Valid Covid Mandate Concerns: Why I Argued in “Black & White” Terms

Article originally published on RootsToSky.com in February 2022

With Part 1 on the hijacking by far-right elements on the convoy/mandate issue now posted — I absolutely do not want to mischaracterize the entirety of the protests against mandates — I would be loathingly hypocritically cherry-picking.

“What is not being reported is the demographic where the virus seems to be spreading most. At least in my town, the virus is predominantly spreading through the lowest socioeconomic demographic — in particular, homeless people suffering from addictions. Our hospital is overrun with addiction cases in the best of times and now we see that is where the virus is taking hold. Addicts and those already compromised are the bulk of cases entering hospitals now. That is where the problem lies and it would make sense to focus efforts there instead of continually imposing restrictions across the entire population. We know enough about the virus now to target where it spreads instead of broad-sweeping actions that are having little effect — the case numbers have not moved much in months.”

Quote source currently unknown

I’ll begin with a great example of being on the fence:

Why I'm for COVID vaccines, but against vaccine mandates. - Peter Attia

Note: Yet even in reading this piece from what I can tell he is: falling victim to base-rate fallacy, never takes long Covid into account, fails to recognize that natural immunity = deaths, and seems to fail at considering the impact on society of over-run ICU admissions which in turn delays other lifesaving procedures, and that young people still transmit Covid. Here is his follow-up.

What I argue here on the mandate topic, as I write in all my pieces is: Keep things in context. Everything that has happened in the journey of the COVID-19 historical pandemic — when viewed from the lens of a century from now by historians — will all make perfectly logical sense in its medical progression.

Just as I closed my first essay with a thought experiment, let’s do it again here. As I’ve repeated on social media, keep in mind I have a medical background bias — something which skews my views in ways my general community may not have access to.

1. A global pandemic emerges. The first in the social media era — a totally new variable. Some governments panic. Some under-react. Some respond exceedingly effectively and should be studied.
2. It is the job of a democratic government to protect the public, in a public health crisis, of which we are all statistics.
3. Because literally no one has the answers for a novel virus — broad, sweeping over-reactions are warranted: lockdowns, social distancing, masks. This is the equivalent of accidently shattering a glass on the ground and screaming “nobody move!”. All while the actual trained scientists whose job this is do peer-reviewed science, to collect data, to find out which approaches are valid and work, and which do not. The equivalent of looking for the remaining glass shards after the initial sweep. This reveals where to draw lines to shape public policy, society by society, inevitably towards social group to social group until endemic normalization. Where we can step, and where we cannot.
4. Meanwhile, right on schedule (and not in a conspiracy sense — more because professionals are f’king professionals) after the first wave of vaccines emerge, their results gathered. Science does as science does, collects data, and refines the next wave of more targeted treatments, while social scientists continue to study post-first-wave-mass-vaccine-campaign trends which then influence public policy to better target remaining pockets, as discussed in the quote above.
5. This is a process. Mistakes are made — but data is shared. The goal is public health preservation. If a vaccine causes adverse effects in 0.0001% of people, but the virus kills 1% — by public health interest — it is worth it. You are an unfortunate statistic. No one expected a global pandemic like this, we must work with what we’ve got. There has never been a such thing as a perfect vaccine. But a vaccine does give the majority of people shoes to walk on the glass.
6. Segments of the population resist. “I have the right to walk on glass!” Sure, but this spreads the glass around and risks others cutting their feet. In a loose timeline: at first for very valid reasons (“these vaccines are new, I don’t trust them!”), which are then debunked as the science proves and sheer numbers of ICU admissions drop substantially. This then morphs into people resisting in principle, which again, can be dismantled and debunked in public discourse. Then finally with little logic remaining in their moved goalposts, increasingly stricter “restrictions” are placed to squeeze holdouts in the statistical interest of public health (and, next point, to get people back to work), until some jurisdictions cross legal lines as some tactics prove useless in the attempts to increase vaccinations. (It all comes down to numbers: if mandates prove to work, use them, if they don’t, scrap them), while others do not. Keep in mind — this is global and makes sense in a historical timeline. Not every government responds this way — therefore this is not some “coordinated” conspiracy. (Please get a grip on reality with that one…)
7. The virus evolves. We must adapt. A new virus emerges which behaves differently (Omicron). Potentially more virulent with more likelihood than ever to overwhelm hospitals had vaccines not entered the scene. Many governments knee-jerk react, defaulting to similar restrictions in the first wave simply due to too many unknown variables — all to keep hospitals and therefore society, functioning. We continue to learn. Patience.
8. People become exhausted. Fringe groups emerge. These are all logical symptoms of a public overwhelmed. Extremist groups and political parties attempt to capitalize on these confused masses, whispering sweet-nothings into their ear, giving a sense that ‘you are not alone’, all to continue to consolidate their fear-based xenophobic power, especially post-pandemic.
9. This has happened before and will happen again. We are not above nature nor history. What matters is how we respond.
10. But either way literally no *human* wants a perpetual pandemic and perpetual mandates. Certainly not capitalists who want you back to work and needlessly consuming, not in lockdown receiving CRB.
11. Thus: Nothing out of the ordinary so far. No need for further rushed panic, shutting down highways now for weeks. If mandates aren’t working, then neither are the tactics to hold a country and industry hostage. We heard you. We are all tired. Go home.
12. This cycle may repeat as nature doesn’t follow our rules. Mask up, get vaccinated until our actual medical leaders, not politicians say we are in the clear.
13. We finally move on. The vast majority are vaccinated, the pandemic stabilizes becoming endemic as we reflect on Omicron to understand what a valid response was and what was an over-reaction to move towards the predictably manageable — no longer overwhelming hospitals. What remains, however… is the galvanized, co-opted, concentrated fringe minority residue, now increasingly isolated, heels dug deep, increasingly dangerous, and susceptible to…. the right moment when a certain charismatic leader emerges.

Read between the lines. We’ll see.

Why I see this as a Black & White issue

Whenever I have made this being a polarized issue argument, it is entirely because in a global pandemic in my view you have two choices: get vaccinated — or wait outside the way you previously did prior to the advent of the vaccines, until green lights are given — for you, nothing has changed.

It’s really that simple.

Why, suddenly, because vaccines are available and the general social consensus tide changes as a result, are you automatically awarded the right to ride on the coattails of those who are vaccinated?

You aren’t awarded privileges in society for… abstaining from society.

But wait — how is this view any different than the so-called “socialist” Universal Basic Income that I publicly promote? Am I being hypocritical?

The difference is that this is a temporary global infectious disease. These mandate issues will rightly be challenged in a civil (not partisan) forum when the time comes. Precisely because all pandemics by-definition end. Disaster capitalism will find something else to capitalize on. Biological pandemics in a civil society…. end.

Whereas in a non-pandemic society — these policies do not neatly cross-over to capitalist society: In one case, irrelevant to the dominant social system — a contagious pandemic rages, in the other: the dominant social structure depends on classist exploitation, it is its cause of wealth inequality. And those at the “bottom” have little if any choice in the matter. How golly else do them billionaires make all them billions?

So, if you choose to not get vaccinated then you by-default choose to wait outside during mandates. Especially when vaccines do prevent transmission. And while not as perfectly as many hoped, the key is that they strongly reduce transmission between vaccinated individuals should a breakthrough infection occur. Thus in a room full of vaccinated people viral transmission is extremely minimized, until more and more unvaccinated enter — simple biological math.

This is why they were asked to wait outside: to maintain the health “force field” of those who chose to look after others than just themselves (meaning, even past the at times murky transmission issue, more importantly — by keeping themselves out of emergency rooms & ICUs — and this includes so-called healthy people hopped up on ill-proven supplements they “heard” worked…)

And your employer chooses to protect the health of their employees against infectious disease. Would you wear a condom if you have sex with your co-workers? Further, keep in mind it’s in the best interest of capitalism for the vaccine to work to get you back to “the way things were”, after all.

Further still, what gives you the right to proceed to said normalcy? Nothing has changed since the pandemic began, except vaccines, and if you don’t want one then you have to accept that life is still essentially locked down for you until the rest of us normalize these waves. Otherwise this is the equivalent of skipping ahead in line without earning it. The way billionaires do — via exploitation, the sacrifices others made.

We didn’t make up this pandemic reality. So don’t attack us for navigating it and doing our part to get us, as a human community out. So no, no one owes you an apology. It was never about you. It was always about others. So please “wait outside” until professionals figure things out. If you choose to not do your part to protect public health (of which you are merely a statistic — please stop thinking you are special, unless there is a non-choice immunocompromise), then expect some limitations on your ability to access public institutions. You can’t have it all.

That is the definition of privilege.

Long story short: Let the professionals whose work this literally is, who are moving as fast as they can (and will be harassed for both moving too fast and for moving too slow in this instant gratification vanity era) — let us do our f’king work, and at the very least, approach us with respect.