The anti vaxxers and conspiracy theorists I have encountered in "real life" haven't been people I have a relationship with but rather random people at the grocery store type of thing who seem hell bent on sharing their unsolicited views.
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- Thread starter AlvinofDiaspar
- Start date
Admiral Beez
Superstar
I get you. I am so glad I lived when I did, being born in 1971 I got to live much of my life before the internet of everything, before we felt the need to share everything. Honestly the 1980s were like an golden age to be a young person, well as long as you were straight, white, male, English speaking, and of able body and mind.... but yeah I am glad to have grown up then. My kids now live a life where esteem is so dependent on the opinion of others you hardly know, where everyone seems to have anxiety and some crisis of identity or direction. I hardly use FB, Twitter or IG except for work, and my total forum use is UT, https://ww2aircraft.net, https://www.thegsresources.com and Model Ship World (check out my latest build here).
Back to Covid, I don't know where people find misinformation on FB. I can't even imagine relying on anything I read there.
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Admiral Beez
Superstar
Your post reminded me of my earlier experience below.
This person was so gullible, so maybe that's the personality type that falls for this antivax nonsense. She once came up to me at work and said, can you drive me urgently to the drugstore. I said later, I'm busy, to which she replied she can't wait, she needs to get something urgently for the owner of our company. She found someone else to drive her. And what was she doing? That morning we all received a scam email purporting to be from the owner asking for help and for a text back - we all deleted it, except this dummy. She texted back and the "owner" made up some story about needing gift cards, and off she goes and buys $500 in gift cards to give to some scammer. Worst of all, it was the Assistant Controller who drove her to the drug store to get the gift cards, another dummy. The company reimbursed her, and I told IT that they should have not assumed everyone would recognize the scam and delete the email - they should have sent a company-wide post to warn everyone. And that's what this antivaxer needed, information that somehow breaks through her wall that she will trust. But she's a dummy, so IDK.
zang
Senior Member
I'm a few fingers younger, but self-esteem was highly dependent on the opinion of others in the 1980s. The difference between now and then is awareness and feeling comfortable enough to speak up. If anything, kids these days are yes, more likely to share everything, but also more accepting because of it. The 80s were certainly not a golden age from the point of view of someone outside of the norm.
My high school of 1200 students had one openly gay student during the years I went there. And they took a *lot* of flack, beatings, bullying and otherwise because of it. Kids these days, outside of the most conservative of areas, don't care or bat an eye at someone being gay. My daughter is growing up in a world where her age group doesn't care about gender, sexual preference or race simply *because* they are more exposed to these things and because people are open to talking about the difficulties and bigotry they suffer because of who they are.
One of my best friends in public school is now trans (or rather, probably always was but too afraid to talk about it with people they were close to then). I'd like to think that I'd not have cared if I knew then, but I was dealing with bullying, hidden abuse and other factors which led for my own need to try and fit in. I threw around "gay" as an insult like so many other kids my age, too.
Openness fosters compassion. Millennials and younger willing to talk openly about things is like entire generations fostered by parents the psychological field, and that's a good thing. Despite the media stereotypes and juvenoia, generations <= "Millennials" are so far statistically healthier at a given age, more fiscally responsible, have less drinking and drug use problems, and have less indiscriminate sex. So, maybe there's something to being open and sharing?
Bayer
Senior Member
I'm gay (and older) and I recall being verbally harassed by a couple of fellow elementary school students around 1975; I hadn't reached puberty yet and didn't really understand what that was about, but evidently I wasn't masculine enough for them. But I was never physically assaulted.
So in high school (private, boys only!) I became more conscious of the fact that I had lived in a women-only household and consciously behaved in a more masculine way. And that school was an environment that fostered individual self-confidence instead of group think - I was actually told by teachers that they appreciated my "strong personality" because I did my own thing. But nevertheless, I knew no other gay guy at school and I kept this to myself all those years, so it was difficult. I agree that today, people are more open about such things, but it seems to me the young are more deliberately insulated from hardship and don't react well when it happens to them. The earlier you realize that life isn't always going to go your way and that you should stop caring about what people think of you, the better.
That being said, to go back to the subject of the thread, I continue (so far, fingers crossed) to feel "mild" symptoms from COVID-19. Slight fatigue, rare urge to cough and a very slight sore throat. No congestion, headaches, fever, loss of taste or smell or anything else. I have had worse colds.
tiffer24
Senior Member
christiesplits
Senior Member
For me, the anti-vaxers I've talked to in my life disproportionately work in industries that have been devastated by COVID, namely the fitness and restaurant industries. With free time on their hands and deep anxiety about their life, they have dug deep into Facebook and Discord groups spreading disinformation.
"Do your own research" is a favourite refrain. Um, I'm not qualified to do epidemiological research, and I doubt they are either.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Thanks to algorithms - misinformation finds you based on what content and who you engage with. An interesting piece:
Tracking Facebook connections between parent groups and vaccine misinfo
Tracking connections pre and post COVID also shows the pull of conspiracy groups.
arstechnica.com
The "clean living" crowd being a gateway didn't surprise me one bit.
AoD
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tiffer24
Senior Member
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Can't beat this one:
montreal.ctvnews.ca
Maskless influenza is about as appealing as it sounds. And the instigator:
AoD
Sunwing cancels return trip to Quebec following maskless influencer plane party; potential fines of up to $5,000
Sunwing Airlines has cancelled the return flight for a group of Quebecers who partied maskless on a chartered flight from Montreal to Cancun on Dec. 30.
Maskless influenza is about as appealing as it sounds. And the instigator:
AoD
zang
Senior Member
And I bet they'll all run to social media to proclaim they're the most important cog in the wheel.
p_xavier
Active Member
On my trip back from Hawaii last month, the sheriff had to escort a lady out of the plane because she refuses to wear a mask, then proceeded to slap a flight attendant. Really weird situation. Not surprised the staff didn't do anything to them.Can't beat this one:
Sunwing cancels return trip to Quebec following maskless influencer plane party; potential fines of up to $5,000
Sunwing Airlines has cancelled the return flight for a group of Quebecers who partied maskless on a chartered flight from Montreal to Cancun on Dec. 30.
Maskless influenza is about as appealing as it sounds. And the instigator:
AoD
DSCToronto
Superstar
Pleased to see that Sunwing cancelled their return reservations and that Air Transat is refusing to bring them home. They may have to take a bus - from Mexico!!Can't beat this one:
Sunwing cancels return trip to Quebec following maskless influencer plane party; potential fines of up to $5,000
Sunwing Airlines has cancelled the return flight for a group of Quebecers who partied maskless on a chartered flight from Montreal to Cancun on Dec. 30.
Maskless influenza is about as appealing as it sounds. And the instigator:
AoD
Videodrome
Senior Member
Well, looks like my wife will have to apply for the CRSB since work won't pay her for the daycare being closed.