I would have thought that a deadly pandemic would have united the human race to a common cause to defeat an enemy killing so many people. However, instead of the pandemic joining us, it divided us even further.
The evidence shows that the vaccine reduces your overall chances of dying by a considerable amount. Nevertheless, I daily see attacks on the vaccine as if it were some sort of plague. People have a right to make poor choices, but the amount of misinformation is vast, which affects people's ability to make decisions.
If COVID had a smallpox death rate then I don't think there would be any argument. Everybody would be lining up for the vaccine, regardless of any potential side effects. However, a death rate of 1% (or less) is still pretty significant if you or a loved one is the one who dies.
This has caused me to reflect on why humans are so irrational. I am seeing what I think is a common factor in how people make decisions. This ties into politics. I have long noticed people are much more intense about the things that they are opposed to. I am calling this the "boogeyman factor." The thinking is that those people over there are going to do something that we don't like so we are going to fight them no matter what. People naturally focus more on adverse outcomes because fear is the most powerful motivator. On the other hand, if you are a happy person who has few worries, which is almost no one, then you might not have much need for politics.
In our current era, we have become very tribal, with no middle ground or nuance. Ask anyone, regardless of party, about politics and they will name at least one evil person that needs to be defeated. It is human nature to need an enemy that we can fight, and in recent years we will vilify just about anyone.
When it comes to the vaccine there are quite a few "boogeymen", whether that be Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates, "big pharma", or the government. There are a great many people who are thoroughly convinced that evil forces are trying to hurt us, by one means or another, so they are unwilling even to consider the vaccine because it comes from an evil source.
Once people make up their minds, confirmation bias becomes very strong. They will look only at evidence that supports their position while ignoring evidence to the contrary.
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Best wishes,
John Coffey
The evidence shows that the vaccine reduces your overall chances of dying by a considerable amount. Nevertheless, I daily see attacks on the vaccine as if it were some sort of plague. People have a right to make poor choices, but the amount of misinformation is vast, which affects people's ability to make decisions.
If COVID had a smallpox death rate then I don't think there would be any argument. Everybody would be lining up for the vaccine, regardless of any potential side effects. However, a death rate of 1% (or less) is still pretty significant if you or a loved one is the one who dies.
This has caused me to reflect on why humans are so irrational. I am seeing what I think is a common factor in how people make decisions. This ties into politics. I have long noticed people are much more intense about the things that they are opposed to. I am calling this the "boogeyman factor." The thinking is that those people over there are going to do something that we don't like so we are going to fight them no matter what. People naturally focus more on adverse outcomes because fear is the most powerful motivator. On the other hand, if you are a happy person who has few worries, which is almost no one, then you might not have much need for politics.
In our current era, we have become very tribal, with no middle ground or nuance. Ask anyone, regardless of party, about politics and they will name at least one evil person that needs to be defeated. It is human nature to need an enemy that we can fight, and in recent years we will vilify just about anyone.
When it comes to the vaccine there are quite a few "boogeymen", whether that be Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates, "big pharma", or the government. There are a great many people who are thoroughly convinced that evil forces are trying to hurt us, by one means or another, so they are unwilling even to consider the vaccine because it comes from an evil source.
Once people make up their minds, confirmation bias becomes very strong. They will look only at evidence that supports their position while ignoring evidence to the contrary.
--
Best wishes,
John Coffey
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