I WISH Vaccines Were The Answer
Here’s why I’m afraid they are not.
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There are some of us out here, quietly skeptical of the vaccination narrative for reasons that have nothing to do with politics. For the record, we aren’t all evil, in your face, conservative, evangelical, gun-waving, anti-science dummies either.
But I don’t think the vaccines are going to get us “back to normal” because they simply aren’t addressing the root causes of how we got to this messed-up situation in the first place! Also, I’m worried the shots will thwart the innate ability of our immune systems to pivot as the virus mutates.
In integrity, I can only speak for myself. But I suspect there might be others out there navigating the path of the non-partisan agnostic as well.
The Media Monolith vs Reality
Not all folks who have not yet gotten the vaccine are rude and reckless assholes going out of the way to carelessly infect wakes of people everywhere we go.
Quite the contrary. Although I haven’t gotten the shot, I’m personally very transparent with my status upfront. I’m also happy to ask what others need to be comfortable before I see them. Masks? No problem. Getting tested like we did before our playdate the other week? Sure thing. Want to Zoom instead? Easy-peasy.
I understand your concerns, even though reciprocation of this courtesy is rare. I DO believe the virus can be dangerous, and I take precautions to avoid catching it. And I really don’t want to give it to anyone else. Just like you.
Since the data I‘ve seen shows that both vaccinated and unvaccinated folks can catch, transmit, and suffer side effects from the virus, I’m not sure why the unvaccinated are getting so much hate. I do believe the monolithic oversimplification of complex issues for mass consumption is par for the course. Especially when the media’s purpose sure seems to be to whip up inflammatory polarization.
Before I get into why I don’t think the vaccine is the ultimate answer, I’ll give you a little background on where I’m coming from and some of the research I’m looking at.
Why Haven’t I Gotten The Shot Yet?
I got my degree in physiology, which does not make me an expert. But I’ve got a better bead on PubMed than the average bear. With motherhood came the inevitable hunt for information about vaccination for my children, and the rabbit hole that entails. If you know how to read PubMed and NIH papers, there is quite a bit of information out there on the topic.
My husband and I decided to give our kids some vaccines and not do others. Nothing about the topic is black and white. As insurance, we mostly focus on eating whole foods, moving our bodies, building community, and trying not to live in an overly stressful state. And we know none of this makes us immortal. It just improves our overall chances of surviving. None of us are on any regular meds.
At the same time, all of us are up to date on tetanus shots. Because we walk around barefoot outside all of the time. So that one makes sense.
It’s within this context and a culture of ever-dwindling trust we decided to head to the wait-and-see camp for the new Covid vaccines. Nothing I have heard in the time since they first came out has changed my mind. And I’ve seen plenty of information that has confirmed my caution.
I mean, can you show me this study of mortality and vaccination rates commissioned by Dr. Ute Bergner of Germany is fake. Please! To save you the hassle of searching for where this information came from, here you go. Really. I could use some other eyes on this.
While mRNA vaccines are not “new” technology, I’m waiting to see what happens as the virus mutates, as it clearly doing now. The problem, as I understand it, with previous mRNA vaccine trials was that they programmed a certain antibody response. Then when the virus mutates, as they always do, the old antibody doesn’t work as well, or at all.
If you’re listening to the mainstream news on omicron, this is exactly why there is “concern” that the variant won’t respond to the current vaccines. They even use the words “viral escape” to reference this phenomenon, without ever explaining what it is.
Let me simplify. More variants = More shots = More profits. And a frightened and captive audience to boot!
I’m also suspicious of the viral origins in the first place. Having read Nicolas Wade’s excellent and well-researched piece on the origin of this version of covid, and comparing the differences between the SARS CoV viruses from 2003, and SARS CoV-2 of this recent pandemic, I’m suspicious that gain of function research isn’t responsible for this whole ball of wax. Notably, the lab-leak hypothesis that was largely ignored by notable media at first is now being brought to light.
Can you explain this video of Peter Daszak from 2016 in the context of what is going on? Or this apologetic article in Science Magazine? What’s he trying to cover up?
I’m afraid the corrupt nature of those running the big systems is simply not trustworthy enough for me to believe them. And this huge global, full-court press to get the WHOLE WORLD vaccinated, while in reality only vaccinating the people whose countries can afford to pay for the shots?
My spidey senses have been tingling for a long time now. This whole thing just smells like a bunch of rats. Trust has been eroded by too many profit-driven lies for me to believe it.
On top of ALL of the evidence I can pull together from the internet, the most damning evidence comes from my own experience. I’m not saying people aren’t dying. I’m just saying no one I know personally has died from it.
I hang out with a bunch of healthy hippies, and I know lots of unvaccinated people who have gotten Covid. For most folks, it’s been a bad cold. I have one friend who has symptoms of long Covid, and that totally sucks. Some people only knew they had it because they got a test. Some people got vaccinated and had a bad run with Covid anyway. One friend is vaccinated and boosted and has gotten Covid twice!
So who’s to say? As far as I can tell, no one is safe.
Why Vaccines Aren’t The Ultimate Answer
Ultimately, evidence is showing that Covid is FAR more dangerous for people with underlying health conditions. The correlation to this is that to make Covid, and all future viruses like it, less dangerous — it’s time to address and work to resolve the underlying health conditions so many of us suffer from.
Where does ill health come from? Our lifestyles, our economy, the rat race, and our ever-increasing pace of living — it’s all contributing to our slow demise.
But the vaccine is marketed as THE ANSWER! Once we’re all vaccinated, things can get back to normal. This is simply not true.
How is the vaccine going to address the inequities and extractive domination mindset that got us into this pickle in the first place? How is the vaccine going to address the rampant deforestation and ocean acidification, and greenhouse gas accumulation that comes from “normal living?” How is the vaccine going to address far-right authoritarian rule?
In search of invulnerability and ever-loving safety, we’ve gotten more and more disconnected from where we came from. For fear of dying, we’ve become afraid to live. We disinfect our hands, our homes, our lives — not realizing that we are killing the very life forms that make it possible for us to be alive in the first place.
Humans are acting like auto-immune malfunctions by killing everything that threatens us in an attempt to stay safe. Wake up! Shake yourself out of it folks!
We’ve co-evolved with the virome. Our native immune systems have been the tool of choice for humans to deal with the world around us for millions of years. And now the scientists want to tell us they have something better. After the lies of all the food scientists, I’m not sold. I think I’d rather rely on the old systems and not get all caught up in being saved by human science.
Vaccinations. Antibiotics. Ubiquitous Disinfectants. Nuclear Bombs. None of these are long-term solutions for anything. They are all weapons of the patriarchy if I’m really calling a spade a spade. And by patriarchy — I mean the attempted control of Eros or the life force. Not just uninitiated old white men in charge. Life is a process of relations with the place and beings around us. If we are judging our morality on how well we live as part of the world as a whole, current society would get a big fat F.
Flagging and Censoring Things Also Makes Me Suspicious
This post will probably get flagged.
Consider this, a post sharing my personal opinion and research. A post asking questions. A post not claiming to know anything substantive, but just asking questions — will get flagged.
What are the flaggers afraid of? People thinking? Or more likely the flaggers are just AI bots programmed to respond to certain words.
Are we really going down this road?
Out of fear?
I hope not.
I don’t know what the answer is to solve all the problems of a world infected with Covid. But I do know that hating on each other, yelling, blaming, and getting mad is NOT the way forward that I want to take.
Stay well, y’all. However you choose to pursue that. And enjoy your day!
© Kaia Tingley December 2021
