I've largely avoided getting sucked into the "Pro-vax" vs "Anti-vax" debate, as I did with the "Pro-mask" vs "Anti-mask" debate. I was (and am) anti-mask and only did one post on that and generally avoided getting into public discourse regarding same. It truly was a bridge to nowhere. A similar dynamic has unfolded with the vaccine. I am unashamedly anti-vax and wasn't intending to write anything until I heard some moron recently on our local college public radio station.
This man was on with one of the on-air personalities I had heard before. It's basically a format where the two guys banter back and forth about current events, giving light comment and opinion. The one guy whose name I don't remember was involved somehow with the college science department and apparently a referee of local school athletics. Anyway, this dude at some point decided to make it clear that not only was he a pro-vaxer, anyone who wasn't was an idiot (I think his exact word was stupid). He continued his rant by stating that hospital emergency departments were being overrun by this "idiots" as they were constituting the bulk of new Covid cases. He even insinuated that people were dying as they couldn't access treatment because of this situation. Well, the more he talked, the more he cemented his moronic position as as he was spewing both regurgitated progressive views and total ignorance of actual activities as it relates to health care. His most repugnant point (and the straw for this camel's back) was when he suggested that the unvaccinated should not be treated due to their "stupid" decision to not get vaccinated. Essentially: they've made their own beds and should now sleep in them.
To say that it's a shame that this institution of higher learning (ahem), would let this guy spout off is an understatement. Although most colleges are pretty left-leaning (especially in the liberal town I live close to) this babbling fool should have had his mic cut off. It's not so much that he feels this way (I'm sure he's not alone) it's that he besmirched the organization that allowed him the forum. And I'm not interested in rebutting the "science" behind pro/anti vaccines. It doesn't matter because either side can find "experts" on both sides of the debate. Forget about the politics and conspiracy theories too. What I want to speak to are two realities that can't be debated: hypocrisy and long-term effects.
Let me take the second point first as it is cut and dry: Nobody, whether it's Dr. Oz, Dr. Doolittle, Einstein (work with me here), or Oprah knows the long-term effects of these shots. They just don't. And don't think just because the FDA approves them, they're ok; not necessarily. It's easy to research approved drugs that were later taken off the market due to dangerous side effects. And those medications weren't rushed like the Covid ones were.
The hypocrisy requires a bit more explanation and interpretation, but I feel is just as undeniable as the point made in the previous paragraph. Those that feel that unvaccinated people should somehow be relegated to second class citizen status as it relates to their need for emergency care due to Covid are drinking the same Kool-Aid as those who believed the government was acting in our own best interests when Draconian lock-down measures were implemented. That was not the motivation then, and it isn't now; it's all about control. Anyone who equates "stupid" choices to access to health care would have to turn away most of those who show up at emergency rooms. I know, as I work in a hospital emergency room on a regular basis. I don't know how anyone can say making a sober, informed decision to not receive a vaccine that is (here I will borrow a comment I saw on a video chat thread) "...so safe that you have to be threatened to take it - for a disease so deadly you have to be tested to know you have it." is stupid. But I'll play your game and ask what would you call those who present at emergency because:
- they got drunk and had an accident
- hurt because they weren't wearing protective gear
- hurt because they weren't using caution
- they smoke cigarettes
- they use illegal drugs or legal like cannabis
- too reckless (think ice fisherman, skiers, weekend warriors)
- their obesity results in a myriad of health issues
So, therein lies your hypocrisy. I would wager that very few (if any) who believe non-vaxers are stupid, reckless, insensitive types putting everyone else in danger would put any of the afore mentioned in the bullet points in the same category. But those mentioned above endanger the lives of others constantly. Whether it's first responders risking themselves in a rescue, families subjected to drunk drivers, second hand smoke, victims of alcohol/drug induced crimes, or just lazy people driving up the cost of healthcare; let's call a spade a spade.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to treasure the lives and physical bodies we have been given, so those that purposely conduct themselves to contradict this need to do some reflection. Until then, if their silly (let's say sinful, as we all tend to be) behavior lands them in the ER, they should be seen. This certainly applies to someone choosing not to get a needle stuck in their arm so they can be injected with a relatively unknown substance. If going forward people start developing serious health issues related to these vaccines are you going to refer to them as stupid? Well, I guess that would be the height of hypocrisy if you took the poke.
