When it comes to spreading disinformation about climate change or the risks of smoking, I can clearly see how it protects economic interests (e.g. the value of the assets of the fossil fuel industry or the tobacco industry). I therefore understand that these lies are (have been) regularly pushed by people who do not necessarily believe in them.
But what are the strategic considerations behind the active spread of anti-vax theories? Who gains from this? Is it just an effective topic to rile up a political base? Because it hits people right in the feels? Is it just a way to bring people together on one topic, in order to use that political base for other purposes?
Or is anti-vax disinformation really only pushed by people who believe it?
True. By that point for me, I had gotten it as had the wife. So we knew the outcome for our particular situations.
Don’t get me wrong. A buddy of mine had cancer in September of 2021 and on his Rec I got a vaccine to go see him and make peace.
And agree. There’s a significant percentage of folks with hypertension, one of the biggest comobidities.
I think my point is, this was an event where things like healthcare choices no longer became personal for large swaths of folks opinions. Not something I could really agree with. Especially once it was clear herd immunity wasn’t ever gonna happen. In the same way I think abortion is a medical and personal decision that the government and employers don’t really have any business regulating. My employer had contact traces that would ask deeply personal questions, like sleeping arrangements at home, and if I hugged my wife. I told them my wife was fine and was out mowing the grass and they reported me for violating isolation protocol. We live on multiple acres……
Well that is over the top. We didn’t have anything like that where I live.
It was. And luckily cooler heads prevailed. As soon as someone with some power was brought in it was dismissed, they were annoyed for wasting time and resources.