"Your world is about to shrink to the size of a tweet." (Vaccine mandates)

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:
Rex Huppke
@RexHuppke
I have bad news for the willfully unvaccinated: COVID-19 vaccine mandates are coming, and your world is about to shrink to the size of a tweet.

My column on what’s to come:

Column: COVID-19 vaccine mandates are coming. The willfully unvaccinated are about to see their...
COVID-19 vaccine mandates are coming. The willfully unvaccinated are about to see their world shrink.
chicagotribune.com
6:24 AM · Aug 26, 2021

https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/rex-huppke/ct-vaccine-mandate-covid-coronavirus-mask-florida-chicago-cases-surge-huppke-20210826-4ntjctr65rdylptpd6x3ikr22a-story.html

*snip*

Here’s how the playing field looks right now:

On the side of vaccine and as-needed mask mandates we have a majority of the public, science, the courts, overwhelming evidence of the death and sickness that comes when vaccines and masks aren’t mandated, profit-driven business decisions and a basic understanding of public health.

On the opposing side we have a loud minority of the public with a penchant for hoisting homemade “THIS IS A FREE COUNTRY!” signs while shouting ahistoric things about Nazis at school board meetings, and a wide array of Facebook misinformation that, if read even in part, is likely to kill more brain cells than huffing paint.

It’s not a fair fight, and the anti-mandate/pro-knucklehead side is about to lose, badly. I’d like to say I’m sorry, but I’m not. We’re here because of the screw-anyone-who-isn’t-me selfishness of folks who’ve fought against masks and vaccines and other simple public health tools, so I’ll happily water my begonias with their “WHAT ABOUT MY FREEDOM?!?!” tears.

On Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that all city workers must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15. All Chicago Public Schools teachers and staff have to be vaccinated by the same date.

*snip*

[Mme. Defarge]

1. Cannot happen soon enough!

This is why we can’t have nice things.

Readers respond: We need empathy, not vaccine mandates
By Letters to the editor | The Oregonian
Published: 6:00 a.m.

So how can government and private employers fire people who are scared to get vaccinated? It would be a financial death for breadwinners’ families, making it so that they will lose their job and their house, go without food and be on government assistance. Who will be paying for that? Everyone. Instead of being heartless, have some empathy. If you do, you will create a greater peace.

https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2021/08/readers-respond-we-need-empathy-not-vaccine-mandates.html

[localroger]

3. Sometimes the empathetic thing to do is show tough love

If a fireman is trying to rescue you from a burning building he's not going to show empathy for your fear of heights as he tries to coax you out the window onto the ladder. He's going to forcibly pull you to the only possible route to safety even if you go kicking and screaming. Your fear of the vaccine is not rational. Hundreds of millions of people have taken them, and their rates of hospitilization and death are 1/10 that of unvaccinated people. The worst likely outcome -- and even it is very unlikely -- is that after the shot you might have a few days of mild symptoms. You will not only be saving yourself from the possibility of a nasty outcome (sure it's only 5 percent, but who takes a 5 percent chance of dying when avoiding it is FREE?) but you may be saving an unknowable number of other people who legitimately can't be vaccinated because of their meds, other diseases, or age. Suck it up and get on the goddamn ladder. Those of us on the ground think you're being stupid, and those behind you in the line to be rescued think you're risking their lives for no damn reason.

[aggiesal]

17. You're 100% accurate when you used the Fireman analogy ...

The longer it takes to forcibly pull the person, more dangerous it gets for the Fireman.

Same with COVID, the longer it takes the antiVa clan to get vaccinated, the more dangerous it becomes for the rest of us.
We need to start pulling, whether they like or not.

[Pinback]

20. +1. Another analogy I learned in swim class:

A drowning person will often fight the person trying to rescue them. It’s bizarre behavior, but apparently actually happens often enough that lifeguards and first responders have to train to expect this.

Once you get the person to stop flailing wildly, you can save their life.

[ShazzieB]

23. Very well-stated!

:

[dianaredwing]

14. Afraid of a shot?

Man, these folks need some serious psychological help. There's a helluva lot to be afraid of out there and a shot must be on page 100 or so.

[stillcool]

2. Love the article...

especially the end. The lack of consequences for people making horrible choices is stunning. Goes against my basic belief system...cause and effect.

[Caliman73]

4. It is a good article, however "cause and effect" has not applied for certain populations...

for some time.

The wealthy are rarely faced with cause and effect. The very rare occasions in which they do face an effect for their horrible decisions, is because they maybe stole from other rich people, like Bernie Madoff. Trump is still walking around free, and will likely never see a day behind bars, and he was one of the major proponents of where we are now.

[Delphinus]

5. He doesn't

show where vaccines mandates aren't unconstitutional (unless I missed it) and I think that is key.

[Caliman73]

7. A national vaccine mandate would be problematic. Local ones are the purview of municipalities.

We have had vaccine mandates at the local level for decades. Try to get your kid into school without vaccinations. Certainly, there are exemptions, but there is precedent for public health mandates.

[usaf-vet]

18. WHY? I used to be able to vote by just giving my name and address to the poll worker. NOW...

.... I HAVE TO SHOW a government-approved ID to vote. What happened to my FREEDOM to walk into the same polling place that I have voted in for the last 40 years and vote.

The repugs only like Democracy when it serves their needs.

My dad taught me about my rights when I was a kid. He was really clear about me understanding that my rights END when it infringes on another person's rights.

Sadly this is the part that the anti-VAX people don't seem to understand or CARE ABOUT. Yes, you have a right to refuse to take a vaccine. But in a pandemic with an airborne deadly virus that has already killed 600,000 other citizens, your right to go without a mask and not take the vaccine ENDS when you infect another individual.

You can't take a gun that you may have a right to carry and shoot anyone who comes within 6 feet of you. If you have earned a driver's license and have a car, you can't purposely drive into a crowd and kill people.

Why then should you have the right to unknowingly or knowingly carry a deadly weapon (biological weapon) and kill innocent people?

[Mr.Bill]

11. He did refer to the Supreme Court

being okay with mandates and they are who decides what is constitutional or not,

[stillcool]

9. I'm so stuck on people are people

and no gets out unscathed. But damn it, we have a world of cause and a whole world of effects, just not to the ones doing the causing. There's got to be a part 2.

[Caliman73]

10. From your lips ...

The problem with the concept of "Justice" and fairness that leaves so many people disillusioned, is that the wealthy and powerful never seem to receive anything approximating justice.

The whole idea that "justice is blind" can be argued, is bullshit. People like Trump, like Putin, like Gaetz (so far) have not been subject to consequence. Not like the kid in Chicago that gets 10 years in prison for having a few ounces of weed on him. That kid was not hurting anyone. He was getting ready to get high with some friends. Trump's willful ignorance lead to the death of 600,000 + Americans, yet people actually still listen to the bastard like he has anything important to say.

[dalton99a]

6. Kick

[IronLionZion]

8. These people always wanted to build a wall so now it's a vaccine wall.

Unvaccinated can stay outside until they follow the rules to enter through that big beautiful gate Trump always talked about. The people who don't like the Nazi-style papers please, are undocumented for vaccines and COVID tests.

[ananda]

13. Good for Chicago. I wish that would happen here in Texas.

..

[djm5971]

15. It isn't going to happen in Indianapolis

The mayor already said he cannot enact a vaccine mandate for city workers because the state passed a law making it illegal.
I live in such a crap state.

[peggysue2]

16. Good!

Good for Chicago, good for the entire country. Enough is enough.

You want ignorant and selfish? Fine. Time for you to isolate.

The rest of us (those vaccinated and masking up once again) are out of patience and any/all empathy. We're quite willing to treat the willfully reckless as the pariahs they've chosen to become.

Enjoy your so-called freedom--alone, unemployed and grounded.

[BumRushDaShow]

28. You may not be around long anyway.

[Jim G.]

30. LOL!

Tick Tick Tick...

[uppityperson]

29. How precious. Tell us more.

[calimary]

19. DAYUM! Freakin' BRILLIANT!

I absolutely LOVE the term “willfully unvaccinated.” Perfect description, because nobody’s holding a gun to anybody’s head to forbid their getting vaccinated. On the other hand, these selfish conspiracy-horny idiots ARE doing that to the rest of us who HAVE gotten vaccinated and DO take all the careful steps like wearing masks and minding the social distancing. THEY are the reason the virus is back on offense. THEY are the reason it’s spreading.

I wish the wrong-wing media and blogosphere would be severely sanctioned, lose their platforms, and be put out of business. I wish all those conspiracy-nutcase sites were closed down. ANYTHING and ANYONE actively trafficking in lies and distortions should be facing serious charges and loss of their “freedom-freedom.” Permanently. Response that sends an unavoidable and uncompromising message of serious deterrence. There should be severe penalties for indulging in this. Just as drug trafficking carries consequences, so too, here.

This is, sadly and literally a matter of life and death and requiring a strong response, at least IMO.

And I’ll bet that the loudest yowlers about their “rights” and their “freedoms” that mean more of us are exposed to a virus that can KILL you - will all insist that they’re staunchly “pro-life.”

I am pissed off and thoroughly disgusted by these stupid selfish schmucks. Wonder how many THEY’VE killed by now?

[Beartracks]

21. Make it so.

[Initech]

22. Good. It's time to go nuclear on anti-vaxxers.

No more playing nice. Get the vaccine or else.

[ShazzieB]

24. Go nuclear is right!

I ❤🧡💛💚💙⁰ this opinion piece SOOOOOOO much!!!!!!

[struggle4progress]

27. "Fuck these quacks! I'll just smear blue food coloring on my body & sprinkle MSG in my hair!"