Dealing with my dad has helped me maintain (some) empathy- but it helps a lot that he has never bullied, insulted, or cut me off for our differences on this topic.
When I would hear him talk about his position- incredibly afraid of covid, which he views as incredibly deadly, and overwhelmingly in favor of vaccines and vaccine mandates, bo…
Dealing with my dad has helped me maintain (some) empathy- but it helps a lot that he has never bullied, insulted, or cut me off for our differences on this topic.
When I would hear him talk about his position- incredibly afraid of covid, which he views as incredibly deadly, and overwhelmingly in favor of vaccines and vaccine mandates, both of which he believed were 100% effective- two immediate themes would always emerge for me:
1) he has framed it (or, more importantly, it has been framed for him) as being identical to past outbreaks of contagious disease with past vaccines being introduced. The nuances between things like MMR/polio vaccines and covid "vaccines" is lost on him, as they are never presented to him.
2) like the majority of people his age that I interact with, he gets all of his information from one, or at most two, legacy news sources- most commonly CNN or the New York Times and nowhere else. He/they are completely unaware (because it simply doesn't exist in their universe) of independent news sources or non-mainstream journalism (like, say, Project Veritas)- such things are conflated with "Qanon conspiracy theories shared on Facebook," because, again, he/they have never personally seen them and are not motivated to.
Excellent insights, GM, and yes, I think that is the crux of the problem—which means exposing them to credible alternative information in a way they don’t immediately dismiss is the key.
This has been my challenge as well pertaining to opening my daughter's eyes to the scam. First, I must refrain from calling it a scam/plandemic or else she'll flee. Second, I must come across as moderate and still liberal. LOL We were Democrats until very recently. My best tactic as of now is to share a few CDC stats re: IFR, and forward a few articles by either one of the good doctors (Malone, Pierre Kory, McCullough, etc.). Bottom line is that I must bite my tongue and not offer what she calls "my opinion" on the matter. It's exhausting.
I write a bit sarcastically, but it occurs to me this might be a legitimate way to advocate to a Lefty why to oppose vaxx passports: Point out that blacks (perhaps other minorities) have relatively low vaxx uptake rates, can you blame them, based on the legacy of the Tuskegee Experiment? Now in some cities, admission to bars, stores and many other public places requires a vaxx passport? How can that NOT be racial discrimination? Didn't we outlaw that in 1964? Is this what MLK died for? I thought Democrats were the advocates of minority rights!
Haha, I once made a similar argument on Nextdoor after someone made this snide remark in response to my expressing concerns about creeping totalitarianism, censorship, and the like: “You might want to focus your anxiety on voting suppression instead.”
To which I responded (knowing he had an entirely different, bogus propaganda talking point in mind):
“I agree that voting suppression is a serious concern, particularly when certain world leaders are hinting that a vaccine passport may be required for participation in future elections.
“How do you think it will look if three-quarters of the black and brown population is prohibited from voting? They’re already being excluded from businesses and other settings where proof of vaccination is required.
“It’s not an ‘instead of’—it’s just one of a cascade of side effects that spring from the deeper well of authoritarianism.”
———
Needless to say, my comment was quickly censored ;-)
Thank you, Margaret! I'll look them up. I have TONS of data from here, Steve Kirsch, Berenson, the good docs, VAERS, etc. Her reluctance it's not for lack of data, IMO. She's (very) slowly opening her eyes. My greatest feat has been her cancellation of the jab appt at Walgreens over a month ago. Lots of heated arguments, tears, prayers, and calm convos were had. Every day that passes where she doesn't talk about getting the jab is a win for me. I hope that as more boosters are pushed, the agenda will be impossible to ignore. The latest federal judges halting the mandates have given me a lot of hope as well. I'll never lose hope that my kids (17 & 19) will be spared.
That is MAJOR progress with someone who might have been described as a Covidian! Maybe get her RFK’s book for Christmas for the nail in the coffin? :-) Just reading the intro should be enough to hook her.
Dealing with my dad has helped me maintain (some) empathy- but it helps a lot that he has never bullied, insulted, or cut me off for our differences on this topic.
When I would hear him talk about his position- incredibly afraid of covid, which he views as incredibly deadly, and overwhelmingly in favor of vaccines and vaccine mandates, both of which he believed were 100% effective- two immediate themes would always emerge for me:
1) he has framed it (or, more importantly, it has been framed for him) as being identical to past outbreaks of contagious disease with past vaccines being introduced. The nuances between things like MMR/polio vaccines and covid "vaccines" is lost on him, as they are never presented to him.
2) like the majority of people his age that I interact with, he gets all of his information from one, or at most two, legacy news sources- most commonly CNN or the New York Times and nowhere else. He/they are completely unaware (because it simply doesn't exist in their universe) of independent news sources or non-mainstream journalism (like, say, Project Veritas)- such things are conflated with "Qanon conspiracy theories shared on Facebook," because, again, he/they have never personally seen them and are not motivated to.
Excellent insights, GM, and yes, I think that is the crux of the problem—which means exposing them to credible alternative information in a way they don’t immediately dismiss is the key.
This has been my challenge as well pertaining to opening my daughter's eyes to the scam. First, I must refrain from calling it a scam/plandemic or else she'll flee. Second, I must come across as moderate and still liberal. LOL We were Democrats until very recently. My best tactic as of now is to share a few CDC stats re: IFR, and forward a few articles by either one of the good doctors (Malone, Pierre Kory, McCullough, etc.). Bottom line is that I must bite my tongue and not offer what she calls "my opinion" on the matter. It's exhausting.
Totally get it. You might point her to Left Lockdown Sceptics (https://leftlockdownsceptics.com/), Winter Oak Press (https://winteroak.org.uk/acorn/), Nevermore Media (https://nevermore.media/), and Architects for Social Housing (https://architectsforsocialhousing.co.uk/) as examples of leftists pushing back against the narrative.
Addison Reeves is a civil rights attorney who describes herself as a radical leftist and has written one of my favorite articles on why we must resist: “It’s Just … Why I Won’t Submit” (https://off-guardian.org/2021/08/07/its-just-why-i-wont-submit/).
My “Letter to a Scientifically-Minded Friend” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/letter-to-a-scientifically-minded) is also a gentle introduction to the media manipulations we’ve been subjected to, as is “A Primer for the Propagandized: Fear Is the Mind-Killer” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/a-primer-for-the-propagandized).
I write a bit sarcastically, but it occurs to me this might be a legitimate way to advocate to a Lefty why to oppose vaxx passports: Point out that blacks (perhaps other minorities) have relatively low vaxx uptake rates, can you blame them, based on the legacy of the Tuskegee Experiment? Now in some cities, admission to bars, stores and many other public places requires a vaxx passport? How can that NOT be racial discrimination? Didn't we outlaw that in 1964? Is this what MLK died for? I thought Democrats were the advocates of minority rights!
Haha, I once made a similar argument on Nextdoor after someone made this snide remark in response to my expressing concerns about creeping totalitarianism, censorship, and the like: “You might want to focus your anxiety on voting suppression instead.”
To which I responded (knowing he had an entirely different, bogus propaganda talking point in mind):
“I agree that voting suppression is a serious concern, particularly when certain world leaders are hinting that a vaccine passport may be required for participation in future elections.
“According to USAFacts.org (https://usafacts.org/visualizations/covid-vaccine-tracker-states/), 23.73% of blacks have been fully vaccinated to date, not a huge surprise given the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment is still fresh in their minds. Hispanics aren’t far behind at 27.65%.
“How do you think it will look if three-quarters of the black and brown population is prohibited from voting? They’re already being excluded from businesses and other settings where proof of vaccination is required.
“It’s not an ‘instead of’—it’s just one of a cascade of side effects that spring from the deeper well of authoritarianism.”
———
Needless to say, my comment was quickly censored ;-)
Thank you, Margaret! I'll look them up. I have TONS of data from here, Steve Kirsch, Berenson, the good docs, VAERS, etc. Her reluctance it's not for lack of data, IMO. She's (very) slowly opening her eyes. My greatest feat has been her cancellation of the jab appt at Walgreens over a month ago. Lots of heated arguments, tears, prayers, and calm convos were had. Every day that passes where she doesn't talk about getting the jab is a win for me. I hope that as more boosters are pushed, the agenda will be impossible to ignore. The latest federal judges halting the mandates have given me a lot of hope as well. I'll never lose hope that my kids (17 & 19) will be spared.
That is MAJOR progress with someone who might have been described as a Covidian! Maybe get her RFK’s book for Christmas for the nail in the coffin? :-) Just reading the intro should be enough to hook her.
You'll love this: I asked her to buy it for ME as Xmas present!! he he he
Brilliant! 😂