And now for some good news: Over 80% of US citizens 65 years and older have gotten at least one jab, and 66% are fully vaccinated. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tra...raphics-trends
And now for some good news: Over 80% of US citizens 65 years and older have gotten at least one jab, and 66% are fully vaccinated. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tra...raphics-trends
My wife's brother and his wife are hard line right wingers who refuse to get the vaccine. They live in Texas so we have not seen them personally since this thing started, but they have bought into online information that they find to support their claims. Our friend who won't get the vaccine is influenced by her boyfriend who buys into conspiracy theories that this is all some kind of plot by the government, pharma, or somebody......I am not really clear who exactly.
I have also seen Facebook threads with people "praying" or arguing against vaccination. I have gotten sucked into some arguments, but it is fruitless as they will not listen to reason and can find "evidence" on the net that validates their points of view.
We are in very strange times.......
The saddest thing about this is that there are countries out there that can't get enough vaccine and Americans are refusing to get it where it is available.
I think those of us who believe in vaccines need to use peer pressure to try to change as many of these people's minds as possible. Maybe it won't work, but it can't hurt.
I just can't understand why anyone would refuse a simple needle to prevent a deadly disease. It's ideological and extremely difficult to shift. They are putting others at risk - not just their own refusal impacting their lives.
What can this strange device be? When I touch it, it brings forth a sound (2112)
Some good news for Canadian truckers going to the US..
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56824177
Dave Sr.
I prefer Nature to Human Nature
My sister who lives with our 84-year-old mother refuses to be vaccinated, mostly due to info found on Facebook (which is the devil as far as I'm concerned). Her influence had Mom hesitant to get the vaccine. I then asked her if she knew anyone from her youth who had been afflicted with polio. She did, of course. She talked at length about classmates and even relatives who had been crippled and/or lost their lives to the disease. Drawing that comparison, I was able to persuade her to at least consider the shot. She got her second dose last week, had minimal side effects, and is very happy about her decision.
Facebook is evil because it is filled with bad actors disguised as peers. In a moment when so many people distrust all authoritative sources, they turn to their "friends." If you have a reason to want to influence people, disguising yourself as their "friend" is easier than ever.
I've been talking to a lady online who I thought about asking out until she told me she won't get a Covid vaccine, and doesn't get the flu shot either. She says she's not politically, but when asked about her stance, she doesn't answer. I find that attitude totally socially unacceptable, and I think she's lying about not being political, because for the life of me I can't figure it out otherwise unless sheer ignorance.
I have a friend that's the same way, however, I know his attitude stems from being raised in a crazy Repub household--& I'm not saying all Repubs are nuts, but they are a large part of the ones that are holdouts.
I'm sure that they are out there... but I'm not aware of anyone I know that doesn't want the vaccine. Many of my friends have been frustrated that the rollout has been so slow here. Yesterday, Ontario started offering vaccines to anyone age 40 and up. People are celebrating when they get an appointment.
There is a large segment of the US population, muchly centered in small towns and rural America, that feel that their way of life is threatened. In a "big picture" sense. Changing demographics, technology, waning participation in organized religion, loss of good paying jobs for those without a university degree, etc all come together to make them feel like "their America" is under siege. This has caused them to become more insular and draw common cause with those whom they view as "like them." That siege mentality has resulted in Tribalism that tends to reject anything that they think comes from the "other side." Immediately and without consideration. Since the other side is promoting vaccination, and other science based policies, they reject them reflexively, regardless of real evidence, but they'll concoct retrofitted "evidence" to support the Tribe's stance. Alternative facts, if you will. This creates a sense of shared but secret knowledge. Their secret, that their Tribe has and the other Tribe doesn't. It's a huge part of the appeal of Qanon and the conspiracy theories that are held as doctrine by so many. In amongst all of this comes a rejection of the very vaccines that could end the pandemic and possibly save their lives.
Currently there's a new series on HBO Max about QAnon: Q: Into the Storm
I got my 2nd dose of Moderna yesterday morning. I was doing very well, but woke up last night with a massive onset of chills when I went to go do my business. It was so bad I had to sit down (TMI ). This morning I primarily feel achy and a tension headache. Outside of feeling a little tired, didn't have an any side effects with the first dose.
WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.
Not to pick on your posts specifically (since it seems to be the overall feeling in the thread), but I think it's worth stating that, not long ago, the "profile" for the anti-vaxxer tended to be quite liberal and there is data to suggest that there wasn't necessarily a political affiliation attached to the sentiment.
As a side note, I was watching a Last Man Standing episode a few weeks back in which Tim Allen's character (who is noted for his conservative opinions on the show) was mocking liberal sentiment towards anti-vaccination. I believe the episode was from 2016 or so. It's funny how that has shifted over just a few years.
Which leads me to...
This is really spot on. Excellently worded post btw.
This is so true from my experiences, and not unique to one group of people. I know so many people that are like this to various degrees. And it's only getting worse.There is a large segment of the US population, muchly centered in small towns and rural America, that feel that their way of life is threatened. In a "big picture" sense. Changing demographics, technology, waning participation in organized religion, loss of good paying jobs for those without a university degree, etc all come together to make them feel like "their America" is under siege. This has caused them to become more insular and draw common cause with those whom they view as "like them." That siege mentality has resulted in Tribalism that tends to reject anything that they think comes from the "other side." Immediately and without consideration.
WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.
The feel that way, true. There is a lot of distractifcation going on all over.
Lots of the 'traditional' news outlets have been replaced by hedge fund owned newspapers, tv corps ( like Sinclair ) that put out a 'national product with certain characteristics.
Hedge funds and Agri-corps are out bidding locals for farm land. Farmers and ranchers are becoming more like tenant share croppers as industrial food production has replaced the 'traditional farm'.
Factory closings so that the corp can make more profit in one of those 's#it hole' countries. The financial crises used to be on a longer cycle and as the wealth hoarders get more desperate the cycle time has shortened.
Find a boogie man to distract from the creeping take over. "They're coming for your ( fill in the blank)". It's never 'us', it's always them.
It's not just in rural areas. The propaganda is everywhere, just louder where there are only one or two megaphones blaring at you.
People forget to easily that where they are today is a product of not just the past year but the past decades. They are being jerked around by forces that don't care about them, just the economic value that can be extracted from them.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
My experience, that is limited due to COVID to mostly to people living on my street, is quite opposite. Most of the people who are flying big American flags on their property indicated that they are not keen on vaccination. It is rather ironic, considering the vaccine development should be consider a crown achievement of previous administration.
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