skepticism
The media keeps using that word, I do not think it means what they think it means. These people aren't questioning, they're not doubtful; they're convinced. They are certain that their position is the correct one and no amount of new information will change their minds.
Stop calling this "skepticism"
It should be called "vaccine cynicism"
Get your flu and COVID shots this winter, please. Don't get yourself sick, and don't get other people sick.
Similarly, I hate the term 'conspiracy theorist.' They're not coming up with theories, they're making up bullshit. I prefer 'conspiracy monger.'
That's a very good point I had never though before
There’s a pragmatic solution here:
1). Make vaccines free. The government pays.
2). Require vaccines for participation in publicly funded social programs. Schools. Social Security. Etc.
3). Allow doctor authorized health waivers to number 2.
4). Wait.
Most people will get the free vaccines either because they’re reasonable people, because the vaccines are free, or because they want government services. Those that don’t will die earlier. Eventually even stupid people will notice or they’ll be dead.
We are creatures of convenience, the way to make people do anything is by making it easier to comply than not to comply.
I got my first COVID vaccine and the booster at a drive-through clinic. My favorite part was the vibe there. We could finally do something to fight to get things back to normal and everybody was stoked.
Same, it was super chill. People were awesome and I never left my car.
1, 2, & 3 have already been going on for a long time with public schools (immunization records) for the most part. The determined anti vax parents will just find a Dr who will sign a waiver for their child so they don't need to be vaccinated.
The problem is so much of anti vax today people will hunker down on their opinion of antivax no matter the truth or information presented to them. It's the same reason people are supporting trump so much still bc they think it "triggers" the opposition so much.
I'm not sure if there is a way to turn things around especially when you have multiple prominent media members questioning vaccines that is constantly being parroted.
At this point anything tried they'll cry about information being suppressed or why is the government trying so hard to do this must mean bad things.
If enough people don't get the vaccine then a lot more then non vaccinated people will die.
Eventually even stupid people will notice or they’ll be dead.
Apparently you haven't been paying attention to this whole COVID deal? And to the other comments point you need to meet a threshold in the population for a vaccine to do what's intended.
Tbf, the majority of deaths were in red counties with far higher rates of antivaxers. The stupid people are dying at higher rates, but it's infuriating that they're taking smart people who are vaccine ineligible with them.
And regulate misinformation and disinformation, make social media culpable, they'll quickly change their tune if $ are at stake. The current model wants engagement, and click bait misinformation does wonders for that.
The antivax base are billionaires though, who can afford to fund their poorer devotees through the worst of their government service martyrdom
Lies on social media kill people. I know of one guy who believed the lies and died of covid.
Herman Cain?
No he is still twitting
The media: Here's 72 hours of conspiracy theorists and coverage about how some people are upset with medical experts.
Also the media: Why are anti-vax conspiracy theories getting so much attention? Here's why the people trying to fix the problem are at fault and why you should probably hate them.
Also also the media: Polls show people don't trust the person we blamed for everything.
Of course the government can't do mych. In the eye of anti vaxxers the government is the problem. In fact any expert or authority will be distrusted because they are an expert or authority figure.
And you have an extremely large and trusted group GOP, actively discrediting vaccines every chance they get.
While all being vaccinated, themselves.
A fact that their supporters gleefully ignore.
Hell, I heard something earlier in covid about hospitals and clincs setting up private back door entrances so antivaxers could get vaccinated without anyone knowing. Its ridiculous.
Maybe if the entire medical industry wasn't already shady and deplorable enough we wouldn't have these vaccine skeptics. The biden administration needs to focus on fixing the medical industry if they want these people to trust it.
Nah, it's not that it's that one asshole who decided to write an article about how "Vaccines cause autism." That's how the whole anti-vaxxer movement came to be.
Except it has nothing to do with the medical industry being shady or not. The big recent hullaballoo started because Andrew Wakefield lied to everyone. But that largely only affected the crunchy New Age mom types at the time.
The big explosion of right wing idiots being anti-vaxxers simply has to do with Republican politicians and Fox News repeatedly claiming all scientists and experts on topics are lying (to make money somehow, despite that money never materializing). They started making such anti-science claims with climate change and just expanded it to everything else.
Fox News: "THE VACCINE IS A SCAM! VACCINES DONT WORK!"
Also Fox News: You can not enter this building unless your are vaccinated.
And their hosts saying the vaccine is evil and will kill you, while all of them are fully vaccinated. I've even seen some of the hosts say they aren't vaccinated when discussing the topic, despite knowing they 100% are because Fox requires it.
I find the phrasing throughout this highly annoying. It implies that the Biden admin is somehow at fault for 1) people misunderstanding the initial instructions, 2) using that and strawman to undermine that public confidence, and 3) then doubled down on the stupidity seemingly out of spite.
Simultaneously, these assholes sued and said that the admin over stepped by asking, strongly, for social media to stop overt lies from being spread on their platforms.
We always blame those trying for not succeeding and give a pass to the idiots operating in bad faith.
I support conservatives in their personal choice to suffer and die.
Suffer, spread, and die though?
I mean, at this point, we should just be avoiding conservatives. They are plague rats.
I don't really worry for me (I'm vaccinated), I just worry for those who cannot take the vaccine. Those who don't want to be protected from a potentially deadly disease, well, they can rot. No issues.
In Australia, I'd suggest that anyone that isn't vaccinated and is hospitalised because of it should pay out of pocket and spare the tax payer. But as usual, they're all anti vax and anti science/medicine until they're dying then they're making a scene in the hospital demanding everyone's attention.
In Australia we have significant consequences for being antivax.
You don't get the childcare subsidy, and good luck finding a childcare that will take your kids.
You can't work in healthcare, aged care, childcare and many other sectors and it's been validated in court that employers can dismiss employees who don't reasonably get vaccinated when required.
Additionally, during the pandemic antivaxxers were essentially excluded from pretty much all public life and the Australian public was perfectly content with that. The Australian population was 95% vaccinated at the peak, you can't get 90% of Australians to agree on anything, if 60% of the population supported not eating shit 40% of the population would start eating shit but we all agreed that antivaxxers can get fucked.
eh I spent ages arguing with antivax cookers during the pandemic.
they are too stupid to reason with, but fun to tease them to ramble their stupid shit, they can't help but jump on their soapboxes.
but you never win. fuck em, let em die out
We put Typhoid Mary on an island all by herself. If we do it to these fools, at least they'll have company. May I suggest Guantanamo Bay?
Once more Republicans twiddle their thumbs as right wing conspiracy needlessly kills their base. It seems they've learned nothing at all, which I suppose shouldn't be a surprise.
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