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I think in some cases either people are stupid or are just unreasonably scared. I discussed this with a family member when AZ side effects started appearing on

I think in some cases either people are stupid or are just unreasonably scared. I discussed this with a family member when AZ side effects started appearing on the news. I tried showing him the numbers (millions of inoculations, few “vaccine-related” deaths) but even presented with “The chances of getting sick with a vaccine are 0.00005%” (I don’t remember the exact number) he would not budge. I told him “The chances of getting the virus + the chances of dying are hundreds of times higher.” Nothing. He just says “my friend got covid and he’s fine” and “that person on the news died from the vaccine.” Stats and logic don’t work on some people.

AndrewBissell 5y ago
Haha, multiple European countries have halted administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine in people under 60 because they can't be sure that the benefits outweigh the risks, and you still have people fretting that "these darn skeptics just won't listen to Stats And Logic!" This whole line of argument that "the population-wide risks of the virus are outweighed by the (publicly acknowledged) population-wide risks of the vaccine" is extremely innumerate when addressed to a non-elderly, healthy person without co-morbidities. Your family member's instinct that his risks may be higher from the vaccine might be entirely in line with the reality.
- slumdev 5y ago
  > Your family member's instinct that his risks may be higher from the vaccine might be entirely in line with the reality. Based on the VAERS data, this is probably the case for anyone under the age of 60. It is definitely the case for anyone under the age of 30. But everyone gets similarly bludgeoned with population-level data to convince them to make an individual-level decision. If you want to call them selfish, go for it. But they're not stupid.
- cunthorpe 5y ago
  They halted it because they have a choice now, not because the vaccine is worse than COVID. Did you read the article? Probably not because you’re spouting the same nonsense as antivaxers. Look at the stats and remember this is a pandemic: Your choice affects others. The reality is that you’re just selfish. Edit: Rereading some articles about the stop reminded me that the stop was a political decision more than anything. In short they’d rather slow down vaccination a bit to avoid scaring the population with numbers they don’t understand and off of the vaccines altogether. It was akin to “shooing the ghost away” so the kid stops being scared.
  - briantakita 5y ago
    The problem with statistics is that it's very easy to lie using the statistics. Those who control the information are able to craft whatever statistics they want & nobody can audit the numbers or the counting because the information is simply not made available to the public. The only way to get the actual numbers to the public is for a whistle-blower to come forward, to the risk of that whistle-blower's career or life. We are back to trusting the mechanic who says we need to replace the entire engine. Want to get a second opinion? Well, you can only get a second opinion from another mechanic that the mechanic approves of. All other mechanics are censored & have their licenses stripped from them. The medical industry has been caught lying to the public, saying for years there are no adverse affects due to vaccination. Now that there too much public evidence, the medical industry wants to continue to control the conversation with their statistics that are probably fabricated or P-hacked. There is no legal liability for vaccine manufacturers or pushers. If Dr. Mengele were alive today, he could do what he did to the Jews without any legal consequences by calling his "treatment" a vaccine.
- deleted 5y ago
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AndrewBissell 5y ago

Haha, multiple European countries have halted administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine in people under 60 because they can't be sure that the benefits outweigh the risks, and you still have people fretting that "these darn skeptics just won't listen to Stats And Logic!" This whole line of argument that "the population-wide risks of the virus are outweighed by the (publicly acknowledged) population-wide risks of the vaccine" is extremely innumerate when addressed to a non-elderly, healthy person without co-morbidities. Your family member's instinct that his risks may be higher from the vaccine might be entirely in line with the reality.

slumdev 5y ago
> Your family member's instinct that his risks may be higher from the vaccine might be entirely in line with the reality. Based on the VAERS data, this is probably the case for anyone under the age of 60. It is definitely the case for anyone under the age of 30. But everyone gets similarly bludgeoned with population-level data to convince them to make an individual-level decision. If you want to call them selfish, go for it. But they're not stupid.
cunthorpe 5y ago
They halted it because they have a choice now, not because the vaccine is worse than COVID. Did you read the article? Probably not because you’re spouting the same nonsense as antivaxers. Look at the stats and remember this is a pandemic: Your choice affects others. The reality is that you’re just selfish. Edit: Rereading some articles about the stop reminded me that the stop was a political decision more than anything. In short they’d rather slow down vaccination a bit to avoid scaring the population with numbers they don’t understand and off of the vaccines altogether. It was akin to “shooing the ghost away” so the kid stops being scared.
- briantakita 5y ago
  The problem with statistics is that it's very easy to lie using the statistics. Those who control the information are able to craft whatever statistics they want & nobody can audit the numbers or the counting because the information is simply not made available to the public. The only way to get the actual numbers to the public is for a whistle-blower to come forward, to the risk of that whistle-blower's career or life. We are back to trusting the mechanic who says we need to replace the entire engine. Want to get a second opinion? Well, you can only get a second opinion from another mechanic that the mechanic approves of. All other mechanics are censored & have their licenses stripped from them. The medical industry has been caught lying to the public, saying for years there are no adverse affects due to vaccination. Now that there too much public evidence, the medical industry wants to continue to control the conversation with their statistics that are probably fabricated or P-hacked. There is no legal liability for vaccine manufacturers or pushers. If Dr. Mengele were alive today, he could do what he did to the Jews without any legal consequences by calling his "treatment" a vaccine.
deleted 5y ago
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