(03-14-2022, 06:52 PM)Dancefortwo Wrote: There's still so much misinformation floating around the internet among the anti-vaxx crowd. And this isn't just a small group of people. Last reports is that 15% of adult Americans are completely unvaccinated so this new booster program will probably add more to their conspiracy and anti mandate minds. They will get the brunt end of the virus but it doesn't seem to sway them. I don't get it.Whether we are talking fundamentalist theists or not (though theists are a big driver here), the way I tend to think of it is that such people already accept a lot of personal limitations to be safely accepted into this group of like-minded folks. Personal autonomy, how relationships work in general, specific limitations on sexual expression or identity, racial attitudes, a whole range of things. They are also taught that they are part of this heroic remnant of god's people who will one day be victorious over The Enemy (or without needing religion specifically, part of this clued-in bunch of people who know the Real Truth about [fill in the blank with favorite conspiracy theory]).
The need for this belonging, which is all they know, is very strong. So the real-world consequences of their incaution isn't real to them -- until it is. And sometimes not even then.
The meta problem is that no one is taught critical thinking skills, directly or indirectly. In the US, I'm not sure that we really ever were.
