This is extraordinary, but goes to explain how some people think. Fortunately no one that I know!
The anti-vaxxers are angry at us. They say we’ve been judgemental. We don’t listen to them. We don’t respect their views.
So I started listening.
Here’s what they have to say:
Rules don’t work, so we shouldn’t have them.
Some anti-vaxxers have said they’re not following health guidelines simply because it’s being forced on them. The same goes for masks and social distancing. They say putting mandates in place hasn’t stopped the virus from spreading, because people don’t follow the rules.
That means rules are pointless.
It’s oppressive to make rules and try to get people to follow them, because most people are going to ignore those rules. So you’re really just punishing people following their own nature.
There’s no point in trying to modify anyone’s behavior. If you’re going to try, you should be nice and non-confrontational about it.
That way, it’s easier to ignore you.
The same logic applies to masks. The cheap cloth masks don’t stop the spread of these more contagious variants. So instead of trying to find better masks, we should just ditch them altogether. Besides, there’s no point in asking someone to make small sacrifices for someone else. Everyone’s responsible for their own health. (We’ll talk more about that later.)
It doesn’t matter how many lives are at stake. We should always just present information and let people make up their own minds. If half the population is making a poor choice, then the other half just have to mask up and stay home or get out of their way. It doesn’t matter whether we have jobs, vulnerable relatives, or kids who belong in school.
It’s your life.
Just figure it out.
In their view, we should just let everyone do their own research and make their own health decisions. It’s pointless to worry about whether you get someone else infected.
That leads to their next point.
Everyone’s responsible for their own health.
Anti-vaxxers still believe the coronavirus targets unhealthy people, especially the ones who don’t take care of themselves. So if you exercise and eat healthy, then you have nothing to worry about.
You’re invincible.
In this worldview, every single aspect of your health is under your control. There’s no such thing as hereditary disease. Everyone is born with a fundamentally healthy body and mind. What you do with that is up to you. It’s sad that some people live in areas without access to decent grocery stores. It’s too bad that companies thrive on marketing junk food to poor people, and they go to great lengths to suppress information about their products. It’s too bad that fast food chains smother America.
There’s nothing we can do about this. It’s the way the world works. You should just eat healthy and not worry about anything else.
We’re not sure what “eating healthy” means. It could mean eating fruits and vegetables, but maybe not. It could mean a paleo diet, a keto diet, an Atkins diet, or a blood-type diet. It could mean taking any number of supplements which might or might not work. It probably means following the advice of fitness gurus and eating what they promote on their social media channels, and their self-published e-books.
The best course of action during a pandemic is to follow your diet guide and do absolutely nothing else to keep yourself from catching it. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Sure, there’s stories about fit, healthy young people getting really sick with coronavirus. They might take years to recover, or maybe never. There’s more studies showing that even if Covid doesn’t kill you, it can leave you with serious long term illness and disability.
Again, that’s just life.
Nobody can prove anything.
Some anti-vaxxers have said there’s no way to gather any definitive information on the coronavirus, so there’s no point in having debates. There’s no definitive proof that mRNA vaccines are safe. There’s no definitive proof that the coronavirus infects healthy people and kids.
There’s no definitive proof that the virus is mutating into deadlier variants that could escape immunity altogether.
The only way to prove something for certain is to see it happen for yourself. Until then, you might as well do whatever you want. That means living your normal life, until you get infected.
We all take risks. Driving around in your car poses the same risk as carrying on with your normal routine during a pandemic.
All risks are created equal.
If it’s not happening to you, it doesn’t matter.
Anti-vaxxers put their own choices above everything else.
Don’t tell them what to do, it’s that simple.
Lots of anti-vaxxers have said there’s no evidence that they should be worried about the coronavirus, because they haven’t been infected with it. Nobody they know has been infected with it either.
There’s no evidence that hospitals are overrun, because the hospitals where they live are doing just fine. One of them even told me, “If any of this were true, it would be front page news.”
(Actually, it is.)
It’s fine to use anecdotal evidence to make important decisions. In fact, anecdotal evidence can outmatch statistical data. It’s just as valid, because what you personally observe in your own life is more important than what’s happening anywhere else in the world.
Out of sight, out of mind.
All information is subjective.
There’s a reason why the information you share with anti-vaxxers doesn’t persuade them. They didn’t budge on masking or social-distancing either. It’s because that’s just your opinion.
Any evidence you present is always incomplete and partial. It can always be challenged by another piece of information.
The media is controlled.
The CDC is controlled, along with every other agency and fact-checking organization. The information they trust is what they found digging through the web on their own, from people who already agree with them. This information beats yours, always.
That’s because you’re brainwashed, and you get your information from biased sources who have an agenda. They don’t have one.
Only you do.
Everyone has a right to a bad opinion.
Anti-vaxxers have told me they’re taking a principled stand on their own individual rights and personal freedoms.
To summarize:
- If someone wants to catch Covid and take their chances, that’s their right. It doesn’t matter if they spread the virus.
- If someone else dies, it’s becausethey should’ve taken better care of themselves — even unvaccinated children.
- There’s no proof that healthy people or children are at risk, even if we’re starting to see more kids in hospitals. The only way to prove that is for thousands of kids to get sick and die. Even if that happens, it’s probably just liberal propaganda.
- We should just let everyone do what they want, and then we’ll see how many people die this coming year.
That’s a fair representation of their stance. It’s exactly what they’ve said to me when it comes to handling the pandemic.
If you point out how selfish or ignorant this sounds, then you’rebeing judgmental. You’re the hateful one who’s creating division. You’re the one who has a closed mind, not them.
You’re the bad guy.
It’s fine if someone else wants to endanger their own lives, and put yours at risk. It’s fine for corrupt politicians and shock jocks to spread misinformation to tens of millions of people. It’s fine to harass and ridicule health workers and experts you disagree with. It’s fine to openly speculate that maybe it’s the vaccinated people who are responsible for everything, including variants that appeared before vaccines were even available. It’s fine to take it all back after you get really sick, and need their help.
Calling them out makes you petty and sanctimonious.
Anti-vaxxers are allowed to publicly air skepticism and suspicion about vaccines. They’re allowed to threaten doctors and nurses and accuse them of murder. They’re allowed to compare vaccine passports to yellow stars and pink triangles, or even concentration camps.
You’re supposed to listen to them.
You’re supposed to nod.
It’s fine to believe whatever you want until you get someone killed. It’s fine to refuse masks and vaccines and then infect someone, watch them die, and then blame liberals. Nobody should ever make you feel bad for your colossal mistakes, especially if you never admit them. Everyone makes mistakes that result in incalculable levels of death and suffering.
It’s arrogant and hateful to point out someone else’s logical fallacies and unconscious biases. It’s immature to criticize someone else’s poor behavior or reckless decision making. If you were truly empathetic, you would just shrug and leave them alone.
Your hardships and sacrifices over the last year mean nothing to them. You should be kind to the ones who’ve mocked you for wearing a mask and intentionally invaded your personal space at stores, making you anxious to be in public. You should smile at those who’ve disregarded your rights. You should be understanding as they call you a brainwashed sheep, until they finally get sick and deprive you of a hospital bed.
Idiots have a right to their opinion. They have a right to respect. They have a right to affordable healthcare.
You don’t.
Whatever you do, never repeat their views back to them.
That’s offensive
