You would think it would be a no-brainer that just about everyone would welcome the development of a vaccine that was safe and effective against a virus causing a pandemic and deaths across the globe. Wrong. The most obvious reason for their success is a fifty-year Republican campaign which built up a reservoir of fear, anger, division, mistrust and hate for progressive government in the general population. What also makes this campaign partially but measurably affective is even more interesting. It is the space between us all in the age of the nuclear family under patriarchal capitalism. Which breeds a strong tendency to see one’s interests as those defined by “alpha male” type leaders and follow their direction and never have any faith in group action. (BTW, when I say the anti-vaxxers have been successful, I’m not suggesting that they have reached the majority of Americans, just that their movement has been strong enough to convince a significant number of Americans not to get vaccinated. Enough for us not to reach or even approach what is termed herd immunity.)
Anger Requires a Target
As unfocused anger and frustration builds in the individual it requires a target to blame for their unhappy existences. The fascistic leaning alpha male figures of society therefore need to direct anger and responsibility away from themselves and the system itself and focus it elsewhere. Republicans benefit from having a large politically naive constituency that is both paranoid and angry, as long as they can escape blame themselves. They are masters at doing their dirty work. They have actually succeeded in politicizing a global health crisis and turning the insecurities of their followers into accepting possible death rather than prevention. The impact even extends to folks not consciously under Republican or Trumpian influence.
This is possible because of a poorly informed general population and the way government actually functions under our archaic system. And often fails to function. Approval ratings for both parties are consistently well below 50%. Let’s face it, it’s hard to get a lot of support for democracy from significant sectors of the population for a broken system that is incapable of reforming itself. It appears to many that dictatorial rule under someone like Trump can get things done better.
The Role of Denial
The Cov19 pandemic is also easily subject to mass denial politics. While the world is divided into many different nations and cultures, it is one in the 21st Century when it comes to pandemics whether we like it or not. There is a great deal of denial on the need for global cooperation in a world still torn by conflict and wars — which are really an example of politics via mass violence and terror. Trump and the Republicans, not wanting Biden to get massive credit/approval for ending the pandemic, did all in their power to sabotage his efforts and hide the deaths caused by the disease and their policies. Many Americans were predisposed to believe their lies that the pandemic was “fake news” being spread by the Democrats. Things like practicing simple precautions, wearing masks, etc. symbolized acceptance of the threat and recognition of the mass societal nature of the problem. The need for mass cooperation is seen as an afront to their personal Constitutional rights and down-right socialistic in a society defined by race, ethnicity, gender and class.
The Role of Authoritarianism and “Hate Radio”
The effects of authoritarian dependence also plays a role. Once a major authority figure says something, those attached to such individuals often resist to the bitter end admitting that they were lied to and made into fools. Some apparently on their death beds in the case of Cov19. I think that the Democratic leadership underestimated the ruthlessness of the Republicans to launch such a campaign, and also did not understand fully the factors in America which made such insane policies possible. Nor do the Democrats have an apparatus for reaching many Americans who get most of their news and politics on Republican “hate” radio, listed to by millions in rural areas. We are now seeing the awful results of this information network, which has been many years in the making. The Republican sabotage of Cov19 prevention efforts is just another indication that we are losing the information wars.