Vaccine Hesitancy, What a Joke

Vaccine Hesitancy, What a Joke

Republicans don’t get the vaccine, because their “in-group” authorities tell them not to.

The facts are not the problem in politics. You wouldn’t know that talking to any Democrat about vaccines. But here’s a jagged pill?—?the facts don’t matter to Democrats either.

Talk to any Democrat, and you’ll likely hear pretty quickly that vaccinated people can spread the virus (mostly a Republican talking point that Democrats mindlessly repeat…). The CDC is actually pretty clear. Most of their website is clear, not that any partisan blind follower will ever look at any of their material, or make any kind of effort?—?especially Republicans. Republican leaders have decided the CDC is the “out-group” and their followers happily follow. Sheep indeed. Here’s what the CDC says:

• Fully vaccinated people with Delta variant breakthrough infections can spread the virus to others.

That’s pretty clear?—?“breakthrough infections” are required. This simple statement is not convenient for either party tribe’s in-group narrative though, so it just gets ignored.

Out of an abundance of caution, it makes sense for the vaccinated to wear a mask?—?you don’t know if you are one of the ~15% or so of vaccinated people who will get a “breakthrough infection”?—?so yes, please wear a mask, because reason?—?not because some political party’s in-group authority tells you to, or not to. Also, get vaccinated, because reason. If only 15% of the population can get and spread the infection, this thing will be over. But Republican authorities aren’t telling their followers any of this, and Democrats are exaggerating it, repeating Republican talking points, and generally overplaying their hand, with no kind of strategy at all (ever). None of this is helpful.

Literally, the facts don’t matter in politics. Politics is tribal, and moral. The problem is that people think they are in a tribe along party lines, with their own authorities and morals that are distinct from that “other” (evil) tribe, and increasingly they hate each other. The tribes are Republicans and Democrats (in America). Think about how strange that is. You really identify?—?with THEM.

BTW, Republicans have been manipulating that kind of group identity science for decades, far more effectively than Democrats, using focus groups to figure out which “morals” (aka values) and wedge issues drive people, and then creating short phrases (talking points) to manipulate those people in to a fake in-group called “conservative.” How many times have you heard exactly the same arguments from Republican friends and family, using exactly the same phrases, in exactly the same order? Talking points. No thought required.

Democrats are mostly reactive, and mostly just keep trying to play identity games, without any kind of moral center (the party of Aaron Burr?—?they even refer to the “center” or “centrist” as between moral world views?—?what a crock). They treat identity like weather, something out of their control, while Republicans build fans, and coalitions. Republicans have been building institution after institution to create a new identity for decades, an identity wrapped in the trapping of conservatism, but which isn’t conservative at all. They’ve been getting away with it, unchallenged in any effective way, for decades. Democrats either refuse to learn how this works, or have no moral backbone. It’s why no one likes you, Democrats.

In neither party tribe is it all about the facts. It’s just in-group/out-group authority, in fake tribal identity groups. It’s horse shit. It has to stop.

Why don’t vaccine hesitant people get the vaccine? Because their in-group authorities tell them it’s “evil” and they trust their authorities. It’s not more complicated than that.

So how do we convince “hesitant” Republicans to get the vaccine? We don’t! Or we pry them from their fake in-group (there are some who swing between the two?—?not blend, swing?—?there’s a difference). We are not their authority. We are just an “other” and increasingly so?—?they are getting more insular?—?everyone is an “other” at this point. Their leadership, their in-group authorities, who have mislead Republican voters are the entire problem. Getting leadership to change their tune, or getting people out of that fake tribe?—?those are our options. Discussions about “vaccine hesitancy” without addressing that problem, is just noise.