Lately I've kept quiet on here about covid. There are amazing doctors and scientists tirelessly sharing the latest studies and policies, and my daily work is related more to bias and harassment than it is patient care. So I have been leaving that work to others.
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But I have been spending time with some amazing colleagues who are trying to educate the public over on Clubhouse. What I've seen in the last six months there has me concerned.
I'm not trying to be alarmist, but with infections rising across the country, I'm a bit down.
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I'm not trying to be alarmist, but with infections rising across the country, I'm a bit down.
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Within the past week, I have heard chatter about the vaccine being "experimental," that it was developed too fast to be trusted, that "they" want to control our bodies.
(Who are "they," anyway?)
I have heard people be scared for their health and that of their children.
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(Who are "they," anyway?)
I have heard people be scared for their health and that of their children.
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I have seen people changing their profile picture to "Unvaccinated Lives Matter," a perverse co-opting of the Black Lives Matter movement. I have seen these people given legitimacy in spaces that pretend to be promoting science.
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I have heard people boldly pronouncing lies such as: if you sleep with someone who has been vaccinated, you can get covid. Or, if you sleep with someone who has been vaccinated, you can get seizures. They have attacked Francis Collins (director of the NIH)...
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...suggesting he is using some church to control people.
This saying these things are not bad people. They are people who are misinformed because other people out there are preying on their fears and using conspiracy theories and myths to control their actions.
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This saying these things are not bad people. They are people who are misinformed because other people out there are preying on their fears and using conspiracy theories and myths to control their actions.
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So, while these folks are worried that physicians are trying to control them, they are actually being controlled by propagandists who are anti-science. It's so frustrating to watch.
That said, the colleagues I mentioned before are really out there changing hearts and minds.
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That said, the colleagues I mentioned before are really out there changing hearts and minds.
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It's frustrating, infuriating, blood-pressure-raising, disheartening work. And they are doing it every day. I wrote this thread to share what we are STILL hearing out there and to give credit to the folks who are consistently volunteering their time to share the truth.
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So, thank you to @docdanmd @DrCindyMDuke @ShoshUMD @keishaydavis @AllergyHealth @DrFrita @DrGeoffreyMPH @ENirenberg and the many others who are still pressing forward, trying to help people understand the consequences of their actions.
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They are going where the people are. (Sure, not everyone is on Clubhouse, but millions are.) The ability to have a conversation, to go back and forth, to use tone of voice to de-escalate potential conflicts is POWERFUL.
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That's part of why I don't engage with that content much over here. It's very hard to change anyone's mind in written text. The escalation happens too frequently and is too toxic. So even though it's disheartening to hear the lies people have been made to believe,
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I do think there's an opportunity to change opinions on Clubhouse. What do others think? I know some of you have been in those rooms, and probably in others that I haven't been in. Is there power in Clubhouse? Or have you given up?
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