people], Washington Post, July 15, 2023.
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<ref name=nosupport>
[https://www.businessinsider.com/kennedy-family-not-supporting-robert-f-kennedy-jrs-2024-bid-2023-4 Members of the Kennedy dynasty explain why they will not support anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 2024 presidential bid against Biden], by Alia Shoaib, Slate, Apr 22, 2023.
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[[Category:Living Person]]

Revision as of 14:35, 21 February 2024

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Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in 2017.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (1954 - ?) is an American environmental lawyer who since 2005 has promoted a scientifically discredited theory about a link between vaccines and autism.[1][2] He is the son of assassinated U.S. attorney general Robert F. Kennedy and is capitalizing on his famous name by running for president in 2024 as a Democrat and presenting an appealing image styled after his popular father, while embarrassing his family[3] for promoting paranoid and unscientific conspiracy theories about public health.[1][4]

Kennedy, Jr. had a distinguished career as en environmental lawyer, graduating from Harvard University and obtaining a law degree from the University of Virginia. He began as an assistant district attorney in New York City. In the mid-1980s, he joined Riverkeeper and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), two environmental protection non-profits, and became an adjunct professor of environmental law at Pace University School of Law, founding the Pace Law School's Environmental Litigation Clinic, where he remained until 2017. He also founded the non-profit environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance.

Kennedy, Jr.'s public health criticisms and writings often targeted prominent figures such as Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates, and Joe Biden. He has co-hosted Ring of Fire, a nationally syndicated radio program. He has written books including The Real Anthony Fauci in 2021 and A Letter to Liberals in 2022. In July 2023, Kennedy, Jr. created an entirely new conspiracy theory about the origins of COVID-19; at a private fund-raiser in New York City, he said: "“There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. Covid-19 attacks certain races disproportionately. Covid-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.”[5]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mnookin, Seth (January 11, 2017). How Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Distorted Vaccine Science (en). “For more than a decade, Kennedy has promoted anti-vaccine propaganda completely unconnected to reality.”
  2. ↑ Smith, Michelle R.. How a Kennedy built an anti-vaccine juggernaut amid COVID-19, Associated Press, December 15, 2021. (in en) “Dr. Richard Allen Williams, a cardiologist, professor of medicine at UCLA and founder of the Minority Health Institute, said Kennedy is leading 'a propaganda movement'”
  3. ↑ Members of the Kennedy dynasty explain why they will not support anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 2024 presidential bid against Biden, by Alia Shoaib, Slate, Apr 22, 2023.
  4. ↑ Covid's devastation of Black community used as 'marketing' in new anti-vaccine film. NBC News (March 11, 2021). “The video the newest in a series of anti-vaccine propaganda films produced or promoted by Kennedy was distributed through Kennedy's organization, Children's Health Defense,”
  5. ↑ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggests covid was designed to spare Jews, Chinese people, Washington Post, July 15, 2023.
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