Did exactly what it was intended to do – engaged with a lot of people, bluntly stating what many are thinking.
Some of the willingly unvaccinated are very good friends, people I admire, respect, and care about. It grieves me to no end that we are so far apart on this issue, and that it has come to this.
The title and some of the language offended a few (out of 2567 subscribers, 21 unsubscribed). While I absolutely do not apologize for my language I do understand why you may have been offended. Long time readers know that I almost never curse on MCM (although I am more profane in person); I think I’ve used profanity fewer than 5 times in over 3500 posts.
On the other side, 8 new subscribers signed up and comments and private emails were overwhelmingly supportive.
What is apparent is this. Anger with the willfully unvaccinated is growing, and for very good reason. Unless you are a Native or Black American or have a legitimate medical issue, you have no valid reason to put your family and friends and the rest of us at risk because you don’t want to get the vaccine.
(Native and Black Americans should absolutely get vaccinated; however knowing how we killed millions of Native Americans and infected Blacks in the name of science one can certainly understand vaccine fears, fears we must overcome.)
You have already been vaccinated to protect you from polio, mumps, measles, rubella, and many other childhood ailments. Many of us have vaccinations protecting us from the flu, tetanus, rabies, shingles and myriad other diseases.
You didn’t rebel, protest, or demonstrate when your kids had to get those vaccinations to attend school.
You didn’t scream and shout when you asked for a shingles vaccine to protect you from this painful and debilitating infection.
No one was outraged when we effectively ended small pox and polio infections through mass vaccinations.
So ask yourself – why are you so angry about COVID vaccines? And be honest. Do not spout meaningless nonsense you read somewhere on Facebook about VAERS or breakthrough infection issues or other blather. We are done refuting arguments that don’t stand up to the most cursory examination.
And I will publicly call out commenters who spout such idiocy.
The reason is tribalism. You and your friends and family have been duped into making COVID a divisive issue, to separate us and push us apart. After 20 months of attempting to educate, inform, discuss and debate, the majority of Americans are fed up with your intransigence, your willful ignorance, your refusal to accept the science.
I have tried and tried and tried again, writing over 120 posts about COVID only to be met with the same tissue-thin arguments based on nothing but a Facebook post.
So, we are done with you.
If you refuse to get vaccinated, then you get to own the consequences of your decision. You tout personal responsibility, you teach your kids to be responsible, you demand it of your elected officials, then fine – you get to:
- lose your job,
- pay for all your COVID-related medical care, and
- be sued for the care of others you infect.
What does this mean for you?
Your decisions have consequences. Own them.
Joe I believe you are a smart man however, I’d like to ask you one question…. since when does a ‘vaccine’ require others to be vaccinated in order for it to work? I get the frustration with hospital beds but forcing a trial vaccine on people which doesn’t expire until 2023 (check the CDC website) using fear tactics and government mandates are the wrong way to get people to comply. The most critical piece of data is the survival rate which continues to be 99%+ so questioning a trial vaccine that will most certainly have long-term ramifications is the right thing to do.
Hello Anthony –
I vehemently disagree. Pfizer is fully approved, J&J and Moderna are approved under EUA, and all have very good documented safety records. I am not sure what you mean by the “survival rate”; the case fatality rate reported by highly credible sources is 1.6%; reversing the percentages indicates 98.4% of those with COVIDF do not die…however this does not take into account other long-term health issues that may well be quite problematic.
So, no, all the necessary questions have been answered – vaccines are safe and effective.
be well, Joe
I wholeheartedly agree with vaccination and want everyone I know to get the vaccine. I could not wait to get mine. I think we also have to find a way to save our hospital systems. And I do not want to lose my unvaccinated friends or family members to this disease. So I would like to add this piece of advice. If you are unvaccinated and think you may have Covid do the following:
1. Get a test immediately, do not wait
2, Isolate so you don’t infect others
3. Go right away and get the monoclonal antibody – Regeneron. It is an infusion of 4 shots. It has been proven very effective at avoiding hospitalizations. You must get it within the first 10 days and before you need oxygen. So do not delay.
Well said Bonnie!
thanks Joe
While I’m not a fan of profanity, I stand beside you 1000%. Thank you for speaking up on this important subject. Be responsible. Get Vaccinated. Wear masks when and where mandated. Period.
Thanks Steve – be well – Joe
Spot On!!
Thanks Michael – be well – Joe
Last year my mom passed from COVID in a nursing home. It was and still is hard to accept she had to die that way. My sister and I both wish she had the opportunity to get a vaccine. Although I am not a fan of cursing, Joe I SOOOO UNDERSTAND YOUR ANGER. My opinion “stop being selfish and get vaccinated”
Thanks Marge – I’m not particularly a fan either, which is why I reserve profanity for special occasions.
be well – Joe
“You cannot reason people out of a position that they did not reason themselves into.” ― Ben Goldacre, Bad Science tags: argument, faith, persuasion, science Read more quotes from Ben Goldacre. Learned this long ago.
John – as always, articulate and on point.
be well – Joe
In the immortal words of news anchor, Howard Beal in the iconic 1976 film, Network… “I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell – ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore! ‘ Things have got to change. But first, you’ve gotta get mad!… You’ve got to say, ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore”! Nuff said.
Well, we updated that for the 2020s!
Thank You for saying what many of us feel. You must have higher quality friends than I do. The people I know who are not getting the vaccine believe the earth is flat and whatever they hear on TV or read from any source can be trusted to be true — they are ignorant regardless of their educational level.
Thanks for the note Luke – I don’t get it either, but I do have good friends and people I respect otherwise who are anti-vaxxers.
be well Joe
Thx Joe – it will be interesting to see what, if any, thoughtful/meaningful reasons for anger about COVID vaccines rise to the top – and if those commenters are open to a real discussion.
Thanks for the note Don. be well Joe
Joe, thanks for yesterday’s and today’s blogs. As you know I agree with you and similarly moved from a place of having faith in reason and respectful engagement to frustration and anger. The posts of anti-vaxxers you shared yesterday highlight the challenge, among other things, of overcoming cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias. Like you, I have a denier friend who I describe as an angel walking among us on earth due to his generosity and selflessness. Sadly years of marinating in Rush L, Fox News, and that ecosystem have corrupted his moral clarity. The good news is that mandates work. The NYT today highlighted data from your state. Thousands of holdouts at NY hospitals and nursing homes received last minute shots before the vaccination mandate hammer came down on Monday. At this point 92% of the state’s hospital and nursing home workers have received at least one vaccine dose. At this point I’m a strong believer that we need to push vaccine mandates consistent with decades of widely accepted public health practice. Thanks again for your efforts, Marc
Thanks for the observations and data Marc…it is indeed encouraging that most healthcare workers in New York are getting vaccinated.
To support your point re mandates…polio (for us old folks) rubella, mumps, measles, and diphtheria are all “mandated” vaccinations that pretty much everyone has had.
If we want to fight, let’s do it over issues where there is room for debate. There is NONE when it comes to COVID vaccinations.
keep fighting the good fight Marc!
Joe
Thank you, Joe, for your blunt words. A relative of mine recently passed away from Covid. He was not vaccinated. He was sick for a week and then straight to the ICU. Three weeks later… after ventilators, feeding tubes, a collapsed lung, and a stroke, he was gone. He was a good man but I can’t look past the fact that he occupied needed hospital resources for a long time. And now, the family is fighting over “mask shaming”, ivermectin, “untested vaccines”, etc. Not only did his death change NO one’s mind, the un-vaxxed in my family are even more convinced of their decisions. I’ve never been so angry and confused.
I am so sorry for your loss Jennifer…especially because it was completely preventable.
I have no advice for you other than stay true to yourself, do not blame yourself for others’ decisions, and detach with love.
be well – Joe
Thanks Joe for your article on this! I, too, can’t believe the people that take a ‘Facebook’ blog over science! First time in my life I’ve experienced politics deciding medical care! The smartest and brightest scientists and physicians in the world have stated over and over the vaccine is one of the safest we’ve ever had for anything and is needed to protect our fellow ‘man’. Whatever happened to the notion, ‘I am my brother’s keeper’? Having come within inches of losing my husband to Covid-19, pre-vaccine, I cringe every time I hear someone thinks this is a ‘hoax’. I share your frustration and want to see all who are physically able, to get their vaccines. Waiting for my Booster as I write this!
Hey Cyndy – great to hear from you and so glad your wonderful husband is recovering…I will miss seeing the two of you this fall.
be well – Joe
I read you column to remain in loop on current managed care matters. This column is way out of line & politically divisive at best. It has been a difficult time for all & I am saddened for those who have become ill, lost loved ones of are having difficulty obtaining needed medical care. You claim the only reason to be hesitant would be to be of African American or Native heritage. That is absurd. What about natural immunity? or the fact that you would rather take your chances with a 99% survival rate vs a new type of “vaccine” ? This discussion should be between patient & physician to determine what is best. It is not up to government to mandate vaccines. And please do not compare a virus with a 99% survival rate Polio or MMR. Furthermore mandate will only stress the system more as healthcare workers & first responders refuse, therefore more staffing shortages and unemployment. This is still America and some of us still believe in our freedoms. If you are vaccinated and it “works” why are you so frightened?
Hello Dana – thanks for the comment. You are, of course, incorrect when you cite “natural immunity” a a reason to not get a vaccine. All credible research indicates previously infected patients greatly benefit from vaccination. If you did actual research you would discover this.
Actually, it is up to governments to mandate vaccines – you can’t go to school without immunizations, you can’t travel to some locations without vaccinations, and pets must have vaccines to be licenses. Those are all “government mandates.”
You still have your “freedom” to be unvaccinated. And with that I’m free of the expense of paying for your medical care. Why is that so frightening for you if you are so confident in your “natural immunity”?
be well – Joe
Thank you. I have zero problems with folks making personal medical decisions. UNLESS they put me and my family in harms way. There is so much misinformation coupled with selfishness that created the current lack of civility.
Excellent point Robin, thanks for commenting.
be well – Joe