The four most revealing and perhaps most infamous words spoken by the unvaccinated who are finally facing the reality of COVID-19 sickness and death, are these: “I had no idea!”
Really? You had no idea? You had more than a year and a half and the information resources of the 21st century, and you had no idea? How revealing is that?
This problem of unshaken proud ignorance with which some of the population is currently afflicted seems new, but it is not really all that new. It has just changed its clothing. It is disguised. It has been with us for a very long time. It just looks different today because of how prevalent it is and how ugly it has become. Not to mention its disguise.
The anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers are everywhere today, pushing hospitals beyond their limits. And when these anti-reality folks are hit in the face with the realities of death by COVID, they confess a truth that is startlingly surprising to them. They had no idea.
In some strange sense, hearing these words from the mouths of the dying is both annoying and rewarding. It is both good and bad to hear them, because giving voice to those words means an unflinching reality has finally hit home. But it also means another unfortunate death is upon someone who had access to the same information you did, had access to knowledge, and decided instead to believe a series of blatant lies specifically designed to deceive them. These words of the dying are frequently either preceded or followed by a frightened request for a vaccine, the administration of which would do no good. It is too late. They blew their chance by believing the BS instead of the truth.
It is at least unfortunate but also probably almost criminal. Yes, they are dumb enough to fall for this crap, but no, there is really no excuse for anyone deliberately subjecting people—regardless of how stupid they are—to this level of deadly deception. Yes, this should be illegal.
Dumb dupes have always been with us. But today, they are particularly vulnerable. Today, there is an internet chock full of deception and lies, just waiting there for the gullible to drift in for a hit of conspiracies. And they are primed and eager for it because of the media they regularly absorb. It is almost understandable how some are tempted to be this vile and immoral. They see how vulnerable the weak are, and the temptation to take advantage of their stupidity might become overwhelming to someone of low moral standing. Especially when it has become so very easy to accomplish. Like candy from a baby.
So the question among thinkers and activists might be this: Is there any way to change this? Is there a solution to this problem, or are we facing the possible disintegration of our whole social fabric?
Here is where I like to quote Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy [The Newsroom, debut episode]. “The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one.” Well, I recognize it, and you may recognize it, but it is fairly clear that not enough people seem to recognize the existence of a problem, let alone what the nature of that problem is. We all have friends (and relatives!) who have fallen for the wave upon wave of deliberate misinformation that blows over us constantly, seeking the weak minded and otherwise vulnerable. Once they have fallen, getting them to recognize reality again becomes a tall order. They quickly become absorbed into a completely alternate reality. And for some, it is true, there is no coming back. They are lost causes. But others are redeemable.
We see stories of QAnon supporters who have somehow escaped the clutches of that belief system. It can happen. Then again, others show us how truly difficult that can be. This brings to mind the recent story of a QAnon dupe who believed what he was told, and killed his own kids because they were devil seed from his wicked wife, or some such foolishness. That is how deep and dark the conspiracies can quickly become. So we must acknowledge that some people are simply going to be unreachable. We do have to hope that they are at least re-trainable, or we may have already passed the tipping point at which our society is doomed.
But let’s talk about those who are redeemable, those recoverable dupes, as it were. How do we reach them? What is called for in an essential plan of action to save our nation from crumbling into divisive irreconcilable tribes? Because tribalism is what we are talking about here.
The first step is recognizing there is a problem. Even the dupes can see there is a problem. But part of the problem is that they don’t know the true nature of the problem. The problem has been redefined for them in their alternate reality. The real problem is the existence of that alternate reality, and they are not going to be willing to accept that very easily.
In autocracies, dealing with problems like this is far easier. The government just gets heavy handed and forces the people to accept the reality that is preferred by the autocrats. But we are “stuck with” a democracy, where the solutions are harder to come by. Nevertheless, there are blueprints available that look a little bit like the autocratic solutions in other countries. And that blueprint is playing out already in the sphere of COVID-19 reactions. “Freedumb” fighters rigidly opposed to government mandates fail to recognize the meaning of civic responsibility. They cannot see how sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice for the benefit of others and the benefit of society as a whole. Their alternate reality refuses to accept that as a necessity. That is the disguise worn by today’s version of society’s dupes. They wear the costume of deliberately warped information.
But our county has reached a point at which the citizenry must face higher vaccination rates, or the health of the entire nation is at risk. It may be time for the resistant to be forced to comply. After all, the Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of mandatory vaccination programs in the interest of public health. That controversial bridge has already been crossed. It may not fit in the alternate reality, but it fits in the real one. The challenge is escaping that alternate reality, and the so-called first step might be forcing some folks to get vaccinated. If they suddenly see that yes, by golly, the government actually can do that, they might start to reconsider the nature and limits of their cozy little sphere. And we may already be starting to see some of this. It is not in the form of government mandates, just yet, but people are suddenly being presented with some serious choices. Get vaxxed or you can’t go some places, do some things, work some jobs, or continue to have health insurance coverage for COVID (with many insurers, hospital costs are now on you). We may be seeing the refutation of the old saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. An increasing number of these resistant horses are deciding to drink. You know, because after so much time, everybody gets thirsty. Maybe it will even be enough of them that we won’t need strict governmental mandates. Well, okay, so much for optimism. But at least this scenario might start to introduce the duped masses to a realization of the actual problem at hand. Maybe they can begin to admit the true nature of the problem after they have watched a few loved ones die. Maybe they can start to see how badly they have been deceived. Because that is the nature of the actual problem. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing you have one—and what its nature is. You know, because they had no idea.
But what else can be done? More is definitely needed even after we have conquered and/or tamed this viral enemy. The media must assist in this process rather than continue to be a major part of the divisiveness. Because, make no mistake, the media are a major part of the problem. We could take Canada’s lead and simply refuse to permit the likes of Fox News to broadcast. However, to do that would require some serious modification of the rules by which the media operate today in the United States. But seriously, the Federal Communications Commission’s Fairness Doctrine is sorely missed and should be reinstated in some form. That would go a long way toward repairing the damage being done in today’s media. Fox “News” would no longer be the defender and source of alternate reality lies and disinformation.
The Fairness Doctrine stated that the holders of broadcast licenses were required to “present controversial issues of public importance.” They also were required to do this in a manner that was honest, equitable, and balanced. That meant both sides of issues had to be represented, not just the spin from one side. For a similar new doctrine to take effect, Congress would have to first mandate the doctrine, and then give the FCC the responsibility for enforcing it. There is no reason this cannot be done. The Fairness Doctrine was repealed in an unfortunate decision in 1987, and this resulted in the rise of “unfiltered” and heavily biased talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh. This in turn gave rise to the stark divide in popular information consumption seen today in left versus right. The alternate reality in which people on the right live today is entirely the product of these deliberately divisive and unregulated media.
This is how we got to a situation where a sizable portion of the population “had no idea” that COVID-19 was not a hoax, and that the vaccines were not too controversial, and that wearing face masks was not dangerous to one’s health. So now we see large numbers of unvaccinated people over-filling ICUs, and facing huge hospital bills and the increased risk of death. They lie there and look up into the faces of exhausted caregivers, and exclaim, “I had no idea!”