Anti-vaccine movements shift their target to the vaccinated

[marmar]

(Salon) Myths around infertility, pregnancy and miscarriages have run rampant in anti-vaccine circles for years — and in the universe of their conspiracy theories, vaccines are often to blame. While variations of such false claims have been part of misinformation campaigns around the COVID-19 vaccines, there has recently been a shift from demonizing the vaccine itself to villainizing those who are vaccinated.

It's a peculiar repositioning for the anti-vaccination conspiracy movement — and as the false claim evolves into more extreme iterations, it has caught the attention of people who study and advocate against vaccine misinformation

"I think it is particularly interesting that people are saying that those who are those who are vaccinated are a risk to those who aren't," said David Broniatowski, who's the associate director for the Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics at George Washington University. "It's like taking the common vaccine conventional wisdom and flipping it on its head where people will say, 'if you have not been vaccinated, you're a risk to those who are more vulnerable and vaccinated.'"

Broniatowski said he's never seen this before in the history of anti-vaccine rhetoric.

"This is the first time," Broniatowski said. ...............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2021/05/26/anti-vaccine-movements-shift-their-target-to-the-vaccinated/

[brewens]

1. If any of that was true, we'd be going out of our way to spread our vax cooties to the anti-vaxers,

Q-Landers, and all the former guys cult. I'd probably be giving away contaminated former guy blankets at rallies!

[Blasphemer]

2. Some critical information right at the end...

Notably, many of these false claims that make their rounds circling the internet only come from a small group of people.

"We know that 65 percent of the misinformation shared on social media originates from just 12 individuals and the companies . . . that they use to promote their information," Ahmed said. "There are specific individuals within that who target women and women who are interested in health and wellness."

This is not surprising. Those who have their own agenda peddle conspiracy theories that suggest that there is some other "big bad" with an agenda thus deflecting attention away from what they are doing.

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

3. Oh great, another thing for those vile states who have their hands in women's uterus's.

They will pass a law that enables the law to charge women who got the COVID vaccine on grounds of child endangerment or attempted murder.

I know that sounds ridiculous but look at the laws they have already passed.

[Girard442]

4. Fully vaxxed here with no ill effects...

...other than the occasional uncontrollable compulsion to kill and eat a MAGA-hat wearer.

[GopherGal]

7. Are you sure that condition doesn't pre-date the Vaccine?

Personally, I'm too choosy an eater for the "and eat" part. But the violent thoughts prompted by a red baseball-style cap? Those pre-date the vaccine by at least a couple years.

[Hugin]

8. I have to keep reminding myself they are high in cholesterol.

And have a terrible kool-aid after taste. Squirrels are better eats.

[RobinA]

5. What I Don't Get

is why these COVID agitators are so obsessed with masks, vaccines, etc. I know someone who believes every conspiracy theory that ever had a YouTube spokesmen. Their Facebook pages are plastered with mask memes, vaccination warnings, comments on the stupidity of mask wearers and vaccine getters... They never shut up about it. While I have yet to see, I'm sure there is such a wall, is anybody who is vaccinated saying anything at all about it unless they say they got the vaccination and that's the end of it. I feel like responding, if we are such sheeple and dolts who can't think for ourselves, why not just shut up about us? I don't do flu shots, but I don't put up twenty memes a day, seven days a week deriding those who do. What's the deal? They protest too much.

[Blasphemer]

6. +1

I have an anti-vaxx friend (who I reconnected with at a high school reunion so I didn't get to witness her descent into conspiracy-land) and I think the article hits on the head when it talks about profiting psychologically. I think people gain emotional capital from taking on an anti-vaxx, pro-conspiracy identity. Some kind of faux superherodom or something. When they post incessantly, they are trying to save us riffraff from ourselves and from the big bad evil doers who they claim are preying on us.

[Marrah_Goodman]

10. They get a feeling of importance from being one of the ones "in the know"

I have a friend I love dearly who falls for every nutty thing youtube can come up with.

[Marrah_Goodman]

9. This is what happens when people get their information from youtube whackos

[lindysalsagal]

11. Welcome to 2021

The post-trump era of bat-s^%$ nutzo.