It’s worth noting that, even if you think shaming encourages people to get vaccinated, these stories are still bad because they are almost never seen by the people who you’re trying to shame.
Unvaccinated people don’t like and share stories about unvaccinated people having a tube shoved down their throat and then dying alone in a hospital.
The more outrageous the irony, the less it actually appeals to someone who hasn’t gotten the vaccine yet.
Similarly, many of these stories focus heavily on the most crazy, most irrational reasons to not get the vaccine.
Most folks who don’t get the vaccine are coming from very understandable places.
- They may believe that they already got COVID and think that, because they already got it, then they’re “immune” (which is wrong, but reasonable to assume)
- They have heard people they consider smart and reputable, like Eric Weinstein, claim misleading or false statistics about deaths from the vaccine. (Again, wrong, but understandable)
- they may still think that the vaccine is “not FDA approved”, due to poor messaging from the FDA. (It is approved by the way, not just emergency authorization)
- they may not have time to go get a vaccine. Not everyone can take time off work
- they may be afraid of needles, or the side effects, and are unwilling to admit it. I was afraid of the side effects before getting my vaccine (though it turned out fine)
All of these are irrational reasons, since COVID is super contagious, absolutely awful to get, and puts many people, even those who survive, alone in the hospital with a tube shoved down their throat. But they’re reasonable fears; understandable fears.
And shaming people for entirely reasonable fears does not get more people vaccinated.
A lot of people seem to care more about their anger towards unvaccinated people, and their desire to shame them, than actually stopping the pandemic by taking strategies that would actually get them vaccinated.