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I met a real life full on anti vaxxer today

298 replies

shiningcuckoo · 22/12/2021 08:22

And some of her opinions were so out there and aggressive I had to walk away. Apparently if we hadn't vaccinated against measles we'd all be ok because measles provides immunity. And actually measles never hurt anyone. And polio never hurt anyone either. People being seriously ill was a conspiracy designed to get us to accept vaccines back in the day, al" heading towards the greatest conspiracy of all and that is population control and the existence of Covid. She apparently knows loads of "elders" who nursed people through polio. Apparently it's very mild. I asked her to define "elders" and she talked about my generation. My generation were vaccinated. No one had polio, never mind nursed others. And there is no Covid in Africa. And no Covid in Nepal. She knows this because she once went on holiday to Nepal. And she is applying to remove her children from Steiner to homeschool them because vaccinated teachers (it's mandatory here) are a poor moral example. Either that or are being forced . When I said that I didn't know a single teacher who had been vaccinated against their will (and I know loads having been a teacher for 20 years) she said that was just my opinion and one opinion counted for nothing. I had to leave her company.

OP posts:
Pinkypenguin · 22/12/2021 09:31

I can understand once you follow one FB or Twitter post like this you can get sucked into a whole world of half truths, straw men and conspiracy theories.

I've got a FB 'friend' on there, nice chap but obsessed with all this. He thinks he's somehow saving the world.

He posts things every time some young person dies, implying it must be down to the vaccine, without any evidence of what they died from: cancer, suicide, car accident, we don't know. But yes, it happens at the same time people are getting the vaccine, so there must be a causal relationship (without even knowing if these people are vaccinated!).

But I guess if you follow lots of these people and you read enough about the sinister machinations of Bill Gates, then you might get sucked in to start believing all of it.

Also, I think people have somehow been socialised into believing that if you 'feel' something is right, then it must be true, even if all the evidence goes against it. So they can't be argued out of it because you can't argue with someone's feelings.

Finally I think it gives a strong sense of belonging and status. They're all the true believers and everyone else is just delusional sheeple.

covidhater · 22/12/2021 09:32

Ignore ha I have fallen out with a friend as kept hearing it

SueSaid · 22/12/2021 09:34

'I had the 'pleasure' of speaking to one at work a few months ago. She was lovely and then all of a sudden started spouting shite'

Exactly! Just keep your unvaccinated status and strange theories to yourself thanks very much.

LynetteScavo · 22/12/2021 09:35

I'm late forties and a boy in my class at school couldn't walk because he'd had Polio. I don't know if he's been vaccinated or not, but I was very keen for my own DC to be vaccinated for Polio.

If people don't want what they don't understand squirted into their own or their children's bodies that's up to them, but why spout utter crap on the subject?

vera99 · 22/12/2021 09:36

Here is one he says you can't argue with 'stupid'. They are lost souls I'm afraid too far gone to bring back. Thankfully they are a small percentage of the unvaxxed.

DwightShrutesgirlfriend · 22/12/2021 09:37

My cousin is full on conspiracy theory, idolises David Icke, thinks the royal family are all lizards, covid is a hoax, etc. I've realised there's absolutely no point trying to have a logical conversation with him because he has an answer for everything. When I told him my views on Covid, he said I would say that because my husband is one of the 'elite' - who knew!! Confused Now, on the very rare occasions I can't avoid seeing him, I just nod and smile or he would drive me insane.

rc22 · 22/12/2021 09:37

My DH's uncle had measles as a happy, healthy five year old and suffered severe brain damage. He could never live independently.

Fuuuuuckit · 22/12/2021 09:38

The only true antivaxxer I met (opinions developed since March 2020,very anti-mask and covid denier) sadly died in November, covid complications, horrible way to go, wife and kids will never be the same.

As pp say, life is indeed too short.

godmum56 · 22/12/2021 09:38

@PAFMO

Cancel her forthwith. Life's too short. I've got a "friend" who believes in some sort of vibrational therapy thingy. Apparently if she "imbues" a phial of special water with the Covid "imprint", and somebody holds it in their hand, the "imprint" enters their immune system. She tests this by getting you to hold the special water up in the air in your hand, then she suddenly brings her own hand down on your arm. If your arm falls (like it's going to, because you aren't expecting it) it's not worked yet, so you have to have another session. Second time around, she finds resistance in your arm (nothing to do with you knowing what's coming at all at all, oh no) and it means you have immunity. She's been at it for years, but obviously Covid is like all her Christmasses have come at once. She homeschools because teachers told her son off.
oh i know about this. It used to be a "popular " way of testing for allergies.
Iamtheweedonkey · 22/12/2021 09:38

In my secondary school 80/90's my French teacher was a polio survivor, she had terrible trouble walking. I had measles when I was 10 it affected my eyesight, one eye in particular.

Lindy2 · 22/12/2021 09:39

I know 1 antivaxer. He currently has Covid for the second time.

Mreggsworth · 22/12/2021 09:40

A friend of mine thinks covid was man made originated in the UK to detract from Brexit. And all the other countries world wide are in on it. Because apparently it makes sense to shut the world down because the UK wanted them to so they could get Brexit sorted in peace? ..also the vaccines don't work, the only reason deaths didnt continue to rise is because "everyone who was going to die of it did in the first wave".

godmum56 · 22/12/2021 09:41

one of my work colleagues' husbands had polio as a child and had some disabilities because of it. then in his 40's he got post polio syndrome and the disabilities got worse. www.nhs.uk/conditions/post-polio-syndrome/

vera99 · 22/12/2021 09:42

I knew Jehovah witnesses are controversially opposed to blood transfusions so was surprised to see they are on message with vaccination as it would be approved by God !

www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jw-vaccines-immunization/

SunflowersInTheShade · 22/12/2021 09:44

People forget how bad it was and get something to fight against.

I have cousins who lost their legs to polio. My mother in law refused to put up baby pictures before 5 years - it's bad luck... almost asking for trouble. But here in the West, these kinds of things are no longer in social memory. Once you forget the bad stuff that used to be. Olden days get the rose tinted glasses.

Dontgetyerknicksinatwist · 22/12/2021 09:47

There was a large vaccination event at our local community hub recently and there were a load of anti vaxers lined up outside shouting abuse at the people queuing up to get their jabs.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 22/12/2021 09:47

My parents used to know Piers Corbyn (my dad taught him at Imperial). They say he has always got fixated on things and then been completely impervious to reason.

Corbyn is old enough to remember the effects of polio so he has absolutely no fucking excuse Angry

vera99 · 22/12/2021 09:48

In another era a great little Pathe news from the era - no social media to muddy the narrative.

AudTheDeepAndCrispAndEven · 22/12/2021 09:48

@PAFMO Kinesiology? I had a friend that went a bit strange with this. She's now swapped it for full on Christianity going by her Facebook posts.

Dontgetyerknicksinatwist · 22/12/2021 09:54

Tell them to go to any graveyard and check out the number of child graves pre vaccination times. Children used to die all the time from diseases that we rarely have to worry about anymore thanks to vaccination. I thank my lucky stars that my children are protected. These people are either thick or complete fantasists.

Lovemusic33 · 22/12/2021 09:56

I know a few, some seem a bit crazy with their views others not so much.

I wasn’t vaccinated as a child, ended up have measles when I was 3/4, also had mumps and whooping cough quite badly and rubella when I was a tween. Back in the early 80’s it was thought there was a link between vaccines and epilepsy which is why I wasn’t vaccinated (several family members have epilepsy). I do believe my immune system is pretty good possibly due to my childhood but it’s not a risk I would want to take with my own kids.

Slobberstops · 22/12/2021 09:57

One of my friends has been swept up in it all. It’s sad as it is robbing her of her fun snd friendships snd most of all her relationship with her daughter. Instead of the me rides snd days out she is at home researching and posting rubbish on SM. It’s a mental health issue - I feel like she is lost and now doesn’t want to be doing anything that she used to with the ‘sheep’ or the ‘asleep’.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 22/12/2021 09:59

@Dontgetyerknicksinatwist

Tell them to go to any graveyard and check out the number of child graves pre vaccination times. Children used to die all the time from diseases that we rarely have to worry about anymore thanks to vaccination. I thank my lucky stars that my children are protected. These people are either thick or complete fantasists.
They have an answer to that one. They will tell you it’s all because of better hygiene and nutrition. I remember Mumsnetters claiming that back in the last wave of antivaxxing with the Wakefield/MMR thing.
NdujaWannaDance · 22/12/2021 09:59

**

You read my mind.

NeedAHoliday2021 · 22/12/2021 10:00

I’m baffled that people feel the world leaders are as well-coordinated as to organise this as a conspiracy. Gives the government far to much credit.

While I don’t generally go with conspiracies, I could be convinced that the lab in wuhan was trying to make a virus to kill off the elderly. Chinese control on birth numbers and concerns over overpopulation make me feel that that is a possibility. That doesn’t mean we don’t need a vaccine and the vaccine doesn’t make a difference.