D&D and the rising pandemic

[Cadence]

Got my son signed up for COVID Vax later this week when he turns 12. I wonder if there will be a mini-rush of those who were waiting for it to have official FDA approval.

The VAMS system over here that some places need you to register at requires a different e-mail for each registrant. I'm picturing how obnoxious this will be when families with several kids need to create multiple new e-mail addresses just to sign them up. Luckily a lot of places are just walk-in or use a different system.

 

[Umbran]

Of course, through the lens of the conspiracy theorists and others suspicious of the vaccines, this withdrawal was seen as “censorship“ in the service of “Big Pharma‘s” interests, and some have started taking the veterinary formulation of the drug .

And generating poison control calls which end up... you guessed it, at the hospitals.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

So I see something like this ...

Dying in the Name of Vaccine Freedom

You might want to take a deep breath or do a couple of laps around the house before watching this video about a community in the

kottke.org

And I ask myself, how does this even happen?

And then I see something like this ...

Study: Evolution now accepted by majority of Americans

The level of public acceptance of evolution in the United States is now solidly above the halfway mark, according to a new study based on a series of national public opinion surveys conducted over the last 35 years. "From 1985 to 2010, there was a statistical dead heat between acceptance and reje

news.umich.edu

And I'm like ... yep, checks out.

 

[Umbran]

So I see something like this ...

Powerful stuff, that.

The infuriating thing is that these people are all about personal freedom, but...
1) They are really only about their own freedom - if someone else makes a personal choice, they will not be kind about it.
2) They do not acknowledge that freedoms come with attendant responsibilities.

There may have been a time when Americans woudl coe together in times of crisis, and care for one another. That time is not now.

 

[billd91]

There may have been a time when Americans woudl coe together in times of crisis, and care for one another. That time is not now.

If only the coronavirus would, I don't know, bomb Pearl Harbor or something...

 

[Ryujin]

Powerful stuff, that.

The infuriating thing is that these people are all about personal freedom, but...
1) They are really only about their own freedom - if someone else makes a personal choice, they will not be kind about it.
2) They do not acknowledge that freedoms come with attendant responsibilities.

There may have been a time when Americans woudl coe together in times of crisis, and care for one another. That time is not now.

Weren't you aware that their person freedom extends to telling you what to do?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

There may have been a time when Americans woudl coe together in times of crisis, and care for one another. That time is not now.

I mentioned waaaaaaay upthread that I had a glimmer of hope when Trump tried to cast himself as analogous to a wartime president in dealing with the pandemic, thinking he’s going to suggest it’s time for Americans to pull together, You know, typical wartime presidential rhetoric. He was so close.

Aaaand he did the opposite.

Anywho, that OpEd vid was depressing, but not surprising. Bad understanding of science, bad theological arguments, bad understanding of rights vs duties- stuff I’m seeing in my personal circle of family and (former) friends. It was all there. As I listened, I had all the counter arguments at my mental fingertips, knowing full well how ineffective they are. My personal experiences with that were pretty much predicted by my training in mediation. It’s nigh impossible to convince someone to change someone’s position when it has become virtually synonymous with their personal identity. And that’s where we are.

There was an article I wish I could find now. Another OpEd piece, this, written by someone who suggested that the way to handle stuff like this is to treat it like an evangelical opportunity. Don’t use facts, work on emotions. Etc. The writer made a lot of good points.

 

[Imaculata]

You are not alone in your anger and frustration. Reddit has a topic called the HermanCainAward, for a list of articles of people dying from covid right after refusing vaccination (sort of like the Darwin awards, but for covid deniers and anti vaxers). And it might seem improper to make fun of people dying, until you realize how these people also cause the deaths of others and allow the epidemic to spread, and then a whole lot of sympathy goes out the window.

Like this one woman who attended an anti-vax rally, the day after her husband died from covid. You'd think such a tragedy would be a wake up call, and you'd be wrong.

 

[Umbran]

It’s nigh impossible to convince someone to change someone’s position when it has become virtually synonymous with their personal identity. And that’s where we are.

Precisely.

There was an article I wish I could find now. Another OpEd piece, this, written by someone who suggested that the way to handle stuff like this is to treat it like an evangelical opportunity. Don’t use facts, work on emotions. Etc. The writer made a lot of good points.

Or, well, use the vernacular of the time. Set aside some vaccine, rebrand it Hyrdroxiverzinc or soemthing, and say, "Friends! Here's the stuff that They don't want you to know about! Big Pharma and the FDA don't want to talk about it, but it will SPERCHARGE your immune system, and make covid fears a thing of the past...."

(Note intentional misspelling of "supercharge". It adds folksy verisimilitude.)

 

[Umbran]

Weren't you aware that their person freedom extends to telling you what to do?

I need an emoji that combines:


and