The anti-vaccine movement in Indonesia is unfortunately all too real, blamed for being one of the biggest factors behind the deadly outbreak of diphtheria in the country that has killed dozens since late last year.
Anti-vaxxers in Indonesia often cite religious reasons for refusing vaccines, believing in and spreading hoaxes such as a pernicious one about vaccines containing traces of pig DNA, making them forbidden in Islam. But there are other kinds of conspiracy theories being spread to turn people against vaccinations as well, such as this one that was first posted in June of last year but which has recently become the subject of much online mockery.
The caption of the post summarizes the content of the article it links to, saying that an American doctor named Dr Bernard Mahfoudz is completely against vaccines as he believes that they lower people's drive. If vaccines were to be given to people fighting in a war, then their fighting spirit would diminish in a short time.
Beyond the lack of any actual scientific evidence to back that up and the fact that the article was posted on a Blogspot page, keen-eyed netizens recently figured out who Dr Bernard is.
What they learned is that, first, Dr. Bernard doesn't actually exist, and second, the photo said to be him is actually that of famous American porn star Johnny Sins.
In case you're sin-free from porn, Sins achieved meme stardom a while back as "the most talented man in the world", as his role in porn movies include him playing a cop, a teacher, and – you guessed it – a doctor, among other roles.
This guy's reaction to the hoax probably sums up how most people feel about it:
I have to share oxygen with people who believe this kind of information. pic.twitter.com/vs5Eq9BDYh – Dennis Adishwara (@OmDennis) January 9, 2018
Our favorite piss take on the hoax though has got to be Twitter thread by Victor Kamang (a well known satirist on social media in Indonesia), who gave hilarious context to screenshots from Johnny Sins' numerous porn scenes, weaving them into a story detailing his amazing journey from anti-vaccine medical professional to the rest of his incredible career.
– Because he's anti-vaccine, the Association of American Doctors fired Dr Bernard Mahfoudz. He then enlisted in the military. pic.twitter.com/QJ7NgZ8xJW – @victorkamang (@victorkamang) January 10, 2018
– During a mission in Kandahar, Tajikistan, Bernard Mahfoudz willingly educated the people about health. pic.twitter.com/Vj0urTlJEK – @victorkamang (@victorkamang) January 10, 2018
– Even though there were many temptations from women while he was on duty, Dr Bernard Mahfoudz is able to resist them. When asked what his secret was, he replied: "worship". pic.twitter.com/XkY1dA4270 – @victorkamang (@victorkamang) January 10, 2018
– Because of his kindness and his achievements, Bernard Mahfoudz became popular in the army and rose up through the ranks. But General George Patton (who is an unbeliever) was bothered by this and discharged Bernard. pic.twitter.com/cTy6hE4K2d – @victorkamang (@victorkamang) January 10, 2018
– Bernard Mahfoudz's noble spirit and willingness to help and protect others led him to enlist as a police officer. pic.twitter.com/qwAa0JYydM – @victorkamang (@victorkamang) January 10, 2018
– Day by day Bernard Mahfoudz handles many domestic cases such as power outages, domestic violence, prisoners disputes, and others. He did his job well. pic.twitter.com/c9CJw8NRz6 – @victorkamang (@victorkamang) January 10, 2018
– Because of many attempted briberies and calls for him to return to medicine, Bernard Mahfoudz left his police career to pursue a career in education. pic.twitter.com/aOTMgZpkHg – @victorkamang (@victorkamang) January 10, 2018
– "Marry me Mahfoudz, please. I'm begging you!" said his teaching assistant, Miss Mia Khalifa. pic.twitter.com/avZuzzhTYe – @victorkamang (@victorkamang) January 10, 2018
– His colleague from Harvard Dr Eva Lovia happens to work at NASA and asked Bernard Mahfoudz if he's interested in coming in for an interview. NASA is carrying out Project Flat Earth. Bernard Mahfoudz accepted the offer. "For science," he said. pic.twitter.com/lZfq3W62BI – @victorkamang (@victorkamang) January 10, 2018