How American conservatives turned against the vaccine

[@Vox]

I was curious how some other countries were able to achieve extremely high vaccination rates and came across Portugal, where 91% of the population has completed their vaccinations, compared to 64% in the US. (Note: the definition of “fully vaccinated” is shifting as the evolving virus makes boosters increasingly important!) Portugal’s strategy was, in part, to give the vaccine effort a non-political face: a military officer named Henrique Gouveia e Melo. He’s very tall, wears a combat uniform everywhere he goes, and enforced a strictly non-political communications strategy. He approached the vaccine effort like a military mission and by all accounts, gained the trust of the nation. It certainly wasn’t the only factor in Portugal’s success, but it made me wonder whether a military-led approach could have helped reduce polarization in the US. Let me know what you think in the comments below. -Joss

[@kilgoretrout413]

That sounds like a great idea, especially considering the bizarre fetishisation of the military in the USA 🇺🇸

[@mochazhar7380]

not in Indonesia 🗿

[@tectonicallyinsane3450]

Idk, I think many people with their biases towards the vaccine and all its boosters would cause distrust to increase and they would use it to further indoctrinate people into their ideals.

[@JoePlatt1]

@@kilgoretrout413 Exactly. It would have worked in the UK too I think

[@dialectiks]

Ah yes, the unpolitical military lol. I rather think that the military guy appealed to exact those people who were hesitant when some gov suit told them to get vacced. The rest (that thinks of the military as politicized, and not in a good way) gets the vaccine anyway.

[@RoverTheDog1]

My parents (who are very right leaning) got the vaccine before it was required by either of their jobs. They started being "anti Vax" once they realised the vaccine wouldn't be the end of masks, social distancing, online schooling, etc.

[@kw2080]

Trust in health institutions is declining. Even the WHO had to admit they intentionally lie to keep peace among different countries.

[@kw2080]

@@vladimir-poutine1952 mandates are a terrible idea. I guess we could just become an authoritarian state lol. That sounds like a good reason to vaccinate.

[@RoverTheDog1]

@@vladimir-poutine1952 Im not disagreeing that Vaccines are important and I agree they are only the first step. I'm just giving the perspective of a more right wing voter

[@RunForPeace-hk1cu]

@@kw2080 vaccines 💉 aren’t a miracle drug . It only minimizes the chance of severely reaction to the virus. It doesn’t stop it completely. You have this misconception that it’s a miracle drug

[@kw2080]

@@RunForPeace-hk1cu you are probably right, for the first 3 months after vaccine. After that, the effectiveness drops rapidly. I just wish media and Biden were honest. Sadly, the more authoritarian the government, the less honest.

[@TheKawaiifan]

if we hadn't treated covid as a political issue instead of the health issue it really is, we really would've gotten a lot more done by now

[@stenergut9661]

"we"

[@GlimpsofDay]

You can say that about most problems in the US. I.e. mental health treatment, drug abuse, etc

[@tacogodboomdogg]

There are people out there that avoid the vaccine because it's distributed under Biden, even though it was created under Trump. And it shouldn't even matter since it would be the same people working on the vaccine but people trust their parties on medical advice more than their doctors.

[@m0nm0n]

This is one thing I appreciated & respected here in Australia. Our State governments were all taking their lead from the relevant Department of Health. In Victoria at the height of our lockdowns there was a daily press conference where qualified health officials would update on the current situation with all the data from the previous day. Yes there was still a political side to it, but overall it was a unified message

[@bruman182]

@@m0nm0n How long was Melbourne in lockdown?

[@jamesgreen4212]

It takes a strong person to admit they were wrong on the vaccine. Weaponising the vaccine as a political tool representing 'oppression' etc. I wish everyone well and stay safe in this pandemic time! 😇

[@mickey8643]

Strong or dying

[@jamesgreen4212]

@@mickey8643 precisely. Sometimes lessons are hard ones, so them admitting their mistakes helps educate others to not fall in the same trap.

[@mickey8643]

@@jamesgreen4212 Like how we never got a Spore 2 so until we do EA needs to know we mean business

[@EB-du3vh]

The vaccine has most definitely been used as an oppressive tool. That doesn’t mean the vaccine doesn’t work lol

[@carpo719]

@@EB-du3vh its both.

[@ndrocca]

I feel like this is just one example of the main reason why I despise modern politics. It has become an Us vs Them thing. It no longer matters what your qualifications are, your experience, your plans or even what kind of person you are. Now all you have to do is say the other side is bad and “they” want to keep you down and you’ll get a significant amount of the vote which can turn the tides for you. Now, everything becomes politicized and that makes people on both sides dumber because they think with emotions rather than their brain.

[@Tom-H1]

Modern American Politics*

[@roguewolf7053]

@DarkMoonAngel49 And 10yrs ago it seemed like we were at the start of a new more enlightened era where people were coming closer together, listening rather than arguing & becoming more inclusive/accepting. But of course the politicians couldn’t let that continue as divided the public is easy to control but united…we call the shots. So they’ve done everything possible to divide us on every topic possible & to encourage hatred/distrust on all sides….during the time when we needed unity & a sense of community the most.

[@mariajimenezesmiapodo1958]

I don't obey politicians, I obey my beliefs. The illness exists, I avoid unnecesary meetings and crowded queues and use masks. But I won't inoculate any experimental thing in my body. I don't believe media, I listen to my beliefs and media can't change my mind because of fear.

[@Tom-H1]

@@mariajimenezesmiapodo1958 Well, it's like someone much smarter than me said. "I may not agree with what you say, but I'll fight to the death for your right to say it." We have differing viewpoints sir and/or madame, but I wish you the best of health

[@freedeliveryprinting3100]

You described perfectly life in the COVID clown world 🌎

[@andrew6207]

I lost my dad to Covid and I’m just 18. I told him many times to get the vaccine, but he was skewed by political views. It hurts a lot to see him gone. Im sorry if you rely on your news station to tell you what’s best for you. It is your decision. Don’t come to a decision and never look back. Stay open minded. Think about those around you. Life is precious

[@denisenilsson1366]

Please accept my most sincere condolences on your dad's passing. I send cyberhugs to you and your family. 😪💔💐🌈🌠

[@8aron]

I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t even imagine what that would feel like.

[@Chiiimpen]

Only social media news got it. Thanks for the post!

[@VesperAegis]

So sorry this happened to your father. Those who propagate misinformation and disinformation have a lot to answer for after the last two years especially. Every solitary post discrediting the vaccine, saying it doesn't work, saying it has microchips, saying it alters your DNA, obfuscating experts, gaslighting by pointing to monetary interest in lieu of the data, saying that no long term studies are available despite the fact that we have zero logical reason to assume that a vaccine whose ingredients are gone from the body after a month have any possibility of having such long term side effects, and claiming the vaccine is untested despite millions of sample data points - all of those posts, comments, threads, memes ultimately ended the life of innocent people by proxy. It's wrong, and people should be held accountable for spreading anti-science nonsense.

[@Sam-xu3xq]

@@VesperAegis how much did big pharma pay you?

[@RaghuramKrishnaswami]

Great data and message. Just want to mention that I absolutely love the way physical charts are used.

[@willlarche]

Beautifully produced!

[@derekmcmaster8191]

Data storytelling at its best! The use of overlays and marking the graphs added a lot.

[@BeatBoyStill]

she did her homework i absolutley love it

[@sanokulin1006]

Yes, beautiful data visualisation, but the data itself is not correct

[@gnouynelg]

10/10. Clear, concise, brilliant work. This video sets a benchmark.

[@klashnekov86]

Never understood how in the USA people listened more to politicians and conspiracy theorists rather then doctors.

[@luciasantillan101]

I asked someone this (not going to mention who) and in their mind it was because Trump was looking out for them while Fauci/pharmaceuticals just wanted to make a profit off of the pandemic Which caught me off guard because 1. It would be difficult for Fauci to pay doctors worldwide just to say that the pandemic is life threatening and that people should get tested and vaccinated 2. Most testing and vaccinations were free

[@neeneko]

well, the short answer is capitalism as an ideology. people support brands that advertise in a way that resonates with them. politicians and conspiracy theorists are pure marketing, shifting their message constantly in order to be appealing to people who want to be appealed to. doctors say things people do not want to hear, and politicians who say things people do not want to hear tend to have smaller audiences. today.... products, health, politics, all of them are being run from the same playbook because people respond to the same messages and techniques regardless of the domain. this is also why so much of the anti-vax stuff is wrapped up with anti-communism/anti-socialism rhetoric...

[@Overlord1289_]

Yep, the internet can be terrible sometimes

[@EB-du3vh]

You mean the highest paid taxpayer employee Dr. Fauci? Yes there is no reason why I would not want to listen to him

[@Overlord1289_]

@@EB-du3vh Dr. Fauci had a pretty good word on Covid

[@doedecahedron118]

“There are two diametrically opposed views of what America should be like in in the world.” Wow. This is it.

[@Broockle]

kinda ignores the whole voting system disaster the USA is dealing with There should be way more parties for healthier, more intellectual conduct in congress

[@erichall7068]

Too bad the man did not go ahead and elaborate on exactly what he believed those two visions are

[@jericho86]

@@erichall7068 It basically revolves around two froms of liberalism and how those two forms see the role of government. Republicans tend to see the biggest threat to a liberal society coming from government power. This is what makes libertarians and social conservatives such good bedfellows. Libertarians want to minimize government influence and social conservatives want to preserve traditional values, which include limited government. Democrats tend to see the biggest threat to a liberal society as coming from the concentration of private power, inequality, and perceived inequities, and are willing to use government as a tool to address those things. This is what makes left leaning liberals succeptable to progressivism and socialism. Our politics polarized when the political discourse expanded beyond left and right leaning liberals trying to maximize equality and equity with the minimum amount of government.

[@owenismyname2697]

Which is why you should split it up. Everybody's happy

[@dcdemon813]

Aside from the great content, I am floored by the creative direction on this video. It is extremely difficult to create something captivating without using lots of graphics. The use of projector transparency film is genius and the framing of the video calls is amazing too. This video has so much depth of information and clear visual information. Bravo. Really. Great work!

[@donefedup2208]

but doesn't cure cov

[@dcdemon813]

@Done fedup huh? What does the creative direction have to do with your comment? Take some time to recognize the little, seemingly unimportant, things in life. Life is all about perspective. Chances are, we agree on 80% of everything... We just might not agree on how to get there. It takes too much energy to get worked up about differences in opinions. Instead, I chose to compliment where I can. And to you, I applaud your passion for finding the solution that works for you. I hope you find what you're searching for.

[@GoTeamScotch]

I really agree with the clever use of transparencies to illustrate the points being made. I enjoyed that part of it. Personally though I can't stand when they show a laptop or phone screen of an interview. It makes me think that they're not tech savvy enough to record the screen properly. I get that it's a design decision here, but that's not always the case. It's like holding a microphone up to a speaker instead of just getting the actual recording. Plus, makes me feel like I'm watching an ad for Apple. But that's just me. Great video overall.

[@b3at2]

Republicans are DOOMED...the next pandemic will whipe them out. lol

[@mattgraff]

This is the comment I came to write. Glad to see others feel the same way

[@ruelarila7201]

Jesus this is just depressing. Well done, Vox. I hope we could get this to those who need to see this.

[@50jakecs]

Those people don't care about learning since they're so arrogant and think they're so much smarter than real experts, that this video won't change their mind.

[@carpo719]

@@50jakecs who are these "people"? Those who disagree with you? Or want to choose their own health ?

[@charlesmiv3842]

@@carpo719 dimwitted conservatives like you 👍 I hesitate to even call them “people” to be honest.

[@TheHauntedKiwi]

@@charlesmiv3842 Parasites, plague rats is more accurate

[@carpo719]

@@charlesmiv3842 actually im a liberal. And folks like you are embarrassing to those who are truly liberal. You're assuming. Know what that means? Yup

[@martavibo2145]

Its really disturbing that facts and medicine have been somehow integrated into political beliefs

[@tsarina24honolulu87]

TV medicine and actual science and facts didn't go hand in hand.

[@DaemonJax]

That's actually nothing new. There was an anti-mask movement in 1918 for the "spanish" flu, and an anti-vax campaign during the polio epidemic in 1954. None of this is new, it's just sad.

[@tsarina24honolulu87]

@@DaemonJax very few are anti mask n vax. You are free to. No one is stopping you. Many people have all their vaxes but this one. Chill.

[@montanagal6958]

trust lost

[@kingkoi6542]

Well when statistics are manipulated for political reason trust goes out the window

[@tibineagu]

This was so incredibly well researched and presented, I'd tip my hat many times over to the team who worked on this.

[@carpo719]

They left out many factors including the mutations, the reduction in efficacy of the vaccine, and the fact that many liberals also don't want to take the shot. We know at this point it's about profits. Never let a crisis go to waste

[@kilimanjaro1893]

@@carpo719 It's already on the budget, so you really can't do anything about it.

[@sai7913]

@@carpo719 1. Mutations: They talked about the delta wave and how there were less deaths among vaccinated people. Did you watch the video? 2. Reduction of efficacy of the vaccine: No vaccine is 100% effective. Wearing a seatbelt doesn't guarantee that you survive a car accident. But you should still wear a seat belt and you should still get vaccinated. It's all about mitigating risk for yourself and in the case of the vaccine, mitigating the risk for others as well. 3. Many liberals also don't want to take the shot: The point of the video is that vaccine hesitancy is politically polarized with Republicans being more likely to be unvaccinated. Who ever said that every liberal wants to get vaccinated, in the video or elsewhere?

[@minioop2]

@@Diabledude3344 She said the "risk". This is not the same as just multiplying together the data. One of the reasons misinformation is so effective is because people like you don't have a clue how data is calculated, and think your entirely wrong opinion is worth chiming in about.

[@ricksanchez9798]

@@sai7913 you people keep trying to compare a seat belt to a chemical weapon. False equivalencies do not support facts.

[@REDnBLACKnRED]

The problem with this video is that it will never reach the ones it needs to the most, as shown in this very video, the ones that it needs to reach the most only watch Fox News and are stuck in social media echo chambers. It's a frustrating situation for society as a whole. I'm not even American, but this is happening to a lesser extent across the globe, and in contexts beyond just vaccination.

[@xToddmcx]

I don't think this video is trying to reach anti-vaxxers and change their minds. It seemed to me that it's just trying to explain what's going on.

[@joeg5414]

The sad part is you don't realize that you too are stuck in an echo chamber

[@KingMinosxxvi]

I know not in time anyway because they are allready vaccinated with omnicron...oh right...."Omnicron is the best vaccine we have" Bill Gates. Oh but he was talking about Africa so I guess that doesn't count./

[@JasonBoyce]

Nothing will reach them, it’s a matter of pride at this point

[@KingMinosxxvi]

@@JasonBoyce Reach Who? You? So natural (recovery) immunity is better than vaccine immunity AND omincron is a better transmitter of the vaccine and similar in detriment SO maybe if you stop MANDATEING people to do it then......they wouldn't be so adverse to it.....PRIDE...your the one with the pride problem.

[@gioruffa]

What a great piece of data journalism. It has it all: correct choice of idioms, no nonsense glyphs, correct naming of the axis, animations where they make sense. Great work! The only thing I am not sure about is how much blue and red are colorblind friendly, but it clearly made sense to choose them.

[@texasranger7687]

At least, it is not Green and red which is the worst combinaison for colorblind

[@TheFeldhamster]

Blue and red are actually pretty ok for color blindness. The most prevalent form of color blindness is red-green and the next common one is green-blue. I looked it up a while ago when designing diagrams.

[@safe-keeper1042]

Seconded. But yes, maybe the D and R blips on the chart could be different shapes, for the sake of colour-blind people.

[@minalsingla6357]

@@Stevie-J Yeah, my broken watch show the correct time twice a day, every day! time is a lie!!

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@Stevie-J actual covid infection is still 30x more likely to lead to myocarditis than the vaccines; and the form from actual infection is much harder to treat as well.

[@Shaboops]

Joss Fong is an American hero whose hard work in journalism is saving lives through dispelling misinformation. I look up to her so much because of these videos.

[@Shaboops]

@@wilmarkjohnatty4924 If you aren't a bot comment then you're incredibly detached from reality and projecting beyond belief.

[@Shaboops]

@@wilmarkjohnatty4924 It's clear you don't know anyone that works in an ICU, ask any nurse or doctor that worked through the peak of covid how many people BEGGED for the vaccine before going under intubation and were told thats now how that works.

[@d0k0night]

I'm more surprised we didn't have a million comments in here gushing over her good looks, like in previous Vox videos.

[@copperheadchris2807]

2 things stand out to me 1 the repulican philosophy is based on the idea of more freedom always is better. They see the avoidance of vaccinations as a practice of that philosophy. 2 the two party system is toxic and flawed. The media and the algorythms fostered an "us vs them" mentality among the two dominant parties. Skepticism is healthy, but people on both sides felt validated in their beliefs due to how difficult it was to communicate with the opposing side

[@jabbawakkie]

It is not the avoidance of vaccinations. Its the avoidance of being force vaccinated. Those who pushed back against this use of force are more likely to looking for additional reasons to refuse it, such as investigating the vaccine itself, leading them to learn about some valid concerns, and a lot of conspiracy theory. These things dont just cover the COVID vaccines, but all vaccines in general. This is why Trump in the video specifically says "its your choice if you want to get vaccinated or not, but you should do it! I did it!".

[@piccolo917]

I'm a biomedical scientist. These last 2+ years have been very frustrating to me and my colleagues -_- Doctors and medical scientists who don't work for a pharma don't gain any benefits from you getting the vaccines they advertise or the precautionary actions you can take. Just, please, listen to them...

[@peter12246]

keep up the great work 😃

[@MrShikaga]

@@Diabledude3344 What does that have to do with anything? Firstly, this doesn’t allege that anyone is doing that, just there are different payouts for different diagnoses (which seems weird to me, why not pay out by the cost of the diagnostic procedures?, but hey, I don’t run Medicare, I am sure they understand the system much better than me). But they aren’t saying this is actually happening. But let’s for argument say that the more immoral hospitals are doing this sometimes, what does that have to do with them encouraging you to get a vaccine? How is the hospital making profits from misdiagnosing you linked to them encouraging you to get a vaccine? The vaccine is going to make it less likely for you to get covid (or have no effect if you don’t believe in vaccines) thus reducing their profits!

[@MrShikaga]

@@Diabledude3344 I think you misunderstand what is being described in the words you quoted. According to that quote they get more money for “diagnosis” of you having Covid, not for the vaccine, either talking about it or giving it. Perhaps there was part of the article you didn’t quote that talks about the vaccine?

[@PeaceMastah]

@@Diabledude3344 Incorrect

[@piccolo917]

@@Diabledude3344 The hospitals may see more money from COVID deaths, yes. However, the doctors and nurses don't.

[@ZeMarkKrazee]

Your presentation was phenomenal. Your ability to restrain yourself and go very neutral in your assessment is quite amazing. I’m not sure I could have done the same. This is easily my favorite video from Vox.

[@harrisonkane1288]

god help you if you ever have to talk to someone who disagrees with you.

[@MrWaltjam]

In performing scientific studies they should remain neutral even if the topic is triggering to some. It should make no difference what they think only what the data can show. That is how science works. I would have preferred that instead of democrat or republican they should have did the study based on liberal or conservative beliefs and every position taken before the vaccine was released, before the election and after the election and the positions taken then by all the media and leading politicians. It would not necessarily change the data, but might show why some made the decisions that they made. It may well be nothing to do with their political affiliation but the way it was handled by the ones who try to influence us. All of them in power or aspiring to power at the time not just the president and a few radio anchors. She did not for instance include the CBS anchors and a certain Senator who proclaimed that they would never take the vaccine because it came out too quickly to be safe. Then after the election did an about face and acted as if they supported the vaccine all along. that had alot to do with the decisions people made...in my opinion but I would like to see data on that. It may be enlightening.

[@NeonNotch]

@@harrisonkane1288 copium overload there, chief

[@fuji420]

@@harrisonkane1288 god isn't real

[@js8597]

7/8 of the claims that republicans said are true were (and vox is saying are false) have been proven true in pfizers latest document dump, that they were attempting to have hidden for 75 years.

[@rev.rachel]

This is really interesting data, and it aligns with my experience. Most of the people I've spoken to who are either vaccine hesitant, or even are vaccinated but lean conservative poltically, have at some point said to me that they thought the severity and/or death counts of the virus were overblown.

[@daebak7370]

"Our disinformation program will be complete when everything the american public believes is a lie"-William Casey, former director of cia.The fact that a virus that has a 99.7% survival rate is enough for govts to justify forcing vaccine on us w/o long term data on health effects and pharma companies are exempted by the govt from being sued or held liable should raise massive red flags. This is one of the biggest scams/crimes pulled against humanity under the guise of public safety. World govts are colluding together at the expense of their own citizens to usher in new world order. New world order led by obama and pope francis is coming. America is the last major bastion of freedom standing in their way to fulfill their one world govt agenda. America will be under martial law from this covid agenda and will be invaded by russia and china in near future. Repent and seek jesus christ for salvation.

[@NeonNotch]

@@daebak7370 Covid has a lower survival rate than 99.7%.

[@CarlosGarcia-nt4wf]

@@NeonNotch it's 95.5% when you include the elderly population, but when you dont thats where you get the 99.7%

[@paddlefaster]

Death is not the only outcome of covid. There are a very high number of long haulers that suffer permanent respiratory disorders and other ailments.

[@StarFlagMedia]

@@paddlefaster it is not a "very high number" its actually less than 1%

[@catarinabarbosa2247]

loving the use of physical props for graphs, really elevates these videos

[@dkeiti]

That's that.

[@etcetera1674]

Exactly

[@PHlophe]

caterina, Pois é !

[@katwil89]

Yes! I'm a visual learner and the graphs were very helpful.

[@overmeme953]

@@katwil89 no such this as a “visual learner”

[@lawrencepettifer4102]

This is fantastic jounalism, well done Joss.

[@Iceify_]

It’s only good journalism if it pushes activism that libs like.

[@carpo719]

It misses the mark. It's media that is the problem. Not conservatives

[@jubal6654]

@@Iceify_ lol they have the numbers and you don't cry copium kitty

[@jubal6654]

@@carpo719 they mention that in the video

[@MH5tube]

@@carpo719 conservative media

[@RERM001]

My mum has a childhood friend whose parents decided not to vaccinate her against polio, and shure enough, she got polio as a result of being unvaccinated. Now, she lives in a wheelchair, something that was completely avoidable.

[@JupiterVortex]

"She got it and now lives in a wheel chair" do you mean she got the vaccine or what

[@CaptainAmaziiing]

I get my polio booster every 6 months.

[@Ps3luvr260]

Yeah covid ain’t polio my dude

[@userlog2474]

@@JupiterVortex She got polio. That is unclear grammar though.

[@JupiterVortex]

@@userlog2474 so she got polio because of no vaccine?

[@logannicholson1850]

As someone from New Zealand I think I can speak for many people who live elsewhere where the narrative of the US being an amazing country and a world leader was shattered by the handling of Covid it was just astonishing how divided the people were on the topics surrounding the virus. It was honestly very sad to watch

[@rhmendelson]

It was hard to live through as well. I live in an upscale community with highly educated residents and still there were many resistant people. Those of us who understood the health risks were constantly urging others to talk to their doctors and health care professionals rather than what their news station, favorite blog or podcast was telling them. I find it astounding that people would sacrifice their life and health for a political belief when factual hard science was urging vaccination...sigh!

[@booklover2049]

a lot of people trusted leadership to tell them what to do. But leadership said mixed things. I think they killed the people who passed away.

[@RyTrapp0]

All the hostility, censorship, and complete & utter lack of transparency has been sad. But that shouldn't have been surprising.

[@SenatorBluto]

Jacinda Ardern and Dan Andrews were horrible and they've both quit!

[@Ghost-fe1vp]

It started quite a while back with Obama. People just didn't notice.

[@wintave]

As someone who is a printer, this was an amazing video. Instead of judging and mindless berating, you had proper data and research about the polarizing beliefs of both sides of the spectrum and delivered that in an effective way. Props to you, Vox! - From the UAE

[@donefedup2208]

she doesn't list any of the reasons i wouldn't take it

[@AnneEloiseOfCNY]

@@donefedup2208 So go ahead. You list them. Let the public decide how universal your reasons are. Are these reasons others can safely abide by? Or are these personal reasons, with little safe application for others. Go ahead! No one is stopping you! State your reasons!

[@bard1250]

Why is it that society by large accepts that a mother can end the life of her baby under the my body my choice argument but won't acceot the decision of an individual who doesn't want a particular drug even though it doesn't lead to the direct, or immediate, death of another.

[@mrdollyman5675]

@@bard1250 good question

[@mrdollyman5675]

@@AnneEloiseOfCNY They are personal. Because getting a vaccine is a *personal health decision!*

[@zoilabrashears9358]

I think the most important piece of information on this going forward in history is that the politicians should have erased their party affiliations and been in agreement about what was good for the people. A united front would have created very different statistics. Instead, they made it political, just to try and win votes.

[@JasonBoyce]

One person made it political. Not sure what you’re implying Democrats could have done there

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

Just based on our local experience here I NZ, the two key things highlighted by this vid do seem to be vital: 1) Having leaders who are willing to listen to medical scientists & act on that, sharing clear regular briefings and focusing on people over money, rather than just saying whatever they think will protect their popularity (or ego!) 2) Having reasonable consensus amongst news outlets to accurately share information, rather than misinformation... although social media remains a chaos zone! I think having a single-layer government who've been pretty clear in their messaging really helps too - I don't envy Australia & the USA, where their multilayered state/federal systems don't all seem to be pointing in one consistent direction...? We do have a very small cadre of vaccine resisters, who're largely influenced by American sources via social media, but although they're loud they haven't yet been able to sway policy away from an approach that's intended to put public health before politics. Most people seem to understand that being part of a country involves both individual rights AND collective responsibilities. On a day-to-day level many people have definitely been fairly careless, particularly in earlier stages where we got off super-lightly as a country? But majority are now taking at least the basic precautions, even if their understanding of why may still be a little bit fuzzy. It'll be interesting to see how things develop as Omicron (much more infectious) and later variants continue to cut a swathe through the population...?

[@JasonBoyce]

@@anna_in_aotearoa3166 "Most people seem to understand that being part of a country involves both individual rights AND collective responsibilities" Not in America 😂

[@hs5312]

@@JasonBoyce well the thing is for whatever reason most American conservatives are for literally every other vaccine mandate in place not just one for this.

[@MissSassie]

I agree and therefore why we will never go into epidemic stage for a very long time. It's such a shame and to the people who do the rights things feels It's for nothing at the end of the day, because nothing is getting that much better and mutation after mutations are on rise all the time. The toll keeps rising with no end in site it seems. Shame all around 😕

[@neetones]

This is a masterclass in how you use charts effectively.

[@williamhuynh869]

The papers look so clean

[@Braddah_Sense]

Only thing I'd argue is that bars should have both differing pattern and color, as it helps for those with color blindness or visual impairments. But I agree, it was really really well presented, couldn't have done it better myself.

[@seanaugagnon6383]

I almost died in Golden Gate Park with COVID Delta while homeless. The most extreme hallucinations. The worst aches and pains. I couldn't make it to the hospital. Nobody would help me. I had no phone to call for help. I am so lucky that wasn't the end. I was vaxed and boosted. If I hadn't been I would be dead.

[@tsarina24honolulu87]

Is this a joke?

[@australianaliens5942]

I hope you are in much better circumstances

[@seanaugagnon6383]

@@tsarina24honolulu87 no it's not a joke. That's a simple, tame version of what happened. In reality the details were even worse.

[@seanaugagnon6383]

@@australianaliens5942 I am. I live in Santa Rosa. I have my own place, I'm going to school to be a licensed clinician for drug counseling. I never thought I could dig myself out of the hole of opiate addiction and homelessness. And to be honest. I couldn't do it alone. I went to jail and then drug rehabilitation. My family helped me pay for rehab. I go to NA meetings. Getting out of a situation like that is a group effort that requires; family, professional and non-professional help.

[@tsarina24honolulu87]

@@seanaugagnon6383 most people who didn't get the vax lived. It was underlying conditions and obesity

[@mbogucki1]

We are going to be studying the political and sociological ramifications of this pandemic for generations.

[@safe-keeper1042]

For sure.

[@tyronesimpson8276]

I'm afraid of living in the political and sociological ramifications of this pandemic...this won't just be some future case study, it will have some serious consequences in the next 5-10 years and beyond

[@chillvibed]

We won't live that long 🤣💯

[@gizmobowen]

It will be interesting to see how much the Republican base decreases due to people lost during this pandemic. It can't be good for a political party to lose so many constituents who listened to its directions. This will be a unique data point to this unfortunate series of events.

[@westGUA]

I don't know about that, the 1918 pandemic doesn't seem to have been studied and understood by this generation. Obviously the medical field did make progress in regards to airborne illnesses, but it seemed the rest of the world forgot that episode ever happened.

[@ObeAroundTheGlobe]

it's great to see journalism where every claim is complemented with evidence. great video

[@OntheOtherHandVideos]

Journalism having evidence to back up claims is the baseline of competent. I would dare say great journalism looks at the strongest claims and evidences of both sides of a given issue. For example, Vox highlights the "8 false claims" by polling, and highlights the "false claim" that Covid-19 deaths are exaggerated. Fauci said at the end of 2021 that "If you look at the children who are hospitalized, many of them are hospitalized with Covid as opposed to because of Covid, and what we mean by that - if a child goes in the hospital, they automatically get tested for Covid. And they get counted as a Covid-hospitalized individual. When in fact, they may go in for a broken leg or appendicitis or something like that. So, it’s over-counting the number of children who are, quote, ‘hospitalized with Covid,’ as opposed to because of Covid.” That statement was deemed 'misinformation' and a 'conspiracy theory' for more than a year, and apparently still is a 'false claim' according to Vox's source.

[@rep-vile]

These republicans never heard of this concept called evidence, they think it means facebook memes. Good for them exterminating themselves, win win either way.

[@OntheOtherHandVideos]

@@stereomachine Calling a fact a "tired right wing argument" isn't a counterargument, it's a dodge. And you also imply acknowledging reality is "downplay[ing] the pandemic", so you seem to be putting your narrative of the pandemic as more important than the facts on the ground. I never said things weren't serious, and didn't merit looking at things closely. In fact, I do my best to take things seriously and look at presentations (such as this one from Vox) with the scrutiny and skepticism it deserves.

[@androsRoccha]

That was such a naive comment! As if it was simple as that. The content is good but represents only a part of the whole context.

[@jennifernordlund2691]

@@rep-vile you're a sociopath but you want people to take your medical advice? 😆 🤣 😂

[@tanjimpurno2560]

I remember how excessively concerned the US was about Ebola because supposedly Africa wasn't capable of taking care of itself. Now look who's actually pathetically bad at saving their own people.

[@oldshampoo]

TANJIM PURNO YOU TOOOK IT TOO FAR

[@tanjimpurno2560]

@@oldshampoono the American people have taken it too far.

[@hs5312]

I will devil’s advocate and ask what is the fatality rate for Ebola vs Covid?

[@RicochetAQW]

@@hs5312 the fatality rate for ebola is 50%. Much worse than Covid.

[@connect2437]

@@hs5312 Ebola is way way way way way less contagious though

[@Trippticon]

Never underestimate the stupidity of the public and their willingness to believe anything that feeds into their fears. Also never underestimate a politician and their willingness to utilise anything to gain power.

[@siimtokke3461]

There are two main problems. One is the mindset of "This won't happen to me". The other is the mindset of "Your proof will fortify my disbelieves and the more you try to convince me that I'm wrong the more I will stick to my beliefs".

[@derek44264]

Do the vaccines work? why 4 shots and boosters now...for a virus with a 99.7% survival rate? Maybe their mindset is that the facts don't add up? Fauci and Brandon lied to the American people for a long time now. Why are words like immunocompromised, myocarditis, "sudden fainting" suddenly just in the last year of a 3 year virus popping up in the media? HHHHMMMMMMMMM

[@siimtokke3461]

@@derek44264 Did you watch the video, or you just comment?

[@YraxZovaldo]

@@derek44264 There isn’t a single survival rate. It changes under the influence of many factors. And even thought the strongest effect of the vaccine might be short, that doesn’t mean they don’t workZ

[@PresidentJeanAuguste]

@@derek44264 ah, perfect example of indoctrination

[@selenasimmons6653]

Yes! The "This won't happen to me".. it's in NYC, Chicago, L.A.! I don't live there, or go to China so how can I get it living in Booneville, Flyover State, USA? This is a lack of knowledge of how globally connected we all really are...the other statement, I just don't get yo! (🤷🏽‍♀️!)

[@richiereynaga5091]

Terrible how much ignorance and deception people are willing to go through because of some Facebook post they saw, and they pay the ultimate price.

[@elizableu5104]

I lost a good friend cause she wanted to protest against the vaccine and not get vaccinated.

[@ChristianDoretti]

I got the virus more than 1 year ago, and the vaccines about +8 months ago. And seeing the effects of it and how the term fully vaccinated changes by the time I only have the feeling that the vaccine it's just not that needed for people out of the danger zone.

[@jennifernordlund2691]

Yes all those pro vax Facebook ads are the reason I got off Facebook. It's supposed to be a fun place, not a pharmaceutical advertisement.

[@richiereynaga5091]

@@ChristianDoretti but it’s more complicated than that. Someone that’s not vaccinated as a 30 year old may give it to their anti-vax grandma who is 80

[@beneficent2557]

Good thing I got all my "Misinformation" from the FDA and CDC. Do you have any idea how man times I got banned for linking to Government Websites? Newsflash, the emperor has no clothes.

[@zagreus5773]

That's what happens when you fight a war against reality.

[@DamienDrake]

@@Stevie-J Yes, yes! This lies at Fauci's feet! Hey, maybe realize that medicine is a science. Sometimes, the scientific method of testing means you were initially going in the wrong direction and have to go in the other direction. That's quite different from politicizing a pandemic, which is the actual issue, but keep blaming the doctor who's worked with presidents on both sides of the aisle for decades and never came under fire until one president decided he'd rather embrace "alternative facts".

[@AlphaGamerDelux]

@@DamienDrake no, no, fauci cleary said "I am the science". Also, if you really wanna promote science you gotta make sure you censor all the people who say you are wrong as conspiracy theorists, that for sure will further the science.

[@linusp9316]

@@AlphaGamerDelux You are confusing reality with Facebook memes.

[@justaloc.846]

@@DamienDrake Are we talking about the same science which gave my aunt bloodclot after a jabb? Or was it "just a coinsidence?"

[@derek44264]

@@linusp9316 no he's not. Joe Rogan literally had a episode of his podcast removed because he had the doctor who helped create mRNA systems on and he said the vaccines are a joke. They cannot allow people to see that they lied about the virus and the "vaccines". We can't even subpeona pfizer for their data until may 2025! ahahahahha

[@Beebo566]

I feel sad that these people got caught up in politics and lost their lives because of it, it’s easy to mock them and make fun of them, but it’s sad they got caught up in other peoples agendas. I respect him even though I probably disagree with him on a few political things, I respect him for admitting that he’s wrong and changed his mind instead of doubling down. He just got caught up in politics, Hope he’s doing well.

[@monkeydavefraud]

So many are dying now. All cause mortality is up 14 percent. Let's just hope the don't take anymore shots. This is going to be a long sad road of self pity and denial for most of them

[@jlee4039]

Flipping the transparent bar graph to show the reliance among the unvaccinated on Fox News and social media was a brilliant choice. Bravo 👏👏 👏

[@Andre_APM]

I could not imagine dying for Rupert Murdoch

[@qpol]

we're all waiting for him to finally croak

[@rktsnail]

You’ll be tricked some other way too just wait old sport

[@xXAscendingPhoenixXx]

@@rktsnail In what way?

[@Jubb-eo5vk]

Even less for Tucker Carlson.

[@leonardomontalvo1417]

I didnt want to take that Pharma poison for Biden and Im still here. Not dead or dying.

[@Jake-rs9nq]

The vaccine never should have been politicized. But I knew it would be, even before it was created.

[@rep-vile]

There's literally no debate about the effectiveness, so they waste your time with sensational garbage they read from facebook memes.

[@stuiesmb]

If it weren’t so tragic, it’d be hilarious how the Trump base is tearing itself apart because half agree with Trump that the vaccine (his vaccine, as he sees it) works and half don’t.

[@brc8387]

@@stuiesmb the past 6 years have proven that trumpers care nothing for reality. And no amount of showing them how wrong they are will remotely sway them.

[@ericcartmann]

@@rep-vile The vaccine is a form of neoliberal redistribution of wealth. A small number of large companies who have done horrible things in the past who are owned by neoliberal elites like bill gates are getting billions from governments... and the contracts they sign give these companies are large amount of power over countries... There needs to be an open source vaccine made available or at the very least treatment options need to be made available.

[@RaroHi]

@@ericcartmann I read an article some months ago that the military was creating a vaccine designed to be effective against all strains (except the newly spread omnicron).

[@BAsed_AFro]

I’ve heard from countless individuals that regret getting the covid jabs, who stopped getting more. And I've talked to hundreds that have had zero, and not even one regrets their decision. In fact, the vast majority agree that not participating in this is one of the best decisions that we’ve ever made in our lives. ☝ All that I need to know, right there ☝

[@jjsambac]

Love this story telling format! The charts are genius. Way better way than ppt

[@Turtlesbekool]

The charts and their perfect alignment scratched a part of my brain that hasn’t been touched in a long time. Lol so satisfying

[@phoenixstormjr.5546]

Did you liberals run off to vox now that CNN ran down the drain?

[@linusp9316]

@@phoenixstormjr.5546 "Caring about your health" = "liberal"? LOL

[@misterinternational]

@@linusp9316 Sadly everything in America is political. It's what happens when you have a 2 party system. Literally can guess someones political party by the kind of car they drive in America

[@tamirpaz7837]

tl/dr: gaslighting people en mass has deadly consequences that will resonate for years and continue to make life worse for all of us.

[@SamEbby]

Amazed at the way this video communicated the data just wow

[@notreally2406]

Who are you fks?

[@BAsed_AFro]

The densely-populated heart of Africa with >1B people also had little to no covid jabs, has had very low rates of covid sickness/death, and “long covid”. So does that make them “anti vaxxers” as well?

[@ipodman79]

The whole vaccine saga in the US might just be the perfect way to show just how divided the US currently is.

[@jennifernordlund2691]

And yet if the vax worked, the vaxxed would have no need to fear and harass the unvaxxed.

[@teethgrinder83]

@@jennifernordlund2691 except the vaccine DOES work, the reason people "harass" (as you put it) those who don't want to get vaccinated is because there are people out there who aren't able to get vaccinated. When you live alongside others in society in times like this, when a pandemic has killed over 9 HUNDRED THOUSAND people in just the USA alone, you need to think of others and not just yourself. I'm nearly 39 and had all 3 jabs so I'm not too worried about myself but I still worry about the people who are vulnerable. The USA has become so hyper-individualised that the notion for many people caring about their fellow citizens seems to have gone out the window and it saddens me to see

[@supremeburgersims]

@@jennifernordlund2691 ok? But the vaccine does work and if anything antivaxxwrs and vaxxers both have have had people harass the other but the problem here is that because the disease is real and killing people and the anti vaxxers are putting literally everyone else's lives around them at risk

[@supremeburgersims]

@@jennifernordlund2691 not to mention they are also risking their own lives

[@hamcrazy96]

@@jennifernordlund2691 if the unvaxxed were not so self centered and learned to listen to the correct people instead of connecting their personal selves to politicians who don’t have their interests in mind maybe this pandemic would be over and we would be moving forward with our life’s as normal. As always blame the system for putting all the power under individuals who have no idea how to handle a pandemic. Because if the country functioned correctly and properly; we would delegate from the top and put all the decision making under our top health care experts who know what their talking about. Humans gonna human and make things unnecessarily difficult instead of working as a team or cohesive unit

[@amosjsoma]

I'm about as conservative as one can be but I am not anti vaccine. I received my first shot on the first day it was available to me and my second when it was available. I received the booster as soon as it was available. As a conservative I am anti mandate. I believe people should make their own decisions and not have the government make it for them. They should consult their doctors for medical advice, not CNN or FOX.

[@massimookissed1023]

As a Conservative, you also believe access to doctors should be prohibitively expensive.

[@gamerinatrance3618]

Good thing the government isn't forcing you to take the vaccine....

[@amosjsoma]

@@massimookissed1023 - It isn't when compared to a lot of other things people spend their money for, it's just too low on most people's priority list.

[@amosjsoma]

@@gamerinatrance3618 - They didn't have too, I wanted it as soon as I could get it.

[@ade1174]

@@massimookissed1023 You do realize that in countries with single payer healthcare, they are paying 30-40% in taxes to fund it?

[@deisisase]

Has anyone noticed that the polarization has spread around the world?

[@annabarr1304]

Yup, I've noticed it here in France

[@zyrtec455]

Not really here in southeast Asia tho. Vaccine is highly in demand. Don’t really understand why so many western country don’t listen to doctor.

[@mattiamelara29]

@@zyrtec455 I believe that’s because of overhyped individualism that reigns in our western societies. There are people who put so much emphasis on their personal freedoms that refuse anything that benefits society at large

[@DanksterPaws]

Not here in Philly, probably because of the lack of any bipartisan Edit: Especially given that it’s election year, no politics in vaccines from what I see.

[@matthewbeat]

The United States has a heavy influence on the world.

[@Pfromm007]

Political polarization is taking American lives. Truly horrible.

[@ckcnj9175]

And yet, it’s a case study on survival of the fittest. Using a brain is keeping the vaxxed alive. Choosing to be unvaxxed is a choice which still kills 300 people in America each day. The best part of it is - those dying are the unvaxxed BY CHOICE. Politics is purging a group of people. I say, “Let them eat cake!”

[@zkfnd859]

I am baffled. I have been living here in Nepal, and the people here are queuing for their vaccines as well as boosters. People are disciplined enough to put on face masks, despite being vaccinated. I asked few of them and they said that , they have seen how effective previous vaccination has been against vaccine preventable diseases. About masking, the answer was clear... " A piece of mask is effective to prevent death and hospitalisations.. Then why not do it?

[@chadandersen6590]

Politics

[@hs5312]

From I have seen only n95 masks have any meaningful difference in infectious vs no mask and atleast in America most have cloth masks not n95

[@verifiede4125]

@@hs5312 Doesn't mean it's completely worthless, because it's still somewhat effective and more effective than no mask.

[@hs5312]

​@@verifiede4125 no it is almost worthless, cloth masks vs no mask, they found that the difference was so insignificant as to not matter. Surgical masks were found to be slightly better but still difference, 7.6% infection rate with surgical mask vs 8.6% with no mask

[@tim..indeed]

The root of all of this is the 2-party-system. A more politically diverse parliament would help massively to reduce the side-taking that's getting more and more ridiculous.

[@068067]

Move to Canada then

[@fortnitegamer-yp4hd]

1 party systems are dictatorships, 3 party systems are stalemates

[@filmgirlLisa]

That's not true. The root is politicians and networks with no moral compass.

[@richardcogbill6791]

Not the two party system. It's lack of common sense. Taking medical advice from a politicians and political pundits, instead of heeding the advice from medical experts.

[@s0l1dar1ty]

The production quality of this video was top shelf. Also, listing the sources in the video bio was a nice touch. Keep up the great work!

[@cmntr_]

I agree, although it shouldn't be a nice touch. It should be industry standard.

[@andrewmatelski6027]

Man I love coming back to old Vox videos and watch how fast they age, I think my biggest laughing point was 5:10 when talking about trusted news sources, most conservatives don’t even watch MSM anymore

[@andrewliu2526]

If you put your entire faith and trust into an individual who has a history of lying and failure to take personal responsibility. You pretty much made your bed.

[@yzrippin]

Are you talking about Trump or Biden because that applies equally to both

[@object764]

Who? Fauchi, Biden?

[@brc8387]

Not just faith and trust. They base their entire personality around that lying, grifting, twice impeached failure.

[@mack626]

Remember when Fauci said masks didn’t work? And then he claimed that anyone against him is against science?

[@jennifernordlund2691]

Maybe you mean these quack scientists and doctors that peddle drugs?

[@wjng123]

When doctors tell u to get something, consider getting it. Don't listen to politicians or influencers or your friends. They aren't doctors.

[@muhammadHassan-kj1jy]

So if politicians, influencers and friends are saying get the vaccine, you shouldnt get it?

[@MP-dn4bs]

That’s the problem “Don’t listen to” shouldn’t mean “do the exact opposite of”

[@alkasah4softs129]

@@muhammadHassan-kj1jy What ?!

[@AnymMusic]

the unfortunate thing is that Doctors are corruptable like everyone on earth. no matter if they took the oath or not, they can still lie, downplay or exaggerate, and in general twist the truth. I've seen way too many stories of people dying because of negligence from health professionals. I am not saying that's 100% what is happening, but it is something to also consider whether we like it or not :/

[@muhammadHassan-kj1jy]

@@user-n9990 I think my take was quite clever, actually

[@martintuskevicius8084]

I feel like this video did not analyze the part about how conservatives thought the vaccine was exaggerated enough. It spent a lot of time emphasizing that statistic but I think it did not dive deep enough into this. For example, why did it not talk about how deaths are counted and the difference between dying “due to COVID” and dying “with COVID”? That is a huge reason why conservatives think the virus is exaggerated but this video did not talk about it at all.

[@frankgoudy933]

In my state, Illinois, it was the liberal AFT teachers union that resisted required vaccination and with lawsuits. So it was not just conservatives as this article mentioned.

[@raptorfromthe6ix833]

I mean you shouldn’t force people to be vaccinated

[@Kamel-d7o]

@@raptorfromthe6ix833 And they didnt...

[@wintensity]

@@Kamel-d7oNot physically, but in every other way it was.

[@teenager240]

I did not expect that the republicans were so reluctant about vaccine even before it was invented. That is so sad that vaccines have become a part of the political polarisation in the US and now it will affect the vaccination rates in general. Scientist worked so hard to develop vaccines and protect the population but now it all gets undone.

[@iyziejane]

Distrusting it was the right call, since it's harmed many people and was rendered useless in a few months by variants, which anyone could have predicted.

[@spencerlively3049]

@@iyziejane Watch the video again. Think you missed the point.

[@SobberMacSobberMac]

Didn’t Biden say not to trust the vaccine while he was campaigning for president?

[@samthong3305]

@@SobberMacSobberMac no, not even trump was against the vaccine

[@potpu]

@@iyziejane do you have low reading and hearing comprehension, or did you just not watch the video?

[@jmlkinc]

Phil's brother: 'We'd been lied to that Trump was a Russian agent' Trump today: PUTIN WAS SO SMART TO INVADE UKRAINE. WHAT A GREAT GUY.

[@AndrewPonti]

I was kinda like - uh, what? At least he got the vaccine. Can't say much about his other thoughts...

[@ElizabethLopez-hx6xv]

Definitely feel like maybe there should have been some asterisk or something after he went off about Russia. Oh well, at least he’s vaxxed

[@TheTransitmtl]

The news in your country is just messed up. As a Canadian, Fox is very obviously a circus but CNN and MSNBC are not far behind.

[@jmlkinc]

@@TheTransitmtl ... I'm Canadian.

[@rayhans7887]

@@TheTransitmtl Trucks are gone? You guys can comment Again?

[@tiffanylikethejewelrystore]

that was actually quite interesting and q great video to bring into conversations with my friends and family that have these ideals. Thank you.

[@ElephantWhisperer222]

Is it really unreasonable for someone to not want to take something in which we don’t know the long term affects of?

[@nathanbourquin6554]

I seriously doubt that this video will have any effect on your friend’s and family’s opinions. It doesn’t really explain their view well enough

[@safeeffective385]

Let me get this straight. So these people are hellbent on that the group that they quite obviously despise the most, have these miraculous "life extension" jabs? How does that even remotely begin to make a shred of sense?

[@SnootchieBootchies27]

This is how journalism is done. Exploring multiple aspects of an issue by looking at facts and verifiable statistics, while resisting the urge to actively push an agenda.

[@cathyl2338]

Yep. Truly enjoyed it.

[@F1Mike000]

"can you imagine if they called Ebola the Obama virus" Oh, who could imagine those EVER SO COMPASSIONATE REPUBLICANS villifying Obama. CAN YOU IMAGINE

[@Undomaranel]

Lol, pretending both sides aren't filled with hateful rhetoric. 🙂

[@ChristianDoretti]

Ad hominem. Obama has nothing to do with Ebola since it became a pandemic over some areas of africa. It was kind of easy to contain so that made the virus less influential. Unlike China's version of the SARS-2 virus who was weaponized by the Chinese Government on its early stages which lead to the global pandemic and it can definitely called the China or Wuhan virus since nobody has stated a clear statement of the origins of the virus. It's pretty much like the Spanish flu, the difference is that this virus actually came from China.

[@merrymachiavelli2041]

@@ChristianDoretti Before Covid, I actually wrote an essay for an international relations degree on the WHO's response to pandemics. One really big theme is there is a political tension when it comes to epidemics - you want origin countries to report them as soon as possible, to enable the international scientific and NGO communities to help and governments elsewhere to prepare, but if the origin country reports them, they'll be slapped with travel restrictions and possibly import bans from other governments, providing additional incentives to cover it up. Covering emerging diseases up is reaaally. reaallllly bad. For everyone. It's a fundamental cooperation problem - it doesn't matter if the origin country is China or Montenegro, or whatever the partisan landscape of the US is. Stopping the practice of naming viruses after their suspected countries of origin helps, because reduces the potential stigma for origin countries and avoids a situation where health officials avoid reporting on a new disease or strain in the hopes that somebody else will first and it'll be named after _them_ instead.

[@Jacob_Spang]

@@ChristianDoretti the main reason ebola was so easy to contain is because the death rate was so high and the infection didn't have a 2 week incubation period. Covid is very unique and if it were to mutate to the point of ebola, with the incubation period. The human species would be decimated. So in a way we are lucky to learn how to fight the virus with such a small amount of loss. The Mrna vaccines were created and tested initially to fight ebola, by the obama administration.

[@mariohashiba1500]

This is a brilliant way of communication. Props for that! (and for the educative content).

[@phoenixstormjr.5546]

None of this is educational, he leaves out so much detail, that the truth becomes the exact opposite of what he's claiming.

[@verifiede4125]

@@phoenixstormjr.5546 "I'm a conspiracy theorist crying, it's not educational because it doesn't support my beliefs that I found on a Facebook/Twitter troll post! How absurd, I could never be wrong!" - Summary of Phoenix Storm Jr.'s comment, 2/28/2022, 23 hours prior.

[@BAsed_AFro]

@@verifiede4125 Trick, please. Vaxxers like yourself so desperately want (and need) for the entire lie-based narrative that you were carefully conditioned to believe, to be 100% true. But quite obviously, it's just not. Outright lies and silly fear mongering are all that you people run on.

[@Brandon_388]

@@phoenixstormjr.5546 that is true, the conspiracies mostly came true

[@MaiCohWolf]

I remember telling my dad the science of how vaccines worked way back when the pandemic first hit bc his Doc told him he needed the Shingles shot. He's very Republican, but I think he got the COVID shot bc I told him the science before the news cycle really started to vilify it. Sadly, he's super wary of *all* vaccines now. I can only hope this situation doesn't devolve into something worse.

[@AmanKumar-de1kc]

Send him this video

[@jorgeramirez7761]

I thought it was dems saying they wouldn't get the vaccine if it was released under Trump?

[@eagle_klaw_]

Whatever science you told him about vaccines at the start of the pandemic is completely inapplicable to covid "vaccines". mRNA shots aren't vaccines. The CDC literally had to change the definition of vaccine before they could start using that term to describe the COVID shots

[@JoonasD6]

That... was an amazing visualisation. (And I wish all public education and media outlets could be at that level.)

[@bradspitt3896]

Are you guys bots? Dafuq. A E S T H E T I C S

[@TruckPuzzles]

The folks that absolutely need to see this the most will not watch this.

[@AdamPippert]

The US is two countries, has been since its inception. The difference between now and earlier times is that the geographic boundaries have blurred due to migration and expansion, but the story has been a stark divide between more urbanized multicultural wealth centers and decentralized rural populations heavily dependent on natural resources and agriculture. America was fortunate enough to have great amounts of wealth make there way to both sides of the population, and now Americans are struggling with the fact that this was a timely anomaly and not a validation of their economic beliefs. If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that our worldview depends heavily on our willingness to trust data, and that math doesn’t care if you don’t believe it’s true.

[@jimbair]

@Bobby Hill Please, go on. Explain what you were told and by whom.

[@saabab1474]

No multicultural nonsense is a new phenomenon New York has always been a outlier because of its Port and later railroad major hihway connectivity and airports most of America was 1 group in each area for instance the Spanish and Mexicans in Santa Fe NM or the English in Virginia

[@AdamPippert]

@@saabab1474 Virginia has been multicultural since the Eastern European indentured servants came to work in Jamestown. That narrative is less true than you would like to believe.

[@kaanpleb]

Imagine if we politicized cough sirup

[@NafaratMiyaMiya]

Meticulously detailed presentation of the root causes, my fear is that only Left leaning people will consume this content and we remain where we are. Excellent content!

[@mark-ish]

Right leaning people are all hanging out in their echo chambers listening to the same tin foil hat wearing conspiracy theories. They don't want to hear contrasting ideas just wallow in their pity.

[@qwertpoiuy430]

@@mark-ish you might not be wrong, but we can’t be content calling them out in the same video. We need to have conversations with thee same people

[@harrisonkane1288]

nothing in there was a cause...

[@harrisonkane1288]

@@mark-ish You are also in your echo chamber. I am just hear visiting...

[@brainfloss9710]

@@qwertpoiuy430 Or maybe imark is wrong. Maybe not everybody who makes one particular choice that you disagree with has all the opinions and views you assume they have.

[@amartyaroy3754]

As someone who has recently started studying data analytics, the representation of data through visualization in this video is amazing.

[@2m7b5]

Agreed. I'm trying to get into data analytics too and this presentation is kind of genius. It's so simple but tells the story in such a clear and engaging way. Sliding transparencies to compare different views of the same graph is so clever.

[@bobk3840]

Where is the statistical analysis? A least squares line fit doesn’t tell the entire story.

[@fabsmaster5309]

In addition to the misinformation, I think there are differences in attitudes toward safety between conservatives and liberals. In the weighing the inconvenience of the masks and lockdowns versus the health risk, conservatives were always more willing to take the risk. This will affect your attitudes towards the public health establishment that is pushing the preventative measures and that will make you more skeptical of their push to get vaccinated a year later.

[@TheGerm24]

"I think there are differences in attitudes toward safety between conservatives and liberals. " - The video showed data that attitudes around other vaccines were very similar between conservatives and liberals. There was something specific in the politicization of COVID that caused this problem.

[@verifiede4125]

@@TheGerm24 Politicization of things that aren't meant to be political never ends good. COVID-19 is an example of this, so I think it's just politicalization in GENERAL, not just a specific part of it.

[@Ixaglet]

@@TheGerm24 Could it potentially be that there aren't any long term safety data for these new mRNA vaccines? That's the number one factor for me, when comparing against "traditional" vaccines, many of which have been around for decades and have undergone rigorous long term safety trials?.

[@genslavick]

I can’t speak for all conservatives, and honestly I don’t like either party but I tend to lead right. However, for me. The reason for my “anti vaxx” attitude and I believe a far many would agree with me. It isn’t about new sources pushing “mis information” or echo chambers it’s not even which politician right or left said you should or shouldn’t get it. Remember President Trump did heavily recommend it. But it was and is that the entire government apparatus said do it or else. You don’t tell a country founded on personal choice; “I know better then you and if you don’t like it you no longer have a way to support yourself or your family”. I believe the British tried something like that when we were still a colony and look how that turned out. Just my two cents to this particular comment thread.

[@RaeIsGaee]

@@genslavick Health experts do know better than people, though, and that hadn't ever been an issue in regards to vaccination prior to Covid-19. What is absolutely part of the cause, though, is a generalized hatred for anything labelled as "big", whether that's big guberment, big pharma, etc. It's why fluorine conspiracy theories were prevalent in the 50s and 60s (including today) and was the perfect attitude to exploit by spreading misinformation against "the establishment".

[@nobodynowhere7163]

I don't remember anyone calling COVID 19 the "Trump virus".

[@SylviaRustyFae]

I do recall repubs callin anythin Obama did Obama-X tho.

[@camelliascholl6564]

i think there might have been a couple people that did it like once or twice, but it definitely wasn't a whole thing

[@vintage0x]

Absolutely loved the paper/plastic graphics on this one, Joss! Really, really nice.

[@BienvenidoAlHoloceno]

The way actual, physical graphs were used in this video was simply mesmerizing!

[@jmoney0448]

This is a fantastic video. Great visuals, pacing. Great job!

[@BAsed_AFro]

“The only thing more frustrating than slanderers are those foolish enough to listen to them.” - Criss Jami

[@nbibby]

I can’t help but think that the US voter registration process (not voting processes) that requires a declaration of your political affiliation is part of the US problem of extreme partisan divides. This seems to result in non political situations, like responding to pathogen, becoming political because everyone has been herded into opposing camps even before the new situation has presented itself. It’s madness effectively “picking a team” and apparently having to support your team regardless of who is playing or how they are playing when unlike sport it has real and sometimes fatal consequences. Why should anyone be forced to declare a political allegiance in advance of knowing what this really means in real terms?

[@todelmore9232]

i think thats just cuz they dont want people to vote in both primaries

[@Arjay404]

@@todelmore9232 All that would need to happen is have the parties combine their database on that, just like how you can't vote twice in the election or if you do you will be found out, just do that for primaries. Really that fear is not valid, because the solution already exists.

[@AndrewPonti]

That part in the end is what I am most worried about - where more are now resistant to most other vaccines when before the huge majority were not. That's how we kept all those horrible diseases at bay from the past.

[@Ceekayedmusic]

Yeah, if you let the trend continue, you'll soon have a smallpox or a major polio outbreak in your hands. That ought to change people's minds about vaccines, but it's not the optimal way of achieving the goal.

[@doujinflip]

Unfortunately democracies need more dramatic shocks to compel action. Statistics and invisible injuries don't have nearly the same impact as a pictures of people stuck to wheelchairs and iron lungs.

[@ludwigvonmises1911]

Yep. Force is never a good idea to push anything.

[@linusp9316]

@@Ceekayedmusic Smallpox has already been eradicated through vaccination, so that one is gone for good even if the anti-vaccine "movement" continues on. But you are right about the others - we have already seen measles and whooping cough coming back.

[@Nomadar]

The real problem that this video brings up is that there's no way really to get out. The chances that our leaders will find a Kumbaya moment and come together is basically zero (as the video shows). I don't see a way out of increasing polarization right now unless we, y'know, got rid of social media or something like that. I love America and I love living here, but watching things like this just makes me so sad sometimes.

[@neeneko]

This might be one of those fermni 'great filter' type events. social media, capitalism, and human psychology are crashing in a pretty downward spiraling way, and I am not sure there IS a way they can co-exist as long as financial success is tied to 'engagement'.

[@merrymachiavelli2041]

@@HerewardWake Yeah, there is this constitutional trade-off being providing checks and balances on different parts of government, and ensuring that government can...well... _govern_ . Too far in one direction, and you get gridlock and people become disillusioned with government entirely (which creates its own issues), too far in the other direction and it's easy to fall into autocracy. The US political system I think is weighed too far in the former direction, both because of how it was originally designed and how it has evolved in the last 200+ years.

[@Ceekayedmusic]

Well, you can let the polarization run it's course to the extreme and let the antivaxxers get a measles outbreak going. That ought to change some minds. As bad as covid can be, the much more worrying statistic here is the general loss of faith in vaccines altogether.

[@rainstriderstreamflower5645]

See what happens when you're overly reliant on one news source!?!My father once told me that is good to turn to several news stations as your less likely to be conned that way!

[@avimohan6594]

Several or ZERO.

[@aaroncrawford9575]

What would have happened if we focused on treatments instead of just the vaccine? What if we allowed doctors the ability to prescribe medications off labels? How many deaths would there have been?

[@ladyredl3210]

This is a new virus, there were no treatments available in the beginning, and only a few that are effective now. Not horse paste, but several pills. We in the USA have not invested in the treatment of epidemics the way we should have because we were arrogant and thought it would never happen here. We were wrong.

[@rwernest]

Great video. It leaves me with desperation to understand why people believe that the death toll is so exaggerated. In my own experience, this is the most common reason I hear from people in my life and I would love to have some intelligent response.

[@scionace9523]

I agree. I was one of the people that thought that this was overblown, but when life stopped and the knock-on effects it did on my locale and getting Covid as well, that's when I realized it was no joke. All of our household got it but thankfully, it was not grave enough to warrant getting carted to the Hospital. I think for a lot of people, and that's including me, there's this pervading mindset that what doesn't affect you is insignificant. I think that's why there's a lot of people that didn't believe the vaccines would work, until they got the virus as well. I got hit twice, first by Delta, then by Omicron. And that's even with following all the rules about facemasks and facshields (Here in PH, they require those in tandem), and I'm a stay-at-home guy. But I can say that even with just my first dose, I weathered Omicron much much better than I did from when I got Delta. But alas, even here in PH, antivaxxing started gaining traction. I can only hope that our experiences these past few years will not be buried under a rubble of misinformation.

[@human-tk2fo]

Well, I knew one person who died of Covid, and he was very old and had health problems already, and since I know a lot of old people one person dying in two full years is actually very low, many others similarly haven't experienced the deaths, and if you don't know where the numbers are coming from or you don't trust the hospitals to be honest when they get additional funding for deaths marked as Covid related, then the numbers might not mean anything to you. Thanks for asking, open conversation is the best way to understand one another

[@joshuapowers4623]

@@human-tk2fo hospitals didn't get extra funding for deaths marked as covid. They got extra funding because the US has the only completely for profit healthcare industry in the developed world. As a result hospitals have streamlined thier care & services so drastically for the past cpl decades that they're literally incapable of coping with anything more than a couple percent fluctuation in patients over the course of a year. Covid created 100‘s of percent increases in patients in a matter of weeks and the whole thing collapsed, that why the got emergency funding. Not because of what a death certificate said. The really sad part of all this is that conservative media & politicians have taken legitimate ire for the greed of pharmaceutical companies & the health industry in general and refocused it towards the actual medicine & health professionals. Because they will NEVER oppose the profits.

[@edwarddodge7937]

The death toll is perceived as exaggerated because everyone watching this video assumes all the Covid death statistics were people on ventilators like the the few cases they highlight here. But the truth is that any death from any cause imaginable was counted as a Covid death even if Covid wasn’t the cause. Death statistics from all the usual suspects like heart disease and cancer went down in proportion to Covid death statistics going up.

[@scottwallbank4794]

@@human-tk2fo You're encapsulating the problem exactly by spreading incorrect statements regarding additional revenue for reporting covid deaths. The US experienced over 1m excess deaths during the pandemic. So what killed all these extra people over standard annual deaths if it wasn't covid?

[@maxheadrom3088]

I'm not from the US and here's what I observed: both sides played really badly.

[@BAsed_AFro]

I’ve heard from countless individuals that regret getting the covid jabs, who stopped getting more. And I've talked to hundreds that have had zero, and not even one regrets their decision. In fact, the vast majority agree that not participating in this is one of the best decisions that we’ve ever made in our lives. ^ All that I need to know, right there ^

[@johnsheehy4192]

These interventions were one of the biggest scams in human history. There is no evidence that any lives were saved statistically, and in fact, global C fatality rates increased 49% following rollout. Does anyone ask how they calculate those "millions of lives saved"? As in, "Can I see your assumptions, definitions, and math please?".

[@safeeffective385]

@@johnsheehy4192 You mean, the biggest in history... hands down.

[@gminors]

This video is excellent. Beautifully presented, well structured, and informative. Give Joss a raise!

[@leealexander3507]

The conservatives around here know how important it is to vaccinate their horses just like I do. We not only vaccinate them for the usual stuff but for anything going around our area. Because we all understand the importance of vaccines we are vaccinated whether we are on the left or the right. In the city only about 8 miles away it's an entirely different story. They don't have horses and because of that those on the right who watch right wing media are largely unvaccinated. They not only fill up their own hospitals but they also fill up our two small hospitals every time we have a Covid wave.

[@youtubehandle-u2l]

The “vaccine” is only a vaccine in name alone.

[@penguin--]

@@youtubehandle-u2l not necessarily... since a vaccine is defined as something that stimulates the production of antibodies to fight a virus, and the covid vaccine produces a cellular response that produces antibodies to fight coronavirus, the "vaccine" would be a vaccine by definition as well

[@imthecreatorofmyrealitymyf700]

Funny how the left turn the table, when they were the one's screaming that they will not take the vaccine lol

[@St4rTr3v1Ut10n]

The current VP said she wouldn't take the vaccine "if Trump made it." Let me reiterate: the 2nd most powerful person in the world thinks the previous president was going into a lab and messing with beakers and test tubes at a minimum, and at a maximum thinks Trump somehow personally had a hand in making a vaccine that would be harmful to people. Trump, the most unpopular president for only 4 years, at the depth of his popularity, somehow influenced the pharmaceutical industry in some nebulous fashion. Anyone that follows her (you, this channel, and most commenters here) is devoid of sentience.

[@youtubehandle-u2l]

@@penguin-- which definition are we working off of? The newly changed one for this year that enabled Covid to marketed as a vaccine, or the one before that enabled it be labeled moreso as a technical gene therapy. what is rna, man? Isn’t it some of that stuff in your dna? (Sarcasm)

[@supremegeorgejustice2325]

The last sentence hits hard. "Which means the health consequences of pandemic polarization could extend well beyond Covid-19." With other viruses still mutating, idk if we'd be ready to control another outbreak. Hopefully, it's not polarized or political. I guess, time will tell.

[@safe-keeper1042]

The way the US is going, I expect the next pandemic to be even more politicized than corona :( .

[@rocio4618]

@@Spearca Only direct experience unfortunately. Sometimes not even that is enough though.

[@NeSeeger]

Polarization is bad, who knew?

[@nondisclosure2848]

48 vaccines by the age of two?

[@parkers3rdchannel]

Joss is a gem of our times. Incredible journalism and production in this video.

[@maximburgman]

Vox is doing some of the best, clearest data presentations I have ever seen. All news outlets should take note. Excellent.

[@oldshampoo]

noa

[@rierku]

Clear data presentation is a tool used to get information across clearly and understandably. It is not a good tool if you want to polarize, misinform and cater to your audience or are only interested in riding the headlines for more views. From that, make your own deductions.

[@maximburgman]

@@rierku I don’t disagree. I was referring to generally benevolent institutions working to inform and keep people safe-not clear in my original comment. No excuse for not being able to articulate a clear point and message.

[@GiantPetRat]

Abigail Thorn from Philsophy Tube just published a video about unvaccinated people a day or two ago. She eloquently and sensitively articulates a lot of the reasoning folks have had for not getting them. Worth a look.

[@uwotmate-d3m]

He*

[@Niels901]

​@@uwotmate-d3m *She* is a trans women, not sure if you just saw her old videos and just didnt know

[@tsoma62]

Props for keeping comments on

[@LahLahLahification]

Thanks for reminding everyone correlation does not equal causation! Great statistical story telling here as well - learnt so much

[@montanagal6958]

you gotta trust you gut too, if you don't see dead bodies and the media say they are there....

[@AfricanChild25]

Sad thing is according to this video the people who need to watch this video the most will not.

[@gamingyoutubernoonan0108]

Nothing from Vox about the Freedom Convoy protest in Canada. There might be one here in the United States of America.

[@gamingyoutubernoonan0108]

Waiting to see how that turns out.

[@thorpower1015]

Bless the truckers

[@spielpfan7067]

The next question should be if the deaths of Republicans due to not getting vaccinated influenced the outcome of this year's election in the US.

[@D4ng3rD4n]

I'm watching this while my (unvaccinated, multiple-comorbidity, newly anti-vax) mom is having trouble breathing because she has 'pneumonia' and doesn't want a doctor to tell her she has 'c-19'. I might lose a parent because of this misinformation. So frustrating that I can't convince her to see a doctor or get vaccinated.

[@haidengeary8277]

I bet she uses FB a lot. Thats how a lot of misinformation/paranoia is spread.

[@simoncaron6424]

Sounds like she has other problems like obesity. She should be forced to go on a diet in the name of public health.

[@tsarina24honolulu87]

@@simoncaron6424 not only that but what we eat causes pandemics

[@raptorfromthe6ix833]

Not everything is covid depending on her age she might just have pneumonia or other sickness

[@aprilthomas5620]

Did she end up being okay?

[@PKNproductions]

This is some of the best journalism I have seen in a LONG time. I absolutely love the level of depth into analyzing the data to address possible conclusions, eliminating the incorrect ones with further exploration, to ultimately produce a meaningful conclusion that goes beyond what you can get looking at just a single piece of information. And the fact that this video managed to stay objective and avoid 'getting political' while literally discussing the politicization of this topic is really the cherry on top. Awesome job with this. Keep up the good work.

[@brooklynparkse]

As always, Vox has the loveliest educational videos. Also, wow, I have not missed seeing or hearing Trump.

[@jamesedwards1284]

@@stereomachine only good part tho

[@toastymctoastface7532]

@@jamesedwards1284 Better sleepy joe then a sociopath

[@averageamerican2683]

And that comment is the thinking that put us in an economic crisis. How’s that 4$ gallon of gas and energy bill treating you?

[@JoeCarlinCA]

@@averageamerican2683 We had $4 gal gas before the pandemic. Biden just brought back the economy and gas demand, and thus prices, returned to what they were under Trump. Otherwise if you're only going to compare it with what gas prices were when Trump left office, note that when Trump left office we experienced under him also the deadliest week in all of American history, before or since.

[@a20splaybookYss]

Weird, it's called united state but its divided, huh? How do you change a countries name?