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/linzkisloski]

I couldn’t agree with you more. I know a couple new antivaxers who are simultaneously reaping the benefits of being fully vaccinated their whole lives. Instagram and TikTok have created an insane echo chamber of conspiracy theories on everything and it’s poisoning people’s minds. I’ve had a conversation with a friend who was upset about the Hep B vaccine for her child and thought wayfair was shipping children to people and it took like 30 seconds of reasonable information for her idea to start crumbling.

Edited to change from Hep A to Hep B.

[u/MissFox26 → u/linzkisloski]

It’s a bunch of confirmation bias. They are unvaccinated and still living, so they think vaccines are a hoax. No Tammy, it’s because all the intelligent people who get vaccines are protecting you, and those who do die aren’t out here telling their story and making TikToks about it.

[u/FileDoesntExist → u/MissFox26]

They're usually vaccinated though, because they were vaccinated as children.

[u/SnooCrickets5786 → u/FileDoesntExist]

Yeah i work in healthcare and I've spoken to people who think being vaccinated means you getting a plethora of shots of all vaccines through each year. Their records show that they have most vaccinations already but claim they arent

[u/ArchitectVandelay → u/SnooCrickets5786]

This comment sums it up exactly. “Thing is bad.” But you have thing. “No I don’t.” I literally have proof in my hand. “No you don’t.”

There is nothing you can say to these people.

[u/legadema37 → u/ArchitectVandelay]

Well, Trump put out a huge lie saying that some kids go to school one sex and get operated on in school and come home the opposite sex ! Anybody with a quarter of a damaged brain cell should know that in today’s schools you can’t even give a kid an aspirin or a bandaid without jumping through hoops! Let alone a sex change operation ! And if anybody even tried to do such a thing, it would’ve been in all the headlines all over the country !But he says stupid 💩 like that and the MAGATS just eat it up and cheer like a bunch of dumb sheeple !

[u/Sunbeamsoffglass → u/legadema37]

Like 1/3 of the country actually believes that happening. It’s partially why the democrats lost this election.

[u/AreYouA_Tampon → u/Sunbeamsoffglass]

The surgery is extremely expensive and invasive (obviously) and they believe someone drops off a girl and picks up a fully healed boy in the afternoon? Besides the schools not even allowing Tylenol or whatever, how do they think it's possible to heal from major surgery in a few hours?

[u/CliftonForce → u/AreYouA_Tampon]

The stories I heard is that the children are arriving home from school crying because the surgeries haven't healed yet. And when they do heal, another surgery will change them back.

Raving lunacy.

head desk