tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/anti-vaxxers-75557/articlesAnti-vaxxers – The Conversation2024-01-02T16:50:04Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2189492024-01-02T16:50:04Z2024-01-02T16:50:04ZWhy have authoritarianism and libertarianism merged? A political psychologist on ‘the vulnerability of the modern self’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564551/original/file-20231208-29-yahofn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=290%2C121%2C7790%2C4022&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The so-called Qanon shaman, Jacob Chansley, at the Capitol riot. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/Johnny Silvercloud</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Logically, authoritarianism and libertarianism are contradictory. Supporters of authoritarian leaders share a state of mind in which they take direction from an idealised figurehead and closely identify with the group which that leader represents. To be libertarian is to see the freedom of the individual as the supreme principle of politics. It is core to the economics and politics of neo-liberalism, as well as to some bohemian counter-cultures. </p>
<p>As a state of mind, libertarianism is superficially the opposite of authoritarianism. Identification with the leader or group is anathema and all forms of authority are regarded with suspicion. Instead the ideal is to experience oneself as a self-contained, free agent. </p>
<p>Yet there is a history of these two outlooks being intertwined. Consider Donald Trump, whose re-election in 2024 would be seen by many as adding to the international rise of authoritarianism. </p>
<p><a href="https://unherd.com/2023/12/why-all-this-trump-hysteria/?tl_inbound=1&tl_groups%5B0%5D=18743&tl_period_type=3">Others</a> might see him as insufficiently focused to be an effective authoritarian leader, but it’s not difficult to imagine him governing by executive order, and he has successfully sought an authoritarian relationship with his followers. He is an object of idealisation and a source of “truth” for the community of followers he purports to represent.</p>
<p>Yet at the same time, in his rhetoric and his persona of predatory freewheeler, in his wealth and indifference to others, Trump offers a hyper-realisation of a certain kind of individualistic freedom.</p>
<p>Trumpism’s fusion of the authoritarian and the libertarian was embodied in the January 6 attack in Washington DC. The insurgents who stormed the Capitol that day passionately wanted to install Trump as an autocratic leader. He had not, after all, won a democratic election.</p>
<p>But these people were also conducting a carnivalesque assertion of their individual rights, as they defined them, to attack the American state. Among them were followers of the bizarre conspiracy theory QAnon, who lionised Trump as the heroic authority figure secretly leading the fightback against a child-torturing cabal of elites. </p>
<p>Alongside them were the <a href="https://theconversation.com/proud-boys-members-convicted-of-seditious-conspiracy-3-essential-reads-on-the-group-and-right-wing-extremist-white-nationalism-205094">Proud Boys</a>, whose misty libertarianism is paired with a proto-authoritarian commitment to politics as violence.</p>
<h2>New age meets anti-vax</h2>
<p>Conspiracy theories are also involved in other recent examples of authoritarian-libertarian hybridity. Beliefs that COVID-19 vaccines (or lockdowns, or the virus itself) were attempts by a malevolent power to attack or control us were fuelled by a growing army of conspiracists. But they were also facilitated by libertarian ideologies which rationalise suspicion of and antipathy towards authority of all sorts – and support refusals to comply with public health measures. </p>
<p>In the UK, some small towns and rural areas have seen an influx of people involved in a variety of pursuits – arts and crafts, alternative medicine and other “wellness” practices, spirituality and mysticism. Research is lacking but a recent <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001mssl">BBC investigation</a> in the English town of Totnes showed how this can create a strong “alternative” ethos in which soft, hippie-ish forms of libertarianism are prominent – and very hospitable to conspiracism.</p>
<p>One might have thought that Totnes and some other towns like it would be the last places we’d find sympathy for authoritarian politics. However, the BBC investigation showed that although there may be no single dominant leader at work, new age anti-authority sentiments can morph into intolerance and hard-edged demands for retribution against the people seen as orchestrating vaccinations and lockdowns.</p>
<p>This is reflected in some COVID conspiracists calling for those who led the public health response to be tried at <a href="https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/98809">“Nuremberg 2.0”</a>, a special court where they should face the death penalty. </p>
<p>When we remember that a virulent sense of grievance against an enemy or oppressor who must be punished is a regular feature of authoritarian culture, we start to see how the dividing lines between the libertarian mindset and the authoritarian perspective have blurred around COVID.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/conspiracy-theories-about-the-pandemic-are-spreading-offline-as-well-as-through-social-media-167418">Conspiracy theories about the pandemic are spreading offline as well as through social media</a>
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<p>A <a href="https://savanta.com/knowledge-centre/published-polls/conspiracy-poll-kings-college-london-13-june-2023/">disturbing survey</a> conducted earlier this year for King’s College London even found that 23% of the sample would be prepared to take to the streets in support of a “deep state” conspiracy theory. And of that group, 60% believed the use of violence in the name of such a movement would be justified. </p>
<h2>Two responses to the same anxiety</h2>
<p>A psychological approach can help us to understand the dynamics of this puzzling fusion. As <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Escape-Freedom-Erich-Fromm-ebook/dp/B00BPJOC7W/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1N6JLLNQVVBYU&keywords=erich+fromm&qid=1702035192&s=books&sprefix=erich+from%2Cstripbooks%2C192&sr=1-6">Erich Fromm</a> and others have shown, our ideological affinities are linked to unconscious structures of feeling. </p>
<p>At this level, authoritarianism and libertarianism are the interchangeable products of the same underlying psychological difficulty: the <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-030-61510-9_41-1">vulnerability of the modern self</a>.</p>
<p>Authoritarian political movements offer a sense of belonging to a collective, and of being protected by its strong leader. This may be completely illusory, but it nonetheless provides a sense of safety in a world of threatening change and risk. As individuals, we are vulnerable to feeling powerless and abandoned. As a group, we are safe.</p>
<p>Libertarianism, in contrast, proceeds from the illusion that as individuals we are fundamentally self-sufficient. We are independent of others and don’t need protection from authorities. This fantasy of freedom, like the authoritarian fantasy of the ideal leader, also generates a sense of invulnerability for those who believe in it.</p>
<p>Both outlooks serve to protect against the potentially overwhelming sense of being in a society on which we depend but which we feel we cannot trust. While politically divergent, they are psychologically equivalent. Both are ways for the vulnerable self to ward off existential anxieties. There is therefore a kind of belt-and-braces logic in toggling between them or even occupying both positions simultaneously.</p>
<p>In any specific context, authoritarianism is more likely to have the necessary focus and organisation to prevail. But its hybrid fusion with libertarianism will have broadened its support base by seducing people with anti-authority impulses.</p>
<p>And as things currently stand, we’re at risk of seeing increasing polarisation between, on one hand, this anxiety-driven, defensive form of combined politics, and on the other, efforts to preserve reality-based, non-defensive modes of political discourse.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218949/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Barry Richards does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It is now not uncommon to find people supporting leaders like Donald Trump while insisting the state refrains from intervening in their lives.Barry Richards, Emeritus Professor of Political Psychology, Bournemouth UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2186712023-12-18T16:17:17Z2023-12-18T16:17:17ZVictorian Britain had its own anti-vaxxers – and they helped bring down a government<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565425/original/file-20231213-31-19s6sa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C5%2C3663%2C2886&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://wellcomecollection.org/works/tr7x4acf/images?id=chsz86gd">E.E. Hillemacher/Wellcome Collection</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the 1906 UK general election results <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/1906/jan/15/electionspast.past">rolled in</a>, it became clear that the Conservative party, after 11 years in power, had suffered one of the most disastrous defeats in its history. Of 402 Conservative MPs, 251 lost their seats, including <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/history/past-prime-ministers/arthur-james-balfour">their candidate for prime minister</a>, defeated on a 22.5% swing against him in the constituency he had held for two decades. </p>
<p>Rising food prices, unpopular taxes and an opposition that promised to spend heavily on an expanded welfare state all contributed to the <a href="https://liberalhistory.org.uk/history/1906-election/">Tory downfall that year</a>. But something else had tipped the opposition Liberal landslide over the edge – compulsory vaccination. </p>
<p>Anti-vaccination campaigner <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/1/2374/1566.1">Arnold Lupton</a> had taken Sleaford in Lincolnshire for the Liberals on a 12% swing and immediately started his parliamentary campaign to abolish compulsory vaccination against smallpox, a public health policy that had been in place in England and Wales since 1853 (with Scottish and Irish legislation following suit in later years). </p>
<p>Hardly a single Conservative MP was an anti-vaccinator, but 174 of the 397 Liberal MPs in the new parliament signed Lupton’s petition. </p>
<p>Their attempt at changing the law was unsuccessful, but this flexing of parliamentary muscle by the anti-vaccinators persuaded the new Liberal government that the most expedient option was to reach a compromise with its backbench rebels.</p>
<p>In 1907, the law was changed to permit quick and easy opt-out by parents. Vaccination of all babies against smallpox remained theoretically compulsory until 1946, but in practice, it was now optional. A five-decade-long campaign, in the streets, the courts and finally parliament, had resulted in victory for the opponents of vaccination.</p>
<p>This is a sobering story for those of us who are researchers, medical professionals or public health activists campaigning against the spread of vaccine hesitancy in the modern world. </p>
<p>The success of vaccination in saving millions of lives, not just from <a href="https://theconversation.com/eradicating-smallpox-the-global-vaccination-push-that-brought-the-world-arm-to-arm-162091">smallpox</a> but a host of other diseases, seems so obvious that the case scarcely needs to be made. And yet it does, as just a cursory glance at social, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/may/09/gb-news-censured-after-naomi-wolf-compared-covid-jab-to-mass-murder">even at times mainstream</a>, media will reveal. </p>
<p>In response to this tide of dangerous disinformation, vaccine advocacy work often focuses on issues such as the lack of <a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/lack-high-school-education-predicts-vaccine-hesitancy">public comprehension of scientific concepts</a> of “relative risk” and “efficacy”, and the connections of the anti-vaccine activists to more general conspiracy theories and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9111101/">extreme religious</a> or <a href="https://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/id/eprint/4670453/1/Alarcon-etal-2023-The-far-right-and-anti.pdf">political movements</a>. </p>
<p>The conclusion of many vaccine advocacy pieces is often that we must simply educate the public better while simultaneously cutting the flow of disinformation, yet this has often proved to be an uphill struggle. Why? Can vaccine advocates learn anything from the historic defeat of 1906?</p>
<h2>Social media of the Victorian era</h2>
<p>A recently published resource of Victorian anti-vaccination <a href="https://academic.oup.com/dsh/advance-article/doi/10.1093/llc/fqad075/7330453">“street literature”</a> seeks to contribute to this effort by providing free access to 3.5 million words from 133 documents, ranging from short pamphlets to longer publications over the period 1854-1906.</p>
<p>What the 133 sources have in common is that they were all produced for public consumption, designed to strengthen or maintain the beliefs of the converted while reaching out for new converts. Existing outside the conventional publishing industry, this street literature was the social media of the Victorian era.</p>
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<img alt="Etching of children being vaccinated in East London in a crowded, chaotic room." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565150/original/file-20231212-25-cw1fnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565150/original/file-20231212-25-cw1fnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565150/original/file-20231212-25-cw1fnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565150/original/file-20231212-25-cw1fnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565150/original/file-20231212-25-cw1fnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565150/original/file-20231212-25-cw1fnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565150/original/file-20231212-25-cw1fnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Children being vaccinated in East London.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://wellcomecollection.org/works/fmrb5a8p/images?id=dnmduxyq">Wellcome Collection</a></span>
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<p>Computational analysis of these texts reveals anti-vaccination themes that are very similar to those of today. For instance, doubts about the effectiveness of vaccines, what they’re made of and their safety, feature prominently. </p>
<p>Other common themes include complaints that civil liberties are infringed by compulsory vaccination, alongside conspiracy theories of government cover-ups, general distrust of the medical profession, and an orientation towards alternative medicine. </p>
<p>What changes is the detail. For instance, fear of the inadvertent introduction of syphilis, tuberculosis and skin diseases, as very occasionally happened in Victorian times, may be compared to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/under-40s-can-ask-their-gp-for-an-astrazeneca-shot-whats-changed-what-are-the-risks-are-there-benefits-163571">blood clots</a> issue with the COVID vaccine. </p>
<p>Other more spurious scare stories, such as an association between vaccination and tooth decay or mental illness have their parallels in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/autism-and-vaccines-more-than-half-of-people-in-britain-france-italy-still-think-there-may-be-a-link-101930">discredited autism claims</a> of the present day. Likewise, modern conspiracy theories about big pharma have their Victorian parallel in allegations of medical profiteering from vaccination fees.</p>
<p>This study of the Victorian anti-vaxxers shows us that there are indeed recurrent fears more than two centuries old. But it also teaches us that some of the motivations of vaccine hesitancy stem from social, political and religious beliefs that are equally deep in time and often deeply held. </p>
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<img alt="A calf being used to make vaccines." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565148/original/file-20231212-21-thvmg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565148/original/file-20231212-21-thvmg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565148/original/file-20231212-21-thvmg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565148/original/file-20231212-21-thvmg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565148/original/file-20231212-21-thvmg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565148/original/file-20231212-21-thvmg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565148/original/file-20231212-21-thvmg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The use of cattle to produce vaccines was one of the first biotechnology industries but drew fire from anti-vaccination activists on grounds of animal cruelty.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ju78dfph">Wellcome Collection</a></span>
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<p>For example, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9728709/pdf/homoeopathphys132846-0032.pdf">William Tebb</a>, one of the most prominent anti-vaxxers of Victorian times campaigned with equal energy on a whole raft of causes, from women’s suffrage to the abolition of slavery via vegetarianism, animal rights and mystical religion. </p>
<p>For Tebb and many of his followers, these were intimately connected causes. To reach the root of the problem, we need to untangle these connections in sensitive ways that go beyond conventional public engagement.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218671/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The project described in this article is funded by the UK Economic & Social Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Sanderson received funding from the UK Economic & Social Research Council for this project. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alice Deignan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Victorian anti-vaccine literature shows that the fears and concerns remain largely the same today.Derek Gatherer, Lecturer, Biomedical and Life Sciences, Lancaster UniversityAlice Deignan, Professor of Applied Linguistics, University of LeedsChris Sanderson, PhD Candidate, ESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2099902023-09-11T20:09:03Z2023-09-11T20:09:03ZIn Doppelganger, Naomi Klein says the world is broken: conspiracy theorists ‘get the facts wrong but often get the feelings right’<p>Idly googling myself some years ago, I came upon an unusually glowing reference to one of my academic papers. “Masterpiece is an overused word,” the reviewer wrote, “but this Proustian evocation is indeed a masterpiece.”</p>
<p>Something was amiss. My paper was good, but not <em>that</em> good. And there was nothing particularly Proustian about it either. Whatever exquisite sensibility I might possess was well hidden beneath a scholarly armour of logic, evidence and jargon.</p>
<p>Reading further resolved the puzzle. “Nicky Haslam has known everyone from Greta Garbo to Cole Porter to the Royal Family.” Curses! I had been confused with my namesake, the famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicky_Haslam">British interior designer</a> and scourge of vulgarity, and my paper with one of his books.</p>
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<p><em>Review: Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World – Naomi Klein (Allen Lane)</em></p>
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<p>The experience of being confused with someone else is probably universal. Names and appearances are fallible markers of personal identity, especially as populations grow and we become exposed to a dizzying multitude of other people.</p>
<p>These confusions are usually trivial and droll, but sometimes they become sinister and destabilising. The idea that we have a double, someone who treads on the toes of our uniqueness, perhaps deliberately, can create deep anxieties and resentments.</p>
<h2>The two Naomis</h2>
<p>Such is the experience of <a href="https://naomiklein.org/">Naomi Klein</a>, Canadian author of a string of anti-capitalist blockbusters. <a href="https://naomiklein.org/no-logo/">No Logo</a> (1999) attacked corporate malfeasance, <a href="https://naomiklein.org/the-shock-doctrine/">The Shock Doctrine</a> (2007) catalogued the exploitation of disasters to roll out neoliberal policies, and 2019’s <a href="https://naomiklein.org/on-fire/">On Fire</a> marked her increasing focus on the climate crisis.</p>
<p>In her new book, <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/doppelganger-9780241621318">Doppelganger</a>, Klein makes her experience of being confused with another high-profile author, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Wolf">Naomi Wolf</a>, the stimulus for an extended meditation on the nature of doubles, mirror-worlds, and the political and personal challenges of threatened identities.</p>
<p>Along the way, Klein returns to several of the animating themes of her previous books. Capitalism is the ultimate cause of the dire societal challenges we face, she argues, and people on both sides of the political mirror – right-wing conspiracists and liberal critics alike – fail to recognise it because they are mired in individualist ways of thinking.</p>
<p>The backbone of Klein’s personal story is simple enough. “Other Naomi”, her “big-haired doppelganger”, is the American author of feminist bestseller <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-beauty-myth-9780099595748">The Beauty Myth</a> and was once a celebrated and very public figure on the broad left. Because Wolf was older and more established than Klein, being mistaken for her initially brought a frisson of celebrity. </p>
<p>That all changed when Wolf’s writing veered away from sexual liberation and female empowerment into <a href="https://www.vox.com/2014/10/5/6909837/naomi-wolf-isis-ebola-scotland-conspiracy-theories">conspiracies about</a> Ebola, ISIS and (<a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/162702/naomi-wolf-madness-feminist-icon-antivaxxer">most recently</a>) the COVID pandemic, complete with fear mongering about vaccines, mask mandates and impending tyranny. </p>
<p>Her transformation – or derailment, as Klein would have it – has seen her teaming up with far-right media personalities like <a href="https://theconversation.com/stephen-bannons-world-dangerous-minds-in-dangerous-times-100373">Steve Bannon</a> and issuing torrents of misinformation and paranoia.</p>
<p>Appalled at being confused with Wolf, Klein developed a dogged obsession. She followed Wolf’s social media, watched in horror her televised appearances, and pursued her down the rabbit hole – or through the looking glass – of conspiracist thinking. The intensity of Klein’s anti-crush and the tenacity of her pursuit seem to have surprised her, but it delivered insights into the nature of doubles and evil twins. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/seeing-double-the-origins-of-the-evil-twin-in-gothic-horror-and-hollywood-98196">Seeing double: the origins of the 'evil twin' in Gothic horror and Hollywood</a>
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<h2>Doppelganger as ‘shadow self’</h2>
<p>Translated from the German, a doppelganger is literally a “double-goer” or “double-walker”: someone who eerily accompanies us as a kind of shadow-self. Literary doppelgangers tend to be uncanny presences, violent alter egos, wicked impersonators or tormentors who sometimes turn out to be figments of their victim’s madness. </p>
<p>To philosophers and psychoanalysts, doppelgangers illuminate the existential wobbliness that goes with having our sense of unique selfhood undermined. As Golyadkin tells his replica in Dostoevsky’s <a href="https://archive.org/details/threeshortnovels01dost/page/n5/mode/2up">The Double</a>, “Either you or I, but both together we cannot be!”, not long before he is carted off to an asylum while his double blows mocking farewell kisses.</p>
<p>Klein’s response to other Naomi is similarly unsettled and goes beyond merely wishing to correct the record whenever she is misidentified. Klein feels her personal brand has been diluted, while acknowledging the irony of caring about her brand, given her fierce critique of corporate branding in No Logo (1999). </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Naomi Klein fiercely critiqued corporate branding in No Logo, which spawned a documentary.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Nearly a quarter of a century later, she argues that personal branding, amplified by the growing desire to curate a unique digital self, entrenches fixed and phony selves and stands in the way of forming alliances with others.</p>
<p>Despite admitting she cares too much about her own brand, Klein deals with Wolf’s encroachment head-on by attacking her new politics. She takes aim at the “Mirror World” that congealed around resistance to vaccine and mask mandates, a new coalition of far-right <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-a-divided-america-including-the-15-who-are-maga-republicans-splits-on-qanon-racism-and-armed-patrols-at-polling-places-193378">MAGA folk</a> and far-out health and wellness influencers and new-agers, united by a concern with body purity and a fondness for overheated rhetoric. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heather-rose-writes-with-raw-beauty-about-trauma-and-hardcore-spiritual-work-so-why-does-it-leave-me-cold-195425">Heather Rose writes with raw beauty about trauma and 'hardcore spiritual work' – so why does it leave me cold?</a>
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<h2>Calling out conspiracists</h2>
<p>Klein bristles at anti-vaxxers’ claims of a genocidal “hygiene dictatorship” and their appropriation of Holocaust imagery, “as if the Nazi atrocity of <a href="https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-biological-state-nazi-racial-hygiene-1933-1939">treating human beings as germs</a> and treating germs as germs was in any way the same thing”. </p>
<p>She also calls out bad-faith appropriation of civil rights discourse by white conspiracists, as when Wolf refers to one of her anti-mask protests as a <a href="https://time.com/3691383/woolworths-sit-in-history/">lunch-counter sit-in</a>, or when vaccination requirements are <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-20/experts-insight-into-covid-vaccine-mandate-protests/100707434">described as</a> “medical apartheid”. </p>
<p>Klein also hears less-than-faint echoes of fascism and colonial callousness in arguments the pandemic was nature doing its work of thinning out the weak and infirm – and in the blind eye turned to disproportionate death rates among people of colour.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/mondays-medical-myth-the-mmr-vaccine-causes-autism-3739">Mistaken beliefs</a> linking vaccines and autism were a prequel to this dynamic, Klein suggests. In both cases, a health initiative takes the blame for troubling events: a diagnosis commonly taken as a tragedy in a society “that is very generous with diagnoses and awfully stingy with actual help” and a major economic and social disruption. A righteous hunt for villains ensues, heightened by the primal fear of shadowy, malevolent forces.</p>
<p>What might have driven Wolf into this parallel universe where Twitter, YouTube and Instagram are replaced by the far-right social media alternatives of Gettr, Rumble and Parler? Klein offers an equation: “<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-many-types-of-narcissist-are-there-a-psychology-expert-sets-the-record-straight-207610">Narcissism</a> (Grandiosity) + <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-your-social-media-habit-is-probably-not-an-addiction-new-research-158888">Social media addiction</a> + <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-the-midlife-crisis-a-real-thing-105510">Midlife crisis</a> ÷ Public shaming = Right-wing meltdown”. (Though surely the ÷ should be an ×: shaming exacerbates rather than dampens meltdowns.) </p>
<p>Klein argues Wolf is simply chasing clout and “digital dopamine”, a chase hardly confined to one side of politics.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/white-supremacist-and-far-right-ideology-underpin-anti-vax-movements-172289">White supremacist and far right ideology underpin anti-vax movements</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>Blame on both sides</h2>
<p>Klein’s denunciations of Wolf and her allies are full-throated, but she doesn’t see her own side as blameless. Progressives have abandoned some issues to conservatives and have been overly reactive rather than setting their own agenda. Centrists have failed to deliver action to match their fine words. </p>
<p>Citizens of developed societies have quietly denied the magnitude of our dependence on – and complicity with – global injustice.</p>
<p>What needs to happen, according to Klein, is for people to realise the true source of their problems. Conspiracy theorists are half right: they “get the facts wrong but often get the feelings right”. The feeling others are profiting from human misery and withholding the truth is justified, but the cause is not evil individuals – it’s capitalism itself. </p>
<p>Doppelganger argues that capitalist “<a href="https://theconversation.com/atlas-shrugged-ayn-rands-hero-burns-the-world-down-when-he-doesnt-get-his-way-her-fans-run-the-world-should-we-worry-192510">hyper-individualism</a>” is the root of many of our troubles, and a value held by conspiratorial rightists and liberals alike. It breeds a culture that sees all failings as personal and stands in the way of us uniting to act for the greater good. </p>
<p>The solution, Klein maintains, in a tone that becomes increasingly prophetic as the book progresses, is to think systemically about oppression and inequality, and to decentre ourselves. “There is an intimate relationship between our overinflated selves and our under-cared-for planet,” she writes. </p>
<p>Later chapters take up this challenge, in discussions of settler colonialism, antisemitism and the climate emergency. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-live-in-a-time-of-late-capitalism-but-what-does-that-mean-and-whats-so-late-about-it-191422">We live in a time of 'late capitalism'. But what does that mean? And what's so late about it?</a>
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<h2>Doubling down too much</h2>
<p>Klein’s book is a compelling critique of polarising trends in American and global politics, constructed around a relatable personal narrative. Its anti-capitalist message and sometimes utopian faith in socialist solutions will not be universally embraced, of course. But Klein delivers it with a powerful and passionate voice.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546139/original/file-20230904-15-2ln6ly.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546139/original/file-20230904-15-2ln6ly.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546139/original/file-20230904-15-2ln6ly.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=923&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546139/original/file-20230904-15-2ln6ly.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=923&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546139/original/file-20230904-15-2ln6ly.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=923&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546139/original/file-20230904-15-2ln6ly.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1160&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546139/original/file-20230904-15-2ln6ly.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1160&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546139/original/file-20230904-15-2ln6ly.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1160&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>If Doppelganger has a weak point, it is in its organising idea, which strains under the load it is made to bear. The range of meanings “doppelganger” carries is extravagant, extending far beyond the realm of troublesome namesakes and lookalikes.</p>
<p>Our self-branding online selves are “an internal sort of doppelganger”. The ideal body we aspire to is a doppelganger, and so is the data footprint our online presence leaves behind, our “digital golems”. Thinking is a form of doubling, a “dialogue between me and myself”. </p>
<p>Stereotypes create doppelgangers by projecting images onto individuals: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>race, ethnicity, and gender create dangerous doubles that hover over whole categories of people – Savage. Terrorist. Thief. Whore. Property.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Children are doppelgangers of parents who fail to see them as autonomous beings. We have a second, doppelganger body that represents all the harms we cause others and our planet.</p>
<p>It’s not just individuals that have doppelgangers, but also societies, religions, nations and places. Pluralist society has a fascist doppelganger. Jews and Christians are each other’s doppelgangers. Israel is a doppelganger of antisemitic European nationalisms. New South Wales is the doppelganger of South Wales. Indeed, we all live in a “doppelganger culture. A culture crowded with various forms of doubling.”</p>
<p>Strangely, in all this multiplication of doubling, Klein has little to say about other pressing forms of duplication, such as artificial intelligences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/people-who-spread-deepfakes-think-their-lies-reveal-a-deeper-truth-119156">deepfakes</a> and identity theft. </p>
<p>Her use of the doppelganger concept is so fruitful, so capable of capturing any kind of similarity and difference, that it becomes almost empty. Doppelganger succeeds despite the occasionally laboured use of this metaphor, rather than because of it.</p>
<p>In the end, Klein finds some almost grudging sympathy for her doppelganger, acknowledging an act of political bravery (a <a href="https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/naomi-wolf-argues-that-what-really-is-at-stake-in-gaza-is-israel-s-soul">2014 stand</a> against Palestinian civilian casualties) and recalling an early starstruck meeting. Wolf is not a double of the haunting variety – she has apparently rebuffed Klein’s invitations for a public interview – but she has left her psychic mark and the reader is the better for it. </p>
<p>Ironically, being paired in this engrossing book leaves the two Naomis more conjoined than ever, like two magnets flipped from repulsion to a strange attraction.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209990/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nick Haslam receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>Naomi Klein uses her frequent confusion with ‘doppelganger’ Naomi Wolf to spark an exploration of doubles, mirror-worlds, and the gulf between left and right.Nick Haslam, Professor of Psychology, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2055882023-06-02T09:40:07Z2023-06-02T09:40:07ZThe ‘truther playbook’: tactics that explain vaccine conspiracy theorist RFK Jr’s presidential momentum<p>While incumbent Joe Biden is the favoured Democratic pick for the 2024 US presidential nomination, another more controversial candidate is <a href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/strongapril-2023-national-poll-strong-strongbiden-and-trump-on-track-for-2024-rematch-strong">gaining popular support in the polls</a>. Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a self-described <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/05/us/politics/robert-kennedy-jr-presidential-run-2024.html">vaccine sceptic</a>, announced his candidacy to run for president as a Democrat in <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/05/politics/robert-kennedy-president-democratic-nomination/index.html">April</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13675494231173536">Our new study</a> on the rhetorical techniques used to spread vaccine disinformation partly explains Kennedy’s appeal to voters. We examined the strategies of RFK Jr and American osteopath Joseph Mercola, two prominent members of the “<a href="https://counterhate.com/research/the-disinformation-dozen/">disinformation dozen</a>”.</p>
<p>These 12 anti-vaccine advocates, according to <a href="https://counterhate.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/210324-The-Disinformation-Dozen.pdf">research</a> conducted by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, were responsible for nearly two-thirds of anti-vaccine content posted to Facebook and Twitter during the pandemic. </p>
<p>We analysed their social media profiles, books, documentaries, websites and newsletters from 2021-22, and identified the techniques that comprise what we call the “truther playbook”. These take the form of four enticing promises which figures like Kennedy and Mercola use to give their claims legitimacy and build a loyal following.</p>
<p>These techniques – promising identity and belonging, revealing “true” knowledge, providing meaning and purpose, as well as promising leadership and guidance – feature prominently in Kennedy’s 2024 presidential campaign.</p>
<h2>1. Identity and belonging</h2>
<p>COVID truthers offer their followers access to an exclusive in-group identity. They adhere to a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Manichaeism">dualistic belief system</a> that divides the world into good and bad actors, light and dark forces. For COVID truthers, it is not simply that their opponents have acted through ignorance or error – they frame them as corrupt and evil.</p>
<p>Kennedy’s and Mercola’s social media posts, newsletters and publications frequently frame prominent public figures such as <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Real-Anthony-Fauci-Democracy-Childrens-ebook/dp/B08XQYGC68">Anthony Fauci</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-COVID-19-Lockdowns-Passports/dp/1645020886">Bill Gates</a> as evil elites, or “dark forces” allegedly conspiring against ordinary people.</p>
<p>COVID truthers present themselves in opposition to these corrupt corporations and government institutions. They offer a promising invitation to their followers: join me, and be part of the movement fighting “<a href="https://www.kennedy24.com/honest">the system</a>”. </p>
<p>Kennedy, for example, refers to himself as a resolute <a href="https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/welcome-to-the-defender/">“defender”</a> of children and the public. His anti-vaccine activism is framed as a <a href="https://childrenshealthdefense.org/about-us/mercury-vaccines-cdcs-worst-nightmare">noble pursuit</a> aligned with the public good. Similarly, his presidential pledge of honest government is pitched as being “for the people”. </p>
<h2>2. True knowledge and enlightenment</h2>
<p>The spread of disinformation about COVID vaccines has occurred in a society characterised by <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1440783319846188">low institutional trust</a>. Figures such as Kennedy and Mercola capitalise on this, appealing to those disillusioned with the government’s official narrative. They present themselves as having access to privileged knowledge and understanding.</p>
<p>They do this by revealing alternative “facts” that contradict the official narrative, and that they claim have been concealed from the public. Some researchers refer to such information as “<a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315602585-3/messages-beyond-prophecy-contemporary-world-michael-barkun?context=ubx&refId=0d7abade-ce46-45e9-8fad-2209015fe985">stigmatised knowledge</a>”, meaning claims that are not accepted by mainstream institutions.</p>
<p>COVID truthers, as the name suggests, promise to expose, release and reveal the truth, which they claim has been censored by powerful, corrupt organisations. </p>
<p>Kennedy’s presidential bid exists in opposition to what he has <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1656826863015063552">described</a> as “an incredibly sophisticated system of information control”. He refers to himself as a “<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/19/politics/robert-f-kennedy-jr-2024-announcement/index.html">truth teller</a>”, and promises to establish an honest government that will <a href="https://www.kennedy24.com/honest">earn back the trust</a> of the public. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Photo illustration of a woman wearing glasses, with stars and galaxies in her head to represent thinking" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529576/original/file-20230601-29-393zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529576/original/file-20230601-29-393zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529576/original/file-20230601-29-393zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529576/original/file-20230601-29-393zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529576/original/file-20230601-29-393zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529576/original/file-20230601-29-393zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529576/original/file-20230601-29-393zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The truther playbook promises followers ‘true’ knowledge and enlightenment.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/thinking-woman-concept-imagination-creative-1553225051">metamorworks/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Meaning and purpose</h2>
<p>COVID truthers provide their followers with meaning, offering a reason to believe in a greater purpose. This can take the form of New Age spirituality, suggesting that humanity is undergoing a “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13537903.2011.539846?journalCode=cjcr20">shift in consciousness</a>”, or a more secular <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13675494211062623">commitment to truth, freedom and justice</a>.</p>
<p>Kennedy frequently deploys the language of social justice in his posts and newsletters, as a rallying call to unite his followers. Most of his early anti-vaccine messaging focused on protecting pregnant women and children from <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-robert-f-kennedy-jr-distorted-vaccine-science1/">harmful ingredients in vaccines</a>.</p>
<p>During the pandemic, Kennedy shifted to the topic of <a href="https://www.factcheck.org/2021/03/scicheck-rfk-jr-video-pushes-known-vaccine-misrepresentations/">medical racism</a> – situating the opposition to vaccine mandates in a broader civil rights agenda. He compared racial segregation to non-vaccination, or what he refers to as “<a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-movie-from-childrens-health-defense-medical-racism-the-new-apartheid-premieres-today-301245766.html">the new apartheid</a>”. </p>
<p>In a direct call to action, Kennedy’s newsletters invited followers to “unite to create a better world”, and reminded them of the importance of “seeking justice and spreading the truth”. He made explicit analogies to the civil rights movement, <a href="https://childrenshealthdefense.org/support/once-in-a-generation-opportunity/">telling supporters</a>: “We won a revolution before, we can win it again.” </p>
<p>Similar messaging appears in his presidential campaign, which calls on supporters to “<a href="https://www.kennedy24.com/">join the movement</a>”, “<a href="https://www.kennedy24.com/spread-the-word">spread the word</a>”, and “<a href="https://www.kennedy24.com/liberties">restore our rights</a>”.</p>
<h2>4. Leadership and guidance</h2>
<p>COVID truthers proffer order and security in a world that feels disorderly and insecure. They speak to the institutional distrust many people feel towards “<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-scandal-that-should-force-us-to-reconsider-wellness-advice-from-influencers-117041">the establishment</a>”. </p>
<p>Kennedy’s campaign contrasts the power of corrupt government institutions, corporate cronyism and nefarious media elites with the powerlessness that the disenfranchised public feels. As a consequence, he positions himself as an incorruptible leader with the capacity to “<a href="https://www.kennedy24.com/">clean up government</a>”, <a href="https://www.kennedy24.com/liberties">restore civil liberties</a>, and speak truth to power.</p>
<h2>Why this matters</h2>
<p>The success of the truther playbook in spreading anti-vaccine discourse during the pandemic demonstrates the popular appeal of belief and emotion in the current political climate. Filings with charity regulators show that revenue for Kennedy’s organisation more than doubled in 2020, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">to US$6.8 million</a>. </p>
<p>In our <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-difference-between-lies-and-post-truth-in-politics-a-philosopher-explains-130442">current post-truth era</a>, where opinions often triumph over facts, influencers and celebrities can achieve authority. By framing their opponents as corrupt and evil, and claiming to expose this corruption, COVID truthers can successfully encourage others to join their movement.</p>
<p>And, as Kennedy’s campaign is now demonstrating, these rhetorical techniques can be used to promote populist politics just as much as anti-vaccine content.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205588/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>COVID truthers use four enticing promises to gain a loyal following.Stephanie Alice Baker, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, City, University of LondonChris Rojek, Professor of Sociology, City, University of LondonEugene McLaughlin, Professor of Criminology, City, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1912352022-10-02T11:38:22Z2022-10-02T11:38:22ZAdding COVID-19 to ‘designated diseases’ could boost vaccine uptake among children<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486925/original/file-20220927-12-6l3yjo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3600%2C2398&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A 10-year-old Toronto boy receives his COVID-19 vaccine shot from a Toronto Public Health nurse at a children's vaccine clinic at Scotiabank Arena in December 2021. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/adding-covid-19-to--designated-diseases--could-boost-vaccine-uptake-among-children" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>My research includes <a href="https://www.canlii.org/en/commentary/doc/2021CanLIIDocs13616?zoupio-debug#!fragment/">the moral and legal aspects</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/most-of-us-support-mandatory-vaccines-for-schoolkids-but-is-it-good-policy-114580">policy implications</a> of childhood vaccination. COVID-19’s effects on children has an impact on that research. And these effects appear to be changing, making the need for widespread COVID-19 vaccine uptake among children more urgent.</p>
<p>Early in the pandemic, evidence suggested children <a href="https://www.cfp.ca/content/66/5/332?ijkey=8d86709c3b675e02c97b406521c7c50c4e2f86f3&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha">generally avoided severe COVID-19 infections</a>. That rosier picture is now fading. Emerging research signals that children’s susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has increased in <a href="https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220912/Review-of-COVID-19-in-children-before-and-after-SARS-CoV-2-Delta-and-Omicron-variant-emergence.aspx">“frequency and severity”</a> over the course of the pandemic.</p>
<p>One newly released study of British Columbia’s Lower Mainland chronicles the <a href="https://www.straight.com/ovid-19-pandemic/living/study-coauthored-by-dr-bonnie-henry-documents-colossal-increase-in-covid-19-in-metro">dramatic rise in infections among those under 19</a>. This surge in childhood infection with the Omicron variant is consistent with <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9133714/alberta-kids-covid-hospitalization-increase/">estimates in other parts of Canada</a> <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/11-08-2022-interim-statement-on-covid-19-vaccination-for-children">and beyond</a>.</p>
<p>Increased frequency of infections among children will necessarily yield a <a href="https://www.burnabynow.com/coronavirus-covid-19-local-news/1000-bc-kids-hospitalized-thousands-left-with-long-covid-5832177">greater number of cases with severe outcomes</a>, including <a href="https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/#a7">hospitalizations and deaths</a>. Children with co-morbidities are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2022.100337">especially vulnerable</a> to severe COVID-19 outcomes. </p>
<p>Like adults, children can also suffer from long COVID that can <a href="https://www.itnonline.com/content/lasting-lung-damage-seen-children-and-teens-after-covid">damage their lungs</a>, <a href="https://www.parents.com/kids/health/how-covid-19-can-affect-your-childs-brain/">their brains</a> and create a host of other <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7102e2">health problems</a>.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/do-kids-get-long-covid-and-how-often-a-paediatrician-looks-at-the-data-166277">Do kids get long COVID? And how often? A paediatrician looks at the data</a>
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<h2>Low vaccination uptake among minors</h2>
<p>A <a href="https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/ncov/factsheet/2021/06/lp/fact-sheet-covid-19-preventive-layers.pdf?sc_lang=en">multi-pronged approach</a> to restrict transmission, <a href="https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/ncov/covid-wwksf/2021/08/wwksf-wearing-masks-children.pdf?sc_lang=en">including masking</a>, is advised over any one single preventive measure. This is likely even more important with <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bf-7-ba-2-75-covid-variants-rise-cdc-tracking/">new variants</a> on the horizon.</p>
<p>Yet vaccination remains one of the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/vaccines/effectiveness-benefits-vaccination.html">best means to protect against severe outcomes</a> when <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-breakthrough-covid-infections">breakthrough infection</a> occurs. Additionally, vaccination <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/covid-19-medical/how-reduce-risk-getting-long-covid#:%7E:text=What%20did%20make%20the%20largest,a%20single%20dose%20did%20not.">may decrease the likelihood</a> of long COVID. The <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-vaccines#section-5">Ontario government recommends vaccination</a> for those under 18.</p>
<p>That’s why it’s alarming that vaccine uptake among minors of the primary series of two doses, particularly for those under 12, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/covid-vaccine-children-ontario-uptake-1.6591216">remains low</a>.</p>
<p>Compared to the <a href="https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/vaccination-coverage/">provincial average of 90 per cent for those 12 and above</a>, only 41 per cent of Ontario children aged five to 11 have completed their primary series. Uptake among those under five is almost non-existent, with just six per cent receiving their first doses in the two months since Health Canada approved a COVID-19 vaccine for this cohort. Numbers across the country are roughly similar. </p>
<p>Notably, Ontario <a href="https://www.cp24.com/news/ontario-won-t-add-covid-19-to-list-of-nine-diseases-that-elementary-and-secondary-students-must-be-immunized-against-official-1.5642776">declined to add COVID-19</a> to the list of “designated diseases” in its <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/130261">Immunization of School Pupils Act</a> last fall, despite <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/student-vaccinations-windsor-1.6294437">support for this move by some school boards</a> and both <a href="https://ontarioliberal.ca/ontario-liberals-will-add-covid-19-vaccines-to-list-of-universal-school-shots/">the opposition Liberals</a> <a href="https://www.ontariondp.ca/news/ndp-calls-urgent-push-get-kids-vaccinated">and NDP</a>.</p>
<p>It’s time to revisit that decision.</p>
<p>Adding COVID-19 to the act will not make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for school entry. Whether childhood vaccines should be mandatory <a href="https://albertaviews.ca/vaccinations-mandatory/">is a separate debate</a>. But it may, nonetheless, help address the COVID-19 vaccine uptake among the province’s school-aged children.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Children stand in a line in a schoolyard." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486926/original/file-20220927-12-hghib3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486926/original/file-20220927-12-hghib3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486926/original/file-20220927-12-hghib3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486926/original/file-20220927-12-hghib3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486926/original/file-20220927-12-hghib3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486926/original/file-20220927-12-hghib3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486926/original/file-20220927-12-hghib3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children wait in a physical distancing circle at a Toronto elementary school in September 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Vaccine requirements for school entry</h2>
<p>Ontario, <a href="https://www.canlii.org/en/nb/laws/stat/snb-1998-c-p-22.4/latest/snb-1998-c-p-22.4.html">New Brunswick</a> and <a href="https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/laws/regu/bc-reg-146-2019/latest/bc-reg-146-2019.html">British Columbia</a> are the only Canadian jurisdictions that have vaccination requirements for school entry. But minors aren’t required in any of those provinces to be vaccinated to attend day care, elementary or high school. </p>
<p>British Columbia’s regulation explicitly makes the duty a <em>reporting</em> one only. Ontario requirements are somewhat different, as the parental duty is to <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90i01">“cause the pupil to complete the prescribed program of immunization.”</a> Yet the duty does not apply where the parent “has filed a statement of conscience or religious belief.”</p>
<p>This means a parent can refuse to have their child vaccinated against any or all of the designated diseases by signing and having notarized a government-issued form affirming a <a href="https://hpepublichealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ispa-exemption-september-2017.pdf">“sincere belief.”</a> </p>
<p>In practical terms, this makes the duty a reporting one in Ontario as well. The situation in New Brunswick is <a href="https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/h-s/pdf/en/CDC/HealthProfessionals/412-SchoolExceptionForm.pdf">virtually the same</a>.</p>
<p>Where Ontario and New Brunswick differ, however, is that Ontario requires that parents seeking a sincere-belief exemption also attend an “education session.” <a href="https://www.hdsb.ca/our-board/Documents/Correspondence-from-Chair-of-Board/Sept-8-2021-Correspondence-from-the-Chair-of-the-Board.pdf">For some, access to this education session is the real benefit of listing COVID-19 among the designated diseases</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A nurse wearing a mask vaccinates a boy in a white T-shirt also wearing a mask." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486924/original/file-20220927-2496-ikht7k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486924/original/file-20220927-2496-ikht7k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486924/original/file-20220927-2496-ikht7k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486924/original/file-20220927-2496-ikht7k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486924/original/file-20220927-2496-ikht7k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486924/original/file-20220927-2496-ikht7k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486924/original/file-20220927-2496-ikht7k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A young boy is vaccinated during the first day of vaccination for children aged five to 11 in Montréal in November 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19</h2>
<p>Vaccine hesitancy is attributed as the cause for low vaccine uptake when it comes to COVID-19. But it’s complicated.</p>
<p>While a small percentage of parents reject all vaccines, many more are <a href="https://immunize.ca/sites/default/files/resources/1792e.pdf">selective about vaccines</a> and are generally more cautious about newer ones than older ones. In fact, generally positive parental attitudes about routine childhood vaccines are a poor indicator of their attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines, both <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.10.002">in Canada</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.752323">and elsewhere</a>. </p>
<p>When it came into effect in Ontario in 2017, the requirement to undergo an education session for those seeking a sincere-belief exemption made little difference in attitude because vaccine uptake against the designated diseases, <a href="https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc11_eng.pdf">while less than optimal</a>, was still generally high. </p>
<p>And education sessions can be like sermons to that dogged minority whose minds are made up on the topic. Mandatory education <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115120">can also be counterproductive</a> and cause people to become more entrenched in their opinions.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/five-reasons-why-young-people-should-get-a-covid-booster-vaccine-189411">Five reasons why young people should get a COVID booster vaccine</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>However, there is a very large gap between low childhood vaccination rates for COVID-19 and the high rates for routine childhood vaccines. </p>
<h2>Not anti-vaxxers</h2>
<p>This suggests that most parents who have so far refused COVID-19 shots are not hard-core anti-vaxxers. This may provide an opening to sway more parents to have their children vaccinated.</p>
<p>Research about parental attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination is fast-moving, and understandably there are large gaps. But the general conclusion is that vaccination campaigns targeted to specific demographics can increase uptake. </p>
<p>It’s unclear whether adding COVID-19 to the list of “designated diseases” in Ontario or elsewhere in Canada would have the desired effect. And certainly the design and content of education sessions matter. </p>
<p>But it defies logic to have a regulatory scheme already in place committed to increasing “the protection of the health of children” and decide that a pandemic is not a good time to use it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191235/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alison Braley-Rattai does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Adding COVID-19 to a list of ‘designated diseases’ will not make vaccination mandatory for school entry. But it may help increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake among children.Alison Braley-Rattai, Associate Professor, Labour studies, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1864062022-08-17T03:28:47Z2022-08-17T03:28:47ZA researcher asked COVID anti-vaxxers how they avoid Facebook moderation. Here’s what they found<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479091/original/file-20220815-21-uvsojl.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C23%2C5090%2C3386&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dan Himbrechts/AP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>How are social media platforms managing vaccine misinformation at this stage in the pandemic? </p>
<p>Anti-vaccine sentiment has been building since 2020, and hasn’t gone anywhere. In fact, it will have intensified following the recent approval of COVID-19 vaccinations for some <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/media-release/provisional-determination-granted-pfizer-relation-covid-19-vaccine-comirnaty-use-individuals-6-months-5-years">babies and children under five</a>, and the recommendation for a fourth booster shot for people <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-07/covid-fourth-dose-booster-vaccine-to-be-recommended/101212636">over 30</a>. </p>
<p>And although anti-vaxxers can be found in most online spaces, Facebook has historically been one of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2281-1">their platforms</a> of choice. </p>
<p>Swinburne PhD student Damilola Ayeni has been interviewing anti-vaccine activists since 2019, to learn about how they grow their audience on Facebook and how they evade moderation. </p>
<p>Her findings help shed light on the tug-of-war between <a href="https://www.facebook.com/formedia/blog/together-against-covid-19-misinformation-a-new-campaign-in-partnership-with-the-who">Facebook’s</a> content moderation efforts and an unrelenting slew of vaccine misinformation.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479098/original/file-20220815-21-lz4b8o.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A very young girl with pig-tails is wearing a mask and flashing a thumbs-up to the camera." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479098/original/file-20220815-21-lz4b8o.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479098/original/file-20220815-21-lz4b8o.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479098/original/file-20220815-21-lz4b8o.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479098/original/file-20220815-21-lz4b8o.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479098/original/file-20220815-21-lz4b8o.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479098/original/file-20220815-21-lz4b8o.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479098/original/file-20220815-21-lz4b8o.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has recommended vaccinations for certain at-risk children aged six months to five years.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What’s been happening?</h2>
<p>Facebook has been moderating content under the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/help/230764881494641">COVID-19 and vaccine policy</a>. It does this by warning group admins and moderators, deleting offending accounts or groups, and flagging posts containing misinformation. </p>
<p>In its first response to Australia’s DIGI Misinformation and Disinformation Code, Facebook said it had “removed over 14 million pieces of content that constituted misinformation related <a href="https://australia.fb.com/post/facebooks-response-to-australias-disinformation-and-misinformation-industry-code/">to COVID-19</a>” – of which 110,000 were from Australian pages. </p>
<p>Despite this, Facebook’s moderation approach has loopholes that anti-vaxxers continue to exploit. For instance, the ABC recently <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-29/fact-check-toddler-death-not-vaccine-related/101276874">fact-checked</a> anti-vaxxers who were spreading misinformation on Facebook by claiming COVID-19 vaccines were responsible for the sudden death of a Queensland toddler.</p>
<p>Ayeni’s research found anti-vax Facebook groups are now “self-moderating”. This means they predict what Facebook’s automated moderation tools and independent fact-checkers will be looking for, and change their posting techniques accordingly.</p>
<p>Group members share in-house “rules” to help guide content strategies. In some cases, group administrators will allow content to stay up for a short time, so there’s opportunity to see it before it’s flagged by Facebook. </p>
<p>One anti-vaxxer told Ayeni they now conduct more research on other members’ posts; if the content is obviously untrue or controversial, they delete the post themselves.</p>
<p>Ayeni also found content that’s likely to be targeted by fact-checkers or automated moderation is creatively manipulated. For instance, users may use screenshots or images to avoid text-based moderation. Or they may intentionally misspell key words such as “anti-vaccine”, or leave them out altogether.</p>
<p>Satire and sarcasm are also used in an effort to misdirect Facebook’s fact-checkers, while “signalling” the poster’s vaccine beliefs to like-minded users. One post seen by Ayeni sarcastically challenged the government to get a “real” COVID-19 vaccine before administering it to the public.</p>
<h2>Are anti-vaxxers moving away from Facebook?</h2>
<p>Interviewees said they initially gravitated towards Facebook because it met some of their privacy needs, including the ability to create private and secret groups. </p>
<p>In 2019, Facebook began a platform redesign focused on improving users’ privacy. Its <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/30/technology/facebook-private-communication-groups.html">goal was</a> to encourage more encrypted and intimate forms of communication through Messenger and in Facebook groups. And this brought along features that attracted anti-vaxxers to the platform early in the pandemic. </p>
<p>Moderators told Ayeni Facebook groups provided an environment where they could safely offer support to other members and build communities for “like-minded” individuals.</p>
<p>However, Facebook’s increased moderation has undoubtedly made it less attractive. Some users said they want to leave altogether due to the consistent <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/kvaccaro.com/documents/vaccaro_cscw2020.pdf">reporting of their accounts</a> and difficulty fighting platform decisions. </p>
<p>Many were looking to migrate to less moderated platforms such as Telegram, Parler, MeWe, Mighty Networks and Wimkim. All of these are uncensored, unmoderated and all too easy to access. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/far-right-groups-move-to-messaging-apps-as-tech-companies-crack-down-on-extremist-social-media-153181">Far-right groups move to messaging apps as tech companies crack down on extremist social media</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Telegram in particular is now favoured by <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22238755/telegram-messaging-social-media-extremists">far-right and conspiracy groups</a>. It has also attracted high-profile anti-vaxxers including former TV presenter Pete Evans and former Liberal MPs George Christensen and Craig Kelly – individuals who were repeatedly moderated and eventually de-platformed from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/26/mp-craig-kelly-absolutely-outraged-after-facebook-removes-his-page-for-misinformation">Facebook’s products</a>. </p>
<p>In April 2021, Facebook banned Kelly for breaching its misinformation policies in relation to COVID-19 and vaccinations. At the time he claimed Facebook “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-26/craig-kelly-facebook-page-removed-covid-19-misinformation/100095622">burnt and torched and incinerated</a>” his voice, but his following on Telegram has swelled from 10,000 back then to about 74,000 now. </p>
<h2>What can be done?</h2>
<p>Facebook has become increasingly reliant on automated moderation during the pandemic. This experiment has <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/facebook-content-moderation-automation/">not gone well</a> for it. Machine-learning algorithms still can’t detect wordplay, sarcasm, and embedded messaging in images as well as human moderators can.</p>
<p>We believe platforms need to recognise anti-vaxxers’ tactics are evolving to keep pace with moderation tools. And meaningful push-back will require more investment in human moderators, not just AI.</p>
<p>At the same time, it would make sense to ensure other platforms operating in Australia – such as Telegram, for instance – are subject to the same regulatory scrutiny as Facebook is. Until these smaller platforms also take responsibility for vaccine misinformation, they will continue to be a magnet for it.</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/social-media-and-society-125586" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479539/original/file-20220817-20-g5jxhm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=144&fit=crop&dpr=1" width="100%"></a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186406/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Anti-vaccine group moderators said Facebook provided an environment where they could safely offer support to others.Damilola Ayeni, PhD Candidate, Swinburne University of TechnologyBelinda Barnet, Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications, Swinburne University of TechnologyDiana Bossio, Associate Professor, Media and Communications, Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1851962022-06-26T12:11:51Z2022-06-26T12:11:51ZCanada’s trust divide is growing, and that could spell bad news for the future<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470290/original/file-20220622-7584-rre1y6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7067%2C4687&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Anti-mask protesters hold signs during a demonstration against measures taken by public health authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19 in St. Thomas, Ont., in 2020.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Social relationships can fall apart in times of crisis. Canadians were among the world’s <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/12/03/social-trust-in-advanced-economies-is-lower-among-young-people-and-those-with-less-education/">most trusting people prior to the pandemic</a>. But have they remained trustful during the pandemic?</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2022.102750">recent research</a> shows the pandemic has created greater socioeconomic divisions when it comes to trust among Canadians. </p>
<p>Canadians at the high end of socioeconomic status have become even more trusting. But trust is declining among people who are economically vulnerable.</p>
<h2>Social trust and how it matters</h2>
<p>Trust reflects a belief in the goodness of human nature. Those who have trust in others think that most people in society are honest and reliable. Those with little trust may have doubts about other people’ intentions even when it comes to saying good morning with a smile in an elevator.</p>
<p>Generalized social trust is trust in people we don’t know. </p>
<p>Societies with more trust often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190274801.001.0001">perform better economically and politically and have rich and healthy citizens</a>. In times of crisis, trust helps facilitate collective action. Lack of trust, on the other hand, often causes disruptions of community interactions, public panic and fragmentation.</p>
<p>Growing research suggests that people who trust have been essential to a successful pandemic response. Trusters are more likely to <a href="https://magazine.yorku.ca/issues/fall-2020/leap-of-faith/">wear masks and get themselves vaccinated</a>. Communities with more trust <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245135">have lower infections and lower deaths</a>.</p>
<p>Trust also helps <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146520970190">prevent the negative effect of the pandemic on people’s mental health</a>. This is because trusters tend to have more friends and feel more connected with others. An elevated sense of social support helps trusters better cope with the stress.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman wearing a mask walks through a public plaze with lights overhead." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470291/original/file-20220622-13-vg4lk8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470291/original/file-20220622-13-vg4lk8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470291/original/file-20220622-13-vg4lk8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470291/original/file-20220622-13-vg4lk8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470291/original/file-20220622-13-vg4lk8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470291/original/file-20220622-13-vg4lk8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470291/original/file-20220622-13-vg4lk8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A woman wearing a face mask to curb the spread of COVID-19 walks through a public plaza as strings of lights are hung overhead in Vancouver in December 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Still trusting during COVID-19?</h2>
<p>Canadians were among the <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/contact/press/canada-most-attractive-and-trusted-country-g20">world’s most trusting people prior to the pandemic</a>. The commonly used measure of trust asks respondents:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted, or that you can’t be too careful in dealing with people?” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Surveys before the pandemic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-020-02484-8">consistently showed that over half of Canadians said most people can be trusted</a>. This compared to the U.S., where <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2021.102537">only about 30 per cent of Americans were trusting</a>. </p>
<p>But the pandemic may have sapped Canadians’ sense of trust. They were warned to maintain social distance in the event their friends and co-workers posed a health threat. <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/january-2022/anti-lockdown-mobilization-far-right-canada/">Increasing numbers of protests</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-occupation-of-ottawa-by-the-freedom-convoy-has-the-potential-for-an-urban-siege-176681">the trucker occupation of Ottawa</a> further signalled Canadians’ potential loss of trust.</p>
<h2>Two years of surveys</h2>
<p>Our research <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2022.102750">tracked Canadians’ trust before and during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>. </p>
<p>Since 2019, and throughout the pandemic, we <a href="https://workandhealth.ca/2020/09/22/c-qwels/">have repeatedly surveyed thousands of Canadians</a> about their trust in others. The first survey was conducted in September 2019 with 2,500 workers. We’ve surveyed the same workers another 10 times, from April 2020 to October 2021. Following the same people over time has let us look at how their sense of trust in others has changed. </p>
<p>There wasn’t one type of change in people’s trust. Instead, there were three different types of change. </p>
<p>About 22 per cent of our sample lost trust during the pandemic. Their trust never recovered. </p>
<p>Most Canadians actually gained trust during the pandemic or maintained the trust they had before the pandemic.</p>
<p>What seemed to be critical in differentiating these groups was how trusting they were before the pandemic. People who were low in trust before the pandemic lost more trust. People who were highly trusting became even more trusting. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Hockey fans take in a game, some wearing masks and others maskless." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470294/original/file-20220622-14-2z50t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470294/original/file-20220622-14-2z50t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470294/original/file-20220622-14-2z50t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470294/original/file-20220622-14-2z50t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470294/original/file-20220622-14-2z50t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470294/original/file-20220622-14-2z50t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470294/original/file-20220622-14-2z50t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some hockey fans wear masks while others do not as the Boston Bruins take on the Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton, Alta., in December 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Socioeconomic divisions in trust</h2>
<p>It may seem like the solution is to ensure people have trust before a crisis, but it’s not that simple. </p>
<p>We looked at different markers of people’s socioeconomic status before the pandemic. We combined measures like income and how much trouble people had paying bills into one overall indicator of how well-off people were. </p>
<p>The importance of socioeconomic status was clear — when people are well off, they are far more likely be in the group that’s become more trusting. People at the low end of socioeconomic status tended to be the ones who lost trust.</p>
<p>What this pattern shows is how trust has become more divided in Canada. People who are economically advantaged before the pandemic had more trust to build on. People who were in financially precarious positions lost what little trust they had.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/income-inequality-and-covid-19-we-are-in-the-same-storm-but-not-in-the-same-boat-173400">Income inequality and COVID-19: We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Growing trust gap can be harmful</h2>
<p>Canada needs trust to survive. We’ve already seen how this loss of trust can harm Canada. </p>
<p>The occupation of Ottawa and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/blockade-coutts-alberta-trucker-covid-convoy-1.6333957">the shutdown of the border in Alberta</a> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/ambassador-bridge-protest-cost-1.6351312">and Ontario</a> are about a loss of trust. People lost trust in political leaders and others who supported pandemic responses like masking and vaccine requirements. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A line of trucks travels down a highway, with the lead one carrying a banner that reads End All Mandates." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470295/original/file-20220622-7816-otoqaf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470295/original/file-20220622-7816-otoqaf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470295/original/file-20220622-7816-otoqaf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470295/original/file-20220622-7816-otoqaf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470295/original/file-20220622-7816-otoqaf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470295/original/file-20220622-7816-otoqaf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470295/original/file-20220622-7816-otoqaf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Anti-vaccine mandate demonstrators leave in a truck convoy after blocking the highway at the busy U.S. border crossing in Coutts, Alta., in February 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The result was the grinding halt of the economic and political levers necessary for a healthy society. International trade was slowed, and the seat of national politics was frozen.</p>
<p>If we don’t address this trust gap, Canada may be in for more chaos. People who are distrustful are at risk of even greater losses in trust. Further losses in trust are likely to weaken fundamental political economic and political institutions, undermining the basic stability of the nation.</p>
<p>Whether the loss of trust can be regained is an open question. But what is clear is that simply trying to convince people to trust the basic institutions of Canada and each other is not enough. Economic divisions create a trust divide that threatens Canadians’ way of life. </p>
<p>Canada is facing <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-inflation-1.6424388">a historic rise in inflation</a> that is further putting financial well-being at risk for many people. These financial precarities may not simply mean more economic hardship. They may also mean further <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2022/03/16/why-are-low-trust-nations-more-prone-to-war-building-social-trust-is-key-to-global-peace.html">losses of trust that can undermine national stability</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185196/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cary Wu receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Bierman has received funding from SSHRC and the CIHR. He is a member of the American Sociological Association, Association for the Sociology of Religion, Religious Research Association, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion,and Inter-University Seminar on the Armed Forces.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Scott Schieman receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. </span></em></p>Trying to convince people to trust the basic institutions of Canada and each other is not enough. Economic divisions create a trust divide that threatens Canadians’ way of life.Cary Wu, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, York University, CanadaAlex Bierman, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of CalgaryScott Schieman, Professor of Sociology and Canada Research Chair, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1833882022-06-15T18:25:22Z2022-06-15T18:25:22ZQuantifying the effects of Bolsonaro’s dismal management of the Covid-19 pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468799/original/file-20220614-26-bncnqc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C0%2C1024%2C682&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro, is a notorious Covid-sceptic. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sergio Lima/AFP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Along with the United States and India, Brazil is one of the three countries to have been most hit by the Covid pandemic, both in terms of deaths and confirmed cases (660,000 and 30 million respectively). The doubts we may harbour over the reliability of official data (especially for infections, but also for deaths) are not able to challenge this dismal record.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41287-021-00487-w">2021 article</a>, we shed light on the risk factors associated with infection and death from Covid-19 during the first wave of the pandemic (October 2020). Brazil’s high death toll can be partly explained by an array of socio-economic factors common to other countries, including the state’s poverty, <a href="https://dial.ird.fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Dialogue31gb.pdf">informal economy</a>, ethno-racial inequality and the poor infrastructure of its favelas. Above all, our research shows the country’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, bears particular responsibility in the spread of the pandemic – we call it the “Bolsonaro effect”.</p>
<p>Two Covid waves, 500,000 more deaths, 20 million infection cases and a successful vaccine campaign later, do our conclusions still hold?</p>
<p>While it is clear that the president’s denialism has prevented the state from effectively fighting the pandemic, it is far more challenging to demonstrate how it has impacted behaviour and to quantify its victims. This is what we have attempted to do in a <a href="https://dial.ird.fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/DOCUMENT-TRAVAIL-2022-03.pdf">new study</a>.</p>
<h2>Measuring the ‘Bolsonaro effect"</h2>
<p>There are two theoretical approaches available to us when seeking to quantify the effects of a Bolsonaro presidency, depending on whether we opt for an individual- or geographical-level of analysis.</p>
<p>In the case of the first method, we would need to be able to access individual data of a representative sample of the population. The latter would inform us on individuals’ Covid status (infected or not, deceased or not) and socio-political profile. There is a hitch, however, as socio-economic surveys only cover the living (the dead do not talk), while epidemiological surveys and registers say little about individual characteristics (at most, sex and age, sometimes co-morbidity factors), and do not include political preferences.</p>
<p>The alternative is to conduct the analysis at a locality level. While this method fails to measure individual risks, it can be justified on other grounds:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>It allows researchers to cross-reference a broad spectrum of indicators from independent databases.</p></li>
<li><p>It provides exhaustive coverage of the whole country.</p></li>
<li><p>It can capture the effects of both collective behaviour (or neighbourhood behaviour) and individual behaviour.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>In the face of the Bolsonaro government’s denialism, policies were conducted at the local level (states and municipalities). The analysis therefore focuses on the 5,570 municipalities in the country and involved processing tens of millions of observations.</p>
<h2>Pro-Bolsonaro communities have been more hit by Covid-19</h2>
<p>The first key finding is that Covid-19 has, all other things being equal, was deadlier in the municipalities most favourable to Jair Bolsonaro (based on the first-round votes in the 2018 presidential election).</p>
<p>The net effect is all the more noteworthy given that on average we observe the opposite trend: in fact, in absolute terms, pro-Bolsonaro municipalities were spared by Covid because they are “whiter”, better educated, richer, etc. – all factors that protect them from the pandemic to a certain degree.</p>
<p>Once these structural characteristics are taken into account, we are able to identify a specific Bolsonaro effect. This finding is both the most durable and the most robust. Apart from age, the only other factor of socio-economic inequality to be sustained over time is poverty.</p>
<p>The president’s denialism has led his supporters to engage more often in risky behaviour, resulting in an increased likelihood of infection for the general population around them.</p>
<p>The only positive thing the president has done is to carry out <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/regulation/20124">emergency cash transfers</a> to informal workers. However, this only partially protected them by allowing them to survive without a job at home at the start of the pandemic.</p>
<h2>Degrees of social distancing</h2>
<p>We also need to look at the mechanisms that led to the Bolsonaro effect. Drawing from existing datasets, we were able to test the extent to which Brazilians have followed two of the world’s main tools against Covid: social distancing and vaccination.</p>
<p>Faced with the federal government’s reticence, local authorities declared lockdowns in a piecemeal fashion. Nevertheless, such measures benefited from a remarkable following when they were taken, as evidenced by the drastic reduction in travel by Brazilians (data from Facebook and Google accounts), which reached almost 50% in the first months of the pandemic.</p>
<p>The lifting of restrictions led to a near return to normality by the end of 2020. By the second quarter of 2021, the pandemic was back, resulting in new lockdowns. This time, Brazilians took on a more carefree attitude, even though the wave was more severe than the first.</p>
<p>In this general context, our research shows the more municipalities were in favour of Bolsonaro, the less their population limited its outings. This confirms the conclusions of <a href="https://covidcrisislab.unibocconi.eu/sites/default/files/media/attach/CovidEconomics12-109-142-%25281%2529.pdf">two studies conducted at the start of the health crisis</a>.</p>
<p>This is true for all time periods, save for the end of 2020, when the pandemic was at its lowest. Similarly, a poorer municipality is associated with both higher relative mobility and higher mortality.</p>
<p>However, the benefits of lockdowns only go so far, as evidenced by the case of municipalities with elderly residents who despite cautious travel behaviour were more often affected by the pandemic.</p>
<h2>Initially vaccine-hesitant, Bolsonaro supporters eventually caught up</h2>
<p>Vaccination rates are the second potential factor through which the Bolsonaro effect may have impacted mortality.</p>
<p>Despite a slow start and Bolsonaro’s continued resistance, the vaccination campaign eventually took off, making up for the initial delay. By mid-March 2022, 180 million Brazilians had received at least one dose and 168 million the full vaccination course (85% and 74% of the population respectively) – levels comparable to those in France and other European countries.</p>
<p>This time, all other things being equal, the propensity to vote Bolsonaro has in fact no effect on the proportion vaccinated (two doses). It is even positive, if we consider those who have taken at least one dose.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, in line with our intuition, it does appear pro-Bolsono municipalities were initially less vaccinated than the others. It was only in the second phase that they caught up. It is as if the president’s supporters had initially followed his anti-vaccine propaganda before changing their minds as the national and international results became more and more convincing.</p>
<h2>A stream of blatantly false or misleading statements</h2>
<p>Finally, a body of converging evidence points to the president’s responsibility for Covid-19’s crushingly high death rate in Brazil. Revealingly, his conviction at the end of 2021 by a parliamentary commission of enquiry on 10 counts, including crimes against humanity, does not appear to have affected his popularity. He is even trying to take advantage of it in the perspective of the next presidential elections in October 2022, on the grounds that he would have… stopped the pandemic.</p>
<p>After dismissing the virus as “uma gripezinha” (small flu), Jair Bolsonaro openly broke the rules of social distancing by taking part in public meetings and mingling with crowds, most often without wearing a mask himself – thus undermining the measures taken by local authorities.</p>
<p>Bolsonaro has repeatedly touted the benefits of hydroxychloroquine, claiming against all the latest studies that its effectiveness has been scientifically proven. Last August, he declared that wearing a mask had almost no effectiveness (“eficácia quase nenhuma”). In mid-October, when more than 150,000 people had officially died from Covid-19, he claimed that the pandemic was overestimated (“superdimensionada”). By mid-November, he maintained this claim and questioned the arrival of the second wave in Brazil (“conversinha de segunda onda”).</p>
<p>The announcements have not stopped. On 5 May 2021, addressing members of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/27/brazil-senators-support-criminal-charges-for-jair-bolsonaro-over-covid-crisis">Comissão Parlamentar de Inquérito da Covid</a>, the parliamentary commission investigating the government’s handling of the pandemic, he called those who refuse to recognise the effectiveness of early treatment with hydroxychloroquine “scoundrels” (“canalhas”).</p>
<p>A fact-checking journalism study analysed the president’s public statements related to Covid-19 between 11 March and 11 September 2020: of 1,417 occurrences, 653 were found to be blatantly false or misleading.</p>
<p>Among the false information he relayed or invented, we find, in no particular order, the announcement that hospital beds would lie empty like the coffins supposed to contain the dead from Covid-19, that Brazil would have reached the stage of collective immunity or that the Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) would have prevented him from carrying out his policy to contain the epidemic. At the start of 2022, the president even claimed that the <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220112-brazil-s-bolsonaro-downplays-omicron">Omicron variant had killed no one in Brazil</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183388/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Research confirms that Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, bears heavy responsibility for the death toll in his country, at every wave of the pandemic.François Roubaud, Économiste, statisticien, directeur de recherche à l’IRD et membre de l’UMR LEDa - DIAL, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD)Mireille Razafindrakoto, Directeur de recherche IRD, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1811032022-05-04T14:17:37Z2022-05-04T14:17:37ZWhy COVID-19 gaslighting by politicians is so dangerous for democracy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460846/original/file-20220502-13-6jvi43.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4200%2C2760&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People are silhouetted as they sit in a bar having a drink during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on March 30, 2022, as cases continued to climb in Ontario and around Canada after most provinces lifted various restrictions and mask mandates.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/why-covid-19--gaslighting--by-politicians-is-so-dangerous-for-democracy" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>In the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, uprising at the United States Capitol building, the Republican Party faced a crucial moral test: whether to reject <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/big-lie-trump-stolen-election-inside-creation">the baseless conspiracy theory that the 2020 general election had been “stolen</a>” from Donald Trump or to embrace that dangerous falsehood as official party dogma. </p>
<p>After gauging the political winds, the Republican Party cynically chose to embrace the falsehood, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/us/politics/liz-cheney-trump-republicans.html">going so far as to ostracize</a> party members who upheld the truth. In doing so, the GOP solidified its mutation from a political party to a political cult.</p>
<p>After two years of acknowledging the dangers of COVID-19, something eerily similar has happened with public health policy across the western world.</p>
<h2>‘Live with it’</h2>
<p>Federal and municipal governments in North America, Europe and Australia <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60758401">have begun lifting basic protections</a> like vaccine and mask mandates, winding down public testing, ending contact tracing and withholding critical public health data, like case counts, <a href="https://bc.ctvnews.ca/secrecy-over-b-c-s-true-number-of-hospitalized-covid-19-patients-1.5595394">hospitalization numbers</a>, wastewater results and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-outbreaks-covid-people-infected-1.6410956">even the size</a> of local outbreaks. Pandemic management has been transformed from a public health problem to an individual one.</p>
<p>The now-quaint 2020 slogan “We’re all in this together” has since been replaced with the dire prescription — “Assess your own risk.” Political leaders have reversed course, urging their constituents to “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/apr/07/learning-live-covid-climate-breakdown-failing-government-flooding">learn to live with COVID</a>.” </p>
<p>The dismantling of pandemic infrastructure, however, suggests that those constituents must learn to live instead as if COVID-19 no longer exists. By removing basic protections that enabled us to survive the pandemic for the last two years, public health policy has effectively been rewritten in light of the desires, demands and delusions of anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers and COVID-19 denialists.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man naked except for his underwear and shoes holds a sign that reads trudeau treason got to go" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460851/original/file-20220502-24-vov713.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460851/original/file-20220502-24-vov713.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460851/original/file-20220502-24-vov713.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460851/original/file-20220502-24-vov713.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460851/original/file-20220502-24-vov713.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460851/original/file-20220502-24-vov713.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460851/original/file-20220502-24-vov713.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A near-naked participant protests during a ‘Rolling Thunder’ demonstration in Ottawa on April 30, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Fiction vs. reality</h2>
<p>Western politicians and public health officials have managed to craft a fictional universe <a href="https://www.inc.com/brit-morse/congress-letter-covid-pandemic-endemic-policy-emergency-threat.html">in which we have reached endemicity</a>, where <a href="https://www.fnha.ca/about/news-and-events/news/omicron-the-myth-of-mildness-thats-putting-people-and-health-systems-at-risk">infection is now “mild</a>” and <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/01/14/1072504127/fact-check-the-theory-that-sars-cov-2-is-becoming-milder">getting “milder</a>” by the variant, where COVID-19 is “<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/12/should-we-treat-covid-like-the-flu-europe-is-starting-to-think-so.html">like the flu</a>,” where mass infection builds a “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-11/qld-coronavirus-covid19-future-modelling-wall-of-immunity/100810670">wall of immunity</a>” and where voluntary vaccination alone is our ticket out of the pandemic.</p>
<p>This sunny picture has numerous problems. </p>
<p>First, not only are we <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/02/covid-will-never-become-an-endemic-virus-scientist-warns.html">nowhere near endemicity</a>, there <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00155-x">would be nothing</a> to celebrate about it if we were. </p>
<p>Second, the glib talk of mild infection overlooks COVID-19’s frightening vascular and neurological effects. <a href="https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2022/covid-and-the-heart-it-spares-no-one">Those infected by it</a> are at increased risk of serious <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-01689-3">heart complications</a>, including inflammation, acute coronary artery disease and cardiac arrest. Even mild cases can lead to changes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04569-5">in brain structure</a>. </p>
<p>According to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiac136">one recent meta-analysis</a>, 43 per cent of COVID-19 survivors experienced symptoms of <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-long-haulers-long-term-effects-of-covid19">what’s known as long COVID</a>, signalling a coming nightmare for <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/event/understanding-long-covid-the-unseen-public-health-crisis/">public health</a>, <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/is-long-covid-worsening-the-labor-shortage/">the economy</a> <a href="https://www.edweek.org/leadership/1-in-5-educators-say-theyve-experienced-long-covid/2022/04">and education</a>. For a supposedly mild disease, COVID-19 notably led to hospital collapse in both the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/06/nhs-enormous-strain-england-trusts-declare-critical-incidents">United Kingdom</a> and Canada in April 2022.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1514686316432146438"}"></div></p>
<h2>Public gaslighting</h2>
<p>Yet none of these grim realities are acknowledged by politicians who insist that we “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/covid19-ontario-february-15-2022-1.6352110">just move forward</a>” and “<a href="https://www.cheknews.ca/horgan-urges-british-columbians-to-get-on-with-our-lives-as-health-canada-warns-of-sixth-wave-1010822/">get on with our lives</a>,” and who repeat the “freedom convoy” talking point that we <a href="https://www.burnabynow.com/opinion/opinion-premier-parrots-freedom-convoy-cult-talking-points-by-telling-us-not-to-be-afraid-5268137">need not be “afraid</a>.” </p>
<p>There’s a vast chasm between the COVID-19 fictions of politicians and the realities of <a href="https://thestarphoenix.com/news/saskatchewan/covid-19-saskatchewans-sixth-wave-results-in-hospitalization-high">hospital wards</a> and <a href="https://time.com/6144427/long-covid-treatments-health-care-wait/">long COVID clinics</a>. The downplaying, dismissal and denial of these realities amount to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12678">public gaslighting</a>, a reckless political manoeuvre with unsettling implications for the future of western democracies.</p>
<p>As it turns out, we are still living in a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00323217211026427">post-truth world</a>. But this time, it’s not Donald Trump who’s distorting reality. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-legal-disinformation-pandemic-is-exposed-by-the-freedom-convoy-176522">Canada’s legal disinformation pandemic is exposed by the 'freedom convoy'</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Instead it’s federal and municipal governments across the political spectrum gaslighting their citizens and constituents, denying the reality and severity of a pandemic that, once again, is <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/covid-in-u-k-at-record-levels-with-almost-5-million-infected-1.5845637">tearing through our communities</a> at <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/tens-of-thousands-of-covid-19-reinfections-likely-in-nsw-as-first-ba-4-case-detected-20220428-p5agta.html">frightening speed</a>, driven by <a href="https://metropole.at/omicron-the-most-contagious-virus-in-history/">a highly contagious</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04743">rapidly evolving</a> virus.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A paramedic loads a stretcher back into an ambulance." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460854/original/file-20220502-23-g4v9rw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460854/original/file-20220502-23-g4v9rw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460854/original/file-20220502-23-g4v9rw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460854/original/file-20220502-23-g4v9rw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460854/original/file-20220502-23-g4v9rw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=604&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460854/original/file-20220502-23-g4v9rw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=604&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460854/original/file-20220502-23-g4v9rw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=604&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A paramedic loads a stretcher back into an ambulance after bringing a patient to the emergency room at a hospital in Montréal in April 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Undermining democracy</h2>
<p>A functioning democracy requires some common ground upon which its citizens can agree. COVID-19 gaslighting erodes that common ground. It erodes trust in government and public health, as well as institutions, like <a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/special/coronavirus/pandemic-situation-over-for-winnipeg-school-division-staff-576366132.html">school boards</a>, that follow their cue.</p>
<p>It undermines the public authority of medicine and biomedical science to guide us through the pandemic. Just as climate change has been subjected to “<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/bothsidesing-bothsidesism-new-words-were-watching">bothsidesism</a>,” we now increasingly hear about “<a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/165201/big-name-journalists-trying-both-sides-covid">both sides</a>” of COVID-19. When politicians encourage us to “move on,” COVID denialism becomes a respectable opinion.</p>
<p>Despite our habit of entertaining “both sides” of many issues, some things just aren’t a matter of political opinion: whether <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/05/trump-admits-election-defeat-historians-zelizer-princeton">Trump won the 2020 election</a>, whether climate change is real and whether we’re still in a pandemic. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460855/original/file-20220502-12-rqunia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A blond, red-faced man yells into a microphone while pointing." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460855/original/file-20220502-12-rqunia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460855/original/file-20220502-12-rqunia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460855/original/file-20220502-12-rqunia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460855/original/file-20220502-12-rqunia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460855/original/file-20220502-12-rqunia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460855/original/file-20220502-12-rqunia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460855/original/file-20220502-12-rqunia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Trump lost. There’s no other side to a fact.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Joe Maiorana)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Unfortunately, western political leaders and some public health officials have decided to indulge the worst kind of individualist impulse: the desire to <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/how-america-lost-its-mind/534231/">choose your own reality</a>, including the fantasy that the pandemic is over. </p>
<p>This is the unfortunate consequence of a market-driven society in which truth is just <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/when-truth-becomes-a-commodity/">one more commodity</a>, where the line between citizenship and consumerism is dissolved and where many feel entitled to cancel election results and the pandemic alike just as they would an order from Amazon.</p>
<h2>Erosion of trust</h2>
<p>Perhaps most tragically, COVID-19 gaslighting erodes our trust in each other. It feeds our mutual suspicion, paranoia, hostility and division. When infection risk is intrinsically social, the promotion of noxious ideological concepts like “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaa112">individual choice</a>” and “assessing your own risk” only encourages us to blame each other in the event of an outbreak. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Protesters in masks carry signs, one reading 'your village misses its idiot, go home'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460857/original/file-20220502-11804-asya95.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460857/original/file-20220502-11804-asya95.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460857/original/file-20220502-11804-asya95.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460857/original/file-20220502-11804-asya95.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460857/original/file-20220502-11804-asya95.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460857/original/file-20220502-11804-asya95.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460857/original/file-20220502-11804-asya95.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Counter-protesters watch a a convoy-style ‘Rolling Thunder’ protest in Ottawa on April 30, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Public health policy modelled on <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/04/21/every-man-for-himself-many-ontarians-frustrated-anxious-in-a-pandemic-wave-void-of-guidelines.html"><em>The Hunger Games</em></a> is a recipe for confusion and chaos.</p>
<p>COVID-19 gaslighting will only deepen our existing social divisions and exacerbate our culture wars, further eroding our already fragile democracies. As SARS-CoV-2 continues to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/05/01/coronavirus-more-mutations/?tid=ss_tw">evolve</a>, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/south-africa-covid-surge-ba4-omicron-subvariant-rcna26662">surprise</a>, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/04/22/soaring-covid-infections-among-health-care-workers-prompt-hospitals-to-cancel-surgeries-redeploy-nurses.html">disappoint</a> and <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/04/22/soaring-covid-infections-among-health-care-workers-prompt-hospitals-to-cancel-surgeries-redeploy-nurses.html">frustrate</a> us at every turn, COVID-19 gaslighting will drive citizens deeper into isolated and self-enclosed silos, online and off-line. </p>
<p>It will further encourage the violent trolling of <a href="https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-doctor-pleads-for-help-from-the-prime-minister-after-death-threat-1.5662499">health-care workers</a> <a>and scientists</a>, and feed dangerously reactionary politics. Extremism is the only possible beneficiary of this erosion of public trust.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181103/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jason Hannan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As COVID-19 continues to evolve, surprise, disappoint and frustrate us, efforts by politicians to pretend it’s behind us is a dangerous form of gaslighting that will deepen societal divisions.Jason Hannan, Associate Professor of Rhetoric & Communications, University of WinnipegLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1799292022-04-05T12:29:36Z2022-04-05T12:29:36ZThe 1 in 10 U.S. doctors with reservations about vaccines could be undermining the fight against COVID-19<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456203/original/file-20220404-19-l6si62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2380%2C1252&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">While the vast majority of primary care providers have higher confidence in vaccines than the general public, some do not.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/diverse-doctors-during-vaccination-in-hospital-royalty-free-image/1292690417">Evgeniy Shkolenko/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2021030500">American attitudes</a> toward scientific expertise have become <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1532673X17719507">increasingly contentious</a> in recent years. But many people across the political spectrum still place high levels of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/12/30/951095644/even-if-its-bonkers-poll-finds-many-believe-qanon-and-other-conspiracy-theories">trust in their personal physicians</a>. Correspondingly, both <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/03/23/how-primary-care-doctors-can-help-reduce-covid-vaccine-hesitancy-column/4796449001/">popular media</a> and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/hcp/engaging-patients.html">public health officials</a> have encouraged physicians to serve as <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-survey-shows-over-96-doctors-fully-vaccinated-against-covid-19">strong advocates</a> for COVID-19 vaccination.</p>
<p>At the same time, however, there have been several cases of doctors expressing skepticism about vaccines in the media. Though the American Medical Association found that <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-survey-shows-over-96-doctors-fully-vaccinated-against-covid-19">96% of physicians</a> reported being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in June 2021, some <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/19/us/doctors-covid-vaccine-misinformation-invs/index.html">high-profile</a> <a href="https://time.com/6099700/covid-doctors-misinformation/">physicians</a> have spread misinformation about vaccine safety. Some patients have also reported that their personal physicians <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/doctors-tell-patients-not-vaccinated-covid-19/620024/">discouraged them</a> from getting vaccinated on both medical and non-medical grounds.</p>
<p>One conservative group of doctors called the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/02/aaps-make-health-care-great-again/607015/">American Association of Physicians and Surgeons</a>, which counts Republican Senator and ophthalmologist <a href="https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/gerth/2015/02/04/rand-paul-in-association-of-american-physicians-and-surgeons/22857153/">Rand Paul</a> among its members, offers several examples of how some physicians actively promote vaccine skepticism.</p>
<p>Following the 2015 Disneyland measles outbreak, AAPS shared a <a href="https://tucson.com/news/science/health-med-fit/tucson-group-fueling-national-vaccine-fears/article_8bee1d28-75c0-59dd-b40f-15058df6cdf5.html">press release</a> falsely linking the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism in children, a claim based on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c696">fraudulent research</a> that the scientific community has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.04.085">widely discredited</a>. The group has also taken legal action to encourage <a href="https://aapsonline.org/aaps-files-an-amicus-brief-in-support-of-parental-rights-on-minor-consent-law-for-covid-vaccination/">parental noncompliance</a> with childhood vaccine mandates, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7nqm7/mysterious-medical-organizations-are-calling-for-an-end-to-covid-vaccines">using</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/unverified-reports-of-vaccine-side-effects-in-vaers-arent-the-smoking-guns-portrayed-by-right-wing-media-outlets-they-can-offer-insight-into-vaccine-hesitancy-166401">misinterpreted data</a> to suggest that COVID-19 vaccines are uniquely dangerous compared to other vaccines.</p>
<p>While groups like AAPS do not represent the views of most physicians, these examples raise an important question: Just how prevalent is physician vaccine hesitancy, and why might some physicians hold negative views toward vaccines? </p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=v6UjvxIAAAAJ&hl=en">political science</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=o-RnPqUAAAAJ&hl=en">health policy</a> researchers studying vaccine hesitancy, we wanted to answer this question. Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.03.025">recent study</a> found that the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-next-major-hurdle-to-ending-the-pandemic-will-be-about-persuading-people-to-get-vaccinated-153847">same factors</a> thought to encourage hesitancy in the general public – like having right-leaning political views – might also motivate physician opposition to vaccination. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1507088612470439941"}"></div></p>
<h2>Physician vaccine confidence is a mixed bag</h2>
<p>In May 2021, we asked 625 primary care physicians nationwide about their general attitudes toward vaccines and whether they believed vaccines are safe, effective and important. We also asked PCPs how much confidence they had in the safety of the Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, which were each authorized for emergency use in the U.S. at the time. Respondents answered these questions on a scale ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” </p>
<p>We also surveyed potential factors that could influence physician attitudes toward vaccines. These included political ideology, previous infection with COVID-19, religiosity and standard demographics like gender, race, ethnicity and income.</p>
<p>On the surface, our results provide some reassuring news for using physicians as leading vaccine promoters. We found that only 5.2% of PCPs were unvaccinated against COVID at the time of our survey, echoing the findings of the <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-survey-shows-over-96-doctors-fully-vaccinated-against-covid-19">American Medical Association’s June 2021 survey</a>. In addition, our results suggest that PCPs’ views toward vaccines are overwhelmingly positive – 88% of physicians agreed or strongly agreed that vaccines in general are safe. Likewise, 90% of physicians agreed that vaccines are effective, and 89% agreed that vaccines are important. When we compared our PCP responses to responses from the general public on the same questions, we found that PCPs are 19% more likely to strongly agree that vaccines are safe and 16% more likely to strongly agree they’re effective.</p>
<p>Digging deeper into the data, however, reveals some troubling trends. Even if most physicians are well-positioned to serve as vaccination advocates, our results still suggest that 10.1% of PCPs do not agree that vaccines in general are safe. Similarly, 9.3% do not agree that all vaccines are effective, and 8.3% do not agree that they are important.</p>
<p>PCP political leanings and previous health experiences may help explain why some hold negative views toward vaccination. We found that politically conservative PCPs and those who previously contracted COVID-19 were 19% less likely to believe that vaccines in general are safe and effective.</p>
<p>We found similar results when examining confidence in the three COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. at the time, a little over six months after the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-takes-key-action-fight-against-covid-19-issuing-emergency-use-authorization-first-covid-19">first vaccine was authorized</a>. Approximately 90% of PCPs were either “very confident” or “confident” in the safety of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Still, 9.5% and 8.7% lacked confidence in the safety of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, respectively. Only 68% of physicians expressed confidence in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, likely due to <a href="https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/covid-19-vaccine-comparison">reports of its relatively lesser effectiveness</a> at the time.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456205/original/file-20220404-13680-53lfso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Health care provider administering vaccine to another health care provider" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456205/original/file-20220404-13680-53lfso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456205/original/file-20220404-13680-53lfso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456205/original/file-20220404-13680-53lfso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456205/original/file-20220404-13680-53lfso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456205/original/file-20220404-13680-53lfso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456205/original/file-20220404-13680-53lfso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456205/original/file-20220404-13680-53lfso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">According to an American Medical Association survey, 96% of physicians were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in June 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/female-nurse-being-vaccinated-by-a-coworker-royalty-free-image/1302703902">Juanmonino/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why this matters</h2>
<p>Our research finds that physician vaccine hesitancy is more prevalent than vaccination campaigns may have assumed. Vaccine hesitancy among physicians is also likely motivated by the same factors that encourage hesitancy in the general public. This potentially poses a problem for vaccination efforts that rely on physicians to promote vaccine uptake.</p>
<p>[<em>Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-150ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>Nevertheless, our work offers room for potential optimism and ways to improve vaccine confidence in this group.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1532673X211022639">Partisanship</a>, for example, plays an important role in <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305828">shaping vaccine hesitancy</a>. Consequently, tactics shown to improve vaccine attitudes in the general public – such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2106559118">highlighting GOP politicians</a> with more positive views toward vaccination – could potentially increase support for vaccination among physicians as well. In our view, studying ways to encourage vaccine enthusiasm among PCPs could help “move the needle” on vaccine uptake in the U.S.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179929/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many COVID-19 vaccination campaigns encourage doctors to serve as a trusted source of vaccine information. But certain vaccine-hesitant providers may stymie these efforts.Matt Motta, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Oklahoma State UniversityTimothy Callaghan, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Managment, School of Public Health, Texas A&M UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1785872022-03-21T18:54:18Z2022-03-21T18:54:18ZResearch dispels myth that COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility, but misinformation persists<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453231/original/file-20220321-19-10uqz5z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=714%2C14%2C4191%2C3130&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines affecting fertility have no realistic basis.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> (AP Photo/John Locher)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-fault-in-our-stars-aaron-rodgers-reminds-us-why-celebrity-shouldnt-trump-science-171648">Misinformation</a> about <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/20/1016912079/the-life-cycle-of-a-covid-19-vaccine-lie">COVID-19 vaccines and fertility</a> has propagated online despite the vaccines’ <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/safety-of-vaccines.html">clear safety profile</a>. </p>
<p>Fortunately, those considering having kids can relax when it comes to these crucial shots. These claims <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.2404">lack any realistic basis</a>. As a medical doctor and a COVID-19 genetics researcher, I’d like to discuss what the evidence says.</p>
<h2>Misinformation about fertility</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://theconversation.com/ca/topics/vaccine-confidence-in-canada-107061">Click here for more articles in our series about vaccine confidence.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some sources of <a href="https://www.factcheck.org/2021/06/scicheck-research-rebuts-baseless-claims-linking-covid-19-vaccines-to-male-infertility/">misinformation claim that the COVID-19 vaccines cause male sterility</a>. For this to be true, the vaccines would have to damage sperm quality, drastically reduce sperm count or interfere with the mechanisms inherent in male ejaculation. Quality clinical evidence has demonstrated that none of these parameters are affected by the vaccine, so men are not being made sterile. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.9976">study in Florida</a> recruited around 45 men and compared their sperm measures before and after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Interestingly, the study found that men who received the vaccine had more sperm, greater semen volume, and sperm more able to move around and fertilize an egg.</p>
<p>Pregnancy can be an exciting time but can also <a href="https://www.anxietycanada.com/articles/common-worries-during-pregnancy/">provoke worry</a> about the the safety of anything that enters the body, including vaccines. Fortunately, the COVID-19 vaccines are safe during pregnancy. </p>
<p>Sources of misinformation have claimed that COVID-19 vaccines can lead to loss of pregnancy, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/health-57552527">with vague references to antibody responses or other concepts that sound scientific</a>. However, the COVID-19 vaccines will not make a pregnant woman any more likely to have a miscarriage. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A pregnant woman sitting a table across from a health-care worker in scrubs and a face mask who is preparing to give her a shot." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453237/original/file-20220321-17-qf3rlx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453237/original/file-20220321-17-qf3rlx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453237/original/file-20220321-17-qf3rlx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453237/original/file-20220321-17-qf3rlx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453237/original/file-20220321-17-qf3rlx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453237/original/file-20220321-17-qf3rlx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453237/original/file-20220321-17-qf3rlx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">COVID-19 vaccines do not increase the risk of miscarriage.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A group of physicians spanning the United States <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.15494">studied the pregnancy outcomes for over 100,000 pregnancies</a>. When the study was done, around 14 per cent of everyone investigated had received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. They found that women who had the shot were no more likely to have a miscarriage than those who did not. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.2404">There are other misinformation claims along the lines of antibodies attacking the placenta, shots equating with infertility or interference with hormones</a>. Unsurprisingly, all of these have been debunked.</p>
<h2>The real danger is COVID-19 infection</h2>
<p>While there is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine can impact fertility or pregnancy, there is evidence that a COVID-19 infection can cause harm. At its extreme, the disease can be fatal — <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3320">an outcome that is more likely if COVID-19 infection happens during pregnancy</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255994">Multiple studies have also documented an increased risk of miscarriage following a COVID-19 infection</a>. However, miscarriage is not the only risk. The respiratory distress that can come with COVID-19, as well as the inflammation, can affect fetal growth, which could lead to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2011.01.032">health and developmental problems</a> in a baby carried to term. </p>
<p>Carried to term is an important point here because pregnant women with COVID-19 are more likely to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3320">deliver their babies early</a>. This is associated with health risks for the baby, including an increased risk of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11385/">requiring intensive care</a>.</p>
<h2>The case for COVID-19 vaccination</h2>
<p>It makes sense to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The risk of developing COVID-19 still exists and is still dangerous. This remains true while the case counts have trended downwards in North America to the tens of thousands from nearly one million a day in January. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453215/original/file-20220321-25-4mlpln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A line graph showing decreasing COVID-19 cases since the end of December 2021 until March 19, 2022." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453215/original/file-20220321-25-4mlpln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453215/original/file-20220321-25-4mlpln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453215/original/file-20220321-25-4mlpln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453215/original/file-20220321-25-4mlpln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453215/original/file-20220321-25-4mlpln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453215/original/file-20220321-25-4mlpln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453215/original/file-20220321-25-4mlpln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">As COVID-19 remains a danger, vaccination remains the best protection.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Johns Hopkins University CSSE COVID-19 Data)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fortunately, the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/fully-vaccinated-people.html">vaccine offers excellent protection</a> against developing an infection. It also dramatically decreases the chance of severe disease if infection does occur. When considering what poses the greatest danger to a pregnant woman or a couple looking to have children, severe illness poses the most significant risk of causing fertility or pregnancy problems.</p>
<p>COVID-19 misinformation is not going to go away. Previous vaccine misinformation has lingered despite a complete lack of evidence. For example, <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.109-3179">the myth of a vaccine-autism link was debunked in 1998</a>, but vaccine hesitancy has persisted despite copious amounts of clinical evidence that these claims lack any sound basis. Articles like this one will not change some people’s minds, but ultimately that is not the goal. </p>
<p>The goal of sharing medical information from a physician’s point of view is to provide people with the knowledge that they need to make an informed health-care decision. While I strongly recommend the vaccine to everyone, individuals are the ones who choose what they seek to do with their bodies. </p>
<p>Public health can appropriately guide individuals towards making decisions in their and their community’s best interests, as with vaccine mandates. Individuals still maintain their autonomy, even if accompanied by consequences like employment issues. If one reflects on what is best for a baby, the evidence is clear. It is an individual’s prerogative on what to do with that information.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178587/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julian Daniel Sunday Willett does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Some of the most persistent myths about COVID-19 vaccination have been false rumours that it can affect fertility in men or women. There has never been any evidence to support this misinformation.Julian Daniel Sunday Willett, PhD Candidate, Quantitative Life Sciences, McGill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1772712022-02-22T17:15:10Z2022-02-22T17:15:10ZOttawa convoy protest points to a failure of civic education in Canada<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447634/original/file-20220221-15-8gy8yn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=51%2C167%2C7005%2C4627&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A lone protester stands draped in the Canadian flag at a fence controlling access to streets near Parliament, in Ottawa, Feb. 20, 2022. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/ottawa-convoy-protest-points-to-a-failure-of-civic-education-in-canada" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>With a downtown Ottawa clean-up continuing after police <a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/trucker-protest-downtown-cleanup-continues-secured-zone-remains-in-place">dispersed the protestors’ occupation</a>, it’s important to look at what this episode tells us about how Canadians understand their civic institutions. </p>
<p>In a video posted on YouTube Feb. 8, convoy spokesperson <a href="https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/former-georgian-college-instructor-in-ottawa-as-spokesperson-for-freedom-convoy-1.5775106">Tom Marazzo</a> floated the idea that the protestors should “<a href="https://youtu.be/x6fBFdLGUZw?t=554">sit at a table with the Conservatives and the NDP and the Bloc as a coalition</a>.” Presumably, he means as a coalition government. He added: “I’ll sit with the Governor General. You put me … you put us at the table with somebody that actually cares about Canada.”</p>
<p>Never mind that parties cannot form coalition governments with external groups.</p>
<p>Never mind that the Governor General does not have the power to dissolve governments simply because the protestors feel their cause is popular.</p>
<p>Never mind that we recently had an election, and the party most closely aligned with protestors — the People’s Party of Canada — only <a href="https://www.elections.ca/enr/help/national_e.htm">won five per cent of the popular vote</a> and zero seats. </p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/Justin_Ling/status/1490925393498767362">The video</a> in question has over a million views.</p>
<p>What we are witnessing now is an acute failure of civic education in Canada. People simply do not understand their civic institutions, history or even basic political ideas. They do not understand who has what authority, or where the boundary of that authority resides. Evidence of this failure is all around us. </p>
<h2>Throwing around the Charter</h2>
<p>Truckers encamped in downtown Ottawa in the hopes of pressuring the Trudeau government to end restrictions, despite the fact that many of these restrictions were put in place by provincial governments. </p>
<p>Anti-vaxxers reached for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to justify their opposition to vaccine mandates, despite the charter containing language that these rights are subject to “reasonable limits” (<a href="https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/practice-areas/litigation/federal-court-refused-to-grant-interlocutory-injunction-against-covid-19-vaccination-policy/362572">a point reinforced by the Federal Court’s refusal to strike down mandates</a>). </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A person is seen securing a camper van that says 'Freedom'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447632/original/file-20220221-26-15ac84k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Where are Canadians getting their ideas about freedom? Here, a camper is secured before being hauled away in Ottawa, on Feb. 20, 2022.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Even the most tepid efforts at law enforcement have led protestors to brandish <a href="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/financialpost/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ambassador-bridge-2-0209.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=564&type=webp">signs likening Canada to North Korea</a>, the <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/01/14/north-korea-systematic-repression">totalitarian regime known</a> for its prison camps where <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/world/asia/north-korea-human-rights.html">hundreds of thousands of political prisoners have died</a> and for its recurring <a href="https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1035&context=gsp">famine</a>.</p>
<h2>Extremism, pandemic stress plays a role</h2>
<p>There is no doubt <a href="https://theconversation.com/dismantling-freedom-convoy-must-be-coupled-with-education-on-the-dangers-of-extremism-176953">that extremism plays a role</a> here. Stewing in Facebook echo chambers can warp people’s judgment and lead them to believe in outlandish conspiracy theories. </p>
<p>The accumulated stress of the pandemic certainly has also played a role. Buffeted by uncertainty and government failure, it is no surprise some people turn to radical ideas to make sense out of a world that does not make sense anymore. </p>
<p>But extremism is more likely a symptom of civic illiteracy rather than its cause. </p>
<p>Civic literacy implies the skills and knowledge <a href="https://www.samaracanada.com/docs/default-source/reports/investing-in-canadians-civic-literacy-by-the-samara-centre-for-democracy.pdf?sfvrsn=66f2072f_4">needed to make democracy work</a> and gaining competency in <a href="https://peopleforeducation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/MWM_CitizenshipPaper.pdf">understanding how we know what we know</a>.</p>
<p>Recent <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1697339">research in Germany</a> looked at civic and media literacy among adolescents as it relates to the dangers of extremism and how extremist groups communicate online. Researchers found that adolescents who were more literate were more likely to both recognize extremist content online, and to classify it as extremist. </p>
<p>A lack of civic literacy may be making it harder to navigate the stress of the pandemic. If you don’t have a working knowledge of your government and its institutions then it’s hard to see how it might help you in a time of crisis, or why it is justified in implementing more restrictive policies like vaccine mandates. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/freedom-convoy-protesters-anger-is-misdirected-176969">'Freedom convoy' protesters' anger is misdirected</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Uneducated Canadians?</h2>
<p>If recent history is anything to go by, civic literacy in Canada is in poor shape: According to <a href="https://www.samaracanada.com/docs/default-source/reports/investing-in-canadians-civic-literacy-by-the-samara-centre-for-democracy.pdf?sfvrsn=66f2072f_4">a 2019 report from</a> the Samara Centre for Democracy, a not-for-profit think tank, only 60 per cent of Canadians could identify their premier in 2015, compared to 90 per cent in 1984. </p>
<p>In 2019, a random sampling of <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/nearly-9-in-10-canadians-would-fail-the-citizenship-test-poll-1.4489704">public opinion by The Forum Poll</a> of 1,645 Canadian voters showed that nine out of 10 Canadians would fail the citizenship test given to immigrants to test their basic knowledge about Canada. In 2008, a Dominion Institute and Ipsos Reid poll found <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/wake-constitutional-crisis-new-survey-demonstrates-canadians-lack-basic-understanding-our-countrys">that half of Canadians believed that the Prime Minister is elected directly</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="The Parliament buildings are seen behind a fence." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447637/original/file-20220221-25-iwj1ly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A fence cordons off Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 21, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The ‘gospel of STEM’</h2>
<p>It did not have to be this way. Provincial governments typically relegate civic education to a few compulsory high school courses, or even just one as in the case of <a href="https://www.samaracanada.com/docs/default-source/reports/investing-in-canadians-civic-literacy-by-the-samara-centre-for-democracy.pdf?sfvrsn=66f2072f_4">New Brunswick and Québec</a>. And while some federal agencies and departments, such as Elections Canada and Canadian Heritage, have a mandate to support civics education the funding for these initiatives is often <a href="https://www.samaracanada.com/docs/default-source/reports/investing-in-canadians-civic-literacy-by-the-samara-centre-for-democracy.pdf?sfvrsn=66f2072f_4">limited and sporadic</a>. </p>
<p>Instead, political leaders have overwhelmingly <a href="https://twitter.com/Sflecce/status/1275804668027944962">preached the gospel</a> of STEM — science, technology, engineering and math. Students need to focus on STEM, we are told, because it leads to individual and collective prosperity. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/stop-telling-students-to-study-stem-instead-of-humanities-for-the-post-coronavirus-world-145813">Stop telling students to study STEM instead of humanities for the post-coronavirus world</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There is certainly <a href="https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/in-demand-highest-paying-jobscanada-2022">some truth to this</a>, but it is a difficult argument to make when anti-vax protesters have blockaded a border crossing that normally sees <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60320874">$323 million</a> worth of goods cross it per day. </p>
<p>Civic disinformation has always cost us, we are now just seeing the bill splashed across the evening news.</p>
<h2>Facebook lessons</h2>
<p>Ultimately, Canadians will get an education in civics one way or another. What matters is where that education comes from. Will it come from a robust and informed curriculum that teaches citizens about basic institutions like parliamentary democracy, charter rights and the differences between federal and provincial jurisdiction? Or will we simply leave it to YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms to fill in the void? </p>
<p>Both provincial and federal governments can play vital roles here. Provinces <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-a-pandemic-ignoring-science-affects-everyone-citizenship-education-can-help-ensure-that-doesnt-happen-173636">could choose to revitalize and expand civics education</a> at the primary, secondary and even post-secondary level. Federal governments could expand their granting streams for civics education while at the same time expanding the mandate of <a href="https://www.elections.ca/home.aspx">agencies like Election Canada</a> to engage with youth and under-served communities. </p>
<p>These efforts could be further buttressed with help from civil society by enlisting the aid of churches, journalists, unions, sports leagues and NGOs in the effort to educate citizens. </p>
<p>A revitalized effort to combat civic illiteracy won’t solve all of our problems. We will still have political extremism and conspiracy theories. But it stands as one of the best possible defences against the kind of disinformation that we see today.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/177271/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eric Van Rythoven does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>If federal and provincial governments don’t step up their commitments to teaching citizens how our governments work, social media will continue to fill in the void with misinformation.Eric Van Rythoven, Instructor in Political Science, Carleton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1765242022-02-21T12:19:12Z2022-02-21T12:19:12ZAnti-vax protest or insurrection? Making sense of the ‘freedom convoy’ protest<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447452/original/file-20220221-26-16a62wq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C32%2C5341%2C3438&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Debris lies on the ground in front of Parliament Hill’s gates after police took action to clear Ottawa streets of trucks and protesters opposed to vaccine mandates. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/anti-vax-protest-or-insurrection-making-sense-of-the--freedom-convoy--protest" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The so-called “freedom convoy” protests over the last month saw an unprecedented reaction by all levels of government and ultimately led to <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-premiers-cabinet-1.6350734">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau</a> invoking the <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/e-4.5/page-1.html">Emergencies Act</a>. The act shut off funding to protesters, conscripted private tow trucks to haul away rigs (<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/2777934.pdf?casa_token=oq_zkh2rOygAAAAA:9Wj3gMHmRFzofkfUBa2XucyM_yEIAGpncqW31cHc5xMYdlQ3eivC-foXvN0HOEBjm8uhrrExAXkbx4o2jvFPCo0bUjidlVpfpkmUvda0jAMcZZfhgu57Ww">tilting the balance of resources</a>) and provided additional policing resources.</p>
<p>While many see what happened in Ottawa as unique, it’s also similar in some ways to what’s occurred in the past. The convoy might be considered a social movement protest or a form of “<a href="https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199678402.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199678402-e-8">contentious politics,</a>” which covers protest and related phenomena, including insurrections. </p>
<p>Contentious politics seems a particularly apt description because the “freedom” protest has as much to do with opposing Trudeau’s Liberal government as it does with opposing vaccine mandates — which provided a “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3598442.pdf?casa_token=Lc8geRdAwvkAAAAA:3NW5pk2J5HbjkELRfjcXSx4I_NLP76OkhQoWBEULiRgvd2cbXuj_gcEDx457xED4ALpQpNTPH0rCeCmIg4eGvupOcqSxdsGdfbq7-v-pnA1DeJzg1FrjjQ">political opportunity</a>” for the protest.</p>
<h2>Messaging vs. disruption</h2>
<p>One motivation for protests is to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00380237.2005.10571254?casa_token=v05amAX-Y94AAAAA:mhlHuO10_eaRd4T34JRiXLEgCn8p6wWdSN3CDNwCIq8mQblVFvrd-JzLL1TgQNh8xyItQjOrgOo">capture the media’s attention</a> and communicate to the public. Other types of tactics, like blockades, are intended to cause disruption to put pressure on governments and other parties to act. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/10/opinion/ottawa-trucker-protests.html">In Canada, protesting to get a message across is a democratic right</a>. </p>
<p>Views about the legitimacy of disruption are mixed. Over the last few years, Vancouver protesters opposed to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/lessons-from-clayoquot-sound-for-the-trans-mountain-pipeline-protests-99993">TransMountain Pipeline</a> and those against logging in <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/fairy-creek-blockades-august-arrests/">Fairy Creek</a> on Vancouver Island engaged in both types of tactics. But those disruptive tactics were mostly narrowly targeted against the companies involved in building the pipeline and on the site of the logging operations.</p>
<p>By contrast, the truckers’ protest cast a much wider net — it <a href="https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/majority-of-ottawa-residents-oppose-freedom-convoy-protest-poll-finds-1.5771778">disrupted the entire city of Ottawa</a>. Public opinion on these various <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/poll-finds-majority-bc-concerned-about-logging-1.6053575">issues and disruptions consequently vary</a>. </p>
<h2>Not the first city shutdown</h2>
<p>As York University sociologist <a href="https://lesleybikes.wordpress.com/">Lesley Wood has pointed out</a>, trucker border blockades have occurred before. It’s also not the first time a city has been shut down due to mass protest — this occurred during <a href="https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Direct_Action_Deliberation_and_Diffusion/k_wJ0IK8cToC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Lesley+Wood&printsec=frontcover">anti-globalization protests</a>, including in Seattle in 1999 and Toronto in 2010. Nevertheless, the use of big trucks to disrupt normal city life is new, and constitutes what academics call a “<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0003122416644414?casa_token=eQWu1HcHvwAAAAAA:wHsK2IfFWIKgV8y0XFvniNL-3RDHDHIYEcpDoYDS8yLM3dzMZ3GiDdqKxHviLlhCQrYxUYkxOjIuOuw">tactical innovation.</a>”</p>
<p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0049124116629166?casa_token=yETD48Nf1cAAAAAA:-THXCy3LqHLe5OAevbZhJIvvYlAeVcE2PZeJFpimBaFRbYQj1YCiB4DstS_4audTUGvTHr9taU2_fyw">Protest size</a> is often seen as an indicator of its legitimacy and potential to influence outcomes. Observers have been impressed with the size of the truckers’ protest. This was shaped by the length of the convoy of trucks, which does not necessarily translate into large crowds of individuals. </p>
<p>The protest was actually not nearly as large as some other events in Canada. <a href="https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/majority-of-ottawa-residents-oppose-freedom-convoy-protest-poll-finds-1.5771778">Police estimated that protest crowds in Ottawa were between 5,000 and 18,000.</a> This crowd was dwarfed by climate marches in <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-climate-march-greta-thunberg-1.5298549">Montréal (approximately 500,000</a>) and <a href="https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/live-vancouver-demonstrators-join-millions-around-the-world-to-demand-climate-action">Vancouver (estimated at 120,000)</a> in September 2019.</p>
<h2>Different treatment for other protesters</h2>
<p>Some wonder why police in Ottawa <a href="https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/majority-of-ottawa-residents-oppose-freedom-convoy-protest-poll-finds-1.5771778">took so long to take action against the protesters</a> and asked why other protests and groups seem to get <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/17/world/canada/police-enforcement-truckers-indigenous.html">treated differently by police</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/black-and-indigenous-protesters-are-treated-differently-than-the-convoy-because-of-canadas-ongoing-racism-176653">Black and Indigenous protesters are treated differently than the 'convoy’ because of Canada's ongoing racism</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Indigenous groups are often subject to more <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/20/canada-indigenous-land-defenders-police-documents">more military-style policing than other protesters</a>, and it should be noted one of the only few times in the past 100 years that the military has been used to suppress a protest was against the Mohawks during the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/archives/topic/the-oka-crisis">Oka crisis</a> in 1990. By contrast, videos circulated in the media showed <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/police-hug-protesters-as-they-roll-out-from-coutts-alberta-border-crossing">RCMP officers hugging and shaking hands with protesters at the border in Alberta</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Several trucks are seen on a highway, with the first in line adorned with signs that say END ALL MANDATES and FREEDOM CONVOY" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447475/original/file-20220221-17-1ma5lmb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447475/original/file-20220221-17-1ma5lmb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447475/original/file-20220221-17-1ma5lmb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447475/original/file-20220221-17-1ma5lmb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447475/original/file-20220221-17-1ma5lmb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447475/original/file-20220221-17-1ma5lmb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447475/original/file-20220221-17-1ma5lmb.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Anti-COVID-19 vaccine mandate demonstrators leave in a truck convoy after blocking the highway at the busy U.S. border crossing in Coutts, Alta.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9780470999103.ch10">Researchers have found that police use discretion</a> in how they repress protesters. In Canada, it’s customary to give protesters <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/10/opinion/ottawa-trucker-protests.html">time and space initially to fulfil their right to protest and deliver a message</a>. Police are more likely to take action <a href="https://theconversation.com/could-ottawa-police-be-sued-for-failing-to-arrest-freedom-convoy-protesters-176430">after court injunctions</a> are issued and if there are threats of violence or property damage (as witnessed at the border protest at <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/police-hug-protesters-as-they-roll-out-from-coutts-alberta-border-crossing">Coutts, Alta</a>).</p>
<p>In Ottawa, most of the protest leaders were arrested, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/police-action-convoy-protest-1.6356444">as were about 170 of their followers</a>. Within two days of enhanced police action, the protesters dispersed and dozens of their trucks were towed and impounded. </p>
<h2>What’s next for anti-vax protests?</h2>
<p>The “freedom convoy” in Ottawa may be over, but it is impossible to be certain about the future of anti-vaccine mandate movements. </p>
<p>According to polls and to patterns of vaccination across the country, <a href="https://www.cp24.com/news/almost-2-3rds-of-canadians-oppose-trucker-convoy-protest-poll-suggests-1.5772347">the vast majority of Canadians do not support the truckers’ protest or their positions</a>, and <a href="https://www.marugroup.net/public-opinion-polls/canada/emergencies-act">two-thirds of Canadian support the use of the Emergencies Act</a>.</p>
<p>This means the federal government has limited pressure on it to make concessions. It’s likely many COVID-19 measures will soon be reduced anyway in response to falling hospitalization rates — <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/covid-alta-edmonton-kenney-1.6343576">several provinces have already made such announcements</a>. It seems likely that the truckers will declare victory and claim the changes were made as a result of their protest. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199678402.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199678402-e-8">contentious politics</a> on display in the truckers’ protest are intertwined with <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-how-did-conservatives-come-to-be-so-attracted-to-extremism/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter">a shift toward more extreme political views</a> among some segments of the population, <a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-legal-disinformation-pandemic-is-exposed-by-the-freedom-convoy-176522">a trend</a> that’s spread from <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-twitter-investigation-reveals-what-the-freedom-convoy-islamophobes-incels-and-hindu-supremacists-have-in-common-177026">south of the border</a>. Because the size of this faction of extremists isn’t as large as in the U.S., the political dynamics in Canada are different. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Police line up in front of Parliament Hill buildings." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447474/original/file-20220221-16-vmzuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447474/original/file-20220221-16-vmzuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447474/original/file-20220221-16-vmzuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447474/original/file-20220221-16-vmzuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447474/original/file-20220221-16-vmzuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447474/original/file-20220221-16-vmzuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447474/original/file-20220221-16-vmzuas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Now that the Liberal government has invoked the Emergencies Act to end the occupation of the area around Parliament Hill by anti-vax protesters, will future governments feel free to use the act’s powers to end other demonstrations?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Robert Bumsted)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The protest has already played a role in <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1999007299671">costing both the federal Opposition leader</a> and the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/sloly-ottawa-resigns-behaviour-leadership-1.6352295">Ottawa chief of police</a> their jobs, and there will likely be further political and social repercussions in the coming weeks and months. </p>
<p>One potential outcome — ironic, considering many on the left were critical of the government’s hesitancy to crack down on the truckers’ protest — is that future right-wing governments may be more likely to use the Emergencies Act to <a href="https://twitter.com/lesleybikes/status/1489991074546438146">crack down on progressive protesters</a> like those involved in climate and anti-colonialism protests.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176524/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Tindall receives research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. This is an agency that provides funding for academic research. The funding is for research expenses, not the salary of the author.</span></em></p>There have been bigger protests in other Canadian cities, but the so-called freedom convoy against vaccine mandates could be a sign of a rise in right-wing and libertarian sentiments.David Tindall, Professor of Sociology, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1767932022-02-17T19:40:38Z2022-02-17T19:40:38ZIn ‘freedom convoy’ and other vaccine protests, slogans cross the political aisle<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446366/original/file-20220214-23-7hh8oh.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1704%2C0%2C2566%2C4078&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People gather to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and masking measures during a rally in Kingston, Ont., in November 2021. A woman carries a sign using an abortion rights slogan. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The current political climate seems to discourage us from becoming overly invested in any one political slogan in case they suddenly change hands and take on a whole different meaning. But words still matter — perhaps even more so right now.</p>
<p>Politicians, pundits and protesters have appropriated slogans, symbols and ideas from the opposing side throughout the so-called freedom convoy and the protests leading up to it.</p>
<p>An example is “<a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pCjuXW1NA98">my body my choice</a>” now being transformed from an abortion rights slogan to an anti-vax rallying cry.</p>
<p>Appropriations like this are concerning because they create an equivalency between two political claims. By portraying anti-vax political claims as being equivalent to abortion rights, for example, protesters can draw on the legitimacy given to abortion rights while also holding that legitimacy hostage.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man stands at a side of a highway holding a sign that says Not Anti-Vax, Pro-Choice" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446370/original/file-20220214-15-1n2r8fl.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446370/original/file-20220214-15-1n2r8fl.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446370/original/file-20220214-15-1n2r8fl.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446370/original/file-20220214-15-1n2r8fl.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446370/original/file-20220214-15-1n2r8fl.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446370/original/file-20220214-15-1n2r8fl.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446370/original/file-20220214-15-1n2r8fl.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A supporter holds a sign along the Trans-Canada Highway as a convoy of trucks passes over the Nipigon Bridge en route to Ottawa in Nipigon, Ont.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Jackson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Popular media is in a position to exacerbate this trend by repeating those appropriations, causing them to catch on. It’s also in a position to remedy the situation by questioning those appropriations critically. </p>
<p>For instance, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/aug/15/anti-vaxxers-using-prochoice-slogans-makes-me-so-angry">the appropriation of “my body my choice” isn’t strictly new</a>. It has been floating around anti-vax movements for at least a year or two. But the ongoing convoy protests have brought anti-vax and anti-mandate forces into the spotlight, along with the slogans they have managed to appropriate since the broader movement began.</p>
<h2>Original meanings still matter</h2>
<p>The original purpose of the “my body, my choice” slogan remains relevant — especially so in light of <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-supreme-court-looks-ready-to-overturn-roe">what’s been going on in the United States</a> on the issue of abortion.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhi1I5sxPxI">Cultural debates can spread quickly across the Canada-U.S. border</a>. To the extent that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWiMc7WefP8">political debates in G7 societies are interconnected</a>, we may have to contend with a situation where “my body my choice” is simultaneously used by both the left and the right in drastically different ways.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/will-roe-v-wade-be-overturned-and-what-would-this-mean-the-us-abortion-debate-explained-173156">Will Roe v Wade be overturned, and what would this mean? The US abortion debate explained</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>“My body, my choice” isn’t simply a conservative slogan that’s been stolen from the progressives. It remains a progressive slogan, one that will likely remain in use.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A person in a grey winter hat with a pompom holds up a sign that reads 'my body, my choice' in front of a court building with columns." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446376/original/file-20220214-13-5q4918.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446376/original/file-20220214-13-5q4918.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446376/original/file-20220214-13-5q4918.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446376/original/file-20220214-13-5q4918.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446376/original/file-20220214-13-5q4918.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446376/original/file-20220214-13-5q4918.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446376/original/file-20220214-13-5q4918.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A pro-abortion rights supporter holds up a sign reading ‘my body, my choice’ during a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. in March 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But that requires us to do a calculation when we encounter slogans like “my body my choice” over what political conflicts they are alluding to. We now have to unpack not just what the user of such slogans believe, but what they’re against. We also have be aware of moments when equivalencies are being drawn — for example, equating vaccine mandates to hasten the end of a deadly pandemic with forcing a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term — and be critical about those equivalencies. </p>
<p>This is crucial for preventing far-right appropriators from taking progressive ideals hostage.</p>
<h2>The appropriation of Holocaust symbols</h2>
<p>A pertinent example of the appropriation of symbols is the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPhV3hgJvEU">appearance of Holocaust symbols</a> during the ongoing “freedom convoy” protests. Although such actions have been <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50kHdAumXvA&t=178s">swiftly criticized</a> in the media, comment sections accompanying media coverage have been flooded with grumbling about how the protesters and their sympathizers have been misunderstood.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="Comments are shown disputing the notion that the 'freedom convoy' is racist." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446616/original/file-20220215-13-1b797m6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446616/original/file-20220215-13-1b797m6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1126&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446616/original/file-20220215-13-1b797m6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1126&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446616/original/file-20220215-13-1b797m6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1126&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446616/original/file-20220215-13-1b797m6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1415&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446616/original/file-20220215-13-1b797m6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446616/original/file-20220215-13-1b797m6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1415&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Commenters react to a news clip that condemned hate symbols at the ‘freedom convoy’ protest in Ottawa.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(A Feb. 15 screenshot of the comment section accompanying a City News article.)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These commentators argue that they themselves and many protesters don’t support fascism, but are just trying to highlight their belief that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau does. They’re drawing parallels between vaccine mandates and authoritarianism.</p>
<p>That’s why it is not enough for the media to merely say that hate speech has occurred or that hate symbols have been used. It must also critically examine and explain the false equivalencies being drawn by the protesters between fascism and government efforts to contain <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/">a virus that has killed almost six million people worldwide in two years.</a> </p>
<p>The media must highlight the dangers of appropriating the legitimacy of anti-hate advocacy and using that to legitimize anti-mandate advocacy. The media needs to make this clear, and to do so much more often.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man in red face paint shouts while carrying a flag in front of Parliament." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446421/original/file-20220215-21-qi0tu6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446421/original/file-20220215-21-qi0tu6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446421/original/file-20220215-21-qi0tu6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446421/original/file-20220215-21-qi0tu6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446421/original/file-20220215-21-qi0tu6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446421/original/file-20220215-21-qi0tu6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446421/original/file-20220215-21-qi0tu6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A protester in the ‘freedom convoy’ on Parliament Hill.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Longstanding political tropes playing a role</h2>
<p>Some conservatives believe <a href="https://www.tvo.org/article/why-federal-conservatives-should-drop-their-fixation-with-smaller-government">small government is democratic</a> while <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/01/25/how-conservatives-learned-love-big-government/">large government leads to fascism.</a> </p>
<p>If the so-called “freedom convoy” actually internalized this trope, then we can uncover a hidden reason why protesters draw false equivalencies between fascists and the federal Liberals. </p>
<p>Perhaps their allegations of governmental “fascism” stem from their belief in the superiority of smaller governments. If protesters already suspected the Liberals of being fascist prior to the vaccine mandates, they were always going to regard those mandates through that tinted glass.</p>
<p>Without a detailed study of the protest demographic, we cannot know for sure whether the protest convoy harbours this exact belief.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-canadian-flag-and-the-freedom-convoy-the-co-opting-of-canadian-symbols-176436">The Canadian flag and the 'freedom convoy': The co-opting of Canadian symbols</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>What we do know is that some protesters <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-canadas-freedom-convoy-was-overtaken-by-a-radical-fringe-176111">have appropriated Holocaust symbols, used swastikas ostensibly to symbolize the incumbent government</a> and that they oppose a ruling party that has been portrayed as representing big government. Some have demanded nothing short of removing that party by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA_rqXwrjYI&t=369s">overturning the September 2021 federal election</a>.</p>
<p>We need to dig deeper into the roots of false equivalencies, whether they’re equating anti-hate to anti-vaccine sentiments, fascism to government intervention or abortion to vaccine requirements. Journalists who have the opportunity to get close to the protesters are in a special position to ask them about why these equivalencies are being drawn. The rest of us need to know their answers because words matter — and can be lethal.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176793/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Bing's doctoral research was funded in part by the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program.</span></em></p>Appropriating slogans associated with other causes creates false equivalencies and causes confusion.Alex Bing, Adjunct Professor in Sociology, Carleton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1742872022-02-16T13:16:55Z2022-02-16T13:16:55ZDoes scaring people work when it comes to health messaging? A communication researcher explains how it’s gone wrong during the COVID-19 pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440339/original/file-20220111-25-1wkr62m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=46%2C0%2C5220%2C3422&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The film 'Don't Look Up' warns of the dangers of ignoring the findings of science.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/an-artists-depiction-of-an-inhabited-earth-royalty-free-illustration/532101243">Marc Ward/Stocktrek Images via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the recent film “<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81252357">Don’t Look Up</a>,” two astronomers learn that a comet is on track to collide with Earth and destroy human civilization. When they try to sound the alarm, <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-look-up-hollywoods-primer-on-climate-denial-illustrates-5-myths-that-fuel-rejection-of-science-174266">all manner of obstacles</a> get in their way. In the end, well, you’ll have to watch the movie to find out. </p>
<p>The film is fiction, of course, but the situation illuminates one facet of reality: When people try to warn others of impending danger, success is not guaranteed. </p>
<p>Warning messages travel under a variety of names, including fear appeals, threat appeals and risk communication. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vGp8WKMAAAAJ&hl=en">As a communication scientist</a> who has studied warning messages for 40 years, I’ve thought a lot about the question of when fear appeals are heeded and when they are not – a consideration that has undoubtedly been on the minds of many public health officials throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<h2>COVID-19: A ‘biological comet’</h2>
<p>Fear appeals obviously aren’t limited to comets. Warnings about the unwanted consequences of smoking, texting while driving and drinking while pregnant can be considered fear appeals. So can food recalls, evacuation warnings and messages that encourage vaccination for the flu, polio and COVID-19.</p>
<p>Broad research literature reviews, called meta-analyses, find that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.1984.11678581">fear appeals do work</a> for most people most of the time. </p>
<p>And yet, consider where society finds itself today. For the past two years, people the world over have been told that they are in danger of contracting a potentially deadly disease – a sort of biological comet – and that a variety of health protective behaviors, such as social distancing, masking and vaccination, can save lives. Still, many people forgo social distancing, reject masking recommendations and continue to refuse a vaccine that will protect them. Why?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Adults and children hold protest signs while demonstrating against COVID-19 vaccine mandates." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440346/original/file-20220111-22323-jy4n0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440346/original/file-20220111-22323-jy4n0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440346/original/file-20220111-22323-jy4n0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440346/original/file-20220111-22323-jy4n0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440346/original/file-20220111-22323-jy4n0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440346/original/file-20220111-22323-jy4n0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440346/original/file-20220111-22323-jy4n0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In Huntington Beach, Calif., adults and children alike demonstrated against COVID-19 vaccine mandates for students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-demonstrate-against-covid-19-vaccine-mandates-for-news-photo/1237524823?adppopup=true">Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How fear appeals fail – at times</h2>
<p>Understanding when fear appeals work and when they don’t requires some knowledge of what they are and how they function. Fear appeals <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-39243-012">have two distinct parts</a>. The first part describes the danger. The second describes how to mitigate the danger.</p>
<p>If they are well crafted, the first part scares the people receiving the message and the second calms them down. As a person hears or reads a fear appeal from beginning to end, fear looks like an inverted U: It rises and then it falls. </p>
<p>Research I have conducted with my colleagues at Penn State shows that both the escalation and de-escalation of fear must occur <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2016.1158412">for the message to be effective</a>. Without the rise and the fall of fear, the message will fail. So what might interfere with this process?</p>
<p>A great deal hinges on what people believe about the supposed threat. If the problem is not seen as serious, there is no reason to be afraid, no need to pay attention to the recommended solution and no need to protect oneself.</p>
<p>From the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, some message sources downplayed the threat. President Trump, for instance, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/09/10/all-the-times-trump-compared-covid-19-to-the-flu-even-after-he-knew-covid-19-was-far-more-deadly/?sh=652ec757f9d2">compared the novel coronavirus</a> to another disease that society has learned to cope with. “This is a flu. This is like a flu,” Trump said. Statements of this sort compromised efforts to convey the true risks of COVID-19. </p>
<p>And even a serious threat must be seen as relevant or it is unlikely to evoke strong emotion. Early in the pandemic, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.25381">some areas</a> were hit hard by the virus while others experienced relatively low infection rates. People living in those low-caseload areas often had only indirect information about the pandemic, often through social media. And social media contained a great deal of misinformation. </p>
<p>Strikingly, just 12 people were responsible for <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/05/13/996570855/disinformation-dozen-test-facebooks-twitters-ability-to-curb-vaccine-hoaxes">two-thirds of the misinformation</a> about vaccines on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician with 3.6 million followers, <a href="https://www.counterhate.com/disinformationdozen">notoriously and erroneously stated</a>: “The same number of people died in 2020 that, on average, have died in previous years. This simply wouldn’t be the case if we had a lethal pandemic.” This blanket denial of the virus’s true impact allowed a great many people to conclude that the pandemic wasn’t a problem for them or for anyone else. </p>
<p>Then there’s the question of what can be done about the threat. </p>
<p>Health experts maintain – based on a vast amount of data and scientific evidence – that COVID-19 vaccines <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/effectiveness/index.html">are highly effective</a>. When individuals believe the remedy is effective, fear is diminished and the likelihood of action is enhanced. But beliefs about the vaccines’ effectiveness <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.07.056">have been weakened</a> by claims that the vaccine is too new and unproven or that its production was rushed. </p>
<p>Last, a key consideration is whether people can actually achieve the solution. Social distancing required pivoting to remote work and school, placing a huge burden on families that <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/covid-19-and-gender-equality-countering-the-regressive-effects">fell disproportionately on women</a>. Meanwhile, high-quality masks were initially expensive and challenging to locate <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/health/covid-masks-counterfeit-fake.html">in a sea of counterfeits</a>. </p>
<p>Just a year ago, in early 2021, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/02/08/965515631/why-is-it-so-hard-to-figure-out-where-to-get-vaccinated-for-covid-19">vaccines were unavailable</a> in many locations. And now, after navigating nearly two years of challenges in adapting recommended solutions, there is a real danger that <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/335820/WHO-EURO-2020-1160-40906-55390-eng.pdf">pandemic fatigue</a> will reduce motivation to adhere to safety guidelines.</p>
<h2>Undermining the messenger</h2>
<p>Fear appeals can also be thwarted in more general ways. For instance, by attributing nefarious motives to the government and public health officials, those who <a href="https://252f2edd-1c8b-49f5-9bb2-cb57bb47e4ba.filesusr.com/ugd/f4d9b9_b7cedc0553604720b7137f8663366ee5.pdf">spread misinformation</a> and conspiracy theories can cause others to discount any and all information coming from those sources.</p>
<p>As I noted above, research shows that fear appeals are persuasive for most of the people most of the time. However, the studies underlying that conclusion are primarily experiments in which <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039729">fear appeals are compared</a> with either some weak message or no message at all. In other words, these comparisons do not at all resemble the reality surrounding COVID-19. </p>
<p>Pro-vaccine messaging is taking place in a highly competitive message environment – one that involves active efforts to <a href="https://252f2edd-1c8b-49f5-9bb2-cb57bb47e4ba.filesusr.com/ugd/f4d9b9_b7cedc0553604720b7137f8663366ee5.pdf">undermine public health advocacy</a>. The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/01/07/walensky-cdc-confusing-messaging/">inconsistent and contradictory messaging</a> produced by health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has damaged the effectiveness of fear appeals. The fact that scientific knowledge evolves and always possesses a degree of uncertainty explains why health agencies changed – and continue to change – their messaging. Regrettably, this inconsistency also undercuts the impact of health messaging in a public that wants simple, consistent answers.</p>
<p>And just as in “Don’t Look Up,” various groups and individuals have prioritized their own short-term gains over a genuine global danger. Those collective efforts have left large swaths of the population unconcerned or demotivated about a genuine global threat. This helps to explain why the U.S. has many more deaths from COVID-19 than do <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/02/01/science/covid-deaths-united-states.html">other wealthy nations</a>. The parallels between cinema and reality are more than a little frightening.</p>
<p>[<em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174287/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Dillard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Whether about a comet hitting the Earth or a virus infecting the world, fear-based messages often do not succeed at changing people’s behaviors.James Dillard, Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1765332022-02-14T18:47:04Z2022-02-14T18:47:04ZHow ‘freedom rally’ protesters and populist right-wing politics may play a role in the federal election<p>As the 2022 federal election draws nearer, there are many factors that may shape the outcome.</p>
<p>This is not Australia’s first experience of a pandemic, nor the first time this has played a role in state divisions and elections: the <a href="https://aph.org.au/2020/11/western-australia-and-the-commonwealth-spanish-influenza-and-covid-19/">1919 Spanish Influenza pandemic</a> is a case in point. </p>
<p>However, this is the first election in which the immense economic and social damage of a pandemic has combined with a global far-right populist surge, an increase in far-right-wing extremism and the disruptive power of social media. The most recent and visible example is the so-called “Canberra convoy”, which has just concluded. </p>
<p>In seeking to understand the potential influence of these factors, we cannot look at any one of them in isolation; they have to be understood as part of a symbiotic relationship. This is evident when we look at the make-up of the protesters.</p>
<p>They first gathered at old Parliament House, site of the Aboriginal tent embassy, the longest protest for Indigenous rights anywhere in the world. There, the “sovereign citizen” protesters initially sought to cloak themselves in the legitimacy of Aboriginal calls for sovereignty. Shortly after, in December 2021, old Parliament House, which holds significance within some sovereign citizen conspiracy theories, was set on fire. Several people <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-02/ryan-dean-harder-charged-arson-old-parliament-house-fire/100798448">have been charged</a> over the incident.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1489064857882091522"}"></div></p>
<p>While featuring a very small number of Indigenous activists, the fire and recently arrived protesters were <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-31/indigenous-elders-condemn-protesters-old-parliament-house-fire/100732656">roundly condemned</a> by Aboriginal leaders at the Tent Embassy. </p>
<p>Since these events, anti-vaccine mandate protesters and other “freedom rally” protesters, including Q-Anon conspiracy theorists, militant wellness groups, religiously inspired actors and far-right extremists such as the Proud Boys, have converged on the nation’s capital. They have protested outside the old and new Parliament House, seeking to cause mass disruption. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446166/original/file-20220214-19-7m0pu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446166/original/file-20220214-19-7m0pu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446166/original/file-20220214-19-7m0pu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446166/original/file-20220214-19-7m0pu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446166/original/file-20220214-19-7m0pu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446166/original/file-20220214-19-7m0pu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446166/original/file-20220214-19-7m0pu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The fire in December 2021 caused damage to the entrance to Old Parliament House.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lukas Coch/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Protesters on the ground are highly diverse. Many are keen to paint themselves as concerned “mums and dads”. Others frame their actions as an act of “love”, a pattern <a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/honk-if-you-love-jesus-why-so-many-evangelical-christians-have-joined-the-freedom-convo">seen globally</a> at “freedom” protests.</p>
<p>Indeed, many may be merely exercising their democratic right to protest. </p>
<p>However, it is important to understand that the ideological underpinnings of the freedom movement range from libertarianism to far-right ideologies. We need to move beyond the notion of anti-vaxxers as left-wing hippies from Brunswick or Byron Bay (though they may well be concentrated there). </p>
<p>Many from the “wellness” communities are educated, wealthy, hold strong convictions and are active consumers in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/24/technology/joseph-mercola-coronavirus-misinformation-online.html">highly profitable enterprise</a>.</p>
<p>Likewise, it is important to move beyond the association of the far right as black-clad, swastika-wearing skinheads (<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/inside-racism-hq-how-home-grown-neo-nazis-are-plotting-a-white-revolution-20210812-p58i3x.html">though some may be</a>). </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-almost-like-grooming-how-anti-vaxxers-conspiracy-theorists-and-the-far-right-came-together-over-covid-168383">'It's almost like grooming': how anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists, and the far-right came together over COVID</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<hr>
<p>The modern far right is well organised and more sophisticated in its tactics (including the use of “citizen journalists”, memes and encrypted messaging applications). Most importantly, beyond the traditional neo-Nazi groups, it is multiracial. Restoring the “nation”, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/minorities-far-right-visible-role/2021/05/16/e7ba8338-a915-11eb-8c1a-56f0cb4ff3b5_story.html">rather than race</a>, to an imagined past greatness is central to their extremism.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446161/original/file-20220214-13-s06tb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446161/original/file-20220214-13-s06tb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446161/original/file-20220214-13-s06tb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446161/original/file-20220214-13-s06tb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446161/original/file-20220214-13-s06tb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446161/original/file-20220214-13-s06tb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446161/original/file-20220214-13-s06tb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Protesters have joined the ‘freedom’ convoy for many different reasons.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lukas Coch/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is evident in groups such as the Proud Boys, who are present at the Canberra protests, and who were led in the US until recently by Enrique Tarrio, a Cuban American. We have witnessed numerous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usta%C5%A1e">Ustaše flags</a> at the protests, representing a resurgent Croatian <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/croatia-fascism-nazi-ustasa-sasenovac-antisemitism-zoran-milanovic-a9583146.html">ultranationalist fascist and antisemitic organisation</a> that was active during the second world war, perpetrating acts of genocide. The group also holds a wide variety of groups and individuals from QAnon conspiracy theorists and sovereign citizens (known for their use of the red ensign) to evangelical and Orthodox Christians. They represent a highly multicultural cluster who have opposed the use of vaccines from the earliest days of the pandemic. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-australian-merchant-navy-flag-the-red-ensign-and-why-do-anti-government-groups-use-it-170270">What is the Australian merchant navy flag, the red ensign? And why do anti-government groups use it?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Importantly, this broad coalition, and the far right in particular, must be understood as part of a transnational movement. Even a cursory analysis of protest message boards indicates the protesters have been heavily influenced by groups and events overseas. They share a common vocabulary and symbology. </p>
<p>It is clear the January 6 2021 storming of the Capitol Building in the United States, and the more recent Ottawa “freedom convoy”, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8597478/ottawa-trucker-convoy-risk-of-violence/">described by Ottawa police</a> as a “threat to democracy”, have inspired some protesters.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446163/original/file-20220214-15-fqr9xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446163/original/file-20220214-15-fqr9xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446163/original/file-20220214-15-fqr9xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446163/original/file-20220214-15-fqr9xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446163/original/file-20220214-15-fqr9xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446163/original/file-20220214-15-fqr9xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446163/original/file-20220214-15-fqr9xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many in the Canberra convoy have been influenced by similar protests in Ottawa, Canada.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Justin Tang/AP/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many actors within these movements have track records of violent rhetoric and extremist sentiment, and the threat of future violence cannot be discounted. Indeed, it must be considered likely. </p>
<p>These movements must be also be understood as associated with the global right-wing populist surge that has resulted in the <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-New-Demagogues-Religion-Masculinity-and-the-Populist-Epoch/Roose/p/book/9781138364707">election of authoritarian governments</a>, led by “strong men”, in countries ranging from the United States, Hungary and Poland to the Philippines, India and Brazil. </p>
<p>These leaders claim to speak for the “people”, framing themselves as outsiders to a corrupt and broken political system. They promise to deliver radical change, though merely aim to replace the current powers. We saw this most famously with Donald Trump’s promise to “drain the swamp”. </p>
<p>While a key element of winning democratic elections is indeed to be the most “popular” party, far-right authoritarian populists prey on social division and seek to exploit anger and fear to gain political capital. We see this in the actions of United Australia Party leader Craig Kelly and some fringe members of the Liberal Party such as George Christensen. These men have sought to frame themselves as champions of the protest movement, but their actions may be understood as cynically stoking social division for political gain. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/who-are-the-original-sovereigns-who-were-camped-out-at-old-parliament-house-and-what-are-their-aims-174694">Who are the 'Original Sovereigns' who were camped out at Old Parliament House and what are their aims?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In this case, the prize is seats in parliament and the potential to hold the balance of power, forcing major parties to negotiate favourable outcomes for mining magnate Clive Palmer, via the United Australia Party.</p>
<p>In the Canberra convoy, we are witnessing the consolidation of an alliance between diverse, yet highly political, groups infected with conspiracy and far-right ideas. They then intersect with right-wing populist politicians intent on exploiting these events for political gain. </p>
<p>This is, in many respects, new ground in Australian politics. The question remains as to how successful this alliance will be at the ballot box.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176533/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Josh Roose is part of a project funded by The Australian Research Council: 'Far Right in Australia: Intellectuals, Masculinity and Citizenship' (DP200102013).</span></em></p>This year’s federal election will have many strands that influence it, including the ‘freedom’ protest movement and its interaction with right-wing populist politics.Josh Roose, Senior Research Fellow, Alfred Deakin Institute, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1767852022-02-09T15:52:47Z2022-02-09T15:52:47ZCandice Bergen’s nod to Trump is a sign of Canada’s descent, but the Charter may save us<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445253/original/file-20220208-12-g24h6m.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C26%2C4421%2C2872&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen finishes her remarks during an emergency debate in the House of Commons on the situation in Ottawa.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Prior to becoming interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/politics/who-is-candice-bergen-the-interim-conservative-leader/">MP Candice Bergen</a> was among the more vocal members of caucus to push former leader Erin O’Toole into an explicit embrace of the so-called freedom convoy that’s now occupying Ottawa.</p>
<p>CTV quoted Bergen echoing, almost verbatim, former U.S. president <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/trump-defends-white-nationalist-protesters-some-very-fine-people-on-both-sides/537012/">Donald Trump’s description</a> of the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/james-alex-fields-driver-deadly-car-attack-charlottesville-rally-sentenced-n1024436">2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Va., which ended violently</a>, as having <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/bergen-pushed-o-toole-to-back-convoy-saying-there-are-good-people-on-both-sides-sources-1.5768337">“good people on both sides.”</a></p>
<p>The problem is that in both cases, this is untrue. There aren’t two sides or shades of grey when a protest is associated with symbols of <a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-freedom-convoy-exposes-political-missteps-and-donald-trumps-ominous-legacy-175898">white supremacy, the desecration of national monuments</a>, the staging of a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-91/clip/15892466">mock Indigenous drum circle</a> and accounts of <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2022/02/07/police-and-government-response-to-the-ottawa-occupation-has-been-a-shambles.html">verbal intimidation and abuse</a> of regular citizens. </p>
<p>There are also no shades of grey when one side embraces public health to protect the most vulnerable and the other side, through their own actions, endangers public health by flouting public health regulations and spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. </p>
<p>Far-right authoritarian populism of the type associated with events like Charlottesville and the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol has admirers in Canada. Plainly. Some of the truckers fly Trump flags and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/candice-bergen-maga-hat-1.5865727">Bergen has been photographed wearing a MAGA hat</a>. Canada is not exactly America’s moderate little cousin to the north. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1489072640484593666"}"></div></p>
<p>Events like the so-called freedom convoy don’t just harm communities and individuals, they do serious damage to the body politic. We are all injured by the spread of misinformation about public health matters like COVID-19 or issues like catastrophic climate change caused by carbon consumption. But we’re also injured by false and destructive narratives about the Constitution and the rule of law. </p>
<h2>‘Lacking in merit’</h2>
<p>As a professor of jurisprudence and the rule of law, I predict violations alleged by the freedom convoy protesters will be found deeply lacking in merit once the dust has settled and the various Charter claims have wound their way through the courts.</p>
<p>Even fairly restrictive COVID-19 health protocols are unlikely to breach someone’s Charter rights in a way that entitles them to a court-ordered remedy. That’s because all individual rights and liberties in the Charter are subject to a proportionate balancing against the broader public good — none more obvious than scientific and data-driven assessments of risks posed by a virus that’s killed almost six million people worldwide, including more than 34,000 Canadians, in two years.</p>
<p>In fact, the very first provision in the Constitution of Canada is <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/rfc-dlc/ccrf-ccdl/check/art1.html">Sec. 1 of the Charter explicitly stating</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Charter challenges to pandemic-related public health protocols enacted by both <a href="https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/fct/doc/2021/2021fc621/2021fc621.html?resultIndex=1">the federal</a> and <a href="https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2021/2021bcsc512/2021bcsc512.html?resultIndex=1">provincial governments</a> are slowly being decided. They show very little promise for those asserting Charter rights violations due to COVID-19 health protocols. In most cases, Sec. 1 will stop any claim in its tracks. </p>
<p>So while Canada’s Constitution will not permit the RCMP to smash down the door of vaccine holdouts and violate their bodily integrity by forcing them to get the jab, it permits the weighing of individual rights to freedom of religion and conscience against the risk of worsening a public health crisis and creating an even greater loss of life. </p>
<p>So far, however, the truckers have not even explicitly stated which of their particular Charter rights they believe are being violated and how. </p>
<h2>Blaming the wrong person</h2>
<p>The federal government’s requirement that truckers crossing the Canada-U.S. border must be vaccinated is aligned with the same requirement by American authorities.</p>
<p>But beyond the fundamental weakness of any Charter objection to vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers lies an even broader weakness to the truckers’ rallying cry: “Fuck Trudeau.” </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A protester holds a sign that says fuck trudeau" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445277/original/file-20220209-26-1m842fk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445277/original/file-20220209-26-1m842fk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445277/original/file-20220209-26-1m842fk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445277/original/file-20220209-26-1m842fk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445277/original/file-20220209-26-1m842fk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445277/original/file-20220209-26-1m842fk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/445277/original/file-20220209-26-1m842fk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A protester holds a sign during the so-called freedom convoy rally against COVID-19 restrictions on Parliament Hill.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>He is not to blame.</p>
<p>Beyond the border, the federal government doesn’t have jurisdiction over much of what the protesters are objecting to.</p>
<p>The provinces are on the front lines of the response to COVID-19 in terms of the management of health care, the regulation of private businesses and most other aspects that play a major role in how the pandemic is affecting day-to-day life for Canadian citizens. That’s how federalism works. </p>
<p>Trudeau, the focus of the truckers’ ire, has become a puzzling far-right obsession similar to how Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton became the focus of wild-eyed conspiracy mongers south of the border. The fixation on Trudeau personally is a symptom of extremism. It is reactionary and irrational in the extreme. </p>
<h2>Trump-admiring Conservatives</h2>
<p>Now that the Conservatives have traded O'Toole for Bergen and firebrand Pierre Poilievre is waiting in the wings, American-style, Trump-admiring Conservatives are poised to take over the Official Opposition here in Canada. Canadians should be alarmed. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1490115382157398030"}"></div></p>
<p>Trouble is, there are no both sides when one side cannot abide scientific facts or make a cognizable legal argument. The truckers in Ottawa and their supporters are not good-faith activists or empowered citizens. </p>
<p>They have not done their research. They don’t understand the Charter, federalism or the rule of law. They are selfish and entitled because they understand freedom in a purely individualistic sense. The convoy, like <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/coutts-traffic-border-1.6343280">the escalating blockade on the Canadian side of the U.S. border in Coutts, Alta.,</a> is a sign that Canada is on the cusp of its own Charlottesville or Jan. 6.</p>
<p>We are fools to think ourselves immune.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176785/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeffrey B. Meyers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The trucker convoy is a sign that Canada is on the cusp of its own Jan. 6, with Conservatives taking a page from Donald Trump’s playbook.Jeffrey B. Meyers, Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Thompson Rivers UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1761472022-02-02T15:35:59Z2022-02-02T15:35:59ZIs GoFundMe violating its own terms of service on the ‘freedom convoy?’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444104/original/file-20220202-25-l28azv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7779%2C5321&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A woman stops to take a photo of signs attached to the fence around Parliament as the trucker protest continues in Ottawa. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The truck convoy that’s taken over Ottawa is protesting a requirement that truck drivers crossing the Canada-United States border are vaccinated against COVID-19.</p>
<p>The trucker vaccine mandate is not a widespread concern among Canadian truck drivers. Both the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/trucker-protest-convoy-southwestern-ontario-1.6329118">Canadian Trucking Alliance and the Ontario Trucking Association, among others, have criticized the convoy</a> and pointed out that 90 per cent of their members are vaccinated. </p>
<p>But regardless of what anyone thinks about vaccine mandates, the convoy and its organizers have gone far beyond this narrow mission. In addition to more widespread criticism of pandemic mitigation efforts, organizers and participants have <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/freedom-convoy-truckers-1.6329870">called their political opponents communists and Nazis</a>, they’ve waved <a href="https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/nazi-confederate-flags-ottawa-protest">swastikas and Confederate flags</a>, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2022/01/26/truckers-are-flirting-with-extremists-they-should-call-off-their-protest.html">they’ve threatened a Jan. 6 style insurrection</a> against the government of Canada and they’ve abused journalists covering the convoy.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1486793410942062594"}"></div></p>
<p>While the protest movement itself consists of about <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/truck-convoy-protest-some-key-players-1.6332312">10,000 people</a>, a significant part of its visibility and perceived support is due to a massively successful crowdfunding campaign.</p>
<p>So far, the “Freedom Convoy 2022” campaign hosted by GoFundMe has raised more than $9.6 million from 119,000 donations. As money has continued to pour into the campaign from <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/vaccine-protest-convoy-gofundme-donations-1.6330594">Canada and abroad</a>, its fundraising goal has gone from a starting point of $100,000 all the way to its current goal of $10 million.</p>
<p>Shortly after the publication of this article, GoFundMe announced the <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/taking-back-our-freedom-convoy-2022">campaign is paused and currently under review</a> to ensure it complies with its terms of service. Nonetheless, $1 million has already been distributed and <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/border-freedom-ralley?qid=6c19f2909e0bf91e55b4db8805ffb735">other related campaigns are still up and running.</a></p>
<h2>Money already being put to use</h2>
<p>This crowdfunding success has been covered extensively in the media and <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-trucker-convoy-freedom-rally-vaccine-mandate/">used as an example</a> of the purported popularity of the convoy and its message. </p>
<p>The GoFundMe campaign organizers have been clear about how important crowdfunding success is to the convoy and <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/01/27/freedom-rally-convoy-has-withdrawn-1-million-from-once-frozen-viral-fundraiser-gofundme.html">the $1 million</a> already released has paid for the fuel costs of convoy participants. The crowdfunding has even implicated NDP Leader <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8542184/singh-covid-trucker-convoy-vaccine-mandate-gofundme/">Jagmeet Singh</a> after news stories revealed that his brother-in-law donated to it.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1488383192524419077"}"></div></p>
<p>Given the importance of this crowdfunding campaign to the convoy’s success and visibility, GoFundMe needs to decide what role it wants to have in supporting it. While the platform <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/gofundme-money-released-convoy-1.6328029">did temporarily</a> <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-gofundme-withholding-45-million-from-trucker-convoy-until-plan/">freeze the money</a> raised through this campaign, it did so only due to questions around how the money would be used. </p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/BJdichter">Campaign organizer B.J. Dichter</a> then celebrated this release of funds, saying that the “<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/taking-back-our-freedom-convoy-2022?qid=2d862ce776ace0def9087ee4f9c7d21a">team at GoFundMe have been amazing to work with and we are very appreciative of their support</a>.”</p>
<h2>Terms of service violations?</h2>
<p>GoFundMe could say, of course, that it wants to be neutral as to how money raised on its platform is used and that hosting a campaign does not imply supporting the campaigner’s goals or political views. But it’s important to keep in mind that GoFundMe and other crowdfunding platforms regularly ban campaigns for running afoul of their terms of service. </p>
<p>GoFundMe does not allow campaigns for the <a href="https://medium.com/gofundme-stories/gofundme-policy-on-fundraisers-for-the-legal-defense-of-violent-crimes-975aff8ba5f6">legal defence of people accused of hate, intolerance and violent crimes</a>, it has removed campaigns that spread <a href="https://medium.com/gofundme-stories/guidance-covid-19-vaccine-fundraising-on-gofundme-4e480d7ed17d">misinformation about vaccine safety</a> and campaigns associated with <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/en-ca/c/terms">pornography and sexual content</a> are prohibited. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A protester holds a sign of Justin Trudeau's face behind bars." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=861&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=861&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443847/original/file-20220201-22-1a82oie.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=861&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A protester holds an anti-Trudeau sign near Parliament Hill in Ottawa.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Its terms of service include its right to prohibit “<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/en-ca/c/terms">any other activity that GoFundMe may deem, in its sole discretion, to be unacceptable</a>,” giving GoFundMe wide latitude to remove any campaign it desires.</p>
<p>GoFundMe purports to want to be “<a href="https://medium.com/gofundme-stories/how-gofundme-will-accelerate-progress-towards-our-vision-to-be-the-most-helpful-place-in-the-world-b1e60c95009e">the most helpful place in the world</a>.” Its CEO, Tim Cadogan, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/01/opinion/sway-kara-swisher-tim-cadogan.html">has stated</a> that the company has “a responsibility to society” and so “we prohibit the promotion of misinformation, or the promotion of hate or discrimination, or using a campaign to bully someone or discriminate, or to promote violence or terrorism.”</p>
<p>But the so-called freedom convoy’s GoFundMe page hosts a cesspool of comments from donors that call political enemies communists and Nazis, threaten violence and promote the QAnon conspiracy movement. Many organizers are associated with <a href="https://www.antihate.ca/the_freedom_convoy_is_nothing_but_a_vehicle_for_the_far_right">far-right political movements and conspiracy groups</a>, including the campaign organizers.</p>
<p>Legitimate questions about the proper scope of government power in a pandemic may have motivated many supporters of the campaign. But this concern has been left far behind in favour of COVID-19 conspiracy theories and more general anti-government grievances, not to mention outright white supremacy and hate.</p>
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<h2>GoFundMe profiting from campaign</h2>
<p>GoFundMe is hardly disinterested in the success of this campaign. While it <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/en-ca/c/blog/gofundme-fees">no longer collects a fixed five per cent of donated funds</a>, it does receive voluntary tips from donors. Five per cent remains a fair estimate of the money made from these donations and, if so, then GoFundMe has pocketed more than $480,000 from this campaign — with more to come.</p>
<p>Making money from crowdfunding campaigns is fine of course — GoFundMe is a private business, after all. But if it’s going to brand itself a positive force in the world that supports kindness, generosity and human rights, then that doesn’t square with hosting and profiting from this campaign.</p>
<p>GoFundMe has already decided that it won’t host fundraisers for people accused of hate crimes and proponents of vaccine misinformation. It’s hard to see why this campaign deserves its support over those others, especially when it’s giving the convoy’s often abusive supporters a larger platform. </p>
<p>It’s time for GoFundMe to decide what it actually stands for in practice, and not just pay lip service to it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176147/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeremy Snyder receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. </span></em></p>GoFundMe claims it won’t fund campaigns that promote hate or misinformation. So why is it backing the so-called freedom convoy that’s currently causing so much incendiary disruption in Ottawa?Jeremy Snyder, Professor, Health Sciences, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1759022022-02-01T16:47:19Z2022-02-01T16:47:19Z‘Freedom convoy’ rolls through Ottawa encouraging the participation of Canada’s far-right<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443549/original/file-20220131-15-4qnrra.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C0%2C4800%2C3190&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A sign reads 'Assassin Trudeau' but the letters S in assassin are replaced with SS, abbreviation of Schutzstaffel, the black-uniformed self-described “political soldiers” of the Nazi Party.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/-freedom-convoy--rolls-through-ottawa-encouraging-the-participation-of-canada-s-far-right" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>This past weekend, thousands of people <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ottawa-police-investigate-desecration-of-monuments-by-trucker-convoy/">stormed Ottawa</a> as part of what’s being called the “freedom convoy.” </p>
<p>What started as a protest over the federal government’s Jan. 15 vaccine mandate that <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/28/why-are-anti-vaccine-canadian-truckers-converging-on-ottawa">requires all truckers crossing the Canadian border be fully vaccinated against COVID-19</a> — <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/28/why-are-anti-vaccine-canadian-truckers-converging-on-ottawa">the United States has since implemented a similar mandate</a> — has evolved into something much more sinister. </p>
<p>Starting last week in Delta, B.C., the convoy has attracted support from across the country. </p>
<p>People have come from <a href="https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/heavy-police-presence-as-truckers-arrive-in-downtown-ottawa-1.5757761?autoPlay=true">both the West Coast</a> <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8541993/nova-scotia-freedom-convoy-departs/">and East Coast</a> to meet in Ottawa, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60202050">disrupting traffic</a>, <a href="https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/downtown-ottawa-mall-remains-closed-sunday-due-to-convoy-protest-1.5760081">entering buildings maskless</a>, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/01/30/ottawa-police-investigating-threats-desecrations-as-protest-of-covid-19-restrictions-continues.html">honking horns late into the night</a> and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/convoy-workers-two-days-later-1.6333017">harassing the city’s residents</a>. </p>
<p>The convoy says it will stay in Ottawa until it hears from the federal government. The movement has been <a href="https://www.antihate.ca/the_freedom_convoy_is_nothing_but_a_vehicle_for_the_far_right">heavily criticized as being organized by</a> or at the very least encouraging the participation of Canada’s far-right. </p>
<h2>Who is participating?</h2>
<p>The convoy was started by <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-truck-convoy-alberta-legislature-vaccine-mandate-1.6332527">Canada Unity, a group that has been extremely critical of COVID-19-related mandates</a>. Reports have shown that <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8543281/covid-trucker-convoy-organizers-hate/">far-right sympathizers</a>, or members of the far-right themselves, are behind much of the organizing. </p>
<p>For example, Tamara Lich, <a href="https://www.maverickparty.ca/tamara-lich">a member of the right-wing Maverick Party</a>, formally affiliated with <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/59na9q/wexit-founders-are-far-right-conspiracy-theorists">the Wexit Movement</a>, began a GoFundMe for the convoy which, as of Feb. 1, had raised over $9.5 million. </p>
<p>When asked about the convoy Lich <a href="https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2022/01/26/BC-Ex-MP-Western-Separatists-Truck-Protest/">stated that it was not about vaccinations, but instead was about protecting Canadian rights and freedoms</a>. </p>
<p>Another convoy leader, Dave Steenburg, has been sharing <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/01/28/freedom-convoy-leader-shared-symbol-of-far-right-hate-group-on-tiktok.html">conspiracy theories pertaining to COVID-19 vaccination</a> and has even shared posts depicting war crime punishments for those who have legislated and enforced COVID-19 mandates. </p>
<p>Steenburg made headlines when he posted a Soldiers of Odin logo (a known far-right hate group) <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/01/28/freedom-convoy-leader-shared-symbol-of-far-right-hate-group-on-tiktok.html">on his social media page</a> with captions encouraging Canadians to stand up for their rights.</p>
<p>Patrick King, another organizer stated that he believes the vaccine was created to <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8543281/covid-trucker-convoy-organizers-hate/">“depopulate” the white race</a>. And B.J. Dichter, another convoy participant, is known for spewing <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8543281/covid-trucker-convoy-organizers-hate/">Islamophobic sentiments</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man stands in front of a sign on a transport truck that reads 'I am not a racist, I am not an extremist, I am Canadian'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443553/original/file-20220131-23-7c9e0k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443553/original/file-20220131-23-7c9e0k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443553/original/file-20220131-23-7c9e0k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443553/original/file-20220131-23-7c9e0k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443553/original/file-20220131-23-7c9e0k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443553/original/file-20220131-23-7c9e0k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443553/original/file-20220131-23-7c9e0k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A trucker laughs as he fist bumps a protester participating in a cross-country truck convoy protesting measures taken by authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While some have stated the convoy is about the vaccine mandates, others have claimed that this is a national movement about general rights and freedoms and government interference.</p>
<p>This isn’t a homogeneous movement, and it has even been criticized from within the industry — most truckers are complying with the mandate. <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8533779/truckers-convoy-canada-vaccine-mandate/">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau</a> and <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/28/why-are-anti-vaccine-canadian-truckers-converging-on-ottawa">the Canadian Trucking Alliance have stated that between 85 and 90 per cent of truckers are already vaccinatated</a>. Some have also spoken out against the convoy calling it “<a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/embarrassment-for-the-industry-not-all-truckers-support-the-freedom-convoy-1.5757952">an embarassment</a>.” </p>
<p>Those in the industry participating in the “freedom convoy” make up a very small minority of truckers in Canada. </p>
<h2>Freedom for whom?</h2>
<p>Because of what’s happening, many Ottawa residents currently feel <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60202050">trapped inside their homes</a>, the antithesis of freedom.</p>
<p>Members of the Canadian far-right have been present in both <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8543281/covid-trucker-convoy-organizers-hate/">organizing and participating in the convoy</a>, and their participation is troubling. </p>
<p>We need to be asking how far-right groups got involved in the convoy, what their roles are and how a <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/01/27/freedom-rally-convoy-has-withdrawn-1-million-from-once-frozen-viral-fundraiser-gofundme.html">perceived “loss of freedom</a>” has drawn so many supporters. </p>
<p>The Canadian far-right movement has grown in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2016.1139375">recent years</a>, and many have raised concerns about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17467586.2021.1876900">far-right sympathy across Canada suggesting there is a very present threat</a>. There are also growing concerns over how its supporters <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12633-9_2">mobilize online</a>. </p>
<p>Many infamous far-right riots originate and continue online well after protests are finished — <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s42001-020-00080-x">including the Unite the Right rally in 2017</a>. Some far-right groups have also influenced offline politics and political parties, suggesting the possibility of far-right movements, or their political platforms, <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315123851-8/remaining-streets-man%C3%A8s-weisskircher-lars-erik-berntzen">reaching electoral politics</a>. </p>
<p>The “freedom convoy” is just one iteration of how the far-right can and does mobilize willing participants into their movements under the guise of moral freedoms and rights. </p>
<p>Reports have lodged concerns that the convoy may add fuel to <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-will-the-ottawa-convoy-morph-into-a-tea-party-style-populist-movement/">future populist participation in Canadian politics</a>. </p>
<p>This past week’s events have overshadowed many communities’ mourning. While the convoy rolled toward Ottawa, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/25/canada-indigenous-community-uncovers-93-potential-unmarked-graves">93 graves of Indigenous children were found on the ground of the former St. Joseph Mission Residential School</a>. </p>
<p>Some part of the convoy <a href="https://www.jta.org/2022/01/30/politics/swastikas-displayed-at-canadian-freedom-convoy-protests-against-vaccination-mandates">carried swastika flags</a>
during <a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/truck-convoy-rideau-centre-closed-large-crowds-remain-downtown">Holocaust Remembrance Day</a>. And an in-person vigil to commemorate the anniversary of the Québec City mosque attack was cancelled in Ottawa due to <a href="https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/news/freedom-convoy-2022-police-report-no-injuries-no-incidents-of-violence-after-first-day-of-protest-100686683/">fears of violence</a>. </p>
<p>At a time when the nation should be rallying around these issues, fighting against structural violence for our communities, time, resources and attention are being given to this “freedom” convoy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175902/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kayla Preston is a SSHRC Joseph- Armand Bombardier scholar</span></em></p>At a time when the nation should be fighting against structural violence, resources and attention are being given to a cause that doesn’t deserve it.Kayla Preston, PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1754162022-02-01T13:48:13Z2022-02-01T13:48:13ZPoliticizing COVID-19 vaccination efforts has fuelled vaccine hesitancy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442995/original/file-20220127-4399-1rikmc1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3600%2C2392&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Health-care workers watch from a window as demonstrators gather outside Toronto General Hospital in September 2021 to protest against COVID-19 vaccines, mandates and restrictions.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The current political landscape has become increasingly intertwined with vaccine policy.</p>
<p>Platforms from political parties have included vaccine mandates, <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-liberals-want-only-vaccinated-people-to-be-allowed-at-lcbo-and-cannabis-stores-1.5753680">third-dose policies</a> and <a href="https://ontarioliberal.ca/ontario-liberals-call-for-universal-vaccinations-in-schools/">mandatory vaccination proposals aimed at children</a>. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/unvaccinated-health-contribution-quebec-1.6311054">Québec has even proposed</a> taxing people who remain unvaccinated. </p>
<p>This is concerning, particularly given that vaccination efforts are driven by the combined efforts of health-care providers, public health agencies and community leaders.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410911/original/file-20210712-19-geybnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://theconversation.com/ca/topics/vaccine-confidence-in-canada-107061">Click here for more articles in our series about vaccine confidence.</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>We’re clinical providers who have implemented vaccination programs from the time they were first available, and we recognize how profoundly vaccines reduce the severity of COVID-19. Based on our experiences running vaccine programs, we have concerns about the use of increasingly punitive policies towards people who remain unvaccinated. </p>
<p>While many equate vaccine mandates with vaccine uptake, much of the work was done prior to imposing mandates. In Ontario, for example, 77 per cent of the population 12 and up had already received two doses when the proof-of-vaccination requirement was announced on Sept. 1, 2021. That number only rose another 12 per cent <a href="https://covid-19.ontario.ca/data#ontariansVaccinated">to 89 per cent</a> as of late January 2022. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1487806738531336192"}"></div></p>
<p>In keeping with traditional public health practice, proactive community engagement, counselling and outreach has resulted in the vast majority of vaccinations provincially, a fact easily lost in the rhetoric of politicians.</p>
<h2>‘Booster Games’</h2>
<p>Those grassroots efforts need to be put in place in order to maximize third doses proactively, too. Ontario’s booster rollout amid the Omicron wave has been <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2021/12/23/doug-fords-booster-rollout-is-hunger-games-all-over-again-there-is-a-better-way.html">widely criticized as a “Hunger Games” approach,</a> favouring those who could stand in long queues or refresh their Twitter accounts. Only <a href="https://www.ices.on.ca/DAS/AHRQ/COVID-19-Dashboard#vaccinehighlights">75 per cent of adults over the age of 70</a> have been able to access a booster to date.</p>
<p>This is a large gap among those who most benefit from the booster, suggesting more outreach efforts are needed. In Ontario, the third-dose rate in those experiencing homelessness is only 32 per cent for people over 65 and 10 per cent for those under 65, <a href="https://www.ices.on.ca/%7E/media/Files/COVID-19/ICES-COVID19-Vaccine-Coverage-by-Priority-Group.ashx?la=en-CA">according to provincial data</a>. </p>
<p>Even within Toronto, <a href="https://www.ices.on.ca/%7E/media/Files/COVID-19/ICES-COVID19-Vaccination-Data-by-FSA.ashx?la=en-CA">the same data shows the wealthy Rosedale neighbourhood has a third-dose rate of 50 per cent while it’s 16 per cent in the working-class Jane-Finch area</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People line up along a sidewalk outside a brown apartment building. One man is sitting in a camping chair." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442998/original/file-20220127-4399-13vemp2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442998/original/file-20220127-4399-13vemp2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442998/original/file-20220127-4399-13vemp2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442998/original/file-20220127-4399-13vemp2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442998/original/file-20220127-4399-13vemp2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442998/original/file-20220127-4399-13vemp2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442998/original/file-20220127-4399-13vemp2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Residents of Toronto’s Jane and Finch neighbourhood line up at a pop-up vaccine clinic in April 2021. Residents of the area continue to struggle with the lowest vaccination rates in the city.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These findings are consistent with data from the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/1587a9c2-37b2-4b17-8bcc-700d3bffc0bc">United States suggesting racialized communities</a> have the lowest rate of vaccine uptake. </p>
<p>This means structural barriers clearly need to be addressed before third doses are mandated. Further enforcement could lead to more hesitancy and create deeper divides and segregation among vulnerable communities.</p>
<h2>Disparities among children, too</h2>
<p>In children, the same differences arise, despite growing calls for vaccine mandates in schools. There is a much higher vaccine uptake in richer communities than in poorer ones. In Ontario, two-dose vaccination rates in 12- to 17-year-olds in the <a href="https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/data-and-analysis/infectious-disease/covid-19-data-surveillance">poorest communities is 20 per cent lower than in the richest</a>. </p>
<p>As a society, are we willing to keep the most economically disadvantaged out of school over vaccination given the snowball effects from prolonged lack of in-class education, especially among communities where education may be the road out of poverty? </p>
<p>While some may cite the mandatory immunizations required for schools, many of the vaccines on the list had decades of clinical experience prior to being mandated. The COVID-19 vaccine in five- to 11-year-old children has been approved in Canada for only three months, and while all data points to it being both safe and effective, <a href="https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/immunization/national-advisory-committee-on-immunization-naci/updated-recommendations-use-covid-19-vaccines-children-5-11-years-age.pdf">even our National Advisory Committee on Immunizations notes</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Parents are supported and respected in their decisions regarding COVID-19 vaccinations for their children, whatever decisions they make, and are not stigmatized for accepting, or not accepting, the vaccination offer.”</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A girl in a pink face mask sits in a man's lap as she's vaccinated.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443000/original/file-20220127-6492-12p9zrd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443000/original/file-20220127-6492-12p9zrd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443000/original/file-20220127-6492-12p9zrd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443000/original/file-20220127-6492-12p9zrd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443000/original/file-20220127-6492-12p9zrd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=618&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443000/original/file-20220127-6492-12p9zrd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=618&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443000/original/file-20220127-6492-12p9zrd.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=618&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A young girl is held by her father as she gets her COVID-19 vaccination at a clinic in Montréal in November 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Importantly, two doses of vaccine remain highly protective against severe disease among most people. Should an 18-year-old with two doses, with a hospitalization risk of 0.1 per cent with two doses according <a href="https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/1.21.22_COVID_Hospitalizations.pdf">to data compiled in British Columbia</a>, be excluded from society because a third dose reduces personal risk to even less than 0.1 per cent?</p>
<h2>Efficacy decline?</h2>
<p>It is still unclear if protection from booster shots wanes over time, with a recent British report suggesting a decline in efficacy to 40 per cent against infection 15 weeks after <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1050721/Vaccine-surveillance-report-week-4.pdf">people get boosters.</a> </p>
<p>Finally, there’s the prospect of infection-derived immunity. Nearly <a href="https://www.euro.who.int/en/media-centre/sections/statements/2022/statement-update-on-covid-19-omicron-wave-threatening-to-overcome-health-workforce">50 per cent of people in certain regions</a> are expected to be infected with COVID-19 in the coming weeks. U.K. data suggests those with two doses of vaccine plus infection-derived immunity <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1048395/technical-briefing-34-14-january-2022.pdf">show similar protection to three doses and no infection</a>.</p>
<p>Health-care practitioners and community leaders who encourage and empower their patients and community to get vaccinated comprise a sustainable, positive health intervention. It reinforces the therapeutic bond between health-care providers and patients. Politicians attempting to force those patients to get third doses run the risk of eroding this trust. </p>
<p>What’s more, as the pandemic endures, what happens when a <a href="https://brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/researchers-to-begin-human-trials-for-promising-new-inhaled-covid-19-vaccines-designed-to-combat-variants-of-concern/">newer generation of vaccines arises</a> that are required for the population to reach optimal immunity? </p>
<p>What happens if <a href="https://www.cnet.com/health/could-a-universal-vaccine-put-an-end-to-covid-pandemics-the-army-is-counting-on-it/">a pan-coronavirus vaccine</a> is made available?</p>
<p>Given the divisions created by vaccine mandates, the use of these future tools may be significantly compromised if we push people too hard now. </p>
<h2>Politicians fuelling division</h2>
<p>The antagonism that’s being created by political interference risks fuelling hesitancy even further. COVID-19 isn’t going to be the last pandemic or public health emergency necessitating public buy-in, and any gains with mandating third doses may lead to challenges in long-term engagement with the primary consumer of public health — the public.</p>
<p>During the English leaders’ debate during last fall’s federal election, five leadership candidates came together to encourage vaccination across the political spectrum.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1436345807511380002"}"></div></p>
<p>It was a moment of unity in health promotion messaging in Canada. </p>
<p>Today, government and opposition leaders should promote policies to increase resources for proactive uptake and outreach that encourages vaccination and empowers people, rather than basing policies in mandates and penalties.</p>
<p>Health-care providers, public health organizations and community leaders should be a positive force in vaccination. To ensure success, policies should be driven by community engagement, empowerment, equity and education. </p>
<p><em>Do you have a question about COVID-19 vaccines? Email us at <a href="mailto:ca-vaccination@theconversation.com">ca-vaccination@theconversation.com</a> and vaccine experts will answer questions in upcoming articles.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175416/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stefan Baral receives funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Canadian Institute of Health Research. Stefan Baral only has funding from government bodies but no personal salary, consulting, or funding from for-profit companies.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kwadwo Kyeremanteng and Zain Chagla do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The antagonism driven by political interference in COVID-19 vaccination is fuelling hesitancy. Mass vaccination campaigns require public buy-in via trusted health-care providers and community leaders.Zain Chagla, Associate Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, McMaster UniversityKwadwo Kyeremanteng, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaStefan Baral, Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1750382022-01-16T10:18:42Z2022-01-16T10:18:42ZWhy Novak Djokovic lost his fight to stay in Australia – and why it sets a concerning precedent<p>Many sports stars are, rightly or wrongly, held up as role models. In the case of Novak Djokovic, we have a set of powerful factors at play. </p>
<p>On one side is a tennis superstar who is unvaccinated and has raised concerns about receiving the vaccination. On the other side is a government which believes Djokovic’s presence in Australia will have a serious negative effect on public health orders and future vaccination levels. </p>
<p>Today, the full Federal Court, in a unanimous judgement, dismissed Djokovic’s application to overturn the cancellation of his visa. It is not surprising he lost his case. Although the evidence used by the immigration minister to cancel the visa was not overwhelmingly strong, the breadth of his powers under the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Series/C1958A00062">Migration Act</a> made it very difficult to successfully challenge his findings.</p>
<p>But the legal issues raised by this case do not end here. What are the broader implications of the government’s approach in future cases involving high-profile “anti-vaxxers” or people who may be seen as a risk to Australia’s social order? </p>
<p>Although the government may be very happy about this result, I would question whether this is a workable precedent to set for other sportspeople, or indeed anyone, who may be seen as posing a risk to the public interest of Australia.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1482525048443670532"}"></div></p>
<h2>What the government claimed</h2>
<p>The immigration minister has the power to cancel a visa if he or she is satisfied a person’s presence in Australia <em>might</em> be a risk to the health, safety or good order of Australia and the cancellation is in the public interest. </p>
<p>The use of the word “might” is important – the minister does not need to show Djokovic <em>would</em> pose a risk, only that he <em>may</em> do so.</p>
<p>When cancelling Djokovic’s visa on Friday, <a href="https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/services/access-to-files-and-transcripts/online-files/djokovic/filed-documents/Sealed-Affidavit-Bannister-1512022.pdf">Immigration Minister Alex Hawke</a> reasoned the tennis player’s conduct and stance against vaccination may encourage others to emulate him by reason of his high profile and status. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/novak-djokovic-has-long-divided-opinion-now-his-legacy-will-be-complicated-even-further-174531">Novak Djokovic has long divided opinion. Now, his legacy will be complicated even further</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There were two issues with the ministerial statement which were discussed at some length in the full Federal Court:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Hawke did not seek the views of Djokovic on his present attitude to vaccinations. Instead, the minister cited material that made clear Djokovic has publicly expressed antivaccination sentiment. This included a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-59897918">BBC article</a>, which Djokovic’s lawyers argued was not sufficient to make a judgement about his vaccination views. </p></li>
<li><p>Hawke explicitly referred to the effect Djokovic’s presence would have on public health and social order. What the minister did not consider, however, was the other side of this argument. That is, Djokovic’s deportation might lead to an increase in anti-vax sentiment and/or civil unrest. </p></li>
</ol>
<h2>What Djokovic claimed</h2>
<p>Djokovic’s lawyers made some very compelling <a href="https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/services/access-to-files-and-transcripts/online-files/djokovic/filed-documents/sealed-Applicants-revised-Submissions-1512022.pdf">arguments</a> about Hawke’s reasoning. Put simply, the lawyers said the minister had two choices: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>to cancel the visa and deport Djokovic </p></li>
<li><p>not cancel it and let him stay. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>They argued it was irrational for Hawke to only question the effect Djokovic’s presence would have on anti-vax sentiment in Australia and not the effect his deportation would have.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-one-man-with-god-like-powers-decides-if-novak-djokovic-can-stay-or-go-174773">Why one man with 'god-like' powers decides if Novak Djokovic can stay or go</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Djokovic’s lawyers also argued the minister’s findings lacked sufficient evidence to support the contention that his presence in Australia might pose a risk to the health or good order of the Australian community and the contention Djokovic had a “well-known stance on vaccination”. </p>
<p>Djokovic’s lawyers conceded Djokovic had previously said he was opposed to vaccinations. However, they pointed out in the BBC article he </p>
<blockquote>
<p>later clarified his position by adding that he was ‘no expert’ and would keep an ‘open mind’ but wanted to have ‘an option to choose what’s best for my body’. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>It is important to note this qualifying passage was not extracted by Hawke in his statement - a point Djokovic’s lawyers made in the hearing.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Supporters of Novak Djokovic hold Serbian flags." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440956/original/file-20220116-28-11x9wet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440956/original/file-20220116-28-11x9wet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440956/original/file-20220116-28-11x9wet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440956/original/file-20220116-28-11x9wet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440956/original/file-20220116-28-11x9wet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440956/original/file-20220116-28-11x9wet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440956/original/file-20220116-28-11x9wet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Supporters of Novak Djokovic hold Serbian flags outside the Federal Court building in Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tom Moldoveanu/AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why Djokovic’s case failed</h2>
<p>In response, the government argued it was reasonable to conclude Djokovic is opposed to vaccination based on his previous public statements and the fact he is known to be unvaccinated. </p>
<p>The government also said Hawke was not only concerned with Djokovic’s current views on vaccination, but the <em>public perception</em> of his views.</p>
<p>Further, the government said Hawke did not have to show Djokovic’s presence <em>has</em> fostered anti-vaccination sentiment or necessarily <em>will</em> foster it. All he needed to show was his presence in Australia <em>may</em> foster anti-vax sentiment – a relatively low threshold to reach.</p>
<p>Presumably, this is why Djokovic’s case failed. Although there were questions about the evidence used by Hawke, the Migration Act powers are very broad and it is difficult to challenge them based on unlawfulness.</p>
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<h2>Implications for the future</h2>
<p>While the Federal Court’s decision may be viewed as legally justified given the breadth of the cancellation powers in the Migration Act, some thought must be given to the future implications of these powers and what this means for the ability of the government to cancel other people’s visas.</p>
<p>The basis of Hawke’s findings seemed to be it was enough to show Djokovic is an iconic sports star who is perceived as being anti-vaccination and therefore may foster anti-vax sentiment in Australia.</p>
<p>I have a number of concerns with this.</p>
<p>First, it is unfair if the perception or actions of others can determine someone’s eligibility to remain in a country. A person may wrongly be viewed as having a particular belief and still be subject to a visa cancellation.</p>
<p>Second, the minister relied on Djokovic’s claimed status as a “role model” and his capacity as a high-profile sportsperson to apparently influence society. What if a sportsperson is unvaccinated, but not high-profile?</p>
<p>Third, and this is the most concerning point, if we extend this logic to other people, it could justify the cancellation of any individual who is seen as a “role model” and who may be perceived as causing social unrest or protests. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://twitter.com/Kate_Seear/status/1482568831264768009?s=20">legal commentators such as Kate Seear pointed out</a>, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>This kind of logic - that athletes are role models and role models can influence society […] could be extended to other athletes wanting to come here in the future, including those with diverse political views, such as supporters of Black Lives Matter and defunding police.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Lastly, the idea a person can have their visa cancelled because their views might affect the health, safety or good order of the Australian community raises issues for freedom of expression. </p>
<p>A wide cancellation power allows the government to stop international visitors who may have an important message to tell Australians. That would pose significant concerns for political debate in Australia.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175038/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maria O'Sullivan previously received funding from the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department to undertake research on automated decision-making. She also serves on the Human Rights Legal Advice Panel for the Queensland Parliament.</span></em></p>The ruling could justify the future visa cancellation of any individual who is seen as a ‘role model’ and who may be perceived as causing social unrest.Maria O'Sullivan, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, and Deputy Director, Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1748562022-01-13T23:01:03Z2022-01-13T23:01:03ZCOVID-19 vaccine mandates would likely face legal hurdles in Canada<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440781/original/file-20220113-25-xw3ik0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=329%2C100%2C5774%2C3913&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People gather in Kingston, Ont., to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and masking measures on Nov. 14, 2021.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg </span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/covid-19-vaccine-mandates-would-likely-face-legal-hurdles-in-canada" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos wants <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/duclos-mandatory-vaccination-policies-on-way-1.6307398">provinces to make vaccination mandatory</a>. Québec has <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/unvaccinated-health-contribution-quebec-1.6311054">proposed a health tax for the unvaccinated</a>. And other democracies have proposed similar laws. But <a href="https://theconversation.com/greece-to-make-covid-vaccines-mandatory-for-over-60s-but-do-vaccine-mandates-work-172672">fining or taxing the unvaccinated raises practical</a> and legal problems. Here, I focus on the legal issues.</p>
<p>As the pandemic wears on, governments are bringing in more and more vaccine mandates. First you needed a vaccine to go to <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-reveals-vaccine-passport-system-for-restaurants-gyms-and-theatres-here-s-what-you-need-to-know-1.5569198">bars, restaurants and gyms</a>. Then there were workplace mandates, then mandates to travel on trains and airplanes. <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-quebecs-expansion-of-covid-19-vaccine-passports-to-liquor-pot-stores/">Québec has recently required vaccines to enter liquor and cannabis stores</a>. </p>
<p>With <a href="https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/vaccination-coverage/">vaccination rates barely budging in recent weeks</a>, governments are looking for new ways to get needles in arms.</p>
<h2>Penalties for the unvaccinated</h2>
<p>The latest proposal is to require vaccination, full stop. But it’s important to note that this doesn’t mean forcing people to be vaccinated. Rather, the most likely scenario is a provincial law making it an offence not to be vaccinated. The penalty would most likely be a fine, though jail time is not out of the question. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos at a news conference with Canadian flags behind him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440788/original/file-20220113-3374-1jpm7t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440788/original/file-20220113-3374-1jpm7t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440788/original/file-20220113-3374-1jpm7t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440788/original/file-20220113-3374-1jpm7t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440788/original/file-20220113-3374-1jpm7t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440788/original/file-20220113-3374-1jpm7t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440788/original/file-20220113-3374-1jpm7t1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Federal Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos has suggested that provinces consider mandatory COVID-19 vaccination.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Consider what some European countries have done. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-09/how-austria-plans-to-enforce-eu-s-first-mandatory-vaccine-policy">Austria was the first in Europe to require vaccination with fines for non-compliance</a> of up to 3,600 euros ($5,150). In Greece, <a href="https://theconversation.com/greece-to-make-covid-vaccines-mandatory-for-over-60s-but-do-vaccine-mandates-work-172672">a monthy fine of 100 euros will be imposed on those over 60 who are unvaccinated</a>, starting Jan. 16. In Italy, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-make-covid-jab-mandatory-over-50s-tighten-curbs-draft-2022-01-05/">those over 50 will face fines if they’re not vaccinated</a>. While the penalty is still being determined, it appears it will be <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/06/europe/italy-vaccine-mandatory-intl/index.html">at least 100 euros</a>. </p>
<h2>Can Canada mandate vaccines?</h2>
<p>Whether a government can mandate vaccines depends on what exactly a new law says. Canadians have rights to make decisions about vaccination but these rights are not absolute. And having rights does not mean there will be no consequences for your decisions.</p>
<p>If a province tried to impose a fine or other penalty on the unvaccinated, a challenge under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms would surely follow. The argument would be that this violates people’s <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/rfc-dlc/ccrf-ccdl/check/art7.html">right to life, liberty and security of the person</a>, and perhaps other rights like <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/rfc-dlc/ccrf-ccdl/check/art2a.html">freedom of conscience</a>. </p>
<p>Whether the law is constitutional would come down to issues like whether it’s as narrow as possible, whether it would significantly increase vaccination rates and whether the government had done enough to promote voluntary vaccination. </p>
<p>For example, laws with exceptions for those with medical reasons not to be vaccinated would be more likely to be constitutional. Those limited to people over a certain age (as in Italy and Greece) would be easier to justify. And first making all other reasonable efforts to promote voluntary vaccination would help make the law constitutional.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People protesting vaccine mandates. One holds a sign reading 'Vaccine mandates are coercion'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440790/original/file-20220113-15-27kl6f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440790/original/file-20220113-15-27kl6f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440790/original/file-20220113-15-27kl6f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440790/original/file-20220113-15-27kl6f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440790/original/file-20220113-15-27kl6f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440790/original/file-20220113-15-27kl6f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440790/original/file-20220113-15-27kl6f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If a province tried to impose a fine or other penalty on the unvaccinated, a Charter challenge would surely follow.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As for significantly increasing vaccination rates, it is debatable whether a vaccine mandate would do that. Many people may prefer to pay a fine than to be vaccinated. If the fine were high enough to change people’s minds, it may also be unduly harsh — especially for marginalized populations. </p>
<p>Governments should avoid a scenario in which the rich pay to avoid vaccination, while the poor have fewer options. One possibility is to have the amount of the fine or tax depend on one’s income.</p>
<p>Also at play in the effectiveness of a vaccine mandate is timing. A mandate likely wouldn’t take effect until after the peak of the fifth wave. The benefit of current vaccines for future waves or variants is unknown. </p>
<p>That will make it harder for governments to argue that such a law doesn’t erode rights any more than necessary — an important part of the constitutional analysis. That said, vaccines will surely continue to be a vitally important tool in fighting COVID-19.</p>
<h2>Encouraging vaccination vs. recovering costs</h2>
<p>A final issue, raised by Québec’s approach, is whether the law is meant to increase vaccination rates or recover health-care costs. Both fines and taxes add to a province’s bottom line but a law’s purpose matters in constitutional law. </p>
<p>A mandate is more likely to incentivize vaccinations while a health tax is primarily meant to recover health-care costs. (Singapore went further by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/09/singapore-to-start-charging-covid-patients-who-are-unvaccinated-by-choice">charging the unvaccinated for their own hospital costs should they become hospitalized</a>.) </p>
<p>Mandates more directly implicate one’s right to bodily autonomy. A tax could be said only to affect one’s finances. <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/quebec-working-on-new-significant-health-tax-for-the-unvaccinated">This may make a tax more constitutionally sound</a>.</p>
<p>That said, it raises serious policy issues. Universal health care does not cost more for citizens simply because they are more likely to need health care. That’s part of what makes it universal. It’s not like private insurance that ties premiums to risk. Tobacco and alcohol may be heavily taxed, but we don’t tax dangerous sporting activities, unhealthy eating, having a stressful job or lack of exercise. </p>
<p>Charging more for universal health care based on personal choices is controversial and raises important moral and practical issues. Governments should think carefully about the implications before eroding the principle of universality.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174856/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hilary Young does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Can the government mandate vaccines? Canadians have rights to make decisions about vaccination, but these rights are not absolute, and do not mean those decisions will have no consequences.Hilary Young, Professor, Law, University of New BrunswickLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1731372021-12-16T01:04:24Z2021-12-16T01:04:24ZShaming unvaccinated people has to stop. We’ve turned into an angry mob and it’s getting ugly<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436863/original/file-20211210-133881-j5pymq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2400%2C1695&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/men-pointing-on-each-other-412727410">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p>Unvaccinated mother, 27, dies with coronavirus as her father calls for fines for people who refuse jab. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is the <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-unvaccinated-mother-27-dies-with-coronavirus-as-her-father-calls-for-fines-for-people-who-refuse-jab-12477408">kind of headline</a> you may have seen over the past year, an example highlighting public shaming of unvaccinated people who die of COVID-19.</p>
<p>One news outlet <a href="https://newsone.com/playlist/famous-anti-vaxxers-who-have-died-from-covid-19/item/1/">compiled a list</a> of “notable anti-vaxxers who have died from COVID-19”. </p>
<p>There’s shaming <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/27/style/anti-vaccine-deaths-social-media.html">on social media</a>, too. For instance, a whole <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/16/reddit-r/hermancainaward-posts-stories-of-anti-vaxxers-dying-of-covid.html">Reddit channel</a> is devoted to mocking people who die after refusing the vaccine.</p>
<p>COVID-19 vaccinations save lives and reduce the need for hospitalisation. This is all important public health information.</p>
<p>Telling <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-telling-stories-could-be-a-more-powerful-way-of-convincing-some-people-to-take-a-covid-vaccine-than-just-the-facts-155050">relatable stories</a> and using emotive language about vaccination sends a message: getting vaccinated is good.</p>
<p>But the problem with the examples above is their tone and the way unvaccinated people are singled out. There’s also a murkier reason behind this shaming.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-telling-stories-could-be-a-more-powerful-way-of-convincing-some-people-to-take-a-covid-vaccine-than-just-the-facts-155050">Why telling stories could be a more powerful way of convincing some people to take a COVID vaccine than just the facts</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<h2>Why do we shame people?</h2>
<p>Public shaming is not new. It is entrenched in human history and psychology. From an <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/02/the-evolution-of-shaming/470544/">evolutionary perspective</a>, shame is a way of keeping individuals accountable to the other members of their community for their perceived anti-social behaviours.</p>
<p>Philosophers Guy Aitchison and Saladin Meckled-Garcia <a href="https://www.pdcnet.org/soctheorpract/content/soctheorpract_2021_0047_0001_0001_0031">say</a> online public shaming is a way of collectively punishing a person “for having a certain kind of moral character”. This punishment (or “reputational cost”) can be a way of enforcing norms in society.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436862/original/file-20211210-13-1gdr0xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C998%2C531&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Man pointing finger, shaming other man, whose head is hung low" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436862/original/file-20211210-13-1gdr0xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C998%2C531&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436862/original/file-20211210-13-1gdr0xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436862/original/file-20211210-13-1gdr0xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436862/original/file-20211210-13-1gdr0xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436862/original/file-20211210-13-1gdr0xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436862/original/file-20211210-13-1gdr0xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436862/original/file-20211210-13-1gdr0xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Shaming is a way of keeping people accountable for their ‘wrongs’. It also helps us feel better about ourselves.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/men-pointing-on-each-other-412727410">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, shaming others is also a <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/02/the-evolution-of-shaming/470544/">way of signalling</a> our own virtue and trustworthiness. Moralising about other people’s behaviour can help us feel better about ourselves. </p>
<p>The online world exacerbates this human tendency. It polarises two heavily moralised camps: the self-perceived good, responsible people on one side (the shaming ones), and the ones considered bad, irresponsible people on the other (the shamed ones). </p>
<p>Vaccination has become such a sensitive issue it easily triggers the instinct to shame others.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-power-of-public-shaming-for-good-and-for-ill-38920">The power of public shaming, for good and for ill</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Do people deserve to be shamed?</h2>
<p>Shaming people for their health-related choices disregards <a href="https://jme.bmj.com/content/45/10/636">the complexities</a> about whether people are individually responsible for their own decisions.</p>
<p>Take obesity, another example associated with public shaming. The extent to which individuals are responsible for their obesity or for the lifestyle that causes obesity is complex. We need to consider issues including genes, environment, wealth, as well as choice. Indeed, shaming people for their obesity (“<a href="https://theconversation.com/walking-the-fine-line-between-healthy-weight-advice-and-fat-shaming-81759">fat shaming</a>”) is widely considered unacceptable.</p>
<p>Likewise, low levels of vaccine uptake in some communities is often linked to structural inequalities, including health inequality, and a resulting lack of trust. The blame for this situation is typically placed on broader society and institutions, and not on the affected groups or individuals.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1442967366829150208"}"></div></p>
<p>If someone cannot be blamed for something, then shaming them is not ethically justifiable.</p>
<p>In discussions of responsibility it is <a href="https://neweconomics.org/2018/11/take-responsibility-for-your-own-health">now common to focus</a> on “structural injustice” or “inequality” – the injustice of various social factors that shape choice and behaviour. </p>
<p>This applies not only to obesity, drugs, alcohol but also to vaccination decisions.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1409693980778848260"}"></div></p>
<p>Even where this is not the case, there has been a targeted, systematic and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/russia-china-sow-disinformation-undermine-trust-western-vaccines-eu-report-says-2021-04-28/">even state-sponsored misinformation campaign</a> about vaccines. People who are misinformed are victims, not perpetrators. </p>
<p>Finally, we should remember why medical ethics has designated autonomy and consent as foundational ethical values. Even where there is a clear expected benefit, and only very rare side effects, these won’t be shared equally. Many will have their lives saved. But some people will be the ones who suffer the harms. This a strong reason for respecting people’s decision about what risks to take on themselves.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/theres-no-need-to-pause-vaccine-rollouts-when-theres-a-safety-scare-give-the-public-the-facts-and-let-them-decide-157405">There's no need to pause vaccine rollouts when there's a safety scare. Give the public the facts and let them decide</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Barring any public health issue, an individual should make the decisions about health risks, whether they are from the disease or vaccines. Shaming them disregards the complexities of the distribution of risks and benefits, of the way individual values affect individual risk assessment, and of personal circumstances shaping individuals’ views on vaccines.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1375192134563680258"}"></div></p>
<p>Granted, public health ethics is a broader area and autonomy does not have the same weight there, because other people’s health interests are at stake. </p>
<p>But when public health issues do arise, it is up to public health authorities to limit autonomy through appropriate and more ethical strategies.</p>
<p>One of us (Savulescu) has <a href="https://jme.bmj.com/content/47/2/78">previously argued</a> for incentives to vaccinate. Mandatory vaccination (such as imposing fines, or other penalties such as limitations on access to certain spaces) would require a <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-covid-passes-are-not-discriminatory-in-the-way-you-think-they-are-171641">separate ethical discussion</a>, but could also be preferable in certain circumstances.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/anger-grievance-resentment-we-need-to-understand-how-anti-vaxxers-feel-to-make-sense-of-their-actions-169829">Anger, grievance, resentment: we need to understand how anti-vaxxers feel to make sense of their actions</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Shaming is a form of vigilantism</h2>
<p>One could plausibly imagine shaming pleases people who are vaccinated – especially the most self-righteous among them. But those who are opposed to vaccines, or who mistrust the government messages, are unlikely to be persuaded and may even be entrenched. </p>
<p>Even if shaming was effective, shaming wouldn’t necessarily be ethically justified. Not everything that is effective at achieving a goal is also ethical. Torture is, generally, not a justifiable way to obtain information, even if that information is credible and life-saving.</p>
<p>Shaming is a form of vigilantism, a mob behaviour. We have moved beyond burning witches or atheists, or lynching wrong-doers. We should stop doing these things also in the metaphorical sense. </p>
<p>We have parliaments and formal mechanisms for limiting behaviour, or incentivising it. We should leave it to these to regulate behaviour, not the media or the mob.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173137/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julian Savulescu receives funding from the Uehiro Foundation on Ethics and Education, NHMRC, Wellcome Trust, Australian Research Council, UK Research and Innovation (Arts and Humanities Research Council) as part of the Ethics Accelerator Award AH/V013947/1, WHO. He is a Partner Investigator on an Australian Research Council Linkage award (LP190100841, Oct 2020-2023) which involves industry partnership from Illumina. He does not personally receive any funds from Illumina. He is a paid member of the Bayer Pharmaceuticals Bioethics Committee.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alberto Giubilini receives funding from the Wellcome Trust. </span></em></p>We have moved beyond burning witches and lynching wrong-doers. So we should also stop shaming unvaccinated people. There are better ways to change behaviour.Julian Savulescu, Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of OxfordAlberto Giubilini, Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of OxfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1715752021-11-16T16:07:19Z2021-11-16T16:07:19ZWho voted for the People’s Party of Canada? Anti-vaxxers and those opposed to vaccine mandates<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432038/original/file-20211115-19-1d6z4bz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3000%2C2074&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier speaks from a podium to supporters during the PPC headquarters election night event in Saskatoon, Sask., in September 2021. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards </span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/who-voted-for-the-people’s-party-of-canada-anti-vaxxers-and-those-opposed-to-vaccine-mandates" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>At first glance, the 2021 federal election appears to have changed very little. Each party was returned to the House of Commons with <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/federal-election-2021/six-charts-to-help-you-understand-the-2021-federal-election-1.5598419">about as many seats</a> as it had previously held. </p>
<p>Beneath the surface, however, some shifts occurred. Most notably, while the People’s Party of Canada failed to win any seats, its share of the popular vote <a href="https://www.elections.ca/enr/help/national_e.htm">grew to five per cent</a> — more than double what it earned two years earlier.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/canadian-populism-got-shut-out-this-election-but-its-still-a-growing-movement-168133">Canadian populism got shut out this election — but it's still a growing movement</a>
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<p>The PPC’s support is small yet not easily dismissed. The 841,000 votes it earned makes it the fifth most popular party in the country, well ahead of <a href="https://vancouversun.com/news/politics/election-2021/election-2021-results-green-party-delivered-setback-at-ballot-box-losing-mp-in-faltering-of-support">the Greens</a> (who have appeared on the ballot, addressing the prominent issue of climate change, <a href="https://www.greenparty.ca/en/party/history">for decades</a>). The People’s Party won three times more votes than the Reform Party did when it first fielded candidates <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/election-1988-feature">in 1988</a>, one election prior to its breakthrough in 1993.</p>
<p>Understanding exactly what to make of the PPC’s growing support is especially important for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. If PPC voters are former Conservative supporters disappointed with the party’s attempt to appeal to middle-of-the-road, suburban Canadians, it signals a serious dilemma — each voter the Conservatives gain by moving to the centre could be matched by a right-leaning voter lost to the PPC.</p>
<h2>PPC voters bemoan ‘loss of freedom’</h2>
<p>What, then, do we know about PPC voters? At first glance, our <a href="https://www.environicsinstitute.org/insights/insight-details/who-supports-the-people-s-party-of-canada">fall 2021 survey</a> shows PPC voters have the profile many would expect. They’re dissatisfied with the way things are going in our country today, feel the economy is getting weaker, think there are too many immigrants coming to Canada who don’t adopt the country’s values and hold a favourable opinion of the United States.</p>
<p>Yet these opinions do not really set them apart. <a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/09/25/news/conservatives-more-likely-view-immigrants-costly-society">Most Conservative Party supporters also hold these views</a>. What does distinguish current PPC voters is their views on the COVID-19 pandemic, and specifically on the issue of vaccination, vaccine mandates and vaccine passports. </p>
<p>Our survey, conducted during the 2021 election campaign, asked Canadians to identify the most important problem facing the country today. </p>
<p>Both Liberal and Conservative Party supporters were most likely to mention the COVID-19 pandemic in general. Climate change was most likely to be mentioned as the most important problem by NDP, Bloc Québécois and Green Party supporters. </p>
<p>But for PPC supporters, the No. 1 issue was the loss of freedom stemming from vaccine mandates — a concern barely mentioned by anyone who supported other parties. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A group of protesters, including a woman in an orange-and-white tank top, blue scarf and baseball hat, hold signs, one of which says Make Canada Free Again." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Demonstrators hold signs for passing motorists as protesters gather to demonstrate against measures taken by health authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Toronto in September 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span>
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<p>A more rigorous analysis of the survey results, which tests the significance of different factors while holding others constant, confirms the importance of vaccination issues to current PPC voters. </p>
<p>Someone who singled out “loss of freedom” during the pandemic as the most important issue facing the country had a 59 per cent chance of supporting the PPC, compared to only a five per cent chance for someone who mentioned any other issue. </p>
<p>Similarly, someone who singled out “COVID-19 vaccination issues” as the most important issue facing the country had a 44 per cent chance of supporting the PPC, compared to a six per cent chance for someone who mentioned any other issue. </p>
<h2>Immigration not a decisive factor</h2>
<p>This last example, furthermore, likely underestimates the impact of PPC voters’ irritation with vaccination requirements. It can be assumed that the very few number of Liberals who also singled out “COVID-19 vaccination issues” as the most important issue probably had something very different in mind — perhaps frustration with those who won’t get vaccinated — than their PPC counterparts. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, the main point is clear: voters concerned about the push to be vaccinated and what they perceive as a loss of freedom during the pandemic were much more likely to vote PPC than voters concerned about anything else. </p>
<p>Equally important is the finding that PPC voters stand out much less for their attitudes on immigration. The impact of immigration views on someone’s likelihood of supporting the PPC is barely significant, in stark contrast to their opinions on vaccination.</p>
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<img alt="Protesters carry signs that read My Body My Choice and No Mandates No Passports." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1044%2C128%2C5013%2C3253&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">People gather to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and masking measures during a weekend rally in Kingston, Ont., in November 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg</span></span>
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<p>This does not mean that PPC voters are strong supporters of immigration; rather, it means simply that their views on the subject do not differentiate supporters of the PPC from supporters of some other parties — notably, the Conservatives. </p>
<p>Incidentally, it should be noted these findings apply only to Canadians indicating they intended to vote for the PPC, not to the party’s leadership, organizers or funders who may regard closing our borders to newcomers as more of a priority.</p>
<h2>A message for Conservatives</h2>
<p>Nonetheless, the fact that the growth in PPC support is tied to the unusual issue of vaccination against COVID-19 is no guarantee that the party’s popularity will fade once the pandemic ends. Other issues may come along to take its place. </p>
<p>But it does send a cautionary note to Conservatives who might be wondering what the party can do to bring PPC voters back into the fold. Rejecting new policies on climate change or social diversity is unlikely to help so long as PPC supporters continue to be motivated largely by a single issue — their opposition to vaccines. </p>
<p>As the election outcome itself showed, showing flexibility on vaccine mandates in order to win back defectors to the PPC risks putting more distance between the Conservative Party and <a href="https://www.environicsinstitute.org/projects/project-details/all-in-this-together-canadians-views-on-masks-vaccines-and-lockdowns-during-the-covid-19-pandemic">the mainstream of Canadian public opinion</a>. </p>
<p>In short, PPC voters were not simply typical Conservative supporters leaning furthest to the right on a range of issues that include government spending, taxation, climate change and immigration. They were, on average, a unique cluster of voters who have rejected <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/majority-of-canadians-support-vaccination-mandates">the overwhelming public consensus on the need to be vaccinated to contain the spread of COVID-19.</a> </p>
<p>The growth potential for the Conservative Party lies not in chasing the small number of voters angered by vaccine mandates, but in appealing to the much larger pool of voters whose top priorities include bringing the pandemic to an end and refocusing attention on the fight against climate change.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171575/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The Environics Institute for Survey Research is a not-for-profit research agency. Its research projects are typically co-funded between the Institute and one or more non-governmental organizations, governments and business partners. A full list of partners is available on its website; partners for each study are noted in each published report. For the 2021 Focus Canada survey, data collection for questions related to immigration, refugees and Indigenous Peoples was cost-shared with Century Initiative. Data collection related to voting intention, as well as the analysis presented in this article, was self-funded by the Environics Institute.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Justin Savoie provides statistical research consulting services to the Environics Institute on an occasional basis. The present article is based on findings from such work.</span></em></p>Voters concerned about the push to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and what they perceived as a loss of freedom were much more likely to vote PPC than voters concerned about anything else.Andrew Parkin, Sessional Lecturer, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of TorontoJustin Savoie, PhD Candidate, Political Science, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1698292021-11-14T19:08:04Z2021-11-14T19:08:04ZAnger, grievance, resentment: we need to understand how anti-vaxxers feel to make sense of their actions<p>It is not entirely irrational to fear needles (or to suffer from <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/terrified-of-needles-that-can-affect-your-health-2021042722470">trypanophobia</a> for those who prefer the Greek term). Likewise, feeling anxious about injecting a foreign substance into the bloodstream seems quite reasonable. </p>
<p>And it is hardly surprising that people might find these things even more anxiety-inducing because of the duty of care we feel toward loved ones, especially children.</p>
<p>The anti-vax movement, thus, has an understandable relationship with fear and anxiety. In fact, there has been <a href="https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/history-anti-vaccination-movements#Source%202">resistance to vaccinations since at least the late 18th century</a> when the British physician Edward Jenner began to promote them as a prophylactic measure against smallpox. </p>
<p>One of Jenner’s contemporaries, the caricaturist James Gillray, <a href="https://www.themorgan.org/blog/cow-pock-or-wonderful-effects-new-inoculation">famously lampooned</a> people’s fears by imagining how cows grotesquely begin to sprout from the limbs and faces of the newly vaccinated. It was an early 19th-century version of what we today might assign to the sub-genre of body horror. </p>
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<img alt="A satirical cartoon by James Gillray" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431397/original/file-20211111-13-5okz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431397/original/file-20211111-13-5okz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431397/original/file-20211111-13-5okz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431397/original/file-20211111-13-5okz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431397/original/file-20211111-13-5okz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431397/original/file-20211111-13-5okz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431397/original/file-20211111-13-5okz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A satirical cartoon by James Gillray entitled, The Cow-Pock—or—the Wonderful Effects of the New Inoculation!, published in 1802.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
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<p>The anti-vax movement is, however, no longer fuelled purely by fears about vaccines and harmful side-effects.</p>
<p>At recent protests against vaccine mandates in Australia, for instance, “<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-almost-like-grooming-how-anti-vaxxers-conspiracy-theorists-and-the-far-right-came-together-over-covid-168383">F*** the jab</a>” was one of the chants that could be heard. The mood was dominated by anger, not anxiety.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-qanon-is-attracting-so-many-followers-in-australia-and-how-it-can-be-countered-144865">Why QAnon is attracting so many followers in Australia — and how it can be countered</a>
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<p>On first sight, there is nothing surprising about such truculence. The vaccine mandates imposed in response to the COVID pandemic are forcing some people to do something they are fearful of and would prefer not to do. </p>
<p>But the militancy of the protests and make-up of participants suggest many far-right nationalists and extreme libertarians have either co-opted the anti-vax movement or converged with it. <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-almost-like-grooming-how-anti-vaxxers-conspiracy-theorists-and-the-far-right-came-together-over-covid-168383">Ideological differences recede into the background</a> and common ground is found in opposing public authorities whose attempts to counteract the spread of the virus have been interpreted as the first steps toward tyranny. </p>
<h2>From philosophy to psychology</h2>
<p>A common denominator uniting these movements is the penchant for viewing the world through the prism of conspiracy theories. </p>
<p>For some, Big Pharma ruthlessly pursues profits by exploiting human frailty and gullibility. For others, the state is exploiting a health crisis with the goal of installing itself as Big Brother. For a few, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/22/what-is-illuminati-google-autocomplete">Illuminati</a> overlords are lurking somewhere in the background.</p>
<p>Because conspiracy theories claim to be based in fact – unlike myths or fables – the concept encourages us to treat them as rational and therefore refutable. </p>
<p>At least this was the presumption guiding the philosopher Karl Popper when he delivered two lectures in 1948 that are regarded as <a href="https://iep.utm.edu/conspira/#H1">the first effort to examine conspiracy theories from a philosophical standpoint</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/in-defence-of-conspiracy-theories-and-why-the-term-is-a-misnomer-101678">In defence of conspiracy theories (and why the term is a misnomer)</a>
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<p>Although Popper was aware that conspiracy theories are found throughout history, his analysis was akin to a thought experiment. The experiment revolved around the question of whether it was possible to imagine events and trends in the world as the result of a conspiracy. Is this a tenable view of how society works?</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431410/original/file-20211111-15-1j4bjpj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431410/original/file-20211111-15-1j4bjpj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431410/original/file-20211111-15-1j4bjpj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431410/original/file-20211111-15-1j4bjpj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431410/original/file-20211111-15-1j4bjpj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=745&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431410/original/file-20211111-15-1j4bjpj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=745&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431410/original/file-20211111-15-1j4bjpj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=745&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Karl Popper in 1990.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
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<p>It was not, he concluded. And refuting the claim that secret agents were responsible for a war or an economic depression, for example, was a way of edging closer to the correct understanding of such phenomena. </p>
<p>If this sounds somewhat abstract, the legal theorist Franz Neumann attempted to get nearer to the reality of conspiracy theories by linking them to a psychological condition. </p>
<p>In a 1954 lecture called “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318600479_Anxiety_and_Politics">Anxiety and Politics</a>”, Neumann diagnosed conspiracy theories as an attempt to transform people’s anxieties into fear. The distinction had political consequences. Anxiety had a paralysising effect; fear, by contrast, was a catalyst for action.</p>
<p>Neumann insisted that at the core of the delusions characterising conspiracy theories, there remained a “kernel of truth”. In this spirit, the suspicions long harboured by the anti-vax movement are not entirely misplaced if you take into account the far-from-unblemished public health record of pharmaceutical giants. </p>
<p>Much of the research on conspiracy theories since then continues to take its cues from Neumann by treating them as attempts by frightened, panicked people to get a grip on the world. </p>
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<img alt="Anti-vaccination rally in Romania." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431412/original/file-20211111-6892-15qyn4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431412/original/file-20211111-6892-15qyn4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431412/original/file-20211111-6892-15qyn4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431412/original/file-20211111-6892-15qyn4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431412/original/file-20211111-6892-15qyn4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431412/original/file-20211111-6892-15qyn4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431412/original/file-20211111-6892-15qyn4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Anti-vaccination rallies like this one in Romania this month have been commonplace throughout the pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Vadim Ghirda/AP</span></span>
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<h2>How anger leads to falsehoods</h2>
<p>What if, however, fear and anxiety are not sufficient to understand the social psychology at work here? </p>
<p>The protests against vaccine mandates, as well as earlier <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32564418/">protests against 5G technology</a> and the rise of the QAnon movement, suggest there are other emotions underpinning all of this. These are feelings of anger, grievance, and resentment. Add to this the restrictions and lockdowns imposed by governments over the last 18 months and the effect is like pouring fuel on the fire.</p>
<p>Anger makes us want to lash out – to kick the cat or some other unfortunate proxy for those deemed responsible for our troubles and woes. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-almost-like-grooming-how-anti-vaxxers-conspiracy-theorists-and-the-far-right-came-together-over-covid-168383">'It's almost like grooming': how anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists, and the far-right came together over COVID</a>
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<p>Importantly, anger also has a disinhibiting effect on our relationship to the truth. That is, when we are angry, we feel less obliged to speak truthfully and allow our emotions to take over. </p>
<p>For instance, <a href="https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/anger-and-deception/">research shows anger enhances our propensity to lie</a>. And the deeper you probe into the contemporary anti-vax movement, the more you find a conscious willingness to play it fast and loose with the truth. </p>
<p>The movement is now driven by lies told out of spite and believed in part by those who tell them because of the gratification this brings them. </p>
<p>The online documentary <a href="https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/may/08/fact-checking-plandemic-documentary-full-false-con/">Plandemic: The Hidden Agenda Behind COVID-19</a>, for example, features Judy Mikovits, a discredited medical researcher with an axe to grind against Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease expert in the US, because of the alleged role he played in the loss of her professional reputation. </p>
<p>The documentary makes a series of bogus claims, culminating in the assertion that masks function as a catalyst for COVID because “they activate your inner virus.” </p>
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<p>Another widespread lie is that philanthropist Bill Gates was using the vaccine as an opportunity to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/52847648">implant microchip tracking devices in humans</a>. </p>
<p>Presumably, it is still possible to ask about the “kernel of truth” buried deep within such claims, yet their outlandishness suggests this model has its limits.
At some point, one has to start factoring in the role of dishonesty. </p>
<p>Clearly, this presents a challenge to historians and social scientists who would prefer to understand falsehoods as innocent errors caused by psychological factors or social circumstances. </p>
<p>Identifying a falsehood as a lie incurs the risk of moralising. And denouncing conspiracy theorists as liars will hardly alleviate social tensions. Easy fixes are hard to come by, but a start would be to understand better the anger that makes lying appear justifiable in the first place.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169829/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew McKenzie-McHarg was a member of the five-year (2013-2018) Conspiracy and Democracy project based at the University of Cambridge and funded by the Leverhulme Trust.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Francois Soyer received postdoctoral funding from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions between 2012 and 2016. </span></em></p>The anti-vax movement is no longer fuelled purely by fears about vaccines and harmful side-effects – there are other forces at play.Andrew McKenzie-McHarg, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry, Australian Catholic UniversityFrancois Soyer, Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.