I understand that some people are skeptical about bourgeois governments policies of mandatory vaccines, but thinking that every decision from up top is unreasonable is a terrible metaphysical take. Mandatory vaccines has been in effect in China, Laos, DPRK, Cuba and Vietnam. That alone should realize on what side these anti-vaxxers are in.
Some sectors of the bourgeoisie also would benefit from a vaccinated population because it would slow the labor shortages of their shitty economy, which means some bourgeois sectors are actually wanting the people to be fully able to work without interruption through vaccination.
I say some sectors because there are obviously other sectors which has benefited a lot from the spread of the pandemic, and therefore wouldn’t think twice of promoting the astroturfing of vaccine and COVID denial. Such is the case of digital retailers (Amazon), pornographic empires (MindGeek), bourgeois social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), video sharing websites (mainly YouTube), streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max), etc.
Contrary to what the anti-vaxxers usually say about “Big Pharma promoting vaccines”, the most profitable companies actually benefit with the pandemic, as we have seen the ten richest billionaires double their profits since the pandemic. What they’re advocating, whether they are aware or not, benefits highly the bourgeoisie.
But of course “Big Pharma” profits from selling vaccines privately or through government deals, we live in a commodity-producing society, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody. To eat something as essential as food, we need to buy it, which gives profits to supermarket chains and the food industry in general. To live and exist in a capitalist society, you need to inevitably consume and buy products. No one in their sane mind would tell you to boycott buying food to not promote “Big Food” or something. The same goes for vaccines, which has demonstrably proven that they are effective by the decrease in death rates, although they couldn’t prevent contagion efficiently, which in fact benefits the big pharmaceutical industries indeed since boosters and more vaccines would be needed. But this doesn’t mean that mandatory vaccines aren’t necessary to mitigate the large-scale deaths we’ve seen in 2020 and beginning of 2021.
In short,
Fight for mandatory vaccinations, fight petty-bourgeois vacillations
(this was originally taken from a comment in response to a radioactive take from comrade @pimento@lemmygrad.ml)
I’ve witnessed these brainworms personally, living in the US, where anti-vaxx propaganda is incredibly strong via outlets like fox news. My parents nearly died from covid, and 3/4ths of my extended family have caught it at some point, and were out of commission for weeks. My stepmom has serious long-term effects from it: she feels a lot weaker since she caught it, and can’t smell or taste as well as she used to. Two friends have family members that have died from it, and told me that anti-mask family members won’t go to their funerals.
These reactionaries pushing anti-vaxx propaganda are killing people, and they simply don’t care, because their freedom is more important than grandma. Over 900k deaths so far, mostly elderly, infirm, or people with compromised immune systems. The reaction of even “leftists” like Corbyn and Max Blumenthal, who are pushing liberalism under the facade of “opposition to big pharma” to these deaths is truly despicable.
And still when I go to the grocery store, 80% of people aren’t even wearing masks, and whine like spoiled children whenever anyone tells them to. These are people that have never been told “no”, their entire lives, who value their personal freedom over the lives of not just strangers, but even people in their own family. There’s a line in catch-22 where yossarian says that “everyone is trying to kill him”, and people think he’s crazy for it. That’s how I feel every time I risk going home to see friends and family.
As communists we must oppose this slaughter / culling of the weakest members of our society, under any guise it comes under. We should always place lives above personal freedoms.
This is such a key point. Just because we disagree with the exploitation involved in the making and selling of medicine under capitalism, does not mean we oppose medicine. If anything its the withholding (esp via vaccine patents) and selling of that medicine to the highest bidder that we oppose, when it should be given to the global south who need it yesterday.
Hell, I would stamp down on “freedom of speech” and end all fascist propaganda or, in this case, anti-vax propaganda (though they usually go hand in hand). Well, if any communist party or communist coalition of parties were in power and I had that authority. But yeah, agreed with much of what you said here.
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