View allAll Photos Tagged antivaxxer
Just one of many scenes captured during the 18-19 months of lockdown (England, UK). Eerily foreboding is the historical and beautiful grounds of Newstead Abbey; usually a steady bustle of locals and tourists is visibly closed for business under this brooding sky.
Created using: Topaz Labs, and Topaz Studio
One hour and 15 minutes after the last image I posted the demonstration was still going strong on the streets of Manchester. The demo consisted of a various number of smaller demonstration groups amalgamated into one. Basically the protesters were marching against the Covid19 vaccine: Anti-vaxxers, Jobs over jabs, Right to choose to have the jab, Don’t vaccinate children, Mandatory jabbing, NHS and their rights, Medical Apartheid and much more; you name it, they were there; even a group to ‘Defund the BBC’ as was pointed to me by Bert CR . I think that group was jumping on a bigger bandwagon. This image was captured on Oxford Street in the City Centre.
Anti-Vaxxers demonstrating through Manchester City Centre. I’ve not heard the word ‘Apartheid’ used in a medical sense before but I suppose in this case it works….!
Arachtober 06
My sort of magic! - I love the beauty of a scatterscape that just appears and finds me. This sort of photography feels somehow like foraging (which i love!) ...& then I get the privilege of being the one that shares it on Flickr & I like that too - like feeding the cooked mushrooms or berries to family and friends.
But i do realise that magic is definitely the wrong term for this and am reflecting on the word magic.
Complex/hard to understand/impressive stuff seems like magic. so easy for people to look at complexity and get sucked into magic/supernatural belief/conspiracy theories - In our current 2020 year this seems more than ever
I see so much misinformation/conspiracy theory/superstition/supernatural belief on twitter/facebook & it is depressing/alarming/hard to understand to me.
The scientific method is the tried and tested way to work out truth but it doesn’t actually come naturally to humans. We have to learn that it works & we seem to be disregarding it recently.
Anti-science, anti-authority, anti-state is rife and gives us covid-crazyness, antivaxxers, evolution denial, AIDS denial climate change denial and more.
It seems to me that the easier information/facts/informed commentary are to find, the worse people get at sifting and using it. & the more people feel it is ok to follow a narrative that appeals to their attitude rather than an evidence trail.
& so hard to tackle it and depressingly, whatever you say, "they" just find a “ah but..” to move the goalposts. I watch folks in twitter challenge and explain and then get ground down by obfuscation/abuse/certainty/making up "facts"
Have you ever heard of Brandolini's principle? (bullshit asymmetry principle)?
From wiki: "The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it." – in essence it so simple to say something wrong/provocative/misleading
but it is a massive effort to refute/disprove/challenge -
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandolini%27s_law
My sense is that all this 2020 distrust of expertise and science, the popularity of conspiracy theories and superstition/religion represent the the biggest threats to public health/environmental survival for our species and planet at present.
((most of the above based on a brief & unplanned email exchange about covid beliefs and mistrust in the middle of a very busy afternoon at work, this afternoon but it stayed in my head driving home this evening.))
Flickr is the crystallization of my stream of consciousness. I need to have that handy
Barry McGuire - Eve Of Destruction
Part of the mass demonstration in Manchester, this section is protesting on behalf of the ‘NHS’ and ‘Care Home’ workers who are losing their jobs because they refuse to be Covid-19 vaccinated.
A large group of anti-COVID-vaccine protesters came into Vancouver's downtown February 5, 2022 to show 'solidarity' with a small minority of Canadian truck drivers who don't like Canada's policy of requiring truck drivers to be vaccinated in order to cross back into Canada.
Here is the interesting part: Canadian truck drivers who want to transport a load into the United States of America have to be vaccinated per American law. So a Canadian truck driver would already be vaccinated if they were driving back into Canada; they couldn't have left the country otherwise. In essence, the truck drivers causing all the problems don't even drive to the USA. It is an issue that doesn't even affect them. And their so called "supporters" are just the same ignorant anti-vaxxers who are co-opting this non-issue in order to cause more problems for people who believe in science based medicine.
5 people from both sides were arrested throughout the day.
These people think they are smart;
They refuse to be jabbed, and use their religion to support themselves.
They go around in groups and forget that they had 4 jabs when they were children.
It’s dangerous to ignore the science!
& Vaccine Protest, 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, California
Ecclesiastes 5:6
Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?
An angry protester confronts the police, Anti-Lockdown demonstration, Downing Street, London, 29 August 2020
This is a series of images from one of the 'Free in the NT' protest marches in Darwin City. These weekly marches were held weekly to protest the vaccination mandates, mask wearing and a whole host a conspiracy theories and nutter ideas. Although the march included some pretty tragically misguided people, there was a serious element a absolute nutters, trying to find some kind of personal relevance in the world. As you can see from some of the signage - they weren't above opening displaying a wide range of nutty ideas and conspiracies. Ironically they continued to image that more and more of the local community would join them, although, as weeks went by, their numbers, relevance and credibility dropped.
I currently have six members of my family infected with Covid and the worst affected is the one who did not have the vaccination.
I currently have six members of my family infected with Covid and the worst affected is the one who did not have the vaccination.
This day included a WTF moment.
Covidiots were out in high drama at Memorial Park by White Rock’s museum building.
Definition of Covidiots:
Someone who ignores the warnings regarding public health or safety.
Basically, a covidiot doesn’t take COVID-19 and the risks of the virus seriously, despite what government officials and the global health community say.
At the same time, they may also engage in selfish behavior that doesn’t look out for the greater good when it comes to slowing down and stopping the spread of the coronavirus.
A list of Covidiot symptoms:
* Extraordinary sense of self importance - ego on steroids, oh yeh.
* Generally low I.Q. - who added this trait, but - - -
* Naturally attracted to toilet paper - in large quantities.
* Predominant diet of pasta - more selfish hoarding behaviour.
* Has no idea of personal space - and do you smell bad, back off.
Treatment: No effective anti-idiot drug currently available.
Enough frivolity.
Here we are, a year and counting, with COVID-19 “D” variant slithering down our air passageway and these dam idiots come along and spew their shit. Give your head a shake you blockheads.
Remember, on social media, myths spreed deeper and faster than truth. Even small exposure to falsehoods make people less likely to want a COVID-19 vaccine shot.
Apparently two thirds of unvaccinated adults believe at least one vaccine lie. The outcomes of believing in pseudo-science, deception, bogus health-care claims, scams, misinformation and fake doctors can be catastrophic.
The poor dears are so tired of covering their mouths and noses. We hear this constantly.
Infringing on their rights, get real, how about my right to be protected from you. You selfish shitheads. If you don't like the mask, you definitely won't like the ventilator.
It’s time for governments (politicians) to grow a spine and get tough. There needs to be consequences for not getting vaccinated.
To make one thing clear, vaccinated people are not as likely to get and spread the coronavirus as unvaccinated people. Vaccines work remarkably well.
I pity the heath care workers, emergency responders and business employees who already face enough risks on the job without having to worry about these imbeciles they have to deal with on a daily basis.
Give these people a break you dickheads, just put on a damn mask when required and go get vaccinated, immediately.
Poor babies. These malcontents are God Dam lucky they weren't living during the 1918 flu pandemic.
It is estimated one-third of the world’s population became infected with this virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the United States.
Mortality was high in people younger than 5 years old, 20-40 years old, and 65 years plus. The high mortality in healthy people, including the 20-40 year age group, was a unique feature of this pandemic.
With no vaccine to protect against influenza infection and no antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections associated with influenza infections, control efforts worldwide were limited to non-pharmaceutical interventions such as isolation, quarantine, good personal hygiene, use of disinfectants, and limitations of public gatherings.
And here we are today with a proven, effective vaccine defence and yet too many “intelligent” (?) assholes are ignoring the plea to get vaccinated or wear masks.
It’s good a shift by companies & some governments are taking the lead on requiring employees be vaccinated before returning to the office environment.
It’s high time for a national vaccine immunization certificate.
If they or any of the loved ones of this bunch of malcontents wind up in hospital with COVID-19, just maybe they’ll figure out what assholes holes they are. Oh yes, they will expect and receive the best of public health care regardless.
OK, if you have a legitimate medial exemption (a hand written note from your veterinary doesn’t qualify) as to why you can not be vaccinated, you are absolved.
We are in a race against the clock to vaccinate enough people to avoid a fourth wave of the pandemic - come on go get vaccinated!!
Guess what, the latest US figures from CDC show 99% of current USA COVID deaths are people unvaccinated, Canada’s statistics are not much different.
You super spreading dummies, go get a vaccine. The pandemic has become a pandemic of the unvaccinated.
Jesus H Christ, don’t get me started.
And do not forget, COVID variant “L” is waiting in the wings to surge into a variant of concern and we are only a few variants away that will evade existing vaccines.
“It sounds like you're fearful of the possible side effects of the vaccine. And that makes sense.".
Not on your life but let’s humour you anyway.
"It seems like you don't trust the pharmaceutical companies that are producing the vaccines. I understand that"
"You're worried that we don't have long-term data on the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines. I get that."
“It sounds like you and I want people to be both healthy and free from coercion. And this virus is sort of pitting those values against each other, and I'm coming down more strongly on the side of health, and you appear to value freedom more.
I hear your concerns about your health. And actually, I'm in favor of vaccination because I think it will give us all more freedom."
Go get yourself vaccinated.
Vancouver Sun 19 August 2021:
By Pete McMartin:
Enough is enough. I'm done with all of the COVID-19 skeptics
Opinion: I’m done with those whose ignorance of science is so profound and intractable that, rather than heeding the advice of scientists, doctors and virologists, they put their trust in celebrities, politicians and quacks.
Pete McMartin is done with those who are so mentally lazy that they refuse to trust in anything beyond hearsay, urban legend, apocrypha, conservative wing-nut provocateurs and the whole digital witch-doctor network of chat rooms, Facebook forums and the first hit that pops up on their Google searches that are designed to reaffirm their ignorance rather than challenge it.
Enough.
I’m done.
I’m done with those whose fear of vaccinations arises from studies that were long ago peer-disproved and retracted.
I’m done with those whose ignorance of science is so profound and intractable that, rather than heeding the advice of scientists, doctors and virologists, they put their trust in celebrities, politicians and quacks who, unable to tell the difference between their outsized egos and reality, and who in the face of reason and the damage they leave in their wake, continue to spout self-aggrandizing bullshit in the dangerous belief that their notoriety somehow gives them a platform from which to spout lies to a credulous public.
I’m done with those who are so mentally lazy that they refuse to trust in anything beyond hearsay, urban legend, apocrypha, conservative wing-nut provocateurs and the whole digital witch-doctor network of chat rooms, Facebook forums and the first hit that pops up on their Google searches that are designed to reaffirm their ignorance rather than challenge it.
I’m done with those who believe political beliefs are the same thing as incontrovertible facts.
I’m done with those who demonize science and scientists.
I’m done with those who are so fuelled by their sense of resentment that they see the ongoing pandemic as a manifestation of class war rather than a war against reason, which they themselves have prosecuted.
I’m done with those who believe we all have our version of reality, because no, we don’t all have our own version of reality. Singular undeniable realities exist. The earth is round. COVID-19 has killed millions. There are no microchips in vaccines. Vaccines are not designed by governments, Bill Gates or the Illuminati to harvest your DNA, track your movements or enslave you. There is no conspiracy here other than the one designed to save your miserable, undeserving life. That is reality. Deal with it.
I’m done with conspiracies and those who believe in them. You think the world believes you are important enough to conspire against? Believe me, it doesn’t.
I’m done with those whose fear of vaccinations is so rigid and unthinking that, as an unintended consequence of their ignorance, they would drag us back into the Third World by helping to resuscitate polio and whooping cough and mumps and measles — all those diseases that used to kill and maim children by the hundreds of thousands not three generations ago. They do this even though they had been vaccinated in their youth for those very things, and they would do this while the citizens of the Third World, begging for vaccines, are dying by the thousands.
I’m done with any person, government or business that would coddle anti-vaxxers, or who, like desperate parents trying to entice a spoiled child to eat his vegetables, would offer them tax breaks, lottery tickets or beer as rewards for getting vaccinated.
I’m done with rewarding dangerous, antisocial behaviour rather than punishing it.
I’m done with governments that can’t stay on message, that speak in euphemism rather than plain, honest language, that quail at the thought of mandates, that change health protocols without any seeming rationale, and that take their cues from the Chamber of Commerce rather than public health agencies — all while acting as if we can massage ourselves out of this endless loop of economic disruption, misery and death we have been trapped in for the past two years by applying the old tried and true political manipulations, in which the greatest sin is to do anything that might cause you to be voted out of office.
I’m done with anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers who, while literally weaponizing themselves by refusing to get vaccinated and putting other lives in danger as surely as if they were carrying a loaded gun, see themselves as brave freedom fighters protecting their constitutional freedoms, not because they believe in equality, but because they believe exactly the opposite, that their rights are preeminent over all others.
I’m done with anyone who characterizes people who wear masks, social-distance and get vaccinated as “sheeple.”
I’m done with those who complain about wearing masks, as if having to wear a piece of fabric designed to stop the inhalation of a deadly virus was akin to torture. I’m especially done with the puerile idiots who compare wearing a mask to Jews having to wear a Star of David during the Holocaust. It isn’t a mask these fools should be wearing, but a muzzle.
I’m done with those who, after a visit to the intensive care unit and death’s door, experience their moment of revelation that, yes, they are so sorry that they didn’t get vaccinated because — with the usual egocentricity and selfishness that characterizes anti-vaxxer sentiment — they could have died rather than, you know, the untold number of people their stupidity put at risk.
Other than those with legitimate health concerns or compromised immune systems, I’m done with trying to understand, accommodate or politely tolerate anti-vaxxers, or those who are just too stupid, tuned out or unconcerned with the health and safety of others to get vaccinated.
I’m done with living life in limbo, with the hundreds of thousands of needless deaths and the hundreds of thousands more to come, with the travel bans, with the slow-motion unravelling of the economy, with the dispiriting and seemingly endless pattern of peak, trough and peak, and with the only variance in life coming with the arrival of the virus’s latest reincarnation.
I’m done because all of this terrible nightmare we are trapped in could have been avoided.
mcmartincharles@gmail.com
Pete McMartin is a former Vancouver Sun columnist.
It's quite incredible how much effort and money goes into creating this trash and distributing it. Ever since the whole Covid 19 lockdown occurred, these groups have been desperately trying to s relevant and arc up Australians. The idea of the pamphlet is taken from the social credit scoring program that the Chinese Communist Party operates in China.
Their website, unsurprisingly, doesn't have a About Us section. When peddling rubbish, it's always best to not name yourself. :)
The most indelible disappointment and takeaway from this COVID pandemic will be the failure of my fellow Americans to get vaccinated. Why are we so divided about something that seems so apparent? This division is why we’re now experiencing yet another rise in infections, this time from the delta variant.
Americans’ belief in the immutability of our individual rights has often collided with our concern for the public good. Our Declaration of Independence states that the authority to govern is given only by the consent of its people. Some treat this as an absolute. But we have many laws which limit the rights of individuals. As the dire nature of the pandemic became evident, efforts to contain it with mask mandates and lockdowns only intensified the altercations between personal freedom advocates and those who believed in doing what’s appropriate for the greater good. We have been on this trajectory for decades. I’m disappointed because this is who we are.
There is that giant elephant in the room. The virus’ origin story, former President Trump’s inability to formulate a national response, with his complete abdication of any responsibility, and the Republican Party’s and right-leaning media’s politicization of this crisis are all responsible. Science deniers have always been a part of our culture. The politics of the right — to win elections at any cost and use the COVID crisis as a wedge issue — has exacerbated that divide and stoked an already incendiary distrust in our institutions. Promoting disinformation and conspiracy theories for political gain while people are dying is galling.
Most recent outbreaks are in red states, where political leaders not only discourage mask mandates they have prohibited them. Despite this bit of GOP Russian roulette, leaders in some of these conservative and rural states are noticing the negative optics of their decisions. Florida governor Ron DeSantis, whose campaign was selling “Don’t Fauci My Florida” t-shirts a few weeks ago, has reconsidered his message after discovering his state accounts for twenty percent of new COVID cases. “These vaccines are saving lives. They are reducing mortality,” he pivoted. Republican Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is finally urging her constituents to get vaccinated as the state has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation. She told reporters, “I want folks to get vaccinated. That’s the cure. That prevents everything. It’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down.” When did Republicans begin referring to vaccinated Americans as “regular folks”? And why did it take them so long to advocate for vaccinations? Blame has become part of the bedrock of this crisis. Their decisions have little to do with the human cost. There are now political and economic incentives to do so.
As Washington Post opinion writer E.J. Dionne stated, “It’s the new political geography of sickness and death.” He quotes Democratic pollster Guy Molyneux who said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if GOP pols are hearing from business leaders: Knock it off with the anti-vax nonsense.” Red state businesses have no desire for more lockdowns.
But isn’t this what many of us have been saying all along? We don’t want lockdowns either. But it may be necessary for the short term if we want this pandemic to end. Follow the science. Wear masks and get vaccinated. We’ve all suffered from the loss of our friends and relatives. Many of us have lost our jobs and our homes. And most of us have been sequestered in our houses for over a year.
From the very beginning, our leaders failed to present a unified voice of reason, one that focused on our distrust and hesitancy while promoting short-term sacrifices. The mis- and disinformation that scientists and doctors like Anthony Fauci are lying to us or don’t know what they’re talking about is a common criticism. “They keep changing their minds” shows a misunderstanding of scientific inquiry. Science is based on facts. Scientists test hypotheses about the way COVID infects people. When research shows these hypotheses are accurate, they become theories that become part of our knowledge base. Sometimes new information supersedes previous conclusions.
The coronavirus is constantly evolving. Variants have developed more efficient ways of infecting a host. The delta variant’s infection rate is higher because its virus load is greater than in previous variants. So, even if we know a lot about how the original coronavirus works, new variants present differently. Scientists aren’t lying to us or simply changing their minds. They’re adapting to new information that has resulted from their studies. This process is the message our leaders should have and still need to convey to the public.
To date, fifty percent of Americans have been fully vaccinated. While vaccines aren’t one hundred percent effective, they go a long way to protect people from the disease, even the more communicable delta variant. Most break-through infections of vaccinated people do not lead to death or even hospitalization. But what about the other fifty percent? Ninety-nine percent of COVID deaths right now are those who were unvaccinated.
Hospital COVID patients are now expressing their regret at not getting the vaccine. And many are begging for it now. Dr. Brytney Cobia at the Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama wrote in a Facebook post: “I’m admitting young, healthy people to the hospital with very serious COVID infections. One of the last things they do before they’re intubated is beg me for the vaccine. I hold their hand and tell them that I’m sorry, but it’s too late.”
Are Americans finally going to do what it takes to end this pandemic? The Department of Veterans Affairs has just become the first federal agency to require vaccinations of all its front-line workers. Hundreds of colleges and universities have mandated vaccinations for all returning students.
But by the end of May 2021, twenty-five percent of health care workers and over thirty-eight percent of nursing home workers were still not vaccinated. The American Public Health Association, the American Pharmacists Association, the National Medical Association (which represents over 50,000 Black doctors), and 54 other groups are now calling for vaccine mandates for all health workers.
President Biden has just issued a mandatory vaccination mandate (or regular COVID tests) for all federal employees. The Pentagon is following suit for all military personnel. Will this encourage the private sector to do the same?
This wave of sanity is still in its early stages. So it’s unclear if these efforts will be enough. Former Trump press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who’s running for Arkansas governor, blamed the Biden Administration for vaccine hesitancies: “No one did more to undercut public confidence in the vaccine than Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Biden doubted that the vaccine would be ‘real,’ while Harris said in her debate [with Vice President Pence] that she would not take any vaccine the Trump administration had a hand in creating.” Sadly, Sanders’ remarks reflect the partisanship that has fueled this pandemic. Biden and Harris made those comments while Trump was president. Their concerns reflected their distrust of any self-centered motives he might have had for rushing a vaccine’s development. In her debate with Pence, Harris stated she would be one of the first to take a vaccine endorsed by Dr. Fauci. But she voiced her concerns about taking one promoted solely by Trump.
Many still view mandates as intimidating. Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, issued a statement in which he said, “In order for everyone to feel safe and welcome in their workplaces, vaccinations must be negotiated between employers and workers, not coerced.” While Henry A. Garrido, the executive director of District Council 37, New York City’s largest municipal employees union, tweeted, “If the Mayor wants to mandate Vax or weekly testing for City employees, he must first [bargain] over its impact.” I think we’re beyond pleading, offering incentives, or negotiating.
If we’d worn masks and gotten the vaccine, there probably wouldn’t have been a delta variant. And the worst would be over. Our ignorance and obstinance have resulted in the deaths of over 600,000 Americans and millions across the world. I’d like to think we’ve learned something. But many are still suspicious, and their fear and disregard for “real” facts have made them easy targets for 21st-century shysters and political opportunists.
COVID really kills. Our morgues are full of proof. Let there be no more tearful goodbyes. No regrets. Get the shot.
Feel free to pass this poster on. It's free to download here (click on the down arrow just to the lower right of the image).
See the rest of the posters from the Chamomile Tea Party! Digital high res downloads are free here (click the down arrow on the lower right side of the image). Other options are available. And join our Facebook group.
Follow the history of our country's political intransigence from 2010-2020 through a seven-part exhibit of these posters on Google Arts & Culture.