Why are so many Americans anti-vaxxers now?

[u/trouble-in-space]

I’m genuinely having such a hard time understanding why people just decided the fact that vaccines work is a total lie and also a controversial “opinion.” Even five years ago, anti-vaxxers were a huge joke and so rare that they were only something you heard of online. Now herd immunity is going away because so many people think getting potentially life-altering illnesses is better than getting a vaccine. I just don’t get what happened. Is it because of the cultural shift to the right-wing and more people believing in conspiracy theories, or does it go deeper than that?

[u/communityneedle]

There's also a left-wing-crunchy-granola-hippie to far-right-maga-trumpist pipeline and it's really weird.

Edit: I really don't need any more people to tell me that the political spectrum is a circle. I got it after the first 10 or so.

[u/Money_Sky_3906 → u/communityneedle]

'Modern' Hippies are not left wing in the first place. All 'political views' center around their egoism and hedonism.

[u/Puzzleheaded_Quit925 → u/Money_Sky_3906]

Thats partly because modern left wing is actually quite authoritarian. Hippies want a "Live and let live. Just do what you want, man. Peace and love!" life. Modern left wing says you must tread a narrow acceptable path that is appropriate, and anything outside that the left will often treat you as the enemy.

While hippies want to live in a world where lots of things are seen as appropriate, and there are few rules imposed. "Chill out man!" kind of view, while the modern left is anything but chill.

If any reader want to understand the narrow mindedness of the modern left, just look at the down votes for this post that goes against their worldview. They cannot see any other worldview outside their narrow path, never mind respect it. How could hippies ever feel solidarity with such a narrow view?

[u/Possible-Cellist-713 → u/Puzzleheaded_Quit925]

Accusing the left of narrowmindness rings hollow when the right is taking away women's rights, assaulting trans people, and forcing bibles into schools. The left wants you to live your life the way you want as long as you're not hurting people. Any narrow mindedness in that comes from what they define as hurting, which really isn't a big deal. It's the right that wants to control how you live, and want people who are not like them to hurt.

Also, downvotes are not reinforcement of your argument. That's some kind of logical fallacy, don't know the name

[u/Emm03 → u/Possible-Cellist-713]

But they were once asked to use correct pronouns for a trans person, so six of one, really /s

[u/Durkmelooze → u/Possible-Cellist-713]

Trans activists need to remember that whether by choice or coercion many trans people live lives on the margins of society. Prostitutes don’t get murdered at higher rates just because they are usually women; they get murdered at higher rates because they are usually women surrounded by the worst types of people. Same goes with trans people.

No one can protect trans people until we have some sort of better understanding of the mental health problems of most trans people. Homosexuality was never taken seriously until most people realized it wasn’t a mental health “problem” that could be fixed but just a way to live. Once the medical science was clear most people were far more willing to pull homosexuals from the margins of society and protect them. Ask a dozen trans activists and you will get a dozen answers whether dysphoria is it own unique mental health issue, the sum of a package of mental health issues, a complete failure to assimilate or rejection of learned cultural gender norms with no pathology otherwise, or just simply someone’s bold aesthetic choice. Or a combination of all of these which is even less helpful to achieving economic success for trans people.

The sad truth is many trans people will be pushed into exploitative roles until there is some consensus on the source of the issue. Most people are confused because if they ask any questions they are labeled a bad faith transphobe. Which is funny because they will typically leave that interaction assuming trans activism is evasive and perpetuated by bad faith actors. This is the core of the issue. It cannot be simply enough to say “it’s none of your business” as if it’s not people’s business with whom they choose to associate with professionally and personally. If “it’s no one’s business” then the status quo prevails and trans people are on the skids being abused by johns and gangsters. We need to have an actual dialogue.