Amid stricter vaccine mandates, polarized opinions and refusal, some believe vaccinated individuals should no longer accommodate the choices unvaccinated people make. However, we shouldn’t blame misinformed citizens, but rather hold the purveyors of misinformation accountable for radicalized ideas.
Some argue unvaccinated people should pay for their choices financially, putting the sole financial burden of coronavirus-related hospitalizations on them by increasing health care premiums and lowering coverage.
Recently, Delta Air Lines decided to give a $200 monthly surcharge to unvaccinated employees health insurance, according to an Aug. 29 Atlantic article.
CEO Ed Bastian said the average hospital stay for employees with COVID-19 has cost Delta Air Lines insurance $50,000 per employee and the $200 surcharge is necessary to address the financial risk unvaccinated employees are creating for the company, according to an Aug. 25 CNBC article.
While it may be easy to blame those who are unvaccinated for increasing COVID-19 cases and punish them for their choices, I don’t believe we should increase health insurance costs for those who are unvaccinated because it would result in them feeling ostracized from society and becoming more radicalized.
Before we put a higher financial burden on unvaccinated individuals, we should look at where they get their radical views from in the first place.
Many people who are unvaccinated are unaware they are easily manipulated by those who spread misinformation, according to an Oct. 19, 2017 Pew Research Center article.
Staunch anti-vaxx believers who desire recognition by the media will spew out fake and doctored information to take advantage of those who look to comfort their questions and beliefs, according to the same article.
Anyone can be indoctrinated by fake news, it’s only human to fall into such traps.
Manipulative actors use new digital tools to take advantage of humans’ innate preference for comfort and their craving for the answers they find in reinforcing “echo chambers,” according to the same Pew Research Center article.
“Echo chambers” happen when the majority of content a person consumes on social media conforms only to their beliefs, allowing easily manipulated individuals to fall into a rabbithole of misinformation, according to the same article.
While the U.S. government pushing more companies to alienate and punish unvaccinated individuals financially may help some finally get their vaccine, many could become more radicalized from a feeling of perceived persecution, according to a March 2021 ResearchGate article.
Researchers at the intersection of cognitive psychology and social psychology found when individuals ruminate about shared distressing moments, they can experience an increased motivation to cooperate with one another and increase the fusion of their personal identity with that of the group, according to the same article.
It’s hard to say what lengths radicalized “anti-vaxx” believers will take after perceived persecution of their beliefs from health insurance companies and Biden’s new six-step plan to mandate the vaccine to 80 million Americans.
According to a Sept. 21 CNN article, Biden’s six-step plan focuses on vaccine mandates, preparing the U.S. population for booster shots, keeping schools open, increased testing, economic recovery and increased COVID-19 patient care.
Biden needs the full support of Americans for this plan to succeed, so alienating unvaccinated people will only make the situation worse.
Instead of increasing health care premiums, the U.S. government should focus on regulating the spread of misinformation from media outlets and social media platforms, while also educating the public on the safety of the vaccine.
Mainstream media sources like Fox News continue to spread misinformation to millions of Americans, according to a July 20 MediaMatters article.
Media Matters is a media watchdog and fact checker that criticizes conservative and right-wing media.
Tucker Carlson’s talk show, which is viewed by millions on Fox News, has many over-on screen graphics reading “MANY VACCINATED PEOPLE ARE HOSPITALIZED” and “OUR LEADERS WANT US TO SHUT UP & NOT ASK QUESTIONS.”
Why should those who are manipulated and misinformed by people like Tucker Carlson be punished for their views when Fox News continues to spread this information unscathed?
We should stop misinformation from its source and encourage discussion between unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals.
By encouraging healthy discussion between both sides, we can help those misinformed about the COVID-19 vaccine move away from a path that leads to radicalization.
