General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why would your un-vaccinated kids be a threat to my vaccinated kids? [View all]Moonwalk
(2,322 posts)...if you think fail to understand that this is a response to an equally "insulting" argument. The implication here is that an anti person has just said: "I don't understand why you want me to vaccinate my child. Yours is vaccinated. What do you care?"
And the feeling is that the anti person has just poo-pooed and disregarded all rational and polite counter argument, and, more, has put on a "holier-and-more-knowing-than-thou" attitude. (Note the comments about Ph.d from Google, etc. This is someone asserting they know the truth by cherry-picking misinformation off the internet rather than listing to live and real doctors).
THAT is what this is a response to. And it's not just that the anti-person might deserve equal discourtesy. It's that others may be WATCHING and/or listening to this argument. And they may say, "Well, gosh, that was a good point. anti made there."
You may not be able to change the anti person with this admittedly harsh rant, but you will change the mind of those on the fence if you make it seem like the anti is not only wrong, wrong, wrong, but badly misinformed and very likely to end up infecting not only their own children, but other people's children, the ones too young for the vaccine. This is what "vaccinate" proponents are fighting for right now and the stakes are way too high to lose. The pro-vaccine side must stem the anti tide and stop the anti from gaining more adherents. It's very like fighting a cult or a club everyone thinks is hip to join, or a diet everyone wants to go on as all the cool and thin people are on it. How do you fight that? By making the cool and thin people not look so cool and thin. By taking down their arrogance and surety several pegs. And yes, I think this could change the minds of those on the fence. Not all, but this is getting to be a war against possible epidemics that could do terrible, terrible damage (do we really want kids in iron lungs from polio again?).
Right or wrong, people *DO* side with those who don't merely have good points in an argument, but a take-no-prisoners attitude. Just as Obama won the State of the Union with his one "I won 'em both" remark rather than any other points he might have made. This is a war against the discourteous and righteous. The religiously certain. Sometimes, as with the GOP on climate change or certain religious bodies on anti-gay marriage, those other, less insulting methods won't work in gaining the fence sitters to your side. Because they're not playing fair. And neither can you.