Bad choices

Blimey, the COVID outbreak at Fanny’s has been linked to more than 200 positive cases now, out of roughly 650-680 people who were there that night.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said it was his understanding that the person in question had earlier been at a cluster event on a Sydney Harbour party boat, ignored advice to isolate for seven days and instead went to the Argyle House nightclub.

He said if that was the case, he’d asked NSW Health to refer the individual to police.

I am beyond stunned that someone would do something something like that.

On that subject, I had an eye narrowing moment while checking my Facebook feed yesterday.

Someone posted this:

*End the divide*

The vaccinated people are scared. They’re scared to get COVID. They’re scared someone they love might get it and possibly die from it. They were worried they might not get to travel again or see their international families. They’re not ignorant or ‘sheeple’ (I loathe that term) – they feel like they’re doing the right thing for themselves and the people around them. This may not have been an easy choice. Unfortunately they might have felt obligated to do so. They might have been scared to get the needle. While you may not agree with them, it’s important to understand WHY these people have made their choice. You may think they’re wrong, but I’m sure you’ve felt scared and afraid before. It feels terrible. We need to have compassion and empathy for people making a hard choice that’s different than yours. The unvaccinated are scared. They’re not inconsiderate monsters who thought “I’m going to try to screw over the rest of the people and not get my vaccine.”They’re worried about long term side affects. They’re worried about their immune systems. They’re afraid of how much the government is stepping in on their personal choices, freedoms and rights. They’re scared they might end up with Bells Palsy, myocarditis, shingles, blood clots, a miscarriage, a heart attack, heart palpitations, profuse unending vomiting, an autoimmune disease activation or death. They’re worried they might never see their international families again. It would be easier to get the shot. It isn’t easy to say no to the shot. While you may not agree with them, it’s important to understand WHY these people have made their choice. You may think they’re wrong, but I’m sure you’ve felt scared and afraid before. It feels terrible. We need to have compassion and empathy for people making a hard choice that’s different than yours. This is NOT the time to turn on each other. It is never the time to do that. Stop the divide. Come together with compassion.

Yeah, nah, I’m not drinking that Kool Aid.

I try to remind myself that I should feel sorry for these people because they have been tricked into joining a cult.

And the reason they’ve chosen not to be vaccinated is because they’ve been scared by skillfully manufactured propaganda that tells them lies about the risks of the vaccines.

The sad irony is that they are running a far greater risk of damaging their health – and the health of others – by not getting vaccinated.

It’s not a “hard” choice they’ve made, it’s an ill-informed one, fuelled by far-right groups with ulterior motives, who are eagerly exploiting fear and social dissatisfaction.

As The Frame notes: “Anti-vaccine groups are not protesting because they believe they can overthrow the medical elite they say is ruining the world. Instead, they use demonstrations as a chance to vent personal frustrations and demand that they can get back to shopping without masks.

“Like a religious cult – albeit without a central, domineering leader – the anti-vaccine movement combines an often contradictory mix of apocalyptic paranoia and irrationalist denial of scientific reality. Its adherents rage against some aspects of the social system, such as the pharmaceutical companies, but politically support authoritarian capitalism and ultra-nationalism. 

“Anti-vaccine ideology is dangerous because it connects feral consumerist narcissism with deeply reactionary political organising.

“Chaos, fear, social divisions and a general sense of collapse are historically the radical right’s greatest allies, making the late capitalist derangement of the anti-vaccine movement a harbinger of potentially even more extreme political cults in the near future.” 

The post that was shared in my Facebook news feed is simply another insidious way that cult leaders are cloaking their divisive poison in a call for compassion.

 Song of the day: Eurythmics “Would I lie to you?”