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My Greatest Tool Against Vaccine Misinformation

2021-06-11 · letter vlog · Hank · 3:44 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Health · mode: Personal essay · tags: timely hook, heavy topic

Discouraged by COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, Hank argues that rebutting claims one by one, mocking, or making pro-vaccine status an identity only deepens a partisan war; what helps is answering good-faith questions and, above all, expressing gratitude to the people who made the vaccines possible.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Greeting; Hank rarely shares discouragement online but is discouraged by vaccine misinformation

  • ★★ Hank, who usually keeps his frustrations off the internet, says he is discouraged by the vaccine misinformation he has seen; people are unvaccinated for multiple reasons. — 00:00:00 · vaccine

00:00:29 — Why rebutting, mocking and identity-signalling only perpetuate a partisan war over vaccines

  • ★★ Hank says some people want to create division and fear in order to exploit it for their own personal gain. — 00:00:29
  • ★★ Hank says young people do need to get vaccinated, to slow the disease's spread and leave fewer human bodies in which it can mutate. — 00:00:29 · vaccine
  • ★★ Hank says the vaccine is effective: counties with lower vaccination rates have higher hospitalization rates, and COVID rates in nursing homes plummeted after the first round. — 00:00:29 · vaccine, COVID-19 pandemic
  • ★★★ Hank says COVID is a real problem: there were 300,000 more deaths in 2020 than in 2019, even with all the precautions people took. — 00:00:58 · COVID-19 pandemic
  • ★★★ Hank says rebutting the arguments one by one only produces more yelling, confusion and new arguments; he cannot become a professional vaccine arguer. — 00:00:58
  • ★★ Hank says the misinformation isn't based in rational debate but in partisan division and fear, and public-facing arguments never add good information. — 00:01:22
  • ★★★ Hank says mocking is even worse than arguing, his worst instinct: it only deepens and widens the division and makes it hard for people to come back. — 00:01:22
  • ★★ Hank says mockery is the way to get social media engagement, but the opposite of what helps if the goal is getting more people vaccinated. — 00:01:51 · social media
  • ★★ Hank was tempted to make his pro-vaccine status part of his identity, but as long as it is about winning the war it perpetuates the war. — 00:01:51

00:02:21 — What works: answering good-faith questions and gratitude to the people behind the vaccines; sign-off

  • ★★★ Hank says the first thing that helps is answering good-faith questions from confused or conflicted people: it is not about winning but helping. — 00:02:21
  • ★★★ Hank says the second and most powerful thing is gratitude, which gets the most support, is most welcoming and creates the least debate. — 00:02:21
  • ★★★ Hank is thankful to the many thousands who worked harder than ever for 15 months to ready the vaccines, built testing, administered shots and cared for the sick. — 00:02:43 · vaccine
  • ★★ Hank is grateful to have some immunity from COVID without having had its symptoms or becoming a carrier who could sicken someone more vulnerable. — 00:02:43 · COVID-19 pandemic
  • ★★★ Hank says there is no counterargument to his gratitude because the work happened, and it is not a partisan fight but just how he feels. — 00:03:13
  • ★★ Hank says gratitude makes him feel better about the world and maybe might make someone think twice about their fear and anger. (hedged) — 00:03:13

In the description and comments

  • ★★ The description says not to engage professional misinformers who tie their identity and livelihood to it: it only gives them light, and they keep moving the goalposts. — video description
  • ★★ The description says a question like why vaccines no longer seem to solve everything is a normal question about the world, not one to get mad at. — video description · vaccine

Threads in this video

  • restate · Is outrage useful? — Hank says mocking is even worse than arguing, his worst instinct: it only deepens and widens the division and makes it hard for people to come back. (00:01:22)
  • restate · Do insults and name-calling harm political debate? — Hank says mocking is even worse than arguing, his worst instinct: it only deepens and widens the division and makes it hard for people to come back. (00:01:22)

Mentioned

Central: gratitude · misinformation · vaccine

Also: COVID-19 pandemic · political polarization · social media

Also centred on gratitude: The Things that People Do (Thoughts from New York City) (Pizzamas Day 7) · We Could All Use a Little Change · I am Grateful for My Worry · I Just Can't Do It Anymore · On Balance · My Deathday

Also centred on misinformation: The Top 10 Greatest Hoaxes of All Time · Truth or Fail: HOAXES! · Is Obama a Muslim? Examine the Evidence! · Somebody once told me… · Are You Eating a Credit Card Every Week? · I Believed These Four Lies

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