Re: CV and mad panic behaviour
Reply #5589 –
For me this is part of the problem, the narrative that has been allowed to develop. Your post is very common now, have a look at the language - "conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers and neo-nazis", and this is demonizing those that feel different to yourself.
If you want people onboard, then you have to speak their language. You don't know their language. Many simply raise their voices, speaking louder and more aggressively expecting that will do something. It just alienates them more. Name calling and being disparaging is not bringing them with you. Congratulations to all those that engage in it, you have contributed to the beginnings of a resistance. The disaffected and disenfranchised now have a place to call home.
Actually, what I wrote is correct, and I could have added a few more groups such as anarchists, alt right, far left, etc.
People with vaccine hesitancy are not necessarily deaf to science and logic but "conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers and neo-nazis" are.
I have friends and family who are/were vaccine hesitant and many are now vaccinated; some because they accepted the overwhelming evidence, some because it was necessary for them to keep their job, and some because of peer pressure. Some justify their position by reference to common conspiracy theories and that, to me, makes them conspiracy theorists.
A good friend is computer scientist/data analyst who is currently studying for a second degree in earth science. Her father is an eminent doctor in Malaysia. She describes herself as vaccine hesitant but, when explaining her hesitancy, referred me to a speech by Eric Clapton. Now, Eric is one of my favourite musicians but, apart from the fact that he knows nothing about medicine, science, immunology, epidemiology, etc, his speech simply trotted out the same tired old conspiracy theories. Is my friend vaccine hesitant or a conspiracy theorist? Hint; she's into doomsday prepping.
Another friend also describes herself as vaccine hesitant but is also anti-lockdown, anti-mask and dubious about how real COVID is. She explains her vaccine hesitancy as concern about the side-effects. Yesterday she announced that she was going to be vaccinated in order to keep her job and asked if folk could tell her what side-effects they had experienced. Of course, some folk had mild side-effects but most said that it was business as usual. So, her vaccine hesitancy was based on a fear of something she hadn't bothered to investigate. Rather than talking to her GP, her "investigation" involved posting a question on Facebook
Other friends are committed vegans and anti-vaxxers; their children are not vaccinated at all and I think their grandchildren aren't vaccinated either. Nice people, and very successful, but the mumbo-jumbo they use to explain their anti-vaxxer beliefs is trying ... and they look sickly to me
Also why are we still going on about antivaxxers? NSW has over 90% and all the other states are following.
MBB poses a valid question; it looks like those who won't or can't be vaccinated will make up an insignificant part of our population and the threat of transmission from them will probably decrease as they follow the "natural" path to herd immunity. However, they may still pose a threat in the short term as did the two unvaccinated, COVID-infected cardiac surgery nurses in a Sydney hospital recently.