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March 4th, 2021, 10:24 AM #1
Owning/carrying a gun/ preparedness and the Covid vaccine
This is long, but the reason I wound up getting the vaccines is related to the reason why I carry and why I try to prepare for emergencies. If you want to get to the main point skip to the last 2 paragraphs.
I recently got the vaccine. A lot of thought and research went into whether I wanted to get it. I*ve read both pro and con thoughts here as well as many other places which got me thinking and I took both pros and cons under consideration. In the end my consensus was get it. Two of the biggest reasons are that I see it as a matter of preparedness which is why I put the post in this forum, and involves the same mental mechanism that says *a gun for self defense is a good thing.* I see it as a matter of preparedness the same way I see having medical supplies for an emergency as important. If things go bad in a shtf situation, the best way to cope is to see potential problems and avoid them. The vaccine is a way to avoid potential problems and hopefully avoid needing a medical kit to cope with the potential effects of Covid. To me the vaccine is a prep.
I think that last March there rightfully were serious concerns about the virus and that no one knew how serious or not serious the virus would be. I think that it quickly turned out it was not a Spanish flu situation and quickly became politicized and seen as a way to hurt the economy and Trump. I think the reaction to the virus has wrongly hurt business owners and society in general on many levels.
I want to be clear that I do not think anyone should be required to get the vaccine anymore than people are required to get the flu vaccine. People have free will,(at least in the America I want to live in) put out the most accurate information and let people decide. I have the same philosophy about masks.
The virus is real and it has killed 10*s of thousands and will kill thousands more. Hopefully it is on it*s downward spiral. One of my philosophies in life is to hope for the best, prepare for the worse. It*s why I wear a seatbelt in the car and have a smoke detector in the house. It*s why I keep extra food and water in the house. It*s also one of the reasons I carry a firearm for protection. And for me, I see a lot of parallels between carrying a firearm and getting the vaccine.
I hope that I never have to use my firearm in self defense and will be perfectly happy to never have it leave my holster. The chance/percentage that I will ever use it in a self defense situation is honestly very low. But I realize that I am not immune to situations where a firearm may be needed. I carry to protect my family and myself from harm. I know the firearm may not be useful in every self defense situation. I know there are scenarios/side effects where it could be a detriment. But in the end I carry because there are many potential scenarios where it can save my family*s life or my life.
Same thing with the vaccine. I think that the chance I need it is low. I hope I don*t need it. But I am not immune to viruses. I got the shot to up my percentage of not getting the virus with its potential serious side effects. I want to be around to grow old with my wife and see my son grow up. I have made other lifestyle changes over the last 4 years to try and accomplish those goals. I see the shot as a means to help this much as a I see carrying a firearm a means towards doing the same thing. There may be potential side effects. It may well be that I did not need the shot, but I would rather get it based on what I know and not need it than find out that I did in fact need it.
In both the case of carrying a gun and getting the vaccine there was a wake up moment for me. Many years ago I found myself in a situation where others thinking I had a firearm avoided a potentially bad situation. It was a wake up call and after that I started carrying.
I have known a lot of people who had Corona to varying degrees, most not that bad but there are some exceptions. In May two people I went to high school with died from it but I did not really know them other than their name. I know other people who talked about how they had it and it kicked their ass. At least one is still feeling the effects today.
In December a friend I went to high school with died from corona. She was my age and nothing physically wrong with her. She was extremely energetic and active. After she went in the hospital her husband and sister posted updates about her condition as she was dying and how/the ways Corona was destroying her body. She and her husband were unabashed Trump fans. She had thought the virus was overblown. Her husband did not have a pro Biden, pro mask or pro vaccine agenda. I will admit that reading about her being hooked up to a ventilator and how the virus was destroying her organs shook me up. Following how she went from apparently healthy person to dying over the course of 14 days was a wake up call for me much as the situation that convinced me carrying a gun was a wake up call.
I do not think the government should mandate shots any more than I think they should mandate everyone carry a firearm. But I think that the way many are reacting to the virus can be transferred to the gun debate. Millions of people are/will be getting the shot to protect themselves from a potential enemy that wants to harm them. The same reason millions of people carry firearms*. As a means to protect themselves from potential enemies that want to harm them.
The main purpose of the post is for the last analogy. I have noticed that a lot of people who can*t wait to the get the vaccine also are people who don*t think people should own guns/ be able to defend themselves. Maybe pointing out that people carrying firearms serves a similar purpose to getting the vaccines will get something to click in their heads. Maybe, maybe not, but it is one more argument to use.
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March 4th, 2021, 11:19 AM #2
Re: Owning/carrying a gun/ preparedness and the Covid vaccine
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March 4th, 2021, 11:33 AM #3
Re: Owning/carrying a gun/ preparedness and the Covid vaccine
It all comes down to personal choices though doesn't it? We're supposed to be allowed to make our own choices, but apparently you and others here feel the need to shame anyone that doesn't agree with your choice. I've been out and about throughout the entire time. I've either been exposed and brought it home to my family and they've been exposed, or this isn't nearly as bad as they say it is. Either way, I've made a personal choice to not bother with the vaccine since I don't feel it's necessary for me or my family, as is my right. It's sad that my choices apparently aren't respected.
IT's post is about risk management. For me, I don't believe the risk of taking it is worth it. It isn't that I'm anti-science, I just do not trust anything that the government says. They have given me no reason to trust them. Scientists are not pure, they're willing to say whatever is needed to keep that grant money flowing in. Anyone that disagrees is mocked and discredited. Much like what happens here. Toe the party line, or be canceled.
Don't worry, I'm ready to be shit on for thinking differently. Maybe even I'll get called a Luddite again.Rules are written in the stone,
Break the rules and you get no bones,
all you get is ridicule, laughter,
and a trip to the house of pain.
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March 4th, 2021, 01:01 PM #4
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March 4th, 2021, 01:10 PM #5
Re: Owning/carrying a gun/ preparedness and the Covid vaccine
Thanks for telling me how I feel. I've never said anything about this shouldn't be a choice. I don't shame people for making a decision based on their personal choice. I haven't gotten the vaccine either yet. I could have gotten it for free from work, but they were limited. I left it for people who probably had more risk than I do, since all joking around here aside, I am pretty healthy and don't have any pre-existing issues. That was my choice.
I really want to know where I've shamed anyone for simply stating they don't want it, because that's their choice. What I generally do is call out the people who continually post false and misleading bullshit. They're not just making a choice, they're diseminating bad info that might lead someone to make a choice based on a falsehood. When I question it, I get no answers to my questions, no source material for what they are saying, and it usually devolves into personal attacks or politics that have nothing to do with the discussion at hand. Funny, in the last year I've maybe had 1 or 2 people reply with an honest paper or study or even answer to my questions. Why is that? I've been curtious to anyone that does that and will read what they post. It's like pulling hens teeth to get an actual honest reply out of some people though. The best I usually get is some version of "nuh uh, because x-conspiracy" or "because I say so."
At least your being honest about the why part. Try telling some others to do that and I'll stop "shaming" them I guess, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. If you have looked into this and made an informed decision, next time I post a rebuttal to someone, go ahead and show where I'm wrong about something. I'd welcome an honest reply with some actual thought and research behind it for a change.
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March 4th, 2021, 03:11 PM #6
Re: Owning/carrying a gun/ preparedness and the Covid vaccine
For the last paragraph, maybe, but I've found that anti-gunners aren't interested in rational discussion and points like this wouldn't be effective on them. Then again, I'm extremely cynical and not really interested in trying to reason with unreasonable people. It kind of defines my behavior in the lounge as well.
Great post. Some responses in red above.
It is a personal choice, yet the people being shamed are those that choose to get the vaccine, or wear masks. You cannot quote a single person being shamed for not getting the vaccine, but I can quote many posts of the opposite, and I will later. The only thing people are mocked for is the stupid shit they say about the vaccine or covid in general, as outlined in RL's post. The covid thread is full of anti-vaxx and anti-science bullshit which, when pointed out with actual facts, is further mocked and shit upon.
You don't trust anything the government says? Are you insinuating that I must have trust in the government to inform my choice to get the vaccine? Clarify for me. If you think I've trusted the government for anything regarding my choice, you're simply mistaken. I'm capable of informing myself and making my own choices, and I've chosen to get the vaccine, yet that choice isn't respected here.
I'm also well informed about grant process and your statement "they're willing to say whatever is needed to keep the grant money flowing" is factually incorrect.
I also see the argument that this virus is relatively low risk and therefore doesn't warrant getting the vaccine. That weighed on my decision as well If that's what informs your choice, great! You're free to make your choice however you see fit, and no one here has shamed you for it.
I personally don't care who gets/doesn't get the vaccine or who wears/doesn't wear a mask. Yet plenty of people here do mock those of us that inform our choices to wear masks where required and to get the vaccine.
You're better at the bolded than I am. I freely admit that I prefer just mocking them because they've proven to not be worth the effort. However, what we are seeing is that when you challenge people here with actual facts and information, they take it as mocking and shaming. There's still a person in that thread yammering about Marxists and government when neither of those things have anything to do with the facts at hand. There's still others that, when given the information they incredulously demand, move the goal posts because it's not good enough. It's especially frustrating when all the world's knowledge is available at everyone's fingertips.Life has a melody. Not great, not terrible.
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March 4th, 2021, 03:22 PM #7
Re: Owning/carrying a gun/ preparedness and the Covid vaccine
Nobody needs to explain to me why they choose to get vaccinated. That said, I shouldn*t have to explain myself to anybody regarding why I refuse.
People don*t think freedom be like it is, but it do.There's no such thing as a free lunch.
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March 4th, 2021, 03:50 PM #8
Re: Owning/carrying a gun/ preparedness and the Covid vaccine
From just the most recent pages of the COVID thread;
From the vaccine thread. That thread actually started out well with people sharing their experiences and tips for getting an appointment, then the anti-vaxx and anti-science trolls ruined it. I re-read all 26 pages (on my settings) and zero people were shamed for not getting the vaccine, but the anti-vaxx trolls did plenty of shaming of those who are. As pointed out by RL, the trolls were "attacked" for their bullshit only. Noah must be credited for trying to keep it on track.
I'm not done digging through threads yet, but have a "teams" meeting to get on so I have to stop for now. Will likely read the entire covid thread from beginning. I'm sure there's gems in the "mask shame" thread as well since it's mostly about shaming mask wearers.Life has a melody. Not great, not terrible.
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March 4th, 2021, 03:51 PM #9
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March 4th, 2021, 03:56 PM #10
Re: Owning/carrying a gun/ preparedness and the Covid vaccine
Repeat after me "I trust the government". All fixed, get your shot, wear a mask too.
Corruption is the default behavior of government officials. JPC
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