>It offers anti-vaxxers a road out of their self-radicalization. They are able to tone down their conspiracy and blame the government for having been "chipped", and so it's not like they "betrayed their cult" but they were forced to.
I think that yours (and most people's) idea of the typical "anti-vaxxer" is a convenient caricature packaged and served to you by mass media and memes, that you've never actually listened to a real live one of these "anti-vaxxers", what they think and feel.
Ohhhh... I have. As a matter of fact, he's going to go to Walgreen's today to get his first "DNA changing" jab because his Dollar General store manager salary won't keep up with the tests needed to maintain employment at his employer.
He's also the dude who will go outside and take random pictures of the sky so that people are aware of the contrails being used to control people's minds.
Chiming in with the rest. Most, maybe all, anti-vaxxers I've interacted with (friends, family, acquaintances) have provided reasons such as 1) the vaccine changes my dna, 2) micro-chips (by an Amazon SWE!), 3) the vaccine only affects people with weak will power (this one was new to me, though it was also laced with God-protects the worthy or something like that). Luckily most of these people eventually were persuaded or to some extent bullied into getting a vaccine. So no, I don't think most anti-vaxxers have well reasoned beliefs that they are holding strong to, though I'm sure some of those do exist.
You don't seem to spend much time on anti-vaxx forums. I don't either but the stories my sister share with me are quite telling.
Not to mention every news channel covid-related videos on youtube is swarmed with comments from a minority of anti-vaxxer, regardless of the country of origin, regardless of the political stance of the channel.
> you've never actually listened to a real live one of these "anti-vaxxers"
don't think you know me but:
I lost my mother due to covid. she was an anti-vaxxer right until the last minute when she died just before Christmas. She was a vulnerable nutcase for years and easily gamed into any kind of MLM scheme.
I was forced to cut off one of my 2 best friends (of 40 years) because they could no longer be reasoned with. we ignored his alternative life-style and individualism because why wouldn't we. but it also put him into a risk-group of suckers that get brainwashed. the same guy now cut off relations to his mother who is battling cancer on the grounds that "she chose to be vaccinated".
These people are crazy, and it's their right to be crazy, but the cost of being crazy can not be exploited by media and politicians. That's why I am 100% for reducing their freedom and have them undergo a "forced medical procedure" (as they call it).
I think that yours (and most people's) idea of the typical "anti-vaxxer" is a convenient caricature packaged and served to you by mass media and memes, that you've never actually listened to a real live one of these "anti-vaxxers", what they think and feel.