Thread by @broadwaybabyto

I’ve asked a few anti-mask, ‘covid is over’ people why they’re so sure the government lied about masks, vaccines, origin etc but can’t consider that the government may ALSO be lying when they say Covid is mild/over/only a threat to the vulnerable.

Today I got an answer. 🧵 /1

I was told - rather harshly - that the difference between right wing and left wing is that right wing people are busy living their lives while left wing are trying to tell others how to live. This is patently absurd - so I pushed back & asked them to take politics out of it. /2

I again asked if you distrust the government so much on ALL other things Covid related - why aren’t you distrustful now that they say it’s over? That we don’t need masks and that it’s become “mild”? /3

There’s new evidence coming out every day about how severe Covid really is & how damaging repeated infections are. The vaccines don’t prevent transmission. The economy suffered when people stayed home so perhaps there’s an economic reason to push the “it’s over” narrative? /4

The response I got at first was a lot more denial and anger. Typical replies such as masks don’t work, lockdowns ruined lives, we’ve got immunity debt etc. That only left wing virtual signallers care about Covid anymore. That we should “trust our immune systems.” /5

I pushed back & explained what we’ve learned about respirators & their effectiveness, that lockdowns were not “true lockdowns” & that immunity debt isn’t real. That people are getting sick more often after repeated Covid infections. That infection doesn’t have to be inevitable /6

They were somewhat accepting of this - but not enough to discuss making any changes. So they said “this doesn’t matter to me I’m young & healthy. Long Covid only impacts the vulnerable.” Cue my building anger & frustration. /7

I explained that there’s no real evidence to support that theory - that MANY people with Long Covid were young and healthy when they became ill. That initial infections can be mild & Long Covid can still debilitate. Their eyes started glazing over - they were tuning out. /8

So instead I tried explaining that many “vulnerabilities” are silent. You can have immune system or vascular damage and have no idea. It’s not like your immune system “hurts”. Oddly this seemed to be what got through to them. /9

They said “are you saying that since I have heart disease in my family I might actually BE vulnerable? I could get Long Covid?”. I said that’s exactly what I’m saying. We are ALL vulnerable and should all be taking precautions. Politics shouldn’t play any role in your health /10

It felt like we were having a lightbulb moment when they asked “how do I protect myself”. I responded with wearing a respirator, reducing indoor gatherings, using HEPA filters & testing regularly. /11

Unfortunately this was met with “that’s way too much work - I’m probably not THAT high risk.” This was a long & relatively engaged discussion that ended exactly where it started. In denial. I pleaded with them to reconsider /12

That’s when politics reared its ugly head again. I was told THIS was the “real” difference between the left & right wing. Left wing (me…apparently) trying to educate & change behaviour and right wing (them) just wanting to live their life. /13

I asked “wouldn’t you rather know these risks now while you can still DO something rather than later when you’re disabled & it’s too late?” Them: “Nope. Ignorance is bliss and I’ve got to live my life.” That was the end of the conversation. /14

It would seem that people are still willingly choosing to remain in denial rather than entertain even the smallest adjustments to their daily life. We’ve become a society incapable of change. Even if that change is necessary for our very survival. /15

We’ve politicized absolutely everything - and lumped people into groups (the left, the right, the vulnerable etc) to justify behaviour that deep down most people know is not justifiable. We know too much about the risks of covid (and its long term damage) to do nothing. /16

If you’re still doing nothing to mitigate spread because you need to “live your life”… you are contributing to the deaths and disability of millions of people. You may be able to ignore this - but some of us can’t. /17

Some of us are choosing to spend what limited energy we have on advocacy because we want to protect others. We believe ALL people deserve protection. It shouldn’t be about politics. It’s about caring for your fellow human beings. /18

You can still “live your life” and take precautions against Covid. We aren’t calling for lockdowns. We are calling for common sense measures. Wear a well fitted mask, open your windows & get a HEPA filter, test before large gatherings and isolate when you’re sick. /19

I know some people will say there’s no point trying to reach someone like this - they’ve made their bed so let them lay in it. I’m still trying because sometimes you DO connect & every heart and mind changed could be a life saved. /20

Also with airborne viruses - it’s not just the person who made the bed that lays in it. We must not forget about the children, elderly & vulnerable people who have no choice but to interact with people for care. They need US to protect them. So I try to reach whoever I can. /21

Covid doesn’t have to win. We’ve learned so much in the last 4 years & with collective effort & a desire to protect one another we could limit its spread. But we must put politics aside. The virus doesn’t care if you’re left or right. We are all people. Let’s work together. /end