CV and mad panic behaviour

[Mav]

Good to see you saw what I posted. That's still my view. I'm happy to fight my own battles and I'm happy to cross swords/hatchets with you and bury the hatchets afterwards. But when you start digging up your hatchet, you surely wouldn't mind if I dig mine up too ...

[Mav]

I think you'll find the vaccine mandates have been responsible for increasing the vaccination rates and the number of holdouts has decreased. Overseas experience has shown that 50% of them talk tough to canvassers before D-Day arrives, saying they'd rather quit than be forced into taking the vaccine. But when push comes to shove, only 1-2% follow through.

Personally, I wouldn't mind if the mandates were repealed after the date for full vaccination. That would see most would end up fully vaccinated. But that sort of bluff would destroy the credibility of the government concerned, so that's not going to happen. On the other hand, if a court quashes the mandate after the date for full vaccination, face would be saved. 

[Mav]

Here ya go:  Fewer than than 0.1% of NSW health staff have quit due to Covid vaccination mandates, The Guardian.

Only 136 quit rather than vaccinate. The Liberal Government is crowing that the mayhem predicted by the Labor opposition didn't come to pass.

But according to Brett Holmes, the general secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, opposition to mandates among staff have been overblown. Holmes said that while a small number of his members had resigned after the mandate, feedback suggested many of those were leaving the industry because of what he called “pandemic fatigue”.

But Holmes is concerned about staff shortages. In northern NSW, often held up as a stronghold of vaccine hesitancy, he said shortages had been a problem long before the pandemic.

So it's hard to be exact when it comes to the effect of the vaccine mandate. Some who have quit didn't do so because of the vaccine mandate, but the article also points out that others may be stood down for failing to vaccinate and may quit later.  But it doesn't seem that the feared backlash has occurred.

Final submissions were heard in the NSW Supreme Court cases of Al-Munir Kassam v Bradley Ronald Hazzard & Natasha Henry v Brad Hazzard last Wednesday, so that decision should be handed down reasonably soon.

[Mav]

Tom Browne says AFL sources suggest vaccinations won't be made mandatory in the AFL but there are only a few hesitants whose hands will be forced anyway as air travel will require vaccination.

[kruddler]

I had to kick a guy of a construction site today because he wasn't vaccinated.

Initially he played the "but i've got my first jab booked in x weeks" and i felt for him, but it didn't change anything.
Upon further chatting, he ended up going into the usual spiels about dictator dan, how he wants to have kids some day and doesn't want his dna altered by the vaccine which has been 'proven' by videos he's seen on facebook etc etc.
Claims all pro-vaccine ads are paid actors and all the governments of the world are in the pocket of big pharma.

etc.

I'm not sure he ever did have his first jab booked in at all after hearing all that.

I spent a good hour with him chatting about the whole thing and trying to convince him that what he has heard via social media is basically nonsense. I got through a little bit, but an hour long chat is not going to reverse months/years of misinformation programming.

He was a good kid who is very confused.

I think the government needs to get on the front foot and debunk a lot of myths that similar people believe.

[capcom]

Which government?

[Thryleon]

I had to kick a guy of a construction site today because he wasn't vaccinated.

Initially he played the "but i've got my first jab booked in x weeks" and i felt for him, but it didn't change anything.
Upon further chatting, he ended up going into the usual spiels about dictator dan, how he wants to have kids some day and doesn't want his dna altered by the vaccine which has been 'proven' by videos he's seen on facebook etc etc.
Claims all pro-vaccine ads are paid actors and all the governments of the world are in the pocket of big pharma.

etc.

I'm not sure he ever did have his first jab booked in at all after hearing all that.

I spent a good hour with him chatting about the whole thing and trying to convince him that what he has heard via social media is basically nonsense. I got through a little bit, but an hour long chat is not going to reverse months/years of misinformation programming.

He was a good kid who is very confused.

I think the government needs to get on the front foot and debunk a lot of myths that similar people believe.

Exactly my point.  18 months into the pandemic and running commentary from the usual suspects but you dont see one proper q and a from epidemiologists or doctors, scientists on television, just Dan, the CHO,  and whomever else they roll out to talk. 

This leaves a vacuum.  One that gets filled by talk with stuff they interpret from a presser, which might be an error, or misquote or whatever. 

They have very much failed to have proper engagement with people about why there is an issue and instead have resorted to the stick in respect to getting vaccinated rather the carrot.

[Mav]

They bring in an ICU nurse to talk about the horrible experiences of Covid patients and their nurses and anti-vaxxers go to town on her.

They bring in a long-Covid sufferer to talk about the terrible effects it has had on his life and anti-vaxxers dox him, accuse him of lying and being a paid crisis actor etc, etc.

I'm thinking anything the government does by way of education will of itself be seen as proof that the conspiracy theories are true. Why else would the government be lying, presenting crisis actors etc, etc.

There's the conundrum.

[DJC]

Exactly my point.  18 months into the pandemic and running commentary from the usual suspects but you dont see one proper q and a from epidemiologists or doctors, scientists on television, just Dan, the CHO,  and whomever else they roll out to talk. 

This leaves a vacuum.  One that gets filled by talk with stuff they interpret from a presser, which might be an error, or misquote or whatever. 

They have very much failed to have proper engagement with people about why there is an issue and instead have resorted to the stick in respect to getting vaccinated rather the carrot.

You must watch different TV Thry.  Dr Norman Swan is a regular on the ABC (TV and radio) and responds to questions from the punters.  Many other doctors, epidemiologists, immunologists, scientists, the team that does the modelling for the CHO, the Doherty Institute, the Garvan Institute, etc, etc are also regulars.

The thing is that the conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers and neo-nazis are deaf to science and logic.

[spf]

The thing is that the conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers and neo-nazis are deaf to science and logic.

For me this is part of the problem, the narrative that has been allowed to develop. Your post is very common now, have a look at the language - "conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers and neo-nazis", and this is demonizing those that feel different to yourself.

If you want people onboard, then you have to speak their language. You don't know their language. Many simply raise their voices, speaking louder and more aggressively expecting that will do something. It just alienates them more.  Name calling and being disparaging is not bringing them with you. Congratulations to all those that engage in it, you have contributed to the beginnings of a resistance. The disaffected and disenfranchised now have a place to call home.