If you don't want to be called names for not wanting to be vaccinated, I'd appreciate it if you don't call those of us who do "sheep." You claim not to like the word, but you do use it. You can stand by the research you've done, but don't tell me I haven't done mine. We come from some different positions here, but what I like about this thread is that it respects the notion that not everything is known, out there, and that there are nuances to we how approach it.
I think he’s referring to those who haven’t done their research, those who just blindly trust “the science” which is presented to them by official government figures and who blindly do what they’re told and then attack others who won’t do the same.
I tend to agree with him on this, because I’ve seen it over here a lot, people screeching about “anti-vaxxers” killing granny, and generally using loaded terms to try make others feel guilty because they haven’t chosen to toe the line.
I’m beginning to notice that with covid, that within the bigger scheme of things, there are two small but loud camps which are identical to each other, almost in the way the typically opposing tribes in politics actually are the same creature. They behave the same, albeit under different flags. And it’s this, that when covid came and everything changed, some people looked for an authority to tell them it’ll be okay. Some of these people looked to the government, and it’s health tsars, and they dutifully recite the official mantras as their reason for doing what they’re doing: “we’re helping others, to keep everyone safe, and The Science says
this and so the effect will be
this and it’s the people who aren’t doing what they’re told are causing all the trouble.”
The opposite tribe have gone a different direction, and believe nothing the government and the health tsars say, but this tribe take scepticism to an extreme, they see bad will everywhere, and most importantly, some even buy into the most bizarre conspiracies and find their sheltering authority there.
What makes these two small groups the same is that neither have done due diligence for themselves, they’re accepting what they’re told, or read, without question. They don’t seek out the opposing argument to their theory, to see if what they believe makes sense. So there are the same sheep-like unquestioning sort of people on both sides.
What’s good in this thread is that everyone is pulling up stats and querying everything they’re told, some finding good in government, others finding governments to be their usual unreliable selfs. I would tend towards violent scepticism of our governments, because I don’t see good leaders anywhere on the world stage, but I do see a lot of unelected career bureaucrats suddenly loving their moment in the limelight. I tend to put our ridiculous, farcical position in Ireland down to a fatal lack of talent, imagination, and integrity. Bad combo if you’re trying to lead, it causes bad faith among the people who you rely on to follow your orders. But I see governments repeating this everywhere across the western world.
The EU president yesterday complained that 150 million people in the EU aren’t vaccinated, and that we should consider mandatory vaccinations for them. But has she not wondered why they’re not vaccinated? Surely she can’t be so dull, and unaware that in a democracy we ask questions, that she’s forgotten to ask people why they’re not vaccinated? Does she really believe we want to live in a world where people are tyrannically forced to take a jab that their conscience swears blind is bad for them? 150 million people is a lot of people!
But she can be that dull, unfortunately, and she is. “People disobey me? Force them now!” We never thought we’d live in this world, but it’s coming. At the same time, it’s a difficult time to govern and get this right - we need better leaders, but we’re stuck with what we have..,