You said the vaccine is a hoax and you do not know what is in it. Fair point, neither to do I. I also do not know what was in the yellow fever, TB, Hep B or Hep C. In fact, when I was going to an African country, the doctor pumped my system with so many vaccines I nearly got too sick to travel. Was this the same for you when you needed to travel for business or pleasure?
You are scared of what the vaccine will do to you. Of course! Your fear is valid and so is mine. I am scared of what the virus might do to me. I have not gathered all the facts yet but I have witnessed people close to me fight for their lives and lose their sense of taste because of Covid. This is enough for me to hedge my bets with the vaccine. By all means, exercise your right not to be vaccinated, and I will also exercise my right to protect myself and those that I care about. I refuse to take a risk by sharing my space with you. If it were any consolation, I would not share my space with someone that had measles, TB, or dengue fever.
The restaurant will not allow you in without proof of vaccination. Well that just sucks. That person behind you has had to cover their tattoos and piercings otherwise, they too will not be allowed in. Behind them is a group of friends negotiating their way in. They have been denied entry because one of them did not have the proper footwear or shirt. Oh and there was this one time when my family was denied entry at a restaurant because we were black. I was livid! and I spoke up for my rights. Do you know what the privileged people around me did? Nothing! I truly sympathise with you but honestly, there are people who are constantly fighting for basic rights. You can understand how this fight is not on their priority list.
Have you given a thought to the anti-vaxxer with similar fears and concerns like you but they do not have the luxury of losing their job, spouse, friends or children. They do not have centerlink or mum and dad or savings to fall back on. So against their will, they have to take the vaccine to survive. Then they have to tip toe around you because your privileged self-will judge and disown them for making this choice. How dare they take the vaccine behind your back? Can you see the irony?
This might be hard for you but spare thought also for the person that desperately wants to get the vaccination but they cannot. Because their medical condition puts them at risk or country is not developed enough like yours and their hands are covered in dirt from burying their loved ones. These people have to watch you with your plethora of choices carrying on the streets wishing they also had a choice.
The vaccine was developed too fast. Yes it absolutely was! I want to believe that with all the information and technology at our disposal, humans have become faster, better and smarter and therefore we do not have to wait 10 years for a vaccine to be developed.
Vaccine mandate is like apartheid. Now this is just wrong, insensitive and inconsiderate of you. Victims of apartheid did not have a choice. The coloniser just walked into their space and decided that they were inferior humans simply for being born in a different skin. There was absolutely no choice given. If someone had developed a vaccine that the Africans could take to make the brutality stop, don’t you think they would be lining up to get whatever they could to just to make it stop? and be left to enjoy freedom in their own countries?
Look around your fellow protesters. What kind of people do you see? Is it that same person that not long ago you were asking to, “Follow your laws and rules or go back to where they came from?” I bet not. That person is now just following the rules and laws and moving on with their lives. They do not have the privilege to take to the streets and make noise with you because when things go wrong, they will be on the next fight out of here while you go back to your home to watch it all on TV.
We all have fears and concerns, but please, do not make yours more important than mine. We still have to exist on this planet together. The least we can do is treat each other with respect and kindness.
Most importantly, educate yourself thoroughly so that by the time you are taking action, you know exactly what it is you are fighting for.
Now look at the card, is this your privilege?
Cathy Aoll Rambles 