# Convincing acquaintances, friends, and family to get vaccinated **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [August 7, 2021, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172 "2021-08-07T00:41:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/241 "2021-10-09T23:36:33Z")
I have some good news. I might have mentioned part of this story before. My mother and brother are vaccine refusers. Or were, in my brother’s case. He had to get one for his job. He was very reluctant and was still watching Youtube videos about the “mark of the beast” afterward. I overheard him and our mother talking about how the vaccine was the “mark of the beast”. (My brother is mentally challenged, and I have a biology degree. Naturally my mother listened to him.) Recently though, he changed his mind. He tried to convince our mother to call the doctor and see if there’s any chance she is allergic (there’s basically no chance, and that was a step he took before getting his own vaccine) and today they argued about her not getting vaccinated. My mother is still not changing her mind. I asked my brother why he became positive about the vaccine and he said it was simply because he suffered no side effects from the vaccine. (He had been watching lots of scare-mongering videos, not just the religious ones.) Unfortunately the strategy I have seem to be force an unwilling person to get vaccinated, and then watch as they don’t suffer any side effects. It’s not exactly viable; if it wasn’t for my brother’s job forcing him t o get one, I’m sure he would still be unvaccinated today. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2021, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/242 "2021-10-10T00:56:19Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > It’s complete bullshit. it depends on how it was stated. Most of the people who go into nursing homes die within a year. That’s why I like to emphasis how really unpleasant it is to die like this. I suppose if we could legally tackle the unvaccinated and hold a pillow over their face for 30 seconds they might understand that this is not how they want to live for weeks before they succumb HOPING they die. I’ve personally dealt with claustrophobic episodes triggered from not breathing at night. It’s almost impossible to explain this to someone who has never experienced it. 5 minutes of suffocation and you WANT to die. So a vaccine is an easy sell to someone who has experienced this. Or someone who has experienced double pneumonia and couldn’t catch their breath while they tried to cough up a lung. These people can relate to suffocation from severe congestion. For those who have never experienced something like this I ask them if they’ve every exercised until they’re out of breath. If the answer is yes then I ask them to imaging trying to catch their breath breathing through a straw. then imagine doing this for weeks at a time instead of a minute. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2021, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/243 "2021-10-10T12:29:01Z")
Reminds me of the descriptions of waterboarding. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2021, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/244 "2021-10-10T13:06:10Z")
I can’t imagine the frustration of having a loved one refusing to get vaccinated. I convinced my mom to do it mostly be saying, “yes, I really think you should do this. And yes, your doctor strongly recommends it”. (She has memory issues. She and I were together when her doctor urged her to get it as soon as she was eligible.) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2021, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/245 "2021-10-10T16:12:22Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Reminds me of the descriptions of waterboarding. I’ve actually used that analogy when discussing it with people directly. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2021, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/246 "2021-10-10T16:30:09Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > > [@k9bfriender](#): > > > > It’s one thing to for media and politicians to lie. Are doctors not held to any sort of standard? > > The state medical board might be interested in finding out. At least a couple of state medical boards have issued warnings regarding spread of Covid-19 misinformation by physicians. Whether that ultimately translates into board sanctions is another matter. > **[Reining in doctors promoting COVID-19 misinformation](https://www.respectfulinsolence.com/2021/10/06/reining-in-doctors-promoting-covid-19-misinformation/)** > > COVID-19 has pushed state medical boards to consider disciplining physicians who promote COVID-19 misinformation. How would that work? Most likely, a medical board won’t take action unless one or more actual patients file complaints. > [@Might\_Mouse](#): > > I give you this quote from a DOCTOR in our town: > > “Most of these people would have died anyway. An 80 year old has a 30% chance of dying before their 81st birthday. Attributing their deaths to COVID is just a giant fraud” I wonder if this “DOCTOR” simultaneously believes that reports of deaths after vaccination sent to the VAERS database are also coincidental. A number of these deaths have occurred in frail elderly patients at risk of dying from other causes - but antivaxers want us to believe that it _had_ to be the vaccine that killed them. (I put “DOCTOR” in scare quotes, because quite a few, though lamentably not all of the Covid-19 deniers/misinformers identified in the mainstream/social media as doctors turn out to be chiropractors, other fringe practitioners and dubious researchers). ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2021, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/247 "2021-10-11T01:05:14Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > but antivaxers want us to believe that it _had_ to be the vaccine that killed them. Antivaxxers are quite capable of holding 4 contradictory thoughts in their heads before breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2021, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/248 "2021-10-11T01:07:53Z")
Not at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2021, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/249 "2021-10-11T21:23:47Z")
Well, of course they can. There’s nothing else taking up space there. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/250 "2021-10-15T14:25:57Z")
> **[Opinion | The Unvaccinated May Not Be Who You Think (Published 2021)](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/15/opinion/covid-vaccines-unvaccinated.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUktbfqohlSFUaBibSRdkhrxqAwvPI3r0ww2H3JyOUTztZivkTHYGL8EbLbLZua50zwzGfDpdnAYMYecZTnKVZLlA_DE6huIeFk5AIZHpq8tvqBztmmpiVBeh9rGawNyzpIrd1geCz5hjZPGjgWqTb2GYzZ1ow-esTflmh33MKz6vXQKUiipQlg6BXVt0tTiwAZSKJo_HqFx15Xd2AZRrb4QAzMPpLDXCRxZXPruJdL3gBTA7OX3h94m4j6NpDO9NxPKv3LBIoecuWkqxWL-H1WfFDt18IIdMFvZxc&smid=url-share)** > > Science can find a cure for our diseases but not for our societal ills. ---
**Author:** ![Tfletch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tfletch1/32/5340_2.png) [@Tfletch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tfletch1)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/251 "2021-10-15T16:06:20Z")
Excellent article. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/252 "2021-10-19T14:34:01Z")
I found this to be very telling: > the most powerful predictor of who remained unvaccinated was not age, politics, race, income or location, but [the lack of health insurance](https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-september-2021/). ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/253 "2021-10-19T15:11:04Z")
But there’s no cost to the person, so it seems like it would be telling of misinformation rather than lack of access. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/254 "2021-10-19T15:14:55Z")
Perhaps SOME of “no health insurance” - “no vax” can both be tied to a deeper root cause. It might be general carelessness about health, it might be fear of doctors and the medical establishment, or something similar. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/255 "2021-10-19T15:50:47Z")
Maybe these people don’t know the shots are free to everyone even if they have no insurance. I mean, is that common knowledge? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/256 "2021-10-19T15:54:38Z")
I see it constantly, but then, I’m not watching OAN or FOX. ---
**Author:** ![Tfletch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tfletch1/32/5340_2.png) [@Tfletch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tfletch1)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/257 "2021-10-19T16:04:31Z")
> [@Bonum\_Legatum](#): > > Perhaps SOME of “no health insurance” - “no vax” can both be tied to a deeper root cause. It might be general carelessness about health, it might be fear of doctors and the medical establishment, or something similar. I read it the same way. People who are generally low information because they don’t pay attention, not that they actively seek out misinformation. They don’t watch or read the news. They’re not concerned about their health. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/258 "2021-10-19T16:05:01Z")
In my personal experience there are three kinds of people who are loudly vaccine skeptical: - literally law-and-order types (police, other first responders) who are politically conservative and see this as a liberal thing - small business people and the self employed, folks who are among the most anti-government, anti-tax and anti-regulation folks around - groups that are outside the mainstream, poor people in general, black people, less prosperous immigrant communities. People who are consuming information that is even more walled off than middle class and above white & Asian people are getting. Though in my personal experience we have in WeChat (almost entirely Chinese people) a huge number of trolls that have all the hallmarks of CCP agents spewing Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt about vaccine efficacy and safety. So maybe not just “less prosperous” immigrant communities. But vaccination rates among Asian-Americans is very high. I would like to see the breakdown between Filipino/Vietnamese vs Chinese/Korean/South Asian/Japanese because there seems to be a pretty wide gulf between those groups in terms of political affiliation. But I haven’t seen that published anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/259 "2021-10-19T16:29:17Z")
> [@susan](#): > > But there’s no cost to the person, so it seems like it would be telling of misinformation rather than lack of access. This is true. Some of it may be, however that because of the lack of insurance, the person has no personal family doctor, and because of that, they are more likely to get information from crap sources like Fox News, rather than from a trusted medical professional. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172/260 "2021-10-19T17:02:55Z")
I went many years without health insurance. I was _very_ concerned about my health, I just couldn’t afford it. I absolutely would have gotten the vaccine, as it was free, and I don’t think that treatment for actually getting COVID is. I paid out of pocket for TDAP vaccines, not that it was all that expensive, but the $50 or so that it was still hurt a bit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172.md?page=14)