16 Comments
Aug 24, 2021Liked by Erik Kain

I swear, every time I stand back and look at a thing from a different angle for a few minutes, DING!- an email comes in from diabolical discussing the exact thing I was thinking about. GIVE ME BACK MY BRAIN, KAIN.

Seriously, though, this is so spot on. And I'm guilty of bad behavior in this instance just as much as the next guy. But I spent the weekend seeing family in the easiest of targets, Florida. Had a whole lot I was going to say to some folks if the subject came up, but when it did I opted for the calm informational route instead of the "stop being an idiot" route and it actually made a difference.

Anyway, thanks for being a voice of reason in a sea of spitefulness, or whatever mixed metaphor applies.

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You're definitely right about the problem of partisanship and getting the message across. How many blue checkmarks that support vaccination today were vehemently against it prior to Biden being elected. Too many.

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Trust has a huge role to play on Issues concerning medical treatment. Merely labeling the unvaccinated as “anti-vaxxed” while technically correct, possibly ignores the underlying reasons causing the vaccine hesitancy. Black and Latino communities have some pretty good reasons to distrust what those in authority say to them.

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1000% with you until you used the "Karen" slur. Please don't. Not only is it hate speech (that has increasingly escalated into violence) but it's misogynistic, ageist and, oh yes--racist. You're a writer, please use your words. Thank you.

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I think referring to large swaths of unvaccinated people as “anti-vaxxers” or “anti-science” was very disingenuous to begin with. Haven’t seen you do that and really liked the article but I think it’s important to talk about how this became weirdly polarized like everything else and I like that you went over how nothing about this rollout has been normal.

I’m not vaccinated yet but I think the “yet” is an important operating word. I’m hesitant to jump on the mRNA train given the lack of any long term study. It’s new and experimental technology though the FDA finally signing off on it does have me considering it more, since at least if things do go poorly, someone can be held liable.

I’ve held off and waited for a vaccine not yet available to me in the states called Covaxin, no mRNA stuff, just a regular dead virus inoculation (like the flu vaccine that I also get.) I’m up to date on the rest of my vaccines and don’t think twice about it. If this option was available to me, I’d make an appointment same day since to me, the chance of downsides would be the same as the chance of me having serious issues with the flu vaccine (which I estimate to be quite miniscule.) I’m still hoping it gets approved for use in the US relatively soon.

So it just seems odd to cast people like me as “anti-vaxx,” as if I’m opposed to the polio vaccine or something, but it seems to make people feel good. The reaction to all of this has been so odd to me.

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1. Native Americans are at or near the top when it comes to vaccination rates.

2. Absolutely we should pay people to get the vaccine.

3. I don’t think I know any anti-vaxers. And if I do I’m not sure I want to. What is someone like me supposed to do when faced with anti-vax delusion all over media - social and other? Who am I supposed to converse with? You’re absolutely right, few minds are being changed by social media. That’s my only outlet. Meaning, I stand around with my neighbors and we all say, yup - I’m vaccinated. Me too. And then that’s it for vaccine convos

When you read about physical and verbal confrontations regarding vaccines and masks it’s always, 100% of the time instigated and perpetrated by the anti-science crowd. I’m tired of them. So, yes. I am guilty of being snarky on social media about it.

You know, many many many of them listen to “Dr” Tenpenny. She’s convinced an incalculable number that the vaccine causes people to become magnetic. She has convinced people that mask rules are akin to the Holocaust. She has convinced them that the vaccine interfaces with 5G towers. I have a hard time blaming people for being fed up with these delusions. And the delusions are killing the rest of us and preventing a return to normalcy. Sometimes a little mockery is healthy for both sides.

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