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Because they are among the most rabid supporters of the previous president. I don't think it's outlandish to say there was a positive feedback loop between the

Because they are among the most rabid supporters of the previous president. I don't think it's outlandish to say there was a positive feedback loop between the two, and it directly affected both policy and messaging, including public health. Just look at the resistance to getting the vaccine among these people - it threatens the herd immunity that is one of the goals of the vaccine program. This is due in no small part to the mixed messaging from the prior administration.

slibhb 5y ago
You're making a claim that vaccine hesitancy is about being a rabid conspiracy theorist (or "mixed messaging). I don't think you're right. People don't like getting vaccines for rational reasons like: they don't like getting shots (much less 2), they're worried about side effects (which are real), they don't trust new technology (like mrna vaccines), and so on. I think people should get vaccinated. But I understand why someone wouldn't and it has nothing to do with believing in q anon. It's like paying your taxes: I don't like paying my taxes but I do it because 1. I drive on the roads and 2. it's illegal not to. If not paying taxes was legal, I hope I'd still pay (because I drive on the roads) but a lot of people wouldn't (even though they should) for reasons that have nothing to do with being a conspiracy theorist.
- moolcool 5y ago
  Comments like this (and many others in this thread) are so indicative to me of the bubble a lot of tech people live in. I personally know several people who are extremely vulnerable to the coronavirus (by age, location, and preexisting medical conditions) who are refusing the vaccine based on the premise that it was designed somehow to kill/sterilize/control them. Spend some time sleuthing on Facebook and you'll find groups with tens of thousands of people with this kind of mindset. I think there's a tendency for people on HN in particular to downplay this phenomenon because it directly implicates big tech in a very big way-- social media is a veritable incubator for these ideas.
  - loopz 5y ago
    Maybe both are true? ;)

slibhb 5y ago

You're making a claim that vaccine hesitancy is about being a rabid conspiracy theorist (or "mixed messaging). I don't think you're right. People don't like getting vaccines for rational reasons like: they don't like getting shots (much less 2), they're worried about side effects (which are real), they don't trust new technology (like mrna vaccines), and so on. I think people should get vaccinated. But I understand why someone wouldn't and it has nothing to do with believing in q anon. It's like paying your taxes: I don't like paying my taxes but I do it because 1. I drive on the roads and 2. it's illegal not to. If not paying taxes was legal, I hope I'd still pay (because I drive on the roads) but a lot of people wouldn't (even though they should) for reasons that have nothing to do with being a conspiracy theorist.

moolcool 5y ago
Comments like this (and many others in this thread) are so indicative to me of the bubble a lot of tech people live in. I personally know several people who are extremely vulnerable to the coronavirus (by age, location, and preexisting medical conditions) who are refusing the vaccine based on the premise that it was designed somehow to kill/sterilize/control them. Spend some time sleuthing on Facebook and you'll find groups with tens of thousands of people with this kind of mindset. I think there's a tendency for people on HN in particular to downplay this phenomenon because it directly implicates big tech in a very big way-- social media is a veritable incubator for these ideas.
- loopz 5y ago
  Maybe both are true? ;)