The anti-vaccine movement is on the rise. The White House is at a loss over what to do about it.
The anti-vaccine movement is on the rise. The White House is at a loss over what to do about it.
“They keep just hoping it’ll go away.”
A Biden administration that vowed to restore Americans’ faith in public health has grown increasingly paralyzed over how to combat the resurgence in vaccine skepticism.
And internally, aides and advisers concede there is no comprehensive plan for countering a movement that’s steadily expanded its influence on the president’s watch.
The rising appeal of anti-vaccine activism has been underscored by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s insurgent presidential campaign and fueled by prominent factions of the GOP. The mainstreaming of a once-fringe movement has horrified federal health officials, who blame it for seeding dangerous conspiracy theories and bolstering a Covid-era backlash to the nation’s broader public health practices.
But as President Joe Biden ramps up a reelection campaign centered on his vision for a post-pandemic America, there’s little interest among his aides in courting a high-profile vaccine fight — and even less certainty of how to win.
“There’s a real challenge here,” said one senior official who’s worked on the Covid response and was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “But they keep just hoping it’ll go away.”
The White House’s reticence is compounded by legal and practical concerns that have cut off key avenues for repelling the anti-vaccine movement, according to interviews with eight current and former administration officials and others close to the process.
skepticism
The media keeps using that word, I do not think it means what they think it means. These people aren't questioning, they're not doubtful; they're convinced. They are certain that their position is the correct one and no amount of new information will change their minds.
Stop calling this "skepticism"
96There’s a pragmatic solution here:
1). Make vaccines free. The government pays.
2). Require vaccines for participation in publicly funded social programs. Schools. Social Security. Etc.
3). Allow doctor authorized health waivers to number 2.
4). Wait.
Most people will get the free vaccines either because they’re reasonable people, because the vaccines are free, or because they want government services. Those that don’t will die earlier. Eventually even stupid people will notice or they’ll be dead.
79The media: Here's 72 hours of conspiracy theorists and coverage about how some people are upset with medical experts.
Also the media: Why are anti-vax conspiracy theories getting so much attention? Here's why the people trying to fix the problem are at fault and why you should probably hate them.
Also also the media: Polls show people don't trust the person we blamed for everything.
35I find the phrasing throughout this highly annoying. It implies that the Biden admin is somehow at fault for 1) people misunderstanding the initial instructions, 2) using that and strawman to undermine that public confidence, and 3) then doubled down on the stupidity seemingly out of spite.
Simultaneously, these assholes sued and said that the admin over stepped by asking, strongly, for social media to stop overt lies from being spread on their platforms.
We always blame those trying for not succeeding and give a pass to the idiots operating in bad faith.
16I don't really worry for me (I'm vaccinated), I just worry for those who cannot take the vaccine. Those who don't want to be protected from a potentially deadly disease, well, they can rot. No issues.
13In Australia, I'd suggest that anyone that isn't vaccinated and is hospitalised because of it should pay out of pocket and spare the tax payer. But as usual, they're all anti vax and anti science/medicine until they're dying then they're making a scene in the hospital demanding everyone's attention.
13eh I spent ages arguing with antivax cookers during the pandemic.
they are too stupid to reason with, but fun to tease them to ramble their stupid shit, they can't help but jump on their soapboxes.
but you never win. fuck em, let em die out
12Deny them access to health services until they get the vaccine and get social services involved if they have any children
And make them sign a waiver that legally says they they acknowledge that it's their own fault for not getting vaccinated and we can't help you if you refuse to get help
4Once more Republicans twiddle their thumbs as right wing conspiracy needlessly kills their base. It seems they've learned nothing at all, which I suppose shouldn't be a surprise.
4Let them get sick and die, then. Win-win
2The easiest and most effective solution would be to just get Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter/X to crack down harder on misinformation.
Optimally, there should even be a sort of "social reputation ranking" system in place to disincentivize online misinformation and hate speech by tying it to real-life ramifications. We sort of already have something like that for job applications, and I'm proud of that, but if we could extend the enforcement and implementation of this kind of thing to, say, transportation, real estate, or banking, that would certainly be a commendable step in the right direction. Ranted about the mask and vaccine mandates in 2020? Good luck buying that car.
Too bad an increasing and worrisome number of these platforms are being owned by right-wing shrinks. Heil Spez and Heil Musk.
2My first gut response to this is, "start relentlessly and uncompromisingly telling the truth". I mean, in the attempt to help the public to do the healthy thing and accept vaccinations, there's been a lot of pro-vaccine bigotry. But when you're bigoted, even for the (approximate) truth, who do you convert? Like-minded bigots and weak-willed people-pleasers.
Mixed in with the good efforts for public and individual health are some very sad failures, plus corruption and conflict of interest, and so on. If you want an authoritative body (e.g. CDC, NHS, governing party (haha!)) to be trusted, they have to show themselves trustworthy with the truth.
Sometimes I've seen that done by the officially-promoted medical bodies... sometimes not. And when the tow-the-pro-vaccine-line bigotry shows through, I can't blame people for not buying it, and sticking to their community's narrative, no matter how unfounded: because why should they trust the people mocking them, any more than 'internet majority' trusts the American government to sincerely look after the poor.
Sorry for the rant. Tl;dr, beware of acting like an ad company if you want to be trusted.
1Let the problem solve itself.
0Let darwinism happen.
-1Permanently Deleted
-1They can't figure out a winning strategy because their position on the issue is very dicey. Their credibility has been eroded with that particular audience, and without the credibility to really speak to them, all they can really do is make things worse.
Since the anti-vaxxers have lost trust in establishments and given their trust to individuals instead, it becomes only individuals operating outside of an established structure that have any real chance of possibly getting through to them.
In other words, since it's randos online causing the problem, there's really only one group that can effectively combat it--other randos online. Offline we'd call this grassroots. Now though, welcome to the Information Age.
-8