It has come to my attention that there are people out there claiming that we should make a Covid vaccine mandatory by law, and instate fines and jail time as the punishments for those who do not comply.
And look, I get where they’re coming from, but it’s a really really bad idea.
There are people who genuinely can not get vaccines, it will kill or harm them in irreparable ways. This is why heard immunity is such a big deal, everyone who can safely get a vaccine needs to, so those who can’t are safer.
Oh! But the law won’t apply to them, people will be rational!
When creating laws we must assume they will be carried out to the absolute letter of the law. If they law says everyone, then it means everyone and we must assume law enforcement (who we all know are bastards) will force even those who it might kill to get it.
Well, ok, fine we’ll put it in that those people are exempt.
Nope! Still not good. Laws will be enforced within the dominate ideological framework. Which is deeply racist, among other b things. A well off white person will simply have to say ‘sorry, allergic’ and police will leave them alone, while the lives of poc will be ruined, as they argue for thier lives and health.
You can’t scream all cops are bastards in one one breath and then turn to them as your solution in another, that’s not how this works. I understand the motivation behind it, but it just doesn’t work that way.