Trudeau’s Accusations of Being Dangerous Are Dangerous Themselves
Divisiveness, Scapegoating, Anti-scientific Rhetoric in the Age of Covid
On August 31st, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke in Sudbury, Ontario on the campaign trail of his shotgun election.
"The folks out there shouting — the anti-vaxxers — they're wrong." Trudeau said.
"They are putting at risk their own kids, and they're putting at risk our kids as well." (1)
FACT CHECK/REALITY CHECK:
Trudeau’s attempts to scapegoat and villainize a group of people by reducing them to a reductionist label antagonizing to the sentiments of the unwitting majority are divisive to the social fabric of Canada. His polarizing comments above are disingenuous to the complexities and science surrounding these particular covid vaccines, the spectrum of immunity, public health, and risk assessment. Moreover, his simplification of dissent completely ignores the ethical and bioethical issues surrounding vaccine passports.
This kind of behaviour is historically indicative of totalitarian regimes who demonize an internal enemy to sow mistrust, divide the populace, and therefore, increase their authoritarian power and control in the guise of rectifying the perceived threat. Trudeau is manufacturing an illusory problem, ie, the “anti-vaxxers” are the only and/or largest impediment to getting out of the pandemic and they threaten the safety of children. He is eliciting a reaction, ie, fear, anger, hatred. Then, he offers a solution, ie, the vaccine passport and a two-tiered society.
As he chastises and foments hatred toward law-abiding citizens which borders on the incitement of violence, he neglects to acknowledge the realities and nuances of:
* Those who are vaccinated but still against the vaccine passports
* Those who have had covid and recovered receiving broader and longer-lasting immunity than a vaccine could confer
* Those who are pro-vaccine but are hesitant regarding these new, rapidly rolled out vaccines with no long-term data and significant questionable reports of safety and efficacy
* Those who have good scientific reason for a medical exemption
* Those who have religious and/or ethical reasons for an exemption
* Those who are okay being vaccinated for covid but reluctant to have minors vaccinated
Trudeau claims “they’re wrong” but neglects to delve into the nuances listed above. It is illogical and unethical to claim someone is wrong without explicitly pinpointing their fallacy and supporting that claim with solid evidence. The reality here is, Trudeau is wrong. I will pinpoint his fallacy and provide the evidence.
I. Being reluctant to get a covid vaccine has many reasonable positions which are completely valid when assessed through a scientific lens. Therefore, they are not “wrong”. (2)
II. Being reluctant to get a covid vaccine has many reasonable positions which are completely valid when assessed through an ethical lens. Therefore, they are not “wrong”. (3,4,5)
Trudeau’s claim that these “anti-vaxxers” (which I have already shown is a politically expedient derogatory and dismissive slur; and will show, is nothing more) are “putting at risk their own kids, and they're putting at risk our kids as well"(1) is also incorrect factually, scientifically and, the very utterance of such vitriol, is abhorrently incorrect ethically too.
i. Kids are not significantly at risk from covid at all. (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 19, 20, 21)
ii. Vaccinated people pose the same risk and potentially a greater one to kids as the unvaccinated (5, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
iii. For a 12 to 18-year-old, getting vaccinated provides an insignificant benefit in protection. (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 29, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
iv. For a 12 to 18-year-old, the risk-benefit is unfavourable (24, 29, 30)
v. For a 12 to 18-year-old, the studies are even less rigorous and extensive than those done for the over 18 demographics, which still are fraught with poor scientific medical rationale and neglect a physician-patient dialogue in regard to an individualized risk-benefit assessment and instead rely on a political public health mandate. (31, 32, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29)
Where was Trudeau’s ire when kids had to miss a year of in-person schooling?
Where was Trudeau’s ire when they were stripped of milestones, friends, holidays, and family time?
Where was Trudeau’s ire when they were “safer-at-home” in an environment that might have been fraught with the potential for abuse, alcoholism, addiction, depression, suicide, and more?
Where is it as kids continue to wear masks that have, at best, a very limited value but a sizable cost on their mental, educational, social, and developmental well-being?
If he cares so much, his concern perhaps should be far broader in its focus.
If he cares so much, his very words would not be aimed at creating rifts inside families, between parents and their children, and throughout communities.
Mr. Trudeau, it is you who are putting the kids at risk through these mechanisms as well as the ripple effects of your ineffectual pandemic mitigation efforts and the very real collateral damage they have had, are having, and will have for decades to come (33).
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Moreover, Trudeau’s protesters are shouting about a multiplicity of issues which include the pillars of his campaign – pandemic response, climate change, and reconciliation – all of which I could point out - with evidence - that he has acted in counterproductive ways to on multiple occasions. But I will save that for another time.
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Note: All citations are in the first comment. I have cited a variety of sources from studies published in esteemed medical and science journals to rigorous long-form journalism to popular mainstream media outlet articles and more. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Everything I have written here can be backed up by numerous published and credible studies.
Is the science settled? No. It never is. But that is why such absolute statements from a leader of a supposedly democratic country with a constitution that protects human rights should not be tolerated.
When there is still doubt on the table, the ethical course is to utilize the precautionary principle and avoid inflammatory statements that are counterproductive to the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and the country as a whole.
1. https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/trudeau-calls-out-anti-vaxxers-for-putting-kids-at-risk-as-campaign-event-is-disrupted-by-protesters/ar-AANXiCk
2. https://trialsitenews.com/why-so-many-americans-are-refusing-to-get-vaccinated/
3. https://www.verywellhealth.com/covid-19-vaccines-and-sterilizing-immunity-5092148
4. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/are-vaccines-driving-the-emergence-of-escape-mutant-variants-of-covid-19/
5. https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002198
6. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/957350?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=129891BZ&impID=3598249&faf=1
7. https://www.npr.org/2021/08/05/1025011194/serious-cases-remain-rare-but-coronavirus-in-children-on-the-rise-too
8. https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/
9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8293341/
10. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-021-01037-9
11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7221011/
12. https://www.mcri.edu.au/news/immune-system-protects-children-severe-covid-19
13. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33320052/
14. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2021/08/06/cdc_director_vaccines_no_longer_prevent_you_from_spreading_covid.html#!
15. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94719-y
16. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/new-data-on-covid-19-transmission-by-vaccinated-individuals
17. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0730-mmwr-covid-19.html
18. https://news.yahoo.com/single-most-qualified-mrna-expert-173600060.html
19. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/957350?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=129891BZ&impID=3598249&faf=1
20. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/958177?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=129891BZ&impID=3616175&faf=1
21. https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/
22. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/956927?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=129891BZ&impID=3611641&faf=1
23. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.22.457114v1.full.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0q_V6r_Kb-0q16--i5ZJRHbokKJFWG5C8x0FD2z00IDHWz_VSzhDotxvw
24. https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/ncov/epi/covid-19-myocarditis-pericarditis-vaccines-epi.pdf?sc_lang=en
25. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/i-just-wish-i-could-be-in-less-pain-when-good-vaccine-cause-bad-reaction?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1630318421
26. https://brownstone.org/articles/the-world-health-organization-oversold-the-vaccine-and-deprecated-natural-immunity/?fbclid=IwAR3vAsyMwjhANh72zdks1tQbZ6-omtlTQsve5M8BvJYb3z8LblxKv8fwm-o
27. https://torontosun.com/news/provincial/over-100-ontario-youth-have-been-sent-to-hospital-for-vaccine-related-heart-problems?fbclid=IwAR3bRCZr1VjowDNuSiHxdYmYsV_Ad2CQ22ijSYgbePDWDFmQWzrGAz0WcH0
28. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2112981?query=featured_home&fbclid=IwAR06fy3TU7DPRRckJ1XJcZJOmZO0Gjy-niz-w41YroBcXYdjNigg483vpXE
29. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-advisers-decide-against-covid-vaccines-healthy-12-15-year-olds-2021-09-03/?fbclid=IwAR0v_YAeNfKOzTrZAg-JzrWjRg4zYRRzBh8MmrnpwxPMtHzPIbGdZ5ceK6g
30. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/05/18/vaccine-roll-children-faces-backlash/?fbclid=IwAR1akl-c53iLQzOXCPymo5ICSzeqKjDVPK6VfRKWgq8XVDv-RJ3QbDJLLXk
31. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/02/19/969143015/long-term-studies-of-covid-19-vaccines-hurt-by-placebo-recipients-getting-immuni?fbclid=IwAR3u7_DeF-Ar2Yx_OZt-Ld4oHsqpCWzDuElgULeHWLcMxgnZjKNHTPERK1o
32. https://doctors4covidethics.org/expert-evidence-regarding-comirnaty-covid-19-mrna-vaccine-for-children/
33. https://khn.org/news/article/covid-pandemic-children-education-health-setbacks/