-REPORTED ANALYSIS-
On January 23, vaccine skeptics and mask resisters, influenced in part by podcaster Joe Rogan, will gather in Washington, DC, not far from where hordes attacked the Capitol a year ago.
The protest comes as a new CDC study finds that vaccines provide significantly more protection from severe, hospitalization-requiring COVID-19 than that provided solely by prior infection, or “natural immunity.” With the tremendous strain on the medical system, disproportionately generated by those opposed to vaccination, the efforts to stoke a movement around “liberty” deserves attention and discussion.
So far, the upcoming rally and march seem to be under the radar of most news organizations and have not been widely reported. This may be due to the difficulty in anticipating whether such events will be successful — and success in such matters is typically measured by the amount of coverage they receive.
The rally itself, ostensibly a push for freedom and liberty, pushes into the background the actual underlying theme promoted by several of its leading figures: doubts about whether vaccines are safe and whether people even need to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
A website for the rally declares, “We will not surrender our freedom out of fear.” It asserts that, based on principles of individual liberty, the government should not in any way mandate restrictions on people based on whether they are vaccinated.
The underlying premise is that, on balance, allowing the government to dictate public health measures necessarily represents a slippery slope to authoritarianism.
The site fails to mention that governments have long established health rules for the common good — and it is entirely possible that those involved are not themselves aware of history in this regard.
Nor is it mentioned that many who oppose vaccination requirements or mask mandates are also supporters of laws preventing abortions; here, they argue that there is a greater good than women’s personal liberties.
Anti-vaccine rally sign at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on April, 27, 2021. Photo credit: CT Senate Republicans / Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Coming in the midst of a crisis, at a time when Americans are more divided than ever, these attempts to portray public health measures as being about personal choice and individual rights will undoubtedly exacerbate divisions.
It’s uncertain whether Rogan’s reach will translate into a massive happening. If it does, it may add fuel to an already volatile situation, where elements of the American public feel increasingly alienated. Perhaps in anticipation of that risk, the sponsors have emphasized that they do not want trouble, with the slogan “United We Stand. In Peace We March” on their website.
The promotional material takes no stance on vaccines per se beyond asserting that vaccination status should not affect where people go or with whom they interact, such as in workplaces:
Stop the mass firings.
Stop segregating by vaccination status.
Stop calling Americans “unpatriotic” for making a personal medical choice.
But the actual views of key figures regarding vaccines are quite clear. The most famous figure appearing at the event, and announced speaker, is Robert Kennedy Jr., who has made his name over the years largely by claiming that vaccines are inherently harmful. He first came to many people’s attention for his assertions that vaccines cause autism, though that has been disproven repeatedly.
Pivoting away from the “vaccines are dangerous” argument to a vague and unassailable concept like “personal liberty” seems like a smart marketing move, but one that could represent a new flashpoint in America’s war of words.
The rally — whose success is predicated on publicity — received a massive boost when Rogan, probably America’s most popular podcaster, invited each of the doctors associated with the rally onto his show separately to promote the event. While on the podcast, Dr. Peter McCullough made several unsupported claims, saying that the pandemic “was planned” and that if people are vaccinated “hospitals don’t test them for COVID.”
WhoWhatWhy wanted to interview McCullough and others involved, but for a citizens’ movement, the entity behind it is surprisingly nontransparent. The website does not even provide contact information. Nonetheless, WhoWhatWhy was able to track down McCullough, who initially agreed to a later interview. On a subsequent call, McCullough declined to be interviewed, but suggested we call the event’s publicist. He provided the man’s name, but would not give his number, and said, “Look it up.”

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