Some People Should Be Ashamed

I can’t hold in my feelings any longer. Some things just need to be said.

The last few years have been tough. For everyone. Super stressful.

And yes, difficult situations can bring out the worst in some people. But all the pain in the world doesn’t justify mistreating others. Nor does it absolve people of their guilt. And the need to own up to their words and actions, and apologize accordingly.

Vaccines, Vaccines, Vaccines

In my lifetime, I never felt something like this.

Not long ago, so-called vaccines were introduced into our society. We were told they were 100% safe. We were told they worked, and worked well for all people, of all ages.

And we were told there was damn near a zero percent chance you’d get Covid if you had the shot in your arm.

We were also told it would last for quite a while.

Naturally and understandably, some were skeptical.

After all, we were being told all this by groups of people we’ve learned to distrust repeatedly. The power hungry government. The attention-obsessed mass media. The greedy and immoral pharmaceutical industry.

Things seemed rushed. And matters were politicized. Somehow a vaccine was a problem when Trump was in office, but moments later it was the greatest thing in the world.

And anecdotal evidence was trickling in that maybe it wasn’t as great as people thought. Or even potentially dangerous for some folk.

Justified Skepticism and a Divided Society

I can go on for pages about why some people might be skeptical.

And you know what? Being skeptical about taking a chemical and placing it into your system is natural. Personally, I read ingredients before buying all food products. If I see something odd, I’m reluctant to buy it. Why? Because I don’t want garbage in my system. If you do, that’s your right. I think every human being alive should try and eat healthier… but I support your right to eat crap.

That’s how freedom works.

But that wasn’t how freedom worked for a period of recent history.

I watched something I didn’t really think I’d see in my lifetime. A divided society, in which one group felt superior to another, and was willing to mistreat, deride, and discriminate against another group.

No, there was no race, religion, or gender involved. Anyone was capable of converting to the privileged group. Hell, I did it just so I could go to the gym. Countries were willing to create passes that allowed some people to behave one way, while others were not granted such privileges. And it was all based on a very underwhelming science.

Our Eyes Told a Different Story

At first we were told that this thing was like an impenetrable wall. Covid was no match for Pfizer! You get that shot, ain’t no Covid finding its way into your bloodstream. And it would last indefinitely… and then a year… and then six months. And it was no longer a wall against Covid, but something that “lessened the severity”.

And we looked around. And we saw people getting Covid, with or without vaccines. And some people had it bad, others not so bad. And yes, some people without vaccines got a nasty case here and there. But then again, some had no symptoms whatsoever. And some people with the vaccine had far worse symptoms than those without it.

And the news was saying one thing. But our eyes were telling a completely different story.

And then one day, it was as if Covid just ceased being important. The world collectively decided the newer strains were no big deal. The formerly ubiquitous masks were becoming exceedingly rare. It had been months since you heard the words “social distancing”. And we long abandoned wiping groceries, smothering ourselves with hand sanitizer, and constantly shoving long q-tips up our nostrils.

And a large swath of the population backed away, and pretended what happened didn’t just happen.

But some of us remember vividly.

We Still Remember What Happened

We remember that you tried to split the world into two distinct populations: The vaccinated and the unvaccinated.

We remember that you felt very sure of yourself as you wrote scathing condemnations of those whose opinions differed from your own.

You arrogantly utilized your green pass privileges and whatever other societal rights were placed upon you because you chose to do what the government said you should do. And you happily discriminated against those who feared placing an experimental drug into their bloodstream.

And you know what? I’m not ready to forget.

If at any point along the way you mistreated someone because they disagreed with you, you should be ashamed of yourself.

If you felt superior, because you were willing to get a shot because someone told you it would save the world. Or because you wanted privileges, and you then looked down upon others who didn’t have such privileges. Or you tried to shame others into doing something they did not want to do, because you believed the hype and the hyperbole of an unscrupulous and money-hungry pharmaceutical industry.

Some People Owe Some Serious Apologies

If any of this describes you, you owe a whole lot of apologies to a whole lot of people. You pushed away friends and relatives, and have nothing to show for it. Your precious vaccine didn’t bring Covid down to its knees. Likely it was more because of a new strain that was nothing more than a nasty flu or a bothersome cold.

So you behaved this way and literally have nothing at all to show for it!

You did all of this in the name of science. And you did all this pretending like you were the good guys, mistreating and discriminating against others for the betterment of the population around you.

And it turned out you were wrong.

It turned out your precious vaccine was mediocre and overly hyped. But your words and actions have long-standing and devastating outcomes, whether or not you yet recognize this.

But it’s not over. Ignoring your behavior won’t make it disappear. Only acknowledging. And then, of course, making amends.

If you thought you were better then someone else, or you pushed away a friend or a family member, pick up a phone and make things right.

It’s the least you could do.