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I remain annoyed that, largely, the US is not going to ppl with vaccines, but leaving it up to 330,000,000 ppl to fight it out among each other to find them. This should change w production increase, but it's awful (if
fascinating) to watch Who Gets A Vax play out on here
fascinating) to watch Who Gets A Vax play out on here
I do think (as epidemiologist friends predicated) that as ppl see others getting vaxxed, skepticism has declined & trust increased. Great.
But what's depressing (if fascinating) is that this is tied to how the vax has become a thing you CAN'T have that others DO.
But what's depressing (if fascinating) is that this is tied to how the vax has become a thing you CAN'T have that others DO.
In a market economy and a viral media ecosystem means, I believe, that the move from vaccine skepticism to vaccine trust isn't just a matter of seeing it's safe, but of wanting something "hot" that's in demand w limited supply.
Desire tied to scarcity.
Desire tied to scarcity.
This rollout has been like a viral marketing campaign.
First, we see the influencers with it (Fauchi, AOC + members of congress, ppl with big accounts) building up trust w the public. This isn't so different from some other public health campaigns.
First, we see the influencers with it (Fauchi, AOC + members of congress, ppl with big accounts) building up trust w the public. This isn't so different from some other public health campaigns.
But then, unlike with other vax campaigns, then things take off within ppl's smaller communities. Who got it? Oh, someone I know got it? Now I can trust it. All good.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, now you're seeing people get something you want...and you can't have it.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, now you're seeing people get something you want...and you can't have it.
If the govt officials/influencers are the veins or arteries of the body politic, the ppl in your social networks are the capillaries. & there's a lot of power & influence there.
(That Foucault fellow was onto something using capillaries to describe biopower.)
(That Foucault fellow was onto something using capillaries to describe biopower.)
So now, this is a VERY different equation.
Imagine if, say, the govt said, OK, we're going to prisons and nursing homes and healthcare workers and grocery workers & shelters for unhoused, THEN all of you who've been quarantining & WFH...
You'll be called on X date by zip code.
Imagine if, say, the govt said, OK, we're going to prisons and nursing homes and healthcare workers and grocery workers & shelters for unhoused, THEN all of you who've been quarantining & WFH...
You'll be called on X date by zip code.
This would be VERY different from what's happened.
If the influencers who got it 1st were trying to get us to trust it when it was our turn, that would be a worthy goal.
But it didn't happen.
They helped get us hyped for something we'd have to game the internet to find...
If the influencers who got it 1st were trying to get us to trust it when it was our turn, that would be a worthy goal.
But it didn't happen.
They helped get us hyped for something we'd have to game the internet to find...
& w your adrenaline pumping, & with your heart racing to find this thing in short supply (which increases demand), desire has increased.
This is just VERY different then if you got USPS mail that said "Come to a clinic on May 5, here's 5 masks & $2000, sit tight until then."
This is just VERY different then if you got USPS mail that said "Come to a clinic on May 5, here's 5 masks & $2000, sit tight until then."
A viral rollout of a patch for a virus marketed virally, causing a (needless) sense of scarcity & triggering fear & competition & alienation & jealousy at every step, all fueled by the parasite of capitalism.
In other words, a ~perfect~ neoliberal campaign, @StephenMolldrem!
In other words, a ~perfect~ neoliberal campaign, @StephenMolldrem!
In the US, there is little relationship between where we live & the govt.
The govt doesn't know where we live often, bc we move so much due to financial precariousness.
And so, when we need to vote or a vaccine, shit like this happens https://twitter.com/juanmichaelii/status/1360963122731896833
The govt doesn't know where we live often, bc we move so much due to financial precariousness.
And so, when we need to vote or a vaccine, shit like this happens https://twitter.com/juanmichaelii/status/1360963122731896833
The essay should be titled "The Vaccine Rollout Has Been a Perfect Neoliberal Marketing Campaign—and a Disaster For Humans" https://twitter.com/thrasherxy/status/1360961145461477376?s=20
