How would you feel if a friend went on freedom marches and posted multiple times a day on FB about vaccines, etc?

[Invasionofthegutsnatchers]

Childhood friend of mine lost her job due to covid and has chosen not to be vaccinated as she feels it is unsafe and untested. She fears the government have pushed the vaccines on to people who don't need it in order to gain control of the masses. Why vaccinate healthy children etc.

I disagree, am fully vaccinated and am concerned with what seems to be an obsession she has with attending protests and sharing controversial posts on her feed. There is virtually nothing else on there.

My stance is that yes, the vaccines were accelerated for approval but also a lot of the research already existed due to flu vaccines coming first. Both my children are vaccinated for everything else that was offered to us.

She doesn't believe that vaccines have chips in them or Bill Gates is the lizard master or any of that nonsense but she is clearly unhappy and spending a lot of time online with people who seem to have unconventional views.

* I lose respect for people like this tbh.*

^This. I have a friend who went all crazy with this stuff and I just don’t see her in the same light anymore.

Either counter all her batshit nonsense with rational, researched evidence or unfollow and unfriend on FB so that your other contacts are not exposed to these views and potentially influenced as well. It is the responsible thing to do.

"... so that your other contacts are not exposed to these views and potentially influenced as well. "

That's a really good point. Hadn't thought of that.

Well I'm still friendly with quite a few religious people and yet their 'batshit nonsense' has easily done more damage over the years than a few anti-vaxxers wittering on on Facebook. Intolerance of any even slight variation of opinion seems to be where it's at currently though, so maybe I'm just old fashioned.

OP in the gentlest way possible, it’s their choice to do this, they disagree with your decision as much as you do theirs and yet they seemingly haven’t blocked or deleted you have they?

I have a friend like yours, although mine does believe in Bill Gates microchips and Lizard Kings.

I've known her for most of my life and prior to the pandemic saw her frequently. Apart from her being a bit spiritual, a deep thinker and anti-government, there was nothing to indicate how far she would go with all of the conspiracy theories. It's almost as if she's joined a cult; she posts multiple times a day (all conspiracy and anti-vax posts from questionable sources) and she has insulted and blocked any friends who don't have her viewpoints. She's obsessional about it. The worst thing is that apart from attending protests she doesn't leave her house and dedicates hours a day to her Youtube research.

Our friendship has really suffered, but I feel that there's no bringing her back.

I’d unfollow them and probably stop talking to them IRL. I’d do the same if they went on about being pro vaccine too but ime it’s just those strongly against it that push their views continuously.

@bumbleymummy

I think it’s a bit sad that a very valid cause - protesting against the use of vaccine passports - can get dismissed as anti-vaxx in general or mixed up with conspiracy theory. It is possible for people to be pro-vaccine and against the use of vaccine-passports.

Totally this

I'd snooze her so I didn't see it. Problem solved!

I really don’t have an issue whatever somebody’s views. Each to their own.

What I have noticed, well on mumsnet anyway Is a real horrible nasty tone from both sides but especially from those who have had their injections towards those who have decided not to.

But I would and have snoozed anyone whose tedious and repetitive posts were visible to me multiple times a day.

She's fallen into a cult. A family member has too - won't listen to anything from a fact-checked source because 'MSM', sends links to articles that say the opposite of what she says they do but pointing this out is being narrow minded...

I'm out. If she was a more pleasant person in herself I might have more patience but she's always been a bit of a cow so...

I am baffled by someone I know doing this. I muted her on social media, but I was concerned so I asked to meet for a coffee. She behaved even more irrationally in person and some of the things she said were offensive. We haven’t spoken since.

I believe people can think what they like and post what they like.

I feel people are so vehemently against this particularly re covid, just in case there might be the tiniest possibility the government is using covid to sneak legislation through eg id cards/covid passports.

Not an anti vaxxer, double jagged but beginning to wonder myself.,

@GiantHaystacks2021

I have a friend like this. She's always posting anti covid vax stuff on FB. She puts at least 5 posts a day about it on FB. I think underneath it all, the reason she's anti vax is because she's doctor avoidant due to her morbid obesity. Her fb posts make her look crazy and as if she has no life.

I think we have the same friend. She's pissing me off with her continuing posts. She's v aggressive in her tone and I have silenced her for 30 days. I have poor mental health and cannot be doing with reading her bollocks.

Being alert to governments sneaking legislation through on the back of COVID is rational. The rest of it, not so much

@EwaLilith

Lol

Here you go, luv. Lol, indeed.

“Participants with higher analytic thinking levels were less likely to perceive misinformation about Covid-19 to be accurate,” researchers concluded.

www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/australia/aussies-who-rely-on-gut-instinct-most-likely-to-believe-misinformation-about-covid19/news-story/4a216b9b66c5fa0ce770ebe7629c3154

People who post obsessively on anything get a bit tedious after a while.

I would block their posts until they calmed down a bit, and ask if we could just mutually agree to disagree and avoid discussing the topic when together.

I don't agree with defriending people other than in dire circumstances. It encourages more extreme views in society when people decide to only mix with those who have the same views as themselves. A couple of friends of mine went a little bit off the rails in this way. They've both calmed down a bit. I like to think that being friends with someone who had different opinions to them may have helped them to come to their senses a bit sooner.

I would just snooze/mute them.

I'm double jabbed but strongly against vaccine passports and mandatory jabs. I wouldn't class myself as a conspiracy theorist but I do believe govts would love to maintain this level of control they have over the population.
Not on FB so my thoughts are my own!

Don’t we all have friends like this ?
Just ignore her

I don’t agree
But I also agree that people should and can have their own views

I don't have a single person like this on my social media, funny enough.

I've got plenty of social contacts who basically argue the vaccine should be compulsory, though. I mute them a lot.

Just mute her and move on. Nothing else to be done is there? You can't convince her.

Interesting podcast about why people believe in conspiracy theories podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/34-pizzagate-why-do-people-believe-conspiracy-theories/id1524768655?i=1000528192742

I would be glad she is my friend. That she has a view. That she is engaged. That she has the courage of her convictions even if I dind't agree with her.