Commentary
-
Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
Here’s a topic sure not to ruffle any feathers: Vaccine mandates! I’m looking forward to the comments under this one. Look, we’re all aware that COVID has become wildly politicized to the point where the mere mention of a mask or a shot has the potential to throw a regular old, boring school board meeting into UFC territory.
That’s unfortunate. It’s also the byproduct of a political landscape that has gone way off the deep end and has divided us to the point where our sense of shared humanity is less important than proving the other side wrong.
Any perspective put forward by someone who we perceive as being on that other side is just automatically rejected. And that goes for Democrats and Republicans. Democrats are not blameless here.
But on the subject of mandatory school vaccination, I still think it’s worthwhile to try to cut through all the hysteria to try to get at the essence of what we’re trying to do here.
I think we can all agree, Democrat, Republican, in between, that we want our children’s educational environments to return to some semblance of normalcy. I also think we can agree that we care about public health. We care about people.
So let me offer some counterpoints to some of the objections to mandatory school vaccinations that I’ve heard from parents over the past few months.
One, you don’t trust the vaccine. It came out too quickly. Yeah. It came out super quickly. I get it. It’s wild. It’s also amazing that we live in an era where scientists have the capacity to come together on a global scale in order to change lives. It’s a miracle from God or science. Take your pick.
Two. Sure other people can get the vaccine, but I don’t want to. And I get that too, except for there’s a key problem here. You may have heard about the most recent variant, Omicron. The reason that these variants keep arising is that viruses, they’re smart, and they want to survive. And if they have to change in order to keep jumping from potential host to host, that’s what they’re going to do. So we have to reduce the pool of potential hosts for them to jump into. Maybe that way they’ll stop hanging around our little species and go park somewhere else.
Three. You don’t think that you or your children should be made to do anything with your bodies that you don’t explicitly choose, except we already do so many things that are required of us by the federal and local governments. We wear seat belts. We don’t smoke on airplanes.
And remember how, like a couple hundred years ago, people used to poop in the streets, allegedly, I wasn’t there. And now we don’t poop in the streets anymore because the government realized that that’s really bad for public health. And so now it’s illegal, basically that.
Look, part of the contract that we sign when we decide to become members of a society and we reap all of the benefits that comes with said membership, for example, public schools, is that we agree to care about and participate in the common good.
And when we make choices that have the potential to harm the public, we can reasonably expect to face consequences.
I hate wearing a mask. You hate wearing a mask. Nobody likes getting shots. None of this is fun, but if we want to return to normalcy, and we all do, we have to recognize that public safety and public health, they’re everybody’s responsibility.
And when it comes to vaccine mandates, the choices we make affect the lives and deaths of others, I think it’s hardly a choice at all.
-
Bible-infused school curiculum sets dangerous precedent
Several states in recent years have introduced legislation requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, representing one of the latest pushes by conservatives to incorporate religion into public education. In Louisiana, a law passed in June 2024 mandated that the Ten Commandments be displayed on a poster or framed document. A… -
Celebrities are finally talking about perimenopause
A number of high-profile female celebrities have recently shared their experiences with menopause and perimenopause with the public. While Americans have some general awareness of menopause, public understanding of perimenopause — the phase preceding menopause — tends to lag further behind. Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor Jordan Reid recaps what perimenopause… -
Trump’s extreme MAGA loyalist appointees are cause for alarm
One week after Donald Trump won a second term as U.S. president, the outlines of his new administration are beginning to take shape. The president-elect has announced several controversial appointments and has requested that the incoming GOP leadership allow his appointees to bypass Senate confirmation. Watch the video above as Straight Arrow News contributor Jordan… -
Americans have tough work ahead if they want to remain free
Donald Trump delivered a significant victory in the U.S. 2024 presidential election, winning both the Electoral College and the national popular vote. On Nov. 6, Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump to formally concede and to reassure him that there would be a peaceful and orderly transition of power. Trump’s victory has encouraged the millions… -
Trump’s racist rally a preview of what’s to come if he wins
Former President Donald Trump’s controversial rally at Madison Square Garden was intended to serve as his closing argument against Kamala Harris. Although Trump referred to the rally as a “lovefest,” his campaign is now facing backlash over what many describe as being filled with hateful and racist rhetoric. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and other Democrats…
Latest Opinions
-
NYC gears up to close 25th migrant shelter, cites lower need for care
-
Congress hopeful a DACA deal can be reached during Trump administration
-
Podcasters or journalists: Who will ask questions in Trump’s press briefings?
-
Kroger and Albertsons’ $25 billion mega-merger blocked by federal judge
-
FBI Director Wray considering resignation before Trump’s inauguration
Popular Opinions
-
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum.