Fantastic summary. I went through many of these same intellectual considerations, but I think it ultimately came down to the coercion. When they tried to force it on everyone, I knew something was definitely up. When has a government ever used coercion as a force for good upon its citizens?
This is an outstanding summary of the risk-benefit analysis that many of us did without even realizing it. As the events of the last three years start to fade into a sort of waking-from-nightmare fugue, this kind of record is vital.
While a lot of the above-mentioned reasons factored into my decision, I can think of a few others:
1. The right-brained process of intuition (specifically, that something was very, very wrong) played a role for me. I had a feeling that there was some very large, spiritual dynamic at play here--something along the lines of a test to see who would be deceived, and who wouldn't.
2. The marginalization of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin (which are good early treatment approaches).
3. Telling pregnant women that the vaccine was good for them. (I heard that pregnant women, and women who want to become pregnant, are usually the most protected demographic in medicine, and for good reason).
4. That 95% effective number was just a Relative Risk Reduction figure, not an Absolute Risk Reduction number (which some say it should've been).
All of the above is true for me and my wife (both on our 70s), PLUS the jab wasn’t available yet before we both GOT COVID WITH MILD SYMPTOMS. So adds to the above calculation, we had natural immunity anyway. (Plus, the “experts” kept denigrating natural immunity, and that certainly smelled fishy.)
This is so good. Saving this to share with anyone in my life who would be willing to hear why I chose not to get the shots. I am afraid that most want to forget that this was once a conversation, but in the event they are ready to have some intellectual honesty around it, I’ll have this to share with them as part of the discussion.
This is excellent. I also have one thing to consider which is not very "scientific" but I truly believe that where you get your information matters immensely. I have been a true anti-vaxxer for years. I don't want to go into all the reasons for this viewpoint (but let's say safety studies is only one piece of the argument) but I believe the information sources I read and study (for a lot longer than covid) are far less biased than where I would imagine most people get their information. In the case of covid, I can see why you'd be "all in" if you followed just mainstream news and writers. I would love to see someone study this aspect.
Scott started down the garden path of believing in the vaccines when he disbelieved every single doctor who said that HCQ and Ivermectin were effective at saving people's lives from covid. Once he denied that those are viable alternatives to any vaccine, he was forced to believe the establishment's "one-size-fits-all" solution of a vaccine.
I still can't figure out why Scott was so adamantly against repurposed drugs that showed pretty much unequivocal benefit and very little side effects against covid. I watched his show somewhat regularly in the early days of the pandemic and people did try to convince him that he was wrong on the repurposed drugs, but he kept falling back on, "Then why has no single nation or county beaten covid yet if these drugs are so successful?"
He seems to entirely lack the ability to question the system, which is why at this point I tend to think he's working with the system. He's either directly in the employ of some intelligence agency, or he's surrounded by people in the employ or heavily influenced by those in the employ of some intelligence agency.
This is amazingly well done. Many platitudes here already, but I am adding my own. This is as lucid and complete a piece on the spikeshots as is out there. Thanks for cross-posting this, Justin.
"Even if I were some weird statistical outlier such that COVID might hospitalize me despite my age and good health, then so be it: if it were going to take me, I would not let it take my principles and rights in the meanwhile."
Would you consider it accurate to refer to the above as foundational to your worldview, an a priori assumption, Robin?
I strongly suspect that it is so, which would account for your willingness to suffer or even die, rather than descend into the sordid moral squalor of those embracing calumny and authoritarianism.
Scott Adams' "you won" says nothing about those of us who were saying "whoa, there, this doesn't add up." What there is for him to learn, is what his views can teach him about himself.
The author Andrew Vachss said it best, I think, with his iconic statement that "behavior is truth."
Regardless of how cynically disingenuous the obscurantism of the data has been, that loud rapping noise we've been hearing as peoples' minds snapped shut, has been a lesson in the praxis of self-delusion and induced panic.
Scott makes a distinct category error in saying "you won." In fact, no one has "won" through all of this, not even those who have profited by it. Even they have lost, even if it were nothing more than whatever vestigial traces of human decency that was their God-given portion.
I am currently in the middle of Turtles all the Way Down - and an interesting question comes to mind - what exactly was the placebo for the Covid Vaccine? Was it saline - or was it some other vaccine that could push a baseline of death that would make the statistical significance of it to near zero and help overcome that hurdle?
Standing ovation, especially with the last argument.
When the people who pat themselves on the back, certain that had they lived in Nazi Germany they would have hidden Jews, that they would have sat at lunch counters to protest Jim Crow, that they would have given aid to Harriet Tubman as she helped escaping slaves....
.... when they were willing to yank the stake out of the chest of the vampire of Jim Crow, and let him wander the land again to harass the unvaccinated.... I knew all their above pretentions were bogus.
There are two types of people...
...those who trust government,
...and those who know history.
Fantastic summary. I went through many of these same intellectual considerations, but I think it ultimately came down to the coercion. When they tried to force it on everyone, I knew something was definitely up. When has a government ever used coercion as a force for good upon its citizens?
This is an outstanding summary of the risk-benefit analysis that many of us did without even realizing it. As the events of the last three years start to fade into a sort of waking-from-nightmare fugue, this kind of record is vital.
While a lot of the above-mentioned reasons factored into my decision, I can think of a few others:
1. The right-brained process of intuition (specifically, that something was very, very wrong) played a role for me. I had a feeling that there was some very large, spiritual dynamic at play here--something along the lines of a test to see who would be deceived, and who wouldn't.
2. The marginalization of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin (which are good early treatment approaches).
3. Telling pregnant women that the vaccine was good for them. (I heard that pregnant women, and women who want to become pregnant, are usually the most protected demographic in medicine, and for good reason).
4. That 95% effective number was just a Relative Risk Reduction figure, not an Absolute Risk Reduction number (which some say it should've been).
All of the above is true for me and my wife (both on our 70s), PLUS the jab wasn’t available yet before we both GOT COVID WITH MILD SYMPTOMS. So adds to the above calculation, we had natural immunity anyway. (Plus, the “experts” kept denigrating natural immunity, and that certainly smelled fishy.)
I became vaccine hesitant before they had even announced they had a vaccine. In March of 2020 I was searching info on how far out a vaccine was, I was aware of Event 201 so I looked in their website, this is what I found, go to the second page, last two paragraphs. https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/exercises/event201/event201-resources/mcm-fact-sheet-191009.pdf
This is so good. Saving this to share with anyone in my life who would be willing to hear why I chose not to get the shots. I am afraid that most want to forget that this was once a conversation, but in the event they are ready to have some intellectual honesty around it, I’ll have this to share with them as part of the discussion.
This is excellent. I also have one thing to consider which is not very "scientific" but I truly believe that where you get your information matters immensely. I have been a true anti-vaxxer for years. I don't want to go into all the reasons for this viewpoint (but let's say safety studies is only one piece of the argument) but I believe the information sources I read and study (for a lot longer than covid) are far less biased than where I would imagine most people get their information. In the case of covid, I can see why you'd be "all in" if you followed just mainstream news and writers. I would love to see someone study this aspect.
Well written summary! Thank you. You outlined my logic for not getting the vax way better than I could even do it myself. 😉
My favorite line, “if it were going to take me, I would not let it take my principles and rights in the meanwhile.”👏
Scott started down the garden path of believing in the vaccines when he disbelieved every single doctor who said that HCQ and Ivermectin were effective at saving people's lives from covid. Once he denied that those are viable alternatives to any vaccine, he was forced to believe the establishment's "one-size-fits-all" solution of a vaccine.
I still can't figure out why Scott was so adamantly against repurposed drugs that showed pretty much unequivocal benefit and very little side effects against covid. I watched his show somewhat regularly in the early days of the pandemic and people did try to convince him that he was wrong on the repurposed drugs, but he kept falling back on, "Then why has no single nation or county beaten covid yet if these drugs are so successful?"
He seems to entirely lack the ability to question the system, which is why at this point I tend to think he's working with the system. He's either directly in the employ of some intelligence agency, or he's surrounded by people in the employ or heavily influenced by those in the employ of some intelligence agency.
This is amazingly well done. Many platitudes here already, but I am adding my own. This is as lucid and complete a piece on the spikeshots as is out there. Thanks for cross-posting this, Justin.
"Even if I were some weird statistical outlier such that COVID might hospitalize me despite my age and good health, then so be it: if it were going to take me, I would not let it take my principles and rights in the meanwhile."
Would you consider it accurate to refer to the above as foundational to your worldview, an a priori assumption, Robin?
I strongly suspect that it is so, which would account for your willingness to suffer or even die, rather than descend into the sordid moral squalor of those embracing calumny and authoritarianism.
Scott Adams' "you won" says nothing about those of us who were saying "whoa, there, this doesn't add up." What there is for him to learn, is what his views can teach him about himself.
The author Andrew Vachss said it best, I think, with his iconic statement that "behavior is truth."
Regardless of how cynically disingenuous the obscurantism of the data has been, that loud rapping noise we've been hearing as peoples' minds snapped shut, has been a lesson in the praxis of self-delusion and induced panic.
Scott makes a distinct category error in saying "you won." In fact, no one has "won" through all of this, not even those who have profited by it. Even they have lost, even if it were nothing more than whatever vestigial traces of human decency that was their God-given portion.
Thanks for the re-post, Justin.
Excellent!! Your article summarized everything that I have thought! I feel special that I got it right! 🇺🇸🇺🇸
My reasons.. Pompeo saying we were in a live Military Exercise... Experimental and Warp Speed!!
I am currently in the middle of Turtles all the Way Down - and an interesting question comes to mind - what exactly was the placebo for the Covid Vaccine? Was it saline - or was it some other vaccine that could push a baseline of death that would make the statistical significance of it to near zero and help overcome that hurdle?
Standing ovation, especially with the last argument.
When the people who pat themselves on the back, certain that had they lived in Nazi Germany they would have hidden Jews, that they would have sat at lunch counters to protest Jim Crow, that they would have given aid to Harriet Tubman as she helped escaping slaves....
.... when they were willing to yank the stake out of the chest of the vampire of Jim Crow, and let him wander the land again to harass the unvaccinated.... I knew all their above pretentions were bogus.