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I am dismayed to see people chanting anti-vax slogans in downtown Wailuku, and also to read anti-vax comments in Letters to the Editor from people whom I respect.
I find it odd to see professionally printed signs all over Maui advertising anti-mandate protests (with free food). Where is their advertising money coming from and who benefits from dividing us so intensely?
A 2020 study reached this conclusion: "There is a significant relationship between organization on social media and public doubts of vaccine safety. In addition, there is a substantial relationship between foreign disinformation campaigns and declining vaccination coverage."
Social media sites get engagement (which leads to advertising revenue) and hostile foreign actors (e.g., Russian) enjoy watching us tear apart our country.
Oh, and who is pushing the anti-vax message? Supplement gurus such as Mercola, now banned on YouTube for pushing COVID misinformation. If this happened in the last century, we could still have polio, rubella (which causes birth defects) and other deadly diseases.
Look at the relative risks of driving or other daily activities as compared to being vaccinated.
I urge those who are embracing these destructive narratives to do some real research, but not on Facebook.