Thread by @RuminatorDan

“Ministers have warned vaccine refusers are the "principal threat" to the final lifting of lockdown restrictions on June 21“
Despicable. Government & media openly encouraging blaming & “othering“ of a section of the population. Where have we seen that before?
(brief thread)

To make matters worse, the @Telegraph also talks of people as “refuseniks”. Do they have no knowledge of the refuseniks of the former Soviet Union?

We can all quote numerous examples of the officially sanctioned blaming of a group within society -& the consequences. Don’t do it.

For a country that claims to be such a champion of “diversity” & “inclusion” this is a revolting - & depressingly predictable - turn of events.
This is not a matter of what you think of the vaccine or whether you wish to try to discuss or persuade reasonably. That’s fine.

This is scapegoating of a group for a purpose - an anathema to us.
We are better than this. Much better.
Our government & media are better than this, even if they have temporarily forgotten that.
Our people are definitely better than this.
Don’t do it - & don’t be drawn in by it.

“Ministers are at loggerheads over whether to extend lockdown beyond June 21 to protect 'idiot' vaccine refuseniks from the Indian variant.”

How quickly things turn nasty.
I repeat: Don’t do this.
Don‘t encourage people’s darker nature & open this Pandora’s Box.

“unnamed minister told the Politico website vaccine refusers were the “principal threat” to the planned lifting of further lockdown curbs next month.” - @Independent

This is a deeply unwise and ominous path to be taking.

"everyone who refuses a vaccine could be a killer on the loose, & should be judged accordingly"
"This is what we do about anti-vaxxers: No job. No entry. No NHS access"

Perhaps one of the nastiest takes yet.
Although I imagine worse will surely come.
We will live to regret this.

"Why I'm disinviting my unvaccinated friends to dinner parties"
"If you won’t have the vaccine, you’re no friend of mine"

The UK is, we're endlessly told, committed to diversity & inclusion & to combatting discrimination & "hate" of all kinds.

Bon appetite.

“Vaccine refuseniks are leaving us in limbo”

How virtuous & productive to be spreading the idea that “they” are the source of our woes - not “us”, who are good & wise.

(No need to even discuss the truth of the assertion, since any interest in truth has long left the building)

Young people who don't have the 'V' "should be punished for that.They cannot enjoy the civil liberties of other people if they're not going to do their bit for the country... They deserve to be punished." - a young person speaking on GMB.

I despair for our future.

Another example of how our response to the pandemic is not humanity's finest hour.
(May I politely suggest that train carriages are an unfortunate choice of prop for for those desperately wanting to signal their virtue, their love of inclusion& diversity &their hatred of "hate".)

We are living through a phenomenal history lesson - & most people are no more aware of it than they are of the fact the we are no different (& certainly no better) than those who came before us & did both things that fill us with awe & things that fill us with horror.

Some MSM are going for Gold in the "Vaccine Refuseniks Decathlon".
A recent headline (18/7) even spoke of "Mask refuseniks".
This virulent and alarmingly infectious variant of self-righteous virtue signalling may impress the cool kids, but it will not lead to anywhere good.

A deeply ugly side, delighting in its own nastiness, revealing itself in too many people. Can you imagine speaking in this way of people who've died as a consequence of obeying official advice?
(PS more evidence that intelligence, ethics etc are not well correlated to titles).

For anyone still struggling to believe that ordinary and, for all I know, otherwise good people can behave with such deep nastiness...
But far nastier - evil - are those who, rather than trying to calm things down, are deliberately stoking and using this for their own ends.

"The Unvaccinated Should Not Be Allowed To Leave Their Homes"
"You have the option to not get vaccinated if you want. But then you can't go out in public."

Respect for others; knowledge of history; ethics and an understanding of science & reason, all in roughly equal measure.

"Singapore will no longer pay the medical bills for coronavirus patients who remain "unvaccinated by choice", the country's government has said."

"It's time to punish Britain's five million vaccine refuseniks"

Sometimes the nastiness and selfishness try to masquerade as great goodness & caring for others.
Sometimes they don't bother trying.

"The unvaccinated, I really want to p*** them off. And so, we're going to continue doing so, until the end. That's the strategy." - President Emmanuel Macron, France

Liberté, égalité, fraternité.

"The ­militant, rabid anti-vaxxers will never be persuaded, so they need to be forced."
"The unvaccinated must become social pariahs."
"Get jabbed, or else."

The loss of sanity, ethics & decency has been one of the many sad casualties of the pandemic & our response to it.

Mathematically, there is little difference between:
A) Penalising someone who does not consent to you doing something to their body, &
B) Rewarding someone who does consent to you doing something to their body.
There is a name for 'B'.