No Jab, No Say

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​On the 28th of May 2021, Victoria was plunged into another draconian lockdown yet again.
 
Businesses and schools were closed, mental health issues continue to increase exponentially, and domestic violence is rising to frightening new levels. However, according to journalist Jon Faine, we have NO RIGHT to complain.
 
Published in The (left leaning) Age, it comes as no surprise that Jon uses classic virtue signalling to make other left leaning baby boomers, who have done quite well in life, feel bad enough to toe the line and “do the right thing”.
 
The same people who got their degrees for free in the 1970’s and marched for freedom, now drive European cars, own second homes and secretly feel bad about becoming what they swore they would not. So, with the world crashing down around them, it’s time to use the tried and true methods of shame and guilt.
 
Let’s take a look at what we should feel bad about.
 
First up, it’s enjoying coffee, exhibitions, food and concerts for one. Has this man even been to Melbourne? To say that eateries, events and other such “frivolous activities” are not major parts of the economy ignores the $23.4 billion tourism generates every year and the some 232,000 people it employs. It is a particularly tone deaf comment considering that the very day Jon’s article was published, thousands of hospitality and creative entrepreneurs marched at Flinders Street Station, opposing the Victorian Government's disproportionate response to the pandemic, and imploring them to let them get back to work. Tell them the “real economy” isn’t built on “discretionary spending”.
 
And those international students that our universities depend on that you speak of, Jon? They tend to come to Melbourne for its once vibrant food and cultural scene, to either enjoy it or work in it. Without it, Victoria loses around $6 billion dollars. But you’re right, we shouldn’t complain about the Government shutting down our lives and costing the economy almost $27 billion dollars.
 
It is hard to see why Jon believes that these measures are widely supported. The World Health Organisation has condemned lockdowns as a means to control the pandemic, because it disadvantages those at most risk, making the poor people poorer. The very people who Jon wants us to think about, are the most disadvantaged by the lockdowns. Why then should we not use our voices to oppose these measures?
 
Of course, Jon also hits out at those who do not wear masks, saying that they are “not taking the simplest precaution”. Funny that, because there is a slew of evidence that says mask wearing does not protect you at all from the spicy flu.
 
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrates that the “diameter (of a SARS-CoV-2 particle) varied from about 60 to 140 nm”. N95 masks filter out particles 300nm and above. Based on the size of the virus particle alone, masks do not work. Cloth masks are even less effective.
 
The authors of another study in the New England Journal of Medicine explain that “wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection”, and that the “desire for widespread masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic”. Could they be referring to people such as Jon?
 
And lastly, a study in medRxiv states that the “evidence is not sufficiently strong to support widespread use of facemasks as a protective measure against COVID-19”. In his article, Jon claimed that he would “decline any conversation about how annoying lockdown is” if someone walked around with their mask over their mouth but not their nose. Jon, would you also decline a conversation based on science on how ineffective masks actually are?
 
Of course, what this article is all about, is vaccine refusal. If we have “not bothered” to get our jab or are refusing to do so, then we should forfeit any right to complain about lockdowns because we are not contributing to communal safety.
 
Now, here is where Jon gets it really wrong, because there is not one piece of evidence that suggests that the vaccine stops transmission. Prime Minister Scott Morrison admitted as much by stating that there is not “considerable clinical evidence that tells us transmission is preventable”. Former Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy agreed that we could still get COVID-19 and infect others even after receiving the vaccine. And the TGA’s Australian Public Assessment Report states that “vaccine efficacy against asymptomatic infection and viral transmission” has yet to be addressed.
 
There has been no hard scientific evidence presented by governments as to what amount of the population being vaccinated will allow us to open up and go back to normal. And the most glaringly obvious fact is that there is no data that exists to show that these vaccines are safe in the medium or long term. If you want that safety data, it won’t be available until 2023, because, dear Jon, we are the experiment and these vaccines are only provisionally approved. A quick look at the TGA website will show you that, as of the time of writing, these new COVID-19 vaccines have had around 24,500 adverse reactions in the few short months that it has been on the market.
 
So you see Jon, many of us are not complacent or lazy, we have simply done our research and made the decision that it is our body and our choice.
 
Isn’t that what your generation marched about? The freedom to choose, to go out and build businesses and legacies, and to contribute to the economy. This is what Australia is all about. Last we checked, Australia was a place where we could enjoy a great concert, a good cup of coffee, and choose whether we wanted to be a part of the biggest drug trial in human history without fear of shame or ridicule.
 
Australia stands for inclusivity, for freedom and for letting everyone have a go. Shame on you Jon for segregating the nation with your divisive piece. It is you who should be ashamed, not us.

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