Why is it acceptable to be angry with people who don’t want the vaccine?

[Wuishj]

I’ve had both. I didn’t want them initially but after looking into it more, I decided to have them and think it’s the right thing.

But I would never be angry, rude, dismissive of someone who didn’t want the vaccine. I’m finding these discussions very draining - they happen at work, among friends, on the news. Whatever happened to allowing people to decide for themselves as to whether they want to book an appointment and have a needle injected into them?

Honestly, I don’t think it’s the right thing not to have the vaccine but i am astonished at how narrow minded people are that they cannot respect the decision of other people. I think if everyone backed off from blaming other people then they might find that more people DID end up having the vaccine.

Rant over!

Obesity is self inflicted through addiction. As is drinking and smoking.

They aren’t doubling every day and infecting other people. That’s the difference.

It's time to heavily restrict the people who are unvaccinated by choice and let the rest of us get on with life

I've asked this time and again but nobody ever addresses it, so I'll try again ...

Sources such as the Lancet and BMJ tell us that large numbers of those choosing to refuse vaccination belong to ethnic minorities, who many of us feel are already marginalised enough

So how do you feel such a policy would work if it disproportionately impacts those already disadvantaged? And if tried, how could it be enforced when even the enforcement of lockdown was considered inappropriate in some areas?

@TheDailyCarbunkle

I didn't realise that people believed the pandemic would be over and restrictions would end if everyone was vaccinated. That explains a lot. I'd be angry too if I believed that.

You have to say this is a very clever designed narrative. They must studied the human psychology. The same narrative was used on Aids patients in the 90s, isn't. Just shows the importance of critical thinking. I felt the recent cancel culture and fear of "offend people" reduced our ability to ask questions and individual thinking. Me included. Maybe the pandemic is a wakeup call.

The narrative around 'anti-vaxxers' has actually been very cleverly done. There have been a lot of articles about false information and conspiracy theories - and those do exist - but in actual fact the amount of false information out there is very minimal (based on actual detailed research I've done around this for a related subject). It's a tactic that I haven't come across before, which is to write concerned pieces about how awful it is that so much wrong information is being spread around and how terrible it is that there are so many misinformed 'anti-vaxxers.' It's very effective because it immediately discredits anyone who has totally legitimate questions or concerns about the vaccine before they even open their mouths. It stops all discussion and debate - you just get the vaccine or you're awful. Simple as that. And people go along with it, it really works.

Look at the hell the AZ jab takers have gone thorugh where we know they now have next to no immunity from Omicron so need more

What hell? My first two vaccines were AZ and the only side effect I had was a slightly sore arm for a couple of days.

But the majority are through addiction🤷🏼‍♀️ But even if they’re not, the cases aren’t doubling every 2 days and infecting people.

@AlfonsoTheUnrepentant

Look at the hell the AZ jab takers have gone thorugh where we know they now have next to no immunity from Omicron so need more

What hell? My first two vaccines were AZ and the only side effect I had was a slightly sore arm for a couple of days.

Yes, what hell was this? I must have missed the Dante-esque inferno that comes from getting two jabs that saved me from Delta. I then went and got the booster that will give me protection from Omicron. All 3 took me less than 30 minutes ( I was lucky) and I had side effects for about a day at the most.

Because important, time critical surgery for cancer and other conditions is being cancelled all over the shop because ITUs are full of unvaccinated people who likely wouldn't be there otherwise.

Everyone is just furious about everything these days. It seems to be what we do. I think we get egged on by social media; I don’t think we were all so angry without it.

It's really bloody irritating to see the AZ vaccine categorised as "hell." It is a non-profit vaccine which did a good job at the time and saved millions of people in developing countries from Alpha and Delta. To whine that it is now ineffective against Omicron is the height of first world privilege, especially when you haven't even had the damn vaccine! Yes, we would all have liked to get what is now seen as the most effective vaccine: Pfizer. No, we couldn't all have had it.

"Because people should do things to help others and society and not be so selfish."

Yes , people should do things to help others and society and not be selfish but not when it comes to health matters. Imo, when it comes to health matters you must do what's best for you and yours only. You shouldn't be injecting anything into your body if you are not 100% comfortable with it just because it is for the greater good, and I say this as someone who is double vaccinated. Of course people are selfish, everyone is in varying degrees and it's human nature. If people aren't then there wouldn't have been a bogroll and pasta shortage last year or a fuel shortage this year. People who get annoyed with those who are unvaxxed are the real selfish ones as they think they can live their lives the way want to if everyone gets vaccinated , and think it's okay to berate the unvaxxed for not facilitating this.

@thewhatsit

Everyone is just furious about everything these days. It seems to be what we do. I think we get egged on by social media; I don’t think we were all so angry without it.

Well of course. Humans are tribal by nature, and inevitably form echo chambers.

The internet and by extension, social media, article comments, other online interactive spaces, allow for the creation of tribes and groups that could never have formed pre-internet, and even more importantly, allows for those groups to come in contact with other groups that they never would have been able to come into contact with pre-internet.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

Obesity is self inflicted through addiction. As is drinking and smoking.

They aren’t doubling every day and infecting other people. That’s the difference.

Yes, this is the crucial point.

Government health strategies already tackles those issues. We have incredibly high taxes on certain products designed to make it harder for people to drink to excess or smoke. Government health policy is heavily focused on tackling obesity.

People are being deliberately obtuse if they claim to not understand the difference between long-term societal issues and a sudden wave of a virus that overwhelms the health service. They are not comparable.

If only tackling obesity, addiction and smoking was as easy as 3 quick injections! And yes if you were necking 4 bottles of vodka a day and a 30 min, no side effects vaccine cured it, I would think you're an idiot saying no. In that case I also think government would have long ago cut health support to those who refused. But for some reason we have to keep pandering to the anti-vaxxer barmy army.

Puzzledandpissedoff
Sources such as the Lancet and BMJ tell us that large numbers of those choosing to refuse vaccination belong to ethnic minorities, who many of us feel are already marginalised enough

Can you post a link? I’m not disbelieving by the way, my research was around educational outcomes which did include ethnic minorities. I know people automatically cite racism and there will be an an element, I’m an ethnic minority myself, I’m wondering if educational levels and vaccine take up will correlate with the ethnic minority data on educational outcomes.

@JanisMoplin

It's really bloody irritating to see the AZ vaccine categorised as "hell." It is a non-profit vaccine which did a good job at the time and saved millions of people in developing countries from Alpha and Delta. To whine that it is now ineffective against Omicron is the height of first world privilege, especially when you haven't even had the damn vaccine! Yes, we would all have liked to get what is now seen as the most effective vaccine: Pfizer. No, we couldn't all have had it.

I think the 68 people who died as a result of the AZ vaccine (as of 1st July, it's hard to get more up to date numbers) and their families, would classify the AZ vaccine as 'hell,' as would the 389 people who had very serious clotting reactions from it.

Thanks for all the replies to my OP.

I wrote this on another post, but I’ll repeat it here:

I have a phobia of needles and medical procedures. I’m also scared of vaccines in general.
I haven’t been to the dentist in over 12 years, I’ve never had a smear test.
I find invasive treatments extremely triggering and needles are a part of that for me.
I’m trying to get help with this and have a counselling appointment on Friday. I don’t think I have a low IQ and I’m not selfish, I volunteer for a mental health charity, as well as having ASD myself.

I always try to be a good person, but I feel like I’m going to be ostracised from society because I can’t physically have the vaccine.
To be honest it’s starting to make me feel suicidal. If you need three jabs to be fully vaccinated currently, if and when the covid pass happens, I’ll be unable to participate in my mental health voluntary work or meet my friend for coffee and cake because I assume I won’t be allowed in.

Even if I manage to find the courage to have one vaccine, I won’t be able to have the other two until spring at least, the thought of having three close together makes me feel very unwell and mentally, I’m not sure how I’ll cope with that. Then possibly by the time I’ve had my third , if I do, then there might be a fourth and so on, I’ll be forever catching up and missing out on the only things that keep me going in the process sad I know it’s my own fault for being scared / phobic but I’m starting to feel extremely low about it all.

Not sure about the exact numbers-haven't checked recently-but millions more have been saved by it in just about every nation, especially poor nations. There is such a thing as benefits outweighing risk and AZ has proved that, according to just about every scientific authority across the world. Covid has caused far more clots and deaths than AZ.

@Honeyhorse

Thanks for all the replies to my OP.

I wrote this on another post, but I’ll repeat it here:

I have a phobia of needles and medical procedures. I’m also scared of vaccines in general.
I haven’t been to the dentist in over 12 years, I’ve never had a smear test.
I find invasive treatments extremely triggering and needles are a part of that for me.
I’m trying to get help with this and have a counselling appointment on Friday. I don’t think I have a low IQ and I’m not selfish, I volunteer for a mental health charity, as well as having ASD myself.

I always try to be a good person, but I feel like I’m going to be ostracised from society because I can’t physically have the vaccine.
To be honest it’s starting to make me feel suicidal. If you need three jabs to be fully vaccinated currently, if and when the covid pass happens, I’ll be unable to participate in my mental health voluntary work or meet my friend for coffee and cake because I assume I won’t be allowed in.

Even if I manage to find the courage to have one vaccine, I won’t be able to have the other two until spring at least, the thought of having three close together makes me feel very unwell and mentally, I’m not sure how I’ll cope with that. Then possibly by the time I’ve had my third , if I do, then there might be a fourth and so on, I’ll be forever catching up and missing out on the only things that keep me going in the process sad I know it’s my own fault for being scared / phobic but I’m starting to feel extremely low about it all.

Sending a hug to you, please please don't blame yourself. Do what you feel comfortable. The time is already hard enough, don't beat yourself up. Wish you the best. @Honeyhorse

I have Asperger's and got both vaccines and the booster. Being on the spectrum has nothing to do with being vaccinated.