Is it Selfish to Say No?

Making unpopular decisions is not fun. I know that pretty well right now. Those who are vaccine hesitant have health and liberty elements to consider. Selfish? It's complicated.

Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it, but that's the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice.

Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth

I've been thinking a lot about the king's edict from last Thursday. What it now means for me and for my family. I've also been looking at comment sections to gauge how the de facto mandate has been received by both sides. I've actually been pleasantly surprised by the amount of people who genuinely seem to be against it whether they are vaccinated or not. I'm not vaccinated for COVID-19. That's my first time overtly saying what I've very obviously alluded to over the last few weeks on this website. Do you think less of me now? If so, I'm sorry. I think that's too bad. Not getting this specific vaccine should not be stigmatized. It should be normalized.

One of the reactions I get when people find out at that I'm not vaccinated is some form of "well you must be some crazy Trump supporter then, right?"

1. No. I'm not.

2. Why is my political ideology relevant to a health decision?

It's baffling to me how we've made so many policy perspectives so binary that any decision one forms leads to people who don't understand that decision quickly downloading a programmed caricature of a sentient being to fill in the rest of the unknown worldview about that person? It don’t get it. It's so shitty and lazy. A common opinion that I've seen online from vaccine proponents is a point about the selfishness of the unvaccinated. Maybe fair. Maybe not. Let’s dive in. Is it selfish to say no?

I think there are two different ways that we can look at the refusal to get the shot. The first and most obvious is the health choice. In this way, one's decision about getting vaccinated or not is very much a decision for one's self. Solely judging that decision through this prism of public health will likely lead those who are vaccinated to believe those who are unvaccinated are acting selfishly. I understand that interpretation and I can't say it's totally wrong even though it's mostly wrong. Don't agree? What if the proponents of mitigating the impact of climate change decide one day that a pregnant woman who wants to give birth must get an abortion instead for the greater good of our planet and our livability on it? Is this different fundamentally? I don't think anybody in this country would advocate for forced abortions. If you're not for forced abortions in the name of public health, you probably shouldn't be for forced injections either.

Here's my promise to you; I will always be philosophically consistent. And if you ever catch me not doing that, call me on it. I've already made my case about the vaccines in my articles The Wrong Side of History and Vaccine Mandates Are Not About Health. I made my stance on COVID pretty clear in Cost of Isolation. I stand by everything I said in those three posts. The perspective that I believe is more important at this juncture is that of personal liberty. It is the right of the individual to make choices about their own body. Beyond that, nobody is entitled to somebody else doing something for them. That is indisputable natural truth. The problem is too few really comprehend this truth. But we can see it manifesting everywhere.

Think healthcare is a human right? Sorry, you're wrong. Good healthcare is great. I wish everybody had access to it, genuinely. That doesn't mean it's a right. Nobody is entitled to the services of a nurse or doctor. Why? Because (for now) nurses and doctors are free people not slaves. We're seeing that play out in real time. Hospitals all over are dealing with a worker shortage problem. Forcing nurses to choose between the jab to keep their jobs or leave to maintain their bodily autonomy might not go as planned. The powers that be may have miscalculated how many are willing to just walk from their jobs to preserve their freedom.

That's the element of this that can't be understated. When puppets get in front of a national audience and say things like "this is not about freedom or personal choice," that would be an incorrect take. That's precisely what this is now about for millions of people. You don't submit your autonomy to the state during a crisis and then get it back when the crisis is over. Few things are more permanent than temporary government programs. Whether the vaccinated masses realize it or not, this isn't actually about health for many of the unvaccinated at this point in time. It's about protecting our rights as individuals to not need a "hall pass" to take a dump during English class. That may or may not be appropriate in 3rd grade. It is certainly not appropriate for adults in a free society to require a vaccination passport to go to a restaurant or to enjoy a baseball game. If you're vaccinated and you're still worried about the disease, don't go out. It's that simple.

You can be pro-injection and anti-passport at the same time. That is a totally justifiable position. The issue is many of the unvaccinated don't believe the government can be trusted. If the state is allowed the power to make passports mandatory in an emergency, the passports might "work so well" that they'll just become permanent and with expanded use. And why wouldn't skeptics take this view? First we were told masks were bad. Then we were told to wear them at all times. First it was crush the curve. Then they tried to cancel the holidays so that little Billy doesn't accidently kill grandma. In 2019, Fauci was saying the best way to avoid infectious disease was to to just make better health decisions.

"good diet... get some exercise... get good sleep. The normal low-tech healthy things are the best thing that you can do to stay healthy."

Anthony Fauci, 2019

He said this after laughing at the notion of wearing masks to protect from infectious disease. I'm not joking. Watch the video if you don't believe me. The only thing consistent about the messaging from the institutions is that the messaging has been inconsistent. This does not foster trust. And it shouldn't!

Is it possible that the unvaccinated are making more than just a statement about health or big pharma? Is it possible they're making a statement amount liberty and the right to decide for oneself. I think it is. I wish more people understood that and actually supported it rather than villainized it. Because fighting for freedom is usually viewed as a good thing. It's usually viewed as selfless not selfish. Maybe it isn't saying no to a vaccine. Maybe now it really is as simple as saying no to tyranny. Not just for me, but for you too. If not now, when?

Of all the things that were said last Thursday by the "leader of the free world," the one that should be replayed over and over again everywhere is this:

"We must protect the vaccinated from the unvaccinated."

Fuhrer Biden

Aren't the vaccines supposed to do that?