“The young athlete refused vaccination and died in intensive care!” — headlines of such a plan have probably come across to you more than once over the past year and a half. Unvaccinated people who fell ill with a coronavirus infection or even died from it are not sympathized — they are ashamed and accused of being “dense”. Why shouldn’t this be done?
Let’s immediately dot all the «i». Spreading the word that the coronavirus vaccine saves lives, helps many patients with COVID-19 to have a mild illness and avoid hospitalization, is important and useful. It’s also okay to share personal stories and tell them in the most emotional language possible, so that your subscribers and readers like what they read and, perhaps, change their point of view.
However, the problem is that both the media and many bloggers simply “shame” (shame. — Rrim. Ed.) Those who question the effectiveness of vaccines. In a sense, this is a habitual defensive reaction, which, of course, does not make it normal.
Why do we shame others at all?
This, like almost any other of our behavior, has an evolutionary background: although the word “shaming” is new, the behavior itself is as old as the world. Shaming certain group members has always been a way to prevent or punish antisocial behavior.
Modern philosophers Guy Aitchison and Saladin Meckled-Garcia believe that online public shaming is still a way to collectively punish a person for his actions or opinions. The «reputational loss» he suffers as a result forces him or others to conform to the norms accepted in society.
But this is only one side of the coin, but there is another.
By shaming others, we seem to rise ourselves, assert ourselves in our rightness and in the fact that we are doing everything “as it should”
Even at the very beginning of universal vaccination, it became clear that the world was divided into two camps. Considering ourselves to be “good”, many of us believe that we care about others and help ensure that the pandemic is finally over, while the rest are considered irresponsible and narrow-minded selfish. Which in turn begs the question…
Do some deserve to be shamed?
To shame another for decisions concerning his health is to deliberately simplify the picture and refuse to delve into the reasons that could push him to such a choice. This applies not only to the coronavirus vaccine.
Obesity, for example, is another common excuse for shaming others. It is customary in society to shame overweight people for their appearance, attributing it solely to laziness and not thinking about what could be behind extra pounds — genes, lifestyle, income level, psychological problems.
Likewise, motives for refusing to vaccinate can range from lack of access to information and exposure to the opinion of a reference group to a lack of trust in the health care system. Perhaps the fact that a person does not understand the benefits of vaccination is not his fault. And if so, then you should not shame him.
We all have different access to information and other resources, and therefore we make different decisions. People who receive false information about vaccines and believe it are not criminals, but victims.
Unite, not Divide
We must not forget that everyone tolerates vaccination differently: some are almost without symptoms, some are severe and with health consequences. It is not surprising that, having heard about a serious «side effect», some are afraid of vaccination: for them, the risks outweigh the possible benefits.
Of course, in this case, one cannot say that “your body is exclusively your business,” because refusal to vaccinate endangers the life and health of those around you. However, in order to convince anti-vaxxers of the benefits of vaccinations, more ethical methods must be chosen.
Before shaming others for refusing to be vaccinated, and blaming them for the fact that it is because of them that this will not end in any way, you need to remember: this is unlikely to convince them.
When we are attacked, we feel compelled to defend ourselves, this is natural.
Even if the interlocutor changes his mind, such an approach is hardly justified from a human point of view.
We as a society have come a long way from burning witches at the stake and lynching dissidents – it’s time to stop cracking down on those who think otherwise, and in a metaphorical sense too. In the end, in order to take care of the health of the nation, legislative mechanisms must be involved.
In difficult times, such as now, we must unite and support each other, and not break into opposing camps and go at each other with spears.
Source: Theconversation.com