So ... rather than get Covid, and have a .01 percent chance of dying, do you take a vaccine and have a .0001 percent chance of dying? I suppose I'd take the vaccine.
Yep, too many people get all bent out of shape about the risk of something, and fail to consider two things: one, the risk of the alternatives (i.e. your risk of harm is much higher if you don’t take the vaccine vs. if you do), and, two, the comparative risk of other things you’re
already doing - e.g. the people who say, “oh, I’d never fly in a plane, those can crash” (or get hijacked, or whatever), but don’t consider that their overall risk of dying in a car (or slipping in their bathtub) is
much higher - they cheerfully put up with much higher risks every day because those things are familiar, and thus they never think of them, but, oh, some
new thing, that’s
dangerous!!1! And they always consider those new things in a perfect vacuum.
It doesn’t help that there are people out there with an ax to grind, for one reason or another, who are eager to stoke people’s fear about said
new thing, some because they are also fearful, and some who are purposely/cynically
selling BS. And one of their favorite tactics is to put scientists on the witness stand and demand from them, “Mr/Ms. Scientist, can you
absolutely guarantee that
new thing is entirely risk free?” And when the scientist says “No, but ...”, the attention-seeking ax grinder quickly turns to the audience and loudly proclaims, “Aha! I rest my case!”, without letting the scientist explain how
nothing, no course of action, comes with
zero risk. Because Mr/Ms. Ax Grinder isn’t interested in seeking the truth, they’re interested in grinding their ax, whether out of fear or for profit or power.
People used this kind of “fear the unknown!” (without comparing the risks) attack to strangle nuclear power in this country, decades ago, and then patted themselves on the back for a job well done. Oddly enough, though, those same people wouldn’t be willing to take credit now for all the death, disease, decreased lifespans, and damage to the environment that has happened from the alternatives they forced us into (like gas- and coal-fired power plants) over the intervening decades.
