THREAD 👇
People who haven't gotten vaccinated against COVID are often thought of as one like-minded group, but they're not. Some are anti-vaxxers who opposed vaccines before COVID. Others had no issue with vaccines until this year. And some just don't know who to believe. 1/8 →
2/..The modern anti-vax movement began over 20 years ago, long before COVID. It began with a fraudulent claim that measles vaccines cause autism. The movement grew when social media came along and provided a platform for anti-vaxxers to spread false info about vaccines. 2/8 →
3/..Many real studies have been done and no link has ever been found between vaccines and autism. The lie that started the modern anti-vax movement was just that: a lie. But for anti-vaxxers, the idea had taken hold: Vaccines were unsafe. Nothing will change their mind. 3/8 →
4/..But it's not just anti-vaxxers. Some people are against face masks, vaccines, or *any* measures to fight COVID. They had no issue with vaccines before COVID became politicized. Another way for fanatics to fight with their political enemies and express their tribalism. 4/8 →
5/..These folks are politically opposed to doing anything to fight the spread of COVID. Their cult-like fanaticism on this and other issues leads them to fight not just with their political enemies but with doctors, fact-checkers, scientists, the CDC, and many more. 5/8 →
6/..Ask a person who hasn't gotten the COVID vaccine if they trust their doctor. An anti-vaxxer will say doctors lie about vaccines. A political tribalist will downplay COVID and talk about their notion of freedom. But others are just hesitant to get vaccinated. 6/8 →
7/.."Why not trust your doctor?" is the question to ask people who haven't gotten vaccinated for COVID. Some are hesitant about the vaccines because they heard scary things and don't know what's true. Suggesting they speak to a doctor is the best advice you can give. 7/8 →
8/8..That's the end of this thread. Here's another thread that talks about politics impacting people's vaccine decisions:
THREAD. 🧵
In our lifetime most of us never had to worry about polio or smallpox because our grandparents' generation rolled up their sleeves and got their shots. Today we can't eradicate diseases anymore: Too many refuse to be vaccinated. But there are things we can do. 1/9 →
2/..We can't pin people down and force them to get their shots, and we can't eradicate diseases if some people refuse to be vaccinated. But there are ethical ways for a free society to combat the outbreak of a disease, without violating any valid definition of freedom. 2/9 →
3/..Let's talk about mask mandates. Some folks claim that businesses, schools, and venues can't require masks to be worn on premises because it violates "freedom." This has no merit as a legal argument. 3/9 →
THREAD. 🧵
We live in the age of disinformation. The pervasiveness of false information and the role of technology in enabling it are well documented. This thread is about understanding the mindset of people who believe and fall prey to bad information. 1/9 →
2/..A 2018 Pew Research Center study asked people to identify whether a statement is making a factual claim or expressing an opinion. The study found that many people couldn't do this. They were unable to tell facts from opinions. 2/9 →
3/..When asked to sort out opinion statements from factual claims, many people in the Pew study labelled opinions they agreed with as "factual" and labelled factual statements as "opinions" if they thought it was inaccurate or didn't like it. 3/9 →
They’ll sell a ton of these cards. When people get engulfed by the psychology of tribalism, they hunger for ways to show their membership in the tribe. One way is with symbols or tokens displayed or worn to proudly show one’s belonging to the group. 1/9 → businessinsider.com/donald-trump-w…
2/..Trump says these personalized cards will be “reserved for President Trump's STRONGEST supporters.” In other words: getting one will probably mean making a campaign donation that exceeds some minimum amount. 2/9 →
3/..For people who’ve fallen into a tribal mindset, displaying one’s standing and status *within* the group is even more important than showing it outside. People will buy these cards as a way to show others in the group what superior tribe members they are. 3/9 →