A blog post to make you think....

[Fun CH]

Another one, titled "You Have Every Right to Be Pissed Off at Anti-Maskers and Vaccine Skeptics"

https://jessicalexicus.medium.com/youre ... 512834bb94

...
They didn’t just decide to disregard common sense once or twice. They’ve done it every single day, going on two years now. They called this pandemic a hoax. They lectured us on individual freedom and personal responsibility. They touted miracle cures. They held rallies. They jeered at us. They gaslit us. They tried to overthrow our government. They accused us of virtue signaling. They griped about cancel culture and victimhood culture, while portraying themselves as the ultimate victims.
...
We can’t forgive someone until they show some sign of genuine remorse for what they’ve done. Hey, maybe you can. Maybe you’re a better person than me, or you can at least pretend.
...
So far, I’ve heard contrite anti-vaxxers admit their mistakes, focusing on what it did to them. They’ve encouraged people to get vaccinated. They’ve thanked God. They’ve thanked their lucky stars. With prodding, they’ve thanked the doctors and nurses who saved their lives.
...
They haven’t said thank you to those of us who continued masking and distancing, even as we were mocked and ridiculed, even as we longed to be around friends and family, or just go to a restaurant for a normal meal, or to the gym for a workout. They owe us. When they got sick with covid, we were the reason there was an open bed for them. We kept ourselves healthy. We took care of ourselves and our families, often without any help. We saved their lives, even as they threatened ours. We’ve given everything. We’re still doing it, and we will for the foreseeable future, because this won’t end anytime soon. We’re tired. We’re tapped out.
...

Calling people out for being selfish and destructive idiots is not "divisive". Not doing so is enabling the selfish and destructive behavior.

those confirmation bias blogs really fire you up don't they?

However that blog didn't use derogatory language. That's the difference in your rhetoric. You publically call people jerks and idiots. What kind of behavior are you modeling, what example are you setting for younger folks who may be reading this?

That it's OK to bully people? Kids model adult behavior. So yea, you're part of the problem.

Still it is peoples right to not to be vaccinated. Why is that?

I'll tell, because in a free Society you can't round people up against their will without having violated the law. You can't put them into gas chambers and you can't "inject them with a dull needle" (your words).

Your way has been tried and we fought a few wars to stop your kind of wishful behavior.

[mister_coffee]

Also, a bonus youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqUy8915gBg

[mister_coffee]

Another one, titled "You Have Every Right to Be Pissed Off at Anti-Maskers and Vaccine Skeptics"

https://jessicalexicus.medium.com/youre ... 512834bb94

...
They didn’t just decide to disregard common sense once or twice. They’ve done it every single day, going on two years now. They called this pandemic a hoax. They lectured us on individual freedom and personal responsibility. They touted miracle cures. They held rallies. They jeered at us. They gaslit us. They tried to overthrow our government. They accused us of virtue signaling. They griped about cancel culture and victimhood culture, while portraying themselves as the ultimate victims.
...
We can’t forgive someone until they show some sign of genuine remorse for what they’ve done. Hey, maybe you can. Maybe you’re a better person than me, or you can at least pretend.
...
So far, I’ve heard contrite anti-vaxxers admit their mistakes, focusing on what it did to them. They’ve encouraged people to get vaccinated. They’ve thanked God. They’ve thanked their lucky stars. With prodding, they’ve thanked the doctors and nurses who saved their lives.
...
They haven’t said thank you to those of us who continued masking and distancing, even as we were mocked and ridiculed, even as we longed to be around friends and family, or just go to a restaurant for a normal meal, or to the gym for a workout. They owe us. When they got sick with covid, we were the reason there was an open bed for them. We kept ourselves healthy. We took care of ourselves and our families, often without any help. We saved their lives, even as they threatened ours. We’ve given everything. We’re still doing it, and we will for the foreseeable future, because this won’t end anytime soon. We’re tired. We’re tapped out.
...

Calling people out for being selfish and destructive idiots is not "divisive". Not doing so is enabling the selfish and destructive behavior.

[Fun CH]

Kathryn Ivey (Sherman) is a ICU RN in Tennessee who is tried of seeing people die in her hospital's Covid ward. Here she is responding to Texas Governor Gregg Abbott.


"Kathryn Ivey
@kathryniveyy
·
Aug 12
We've tried personal responsibility since the pandemic started and not once (h)as it worked. People had the chance to do the right thing and they didn't. Now the government needs to step in and do it's fucking job so that we can get through this thing."


"Quote Tweet
Greg Abbott
@GregAbbott_TX
· Aug 11
Any school district, public university, or local government official that decides to defy GA-38—which prohibits gov't entities from mandating masks—will be taken to court.

The path forward relies on personal responsibility—not government mandates."

[Fun CH]

I now know two people in the hospital with covid. One is an 11-year-old girl who is now on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma. How do you think her parents feel about all of the people who refused to get vaccinated? Or who refused to wear masks?

This is a more effective approach. You need to appeal to peoples autism in protecting our community. Calling them jerks doesn't do that however.

In your drunk driver analogy that you keep using, that driver is breaking the law and does not have the right to drive. If someone dies as a result of their action the law holds them directly responsible.

That is also true of someone with malicious intent that knowingly spreads a deadly disease that results in death.

However, choosing not to get a vaccine and someone becomes infected as a result, does not make them guilty of murder should the person they infected die.

And guess what, even vaccinated people become ill and can spread the Delta variant. Covid vaccines reduce the chance of serious consequences should you become ill.

Would you "hate" someone who was vaccinated if they infected your hypothetical child?

Its the virus that is killing people. Its the virus that is the enemy not your neighbor who doesn't understand the implications of not being vaccinated, or is afraid of being vaccinated, or is being influenced by political and media hacks.


Oh and to correct my previous post, the last time I flew in an airplane was 1987. Nothing exotic however just to visit parents.

[Fun CH]

...
Now if we could only do something about the folks who preach the need to prevent global climate change but burn jet fuel to fly to Europe and other vacation destinations.

Wait David, that's your MO.

Really? The last time I flew for any reason was in 2018 and the last time I flew to Europe was in 2012.

That was a cheesy and baseless personal attack.

Not intended as a personal attack, but nice try. Just stating facts. We've known that burning fossel fuels is creating a planitary green house effect since 1958.

But you obviously must think that jet-setting around the planet is consistent with the goals of reducing planetary warming?

I don't, and haven't flown since the early 90's when I looked up into a sky full of jet pollution and realized that it can't be good for the planet.

Quote "One of them freely admitted to me that he finally got the vaccine to stop my bitching. His wife thanked me. Just saying."

Too bad someone offered positive reinforcement of your negative behavior. Now you think that your doing good work. And that one person getting the vaccine obviously didn't stop you disrespecting other people's rights.

Quote: "So tell me how well your approach has worked..."

My approach has not been fully implemented by the government yet.

Although there have been steps taken to require vaccinations for school district employees, private employers, government workers and the military.

[mister_coffee]

...
Now if we could only do something about the folks who preach the need to prevent global climate change but burn jet fuel to fly to Europe and other vacation destinations.

Wait David, that's your MO.

Really? The last time I flew for any reason was in 2018 and the last time I flew to Europe was in 2012.

That was a cheesy and baseless personal attack.

You seem to have a strange view of the agency of others. In your world view people have no responsibility for their own actions and somebody else's word makes all the difference in their behavior. Under your logic if I encountered an intoxicated driver, said unkind words to them, and then they proceeded to cause an accident that caused the death of others I would be responsible for those deaths and possibly criminally responsible. To put it politely that is completely nuts.

In the "if its stupid and it works its not stupid" department, two people I know have been persuaded to take the vaccines. Amongst the words I used when they asked me about getting the vaccine were:

"If you don't take the vaccine you are a goddamned fool."

"Think of COVID and the vaccine as an IQ test. One you are currently failing."

"Its your funeral. Literally."

"If you die from COVID I want your Ramer ski poles."

One of them freely admitted to me that he finally got the vaccine to stop my bitching. His wife thanked me. Just saying.

So tell me how well your approach has worked...

[Fun CH]

I think you miss an important moral point. I may be behaving like an obnoxious jerk. In fact, I almost certainly am.

But I am not endangering others. The people "choosing" not to get vaccinated are quite literally killing others.

If the rhetoric causes people to dig in on their position of not becoming vaccinated and as a result they dont become vaccinated, then yes you are contributing to the continuing of this pandemic.

Follow the science. Shaming, blaming and disrespecting your fellow community members on the internet simply does not work.

Now look at the facts. People are not required to get a vaccine. Its their right and that should not change.

I agree that you don't have the right to spread a potentially deadly or destructive disease to others.

However, I do not want to participate in the rounding up of people and forcing vaccines into their arms.

The current situation is in part a failure of government on both sides of the aisle.

As pointed in out another thread you can still fly and travel on interstate Hwys without a vaccine where you can then spread your variant around the country. Why?

Perhaps government authority is waiting for the vaccine to become fully authorized before more societal restrictions are put into place. That is what needs to be done.

And that is where you should spend your angst energy.



Now if we could only do something about the folks who preach the need to prevent global climate change but burn jet fuel to fly to Europe and other vacation destinations.

Wait David, that's your MO.

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

[mister_coffee]

I think you miss an important moral point. I may be behaving like an obnoxious jerk. In fact, I almost certainly am.

But I am not endangering others. The people "choosing" not to get vaccinated are quite literally killing others. I don't see how I owe such people any kindness or patience. And if they double down on their foolishness because I hurt their feelings that doesn't make any of the death my fault and certainly doesn't make them angels or me a devil. Your attempts to construct some kind of false moral equivalency between having a reckless and malevolent disregard for the lives and health of others and saying unkind words to somebody is ridiculous. Nobody is going to die with tubes stuck in them wheezing their last breaths because I called them a bonehead.

In a situation like that, I don't really think being kind or patient or diplomatic is appropriate. As a responsible adult who cares about others your primary effort should be to stop the harm any way you can. My concerns are 100x greater for the people who either can't get vaccinated or who are vulnerable because they are immunocompromised and the vaccine works poorly for them. Misinformed jerks don't have the right to get all of those people sick just because of the foolish ideas they got from random Facebook posts.

I believe that people who do awful things should be shamed and should be made to feel shame. Because being ashamed feels awful and you learn not to repeat the behavior that made you feel awful.

You are not going to accomplish more and change any minds by being kind and patient. That just will exhaust you and while you are exhausted good people will die.

I now know two people in the hospital with covid. One is an 11-year-old girl who is now on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma. How do you think her parents feel about all of the people who refused to get vaccinated? Or who refused to wear masks? If I were in their positions I would hate them.

It would do every anti-vaxx idiot a world of good to look into the face of that little girl and explain themselves to her parents. Or to the parents of the many sick children all over the country.

The only way the death is going to stop is when we mandate vaccinations for all who are medically able to take the vaccine.

I am not wrong to want to see this end.

Anyway, you can always prove me incorrect. Go persuade with kind words and diplomacy and get some of the many people in the valley who refuse vaccination to get the vaccine. If you really can do that then I might consider that there are other ways. Heck, if you tell them that by getting vaccinated they will piss me off I would be all for it, and even act pissed off just to encourage them. Nothing would make me happier than you proving me wrong.

[Fun CH]

What is the purpose of this type of rhetoric?

Is it to persuade people to become vaccinated?

Isn't she just confirming the bias of all the people who want to shame and blame?

Is it eye-for-an-eye time and shaming and blaming people who you all describe as being ignorant?


Does she want us to act the same way as the people she describes?

If we do does'n't that make us ignorant as well?


If we don't treat everyone with respect regardless of how we perceive their treatment of us, doesn't that make us part of the problem?

Or do you believe that acting poorly and disrespecting others rights will achieve the best possible of outcome of encouraging people to become vaccinated in order to defeat this viral attack?

Her way might give you some primitive tribal satisfaction in a self-righteous sort of way, but does disrespecting others have the power of persuasion?

[mister_coffee]

Jessica Wildfire's posts are entertaining and to the point:

https://jessicalexicus.medium.com/a-sum ... 4e535c4519

... and an excerpt:

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 because they 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’re being 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 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.

'nuff said.