r/politics 17d ago

It's OK to blame the unvaccinated — they are robbing the rest of us of our freedoms

https://www.salon.com/2021/08/12/its-ok-to-blame-the-unvaccinated--they-are-robbing-the-rest-of-us-of-our-freedoms/
51k Upvotes

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652

u/battlebeez Washington 17d ago

Who else do I blame? I wore the mask for almost 2 years now and I am still safe, free of Covid. I did MY part Right?! No. apparently I have to babysit 50% of the rest of the country who are selfish, entitled assholes. I am tired of all of them. I want them to just go away.

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u/240-185 16d ago

Actually, I would distinct two types of unvaccinated:

  • The ones who cannot genuinely get the vaccine because their immune system is so weak that a jab would literally put them in jeopardy. No reason to get mad at them.
  • The ignorants who defy science because reasons and who brag about their freedom after having read Karens on Facebook. These ones deserve all the hate.

I am also mad at a third kind of people I would call the COVID-centrists. They are not anti-vaxx per se, but they adopt a median position telling other people to respect the decisions of the anti-vaxxers, thus making the pandemic last longer in an unvoluntary way.

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u/SamiMadeMeDoIt 16d ago edited 16d ago

How many people genuinely can’t get the vaccine tho?

I feel like that number would be like 5% of unvaccinated people

Edit: I know kids can’t get it. They obviously don’t count because they’re never what people mean when they talk about unvaccinated people

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u/EroniusJoe 16d ago

Without knowing for sure, I'd bet a huge amount of my savings that it's less than 5% of the population. I'm in Ireland, and we have over 70% vaccinated, not including ages 0-16, and that age group makes up nearly 25% of us.

That leaves a very small bit of wiggle room for the immunocompromised, the pregnant, and the fucking asshole idiots. Since the fucking asshole idiots seem to take up a sizable slice, I'm guessing the immunocompromised is a very small portion of the population overall, maybe even less than 1%.

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u/CamelsCannotSew 16d ago

And in Ireland and the UK, the guidance is that unless it's a very high risk pregnancy and your doctor advises you to wait, you should get the vaccine. Every pregnant woman I know has had the vaccine. And I'm in that age group where everyone is pregnant!

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u/opgrrefuoqu 16d ago

Apparently it's good for the kid, as then the baby has some antibodies/protection when born.

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u/bettingmexican 16d ago

How come Ireland is having full hospitals again then?

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u/bonum_mane 16d ago

I have some food allergies that make some vaccines difficult, I have to be somewhat cautious about when I get vaccines. If I am having any issues with my asthma, I have to hold off.

Still got my covid vaccine, too important not to. I just carried an epi for a few days

13

u/Kittens_in_mittens 16d ago

My husband is a transplant patient. Transplant doctors seem a little split on whether or not it is safe for transplant patients to get the vaccine. My husband’s recommended it but I know quite a few whose doctors told them not to get it due to their status.

Also, my husband’s doctor ran a couple antibody tests and we discovered that the vaccine did nothing for him anyway. Due to the anti-rejection meds he is on, his body did not produce antibodies. Even though he is fully vaccinated, he isn’t protected.

1

u/MeloneFxcker 16d ago

Hello, my nan is on immunosuppressant drugs as she is RH arthritis, where are you from and what is the name of the antibody your husband got please? maybe i can look into one for my nan, not that it will help either way, i live with her and it may be better to live in ignorance if she isnt very well protected

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u/Iamsupergoch 16d ago

I couldn’t till recently. I’m pregnant with history of history with issue and doctor only allowed me to get vaccine late last month. I registered the minute I left the praxis. I live in Germany so our recommendations are behind CDC but it’s very, very similar story with fucking anti waxxers here. My hairdresser is one so I’m guessing i need to find a new one :(

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u/minus-30 16d ago

Yes, those anti waxxers really make it a hairy situation ;-)

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u/Iamsupergoch 16d ago

If that was the only problem :)

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u/opgrrefuoqu 16d ago

I switched to a new barber about 6 months ago because my previous one was adamant he'd never get a vaccine.

It's a shame, too. He really did a good job on my hair!

1

u/kingsraddad 16d ago

I ask this in all sincerity and respect. Did you switch in fear he could transmit COVID-19 to you or based on morality factors?

0

u/opgrrefuoqu 16d ago

A combination of things. First off, I try to act in ways that limit the chance that I could be the cause of someone else's death or serious illness. That means masking up, socially distancing, etc. Or, alternatively, making sure people have vaccinated themselves. So a large part is worry that I'd spread something to him, which I would hate myself for.

There's part that I'd catch something from him and not necessarily get really sick, but generally feel like shit and maybe need to isolate/change travel plans/etc. which would be awful.

And then there's part that just generally doesn't want to provide business to/support someone that acts like that. It turned me off him as a person, so I chose to take my business elsewhere. Think of it as shit marketing and a failure of his personal brand.

1

u/kingsraddad 16d ago

Understood. What if he opted out due to religious reasons, would you still hold strong in that decision? Mind you, I am vaccinated but fully believe in the right of every individual to choose. However, I do find immense fulfillment in the opinions on both sides of the issue.

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u/opgrrefuoqu 15d ago

Yes, I would. I don't hold to religion as a reason for actions that defy evidence. I feel the same about tradition, culture, etc.

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u/kingsraddad 12d ago

I don't want to misquote you but would you say it is okay then to discriminate solely on tradition, culture, and religion?

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u/Killfile 16d ago

So... everyone under 12 for starters.

Don't get me wrong - fuck anti-vaxers right in their god-damned eye - but as a parent of three kids who will be first in line the moment pediatric vaccines are available, life's an uphill battle right now.

1

u/sarahch15 16d ago

Agreed. Every 'if you're vaccinated you have nothing to worry about' argument pisses me off beyond belief.

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u/MerryMortician 16d ago

My dad was getting chemo up until a week ago he couldn’t/can’t for a bit still.

1

u/AdmiralWackbar 16d ago

NC CDC director said that it’s fractions of a percent, with an extremely small number unable to ever get the vaccine, with most people not being able to get it at the moment.

1

u/SandyInStLouis 16d ago

My mother cannot get the vaccine. Her doctor was very firm. But also, my mom rarely leaves the house due to medical issues. I get my 2nd jab next week

1

u/fish_on_dude 16d ago

How many people genuinely can’t get the vaccine tho?

100% of kids under 12 can't get the vaccine...

1

u/sarahch15 16d ago

Every person under the age of 12. That's tens of millions of people in the US. Maybe it's not as dangerous for them but they sure can spread it. We need a kids vaccine ASAP.

1

u/happy_dance 16d ago

It's definitely a small portion of the population, but a portion all the same! I work with an individual who has 5 different immunocompromising illnesses who has been advised not to get vaccinated by their physician.

I jumped at getting vaccinated because I do not want to risk the lives of individuals like my coworker. I just couldn't live with the guilt of not doing everything I can to try and try and mitigate this monstrous virus.

-2

u/blueB0wser 16d ago edited 16d ago

Those allergic to penicillin.

Edit: I was mistaken, should have checked before posting that.

1

u/SandyInStLouis 16d ago

I’m allergic to penicillin and I got it but they made me wait in the office for 30 min after

1

u/wifebosspants Illinois 16d ago

Huh? There's nothing related to penicillin in a vaccine. Penicillin is an antibiotic. I'm allergic to penicillin and have never had any sort of concern communicated to me by a medical professional nor have I had any sort of reaction with any vaccine my entire life. I think if someone expressed worry about this they are being overly cautious due to lack of knowledge.

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u/Robo_Joe 16d ago

And children. Everyone keeps forgetting that children under 12 have no vaccine. More care needs to be taken to call out the voluntarily unvaccinated.

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u/NashvilleHot 16d ago

I’m pretty sure everyone who has ire for the unvaccinated is aware of that.

2

u/Robo_Joe 16d ago

Almost certainly at some level, but there's a lot of "let the unvaccinated get sick [and die]" sentiment that glosses over the point. The vaccine doesn't really care if you're voluntarily unvaccinated, or if you're required to be unvaccinated.

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u/idlephase 16d ago

That sentiment is typically reserved for the willingly unvaccinated.

1

u/Robo_Joe 16d ago

Right, which is why I said people should take more care to say that. Also, for that sentiment specifically, there's not really a way to enact any policy that is effectively "let the voluntarily unvaccinated get sick and die" that doesn't also affect the unwillingly unvaccinated as well, which is why the sentiment is only really good at venting frustration, and not much else.

6

u/the-nub 16d ago

Nobody who is angry at the unvaccinated are angry at the ones who are exempt for medical reasons. The anger is for anti-vax.

2

u/MathyChem 16d ago

Also, in many states, children under 18 cannot get vaccinated without parental consent. We shouldn't be punishing people who have awful parents.

1

u/Robo_Joe 16d ago

That's a good point. I hadn't really considered that angle.

3

u/Ok-Squirrel1775 16d ago

That 3rd one really echoes our political landscape, where centrism only aids the oppressive party.

2

u/Sesquapadalian_Gamer 16d ago

Let's not forget Faux "News" and their part in all this

2

u/LuxionQuelloFigo 16d ago

I'd add a third type of unvaccinated, the one I belong to that might be county-specific. See, I'm a 16yo dude living in Italy and here the priority is vaccinating the older population, and it's very hard for me to book an appointment as I'm in the low-priority part of the population. To top it off I just got another vaccine and they told me not to get the COVID one for at least 20 to 30 days, so I'll have to wait even more. I hope I can get it ASAP though

1

u/240-185 16d ago

That was the same problem in France until June.

Hope you will get that vaccine soon!

3

u/FrequentSheepherder3 16d ago

I actually am the most angry at that third type, tbh. This is not an issue of opinions. Everyone's thoughts on the matter are not equally valid. Period. Let's stop pretending they are.

2

u/Testicleezee4SheeZe 16d ago

They are not anti-vaxx per se, but they adopt a median position telling other people to respect the decisions of the anti-vaxxers, thus making the pandemic last longer in an unvoluntary way.

The current crop of vaccines are not going to end the pandemic. They're an important tool in fighting it, but even if everyone rushed out to get a vaccine today COVID would still be with us for the long haul. There are ways to try to get it extinct, but it'll require a lot more than vaccination.

-5

u/Hellayella69 16d ago

How will vaccinations end the pandemic when you can still catch covid even after multiple vaccinations ?

12

u/NashvilleHot 16d ago

Because the chances are 5-8x less of even getting infected, and when infected, much less likely of needing to be hospitalized (I think 25x less) and less likely of passing it on. It’ll hit a dead end or drop to a background level at that point. Without vaccination we’re looking at exponential growth in infections until everyone has been exposed and infected.

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u/240-185 16d ago

A million times this.

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

[deleted]

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u/Equivalent-Tension23 16d ago

Where did he get the data for long term health effects from the 'rona?

Seems like just an antivaxxer in disguise.

2

u/not-a-spoon The Netherlands 16d ago

Nowhere, because there isn't yet. But that seems to be the entire point they were making.

6

u/Philip_J_Frylock Maryland 16d ago

That's not a third category, that's just an anti-vaxxer.

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u/TheCrimsonDagger 16d ago

Such a stupid excuse. Hmm do I risk the possible long term health effects that may or may not even exist from a new medicine or do I risk the known long term health effects that definitively do exist from the virus? Sounds like your coworker just doesn’t want to admit to being an anti vax idiot.

1

u/theoverniter Minnesota 16d ago

I work with a number of these “centrists” (generally older women) who loudly insist that if you’re vaccinated, you have nothing to worry about, so stop being concerned about the ones who aren’t. Uh, no, Linda, that’s not how this pandemic thing works

1

u/murphymc Connecticut 16d ago

That first one is not a large group of people and would be statistically insignificant if everyone else got their shot, the fabled herd immunity.

The second bullet point is the overwhelming majority, and they can go 🦆 themselves.

1

u/Shropsharps 16d ago

That first category doesn’t really exist if you look it up. Especially for the mRNA vaccines, the CDCs recommendation is everyone get it.

1

u/IntroductionDry6767 16d ago

Bro, that last bit is my dad. To a tee. I can’t even fathom how he can get the vaccine (because his family all insisted he did and he finally gave in) but he still says to respect the anti-vaxxers because the vaccine is still “experimental”. He can’t be convinced otherwise.

1

u/MaizeNBlueWaffle New York 16d ago

The ones who cannot genuinely get the vaccine because their immune system is so weak that a jab would literally put them in jeopardy. No reason to get mad at them.

That's such a small number compared to the other category though and I don't think anyone is actually mad at them. They're the ones we are trying to protect along with the rest of society

1

u/Anarchyz11 16d ago

My mom is one of those few who has auto-immune issues and can have bad reactions to vaccines. The worst part about anti-vaxxers for me is that because healthy assholes won't get the damn shot, my mom who genuinely is at risk taking the vaccine is getting it anyway and taking a big risk of reaction because at this point she's fucked either way because not enough people are getting it to build herd immunity.

1

u/npsimons I voted 15d ago edited 15d ago

The ones who cannot genuinely get the vaccine because their immune system is so weak that a jab would literally put them in jeopardy. No reason to get mad at them.

JFC, this is like the fatllogicians claiming "some people are fat due to medical conditions!" Yeah, everyone knows this. No, people aren't blaming those specific people for their predicament. Guess what? They account for an insanely small fraction of a percent of the population, in both cases, so even if you did blame every unvaxxed/fat person you met, you'd have to meet over one thousand of them until you met one that it wasn't their fault.