It’s hard to discuss mental health in America without discussing physical health in America — especially not while you’re still in a pandemic. And this means talking about vaccines.
Today we found out that the talking wig who used to sit in the highest office of the land, otherwise known as the 45th President of the United States, one Donald J. Trump, was secretly vaccinated, alongside the First Lady, all the way back in January.
Considering vaccine skepticism among Trump’s devout followers, or, to put it another way, his cult members, the secrecy is particularly egregious. And do please spare me the “Who cares if Trump cult members die from the virus, Natalia” garbage. Because, even if you don’t care about the brainwashed, and a lot of us don’t have the capacity to, those brainwashed are still going to infect others.
With Texas opening back up again completely, and lifting its mask mandate, the race to vaccinate more and more people is truly on. It doesn’t make any sense, but then again, this country of ours hasn’t made sense that much lately. We’re in recovery from Trump now, with many people, Texas politicians included, trying to piggyback on his so-called legacy — and that means turning issues of public health into culture war issues, while trying to look as tough as possible.
I’ll give Trump this — at least he told his fans to get vaccinated while speaking at CPAC. How many lives could he alone have saved if he had done that sooner? A lot, probably, but at this point, it’s not like people even care.
So what to do about continued vaccine skepticism? I’d like to eventually release a detailed guide on the matter — given that I’m pretty good around issues of disinformation and how it works, and the anti-vax movement is one of the purest and most egregious forms of disinformation out there — but for now I’d just like to point out that arguing about it doesn’t work. It especially isn’t going to work in an environment when everyone is suffering from extreme pandemic fatigue.
March 2020 has now lasted for a year, as the jokes and memes go. Piling more negativity on people is NOT going to help them think clearly and rationally right now.
So, when trying to convince your relatives to get the jab, go with positivity instead. Share cute selfies of yourself as you get the shot. Go with Dolly Parton, who has finally shown us what those cold shoulder tops and dresses have been for all along:
Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine. @VUMChealth pic.twitter.com/JMPQb6zJWd
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 2, 2021
Show people beefcake politicians taking their shirts off to get their shot. Even Ukraine’s President is in on it, going the extra mile and taking off the entire shirt in the process:
https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1366703130776383489
Yes, this approach is not entirely serious, but a lot of people can’t take serious right now. Can you blame them?
While we are at it, so called “vaccine cops” on the internet and elsewhere really need to tone it down. Many places are beginning to vaccinate younger people with underlying conditions — and this means that hall monitors are getting very excited, trying to name and shame people allegedly skipping the line.
Line-skipping has happened and it is bound to happen — and yes, it is shameful. On the other hand, not every one of us “looks” like we need a vaccine. I have an underlying condition and was told by my doctor’s office to book a vaccine appointment as soon as possible. You wouldn’t know about my condition if you looked at me (well, not unless I’m curled up in pain as the result of it, and even that’s not a given).
Our shaming culture has been terrible for some time, but it’s a particular health hazard right now.
Just stop it. Stop trying to scare people away from getting the care they need. Do something useful with yourself instead. If you can’t do something useful, just go outside, if you can. The season is turning, and so is the tide.
Image credit: DoroT Schenk