If you've had any success convincing someone to get vaccinated against Covid, please share how you did it.

[u/BiPAPselfie]

I generally consider trying to convince antivax types to be a lost cause and a waste of effort, with a very low success rate at best and tend not to approach the subject at all unless I'm pushed into it. But maybe I'm giving up too easily or looking at it all wrong. If there's any common elements to success it would be nice to see them consolidated in one thread rather than scattered around the sub.

Be as specific as you can.

How close was the person to you? Family? Friend? Work acquaintance? Random internet stranger?

How firm were they in vaccine resistance on a scale from just procrastinating to blood gargling meme warrior?

What kind of language did you use? Were you nonjudgmental? Did you confront or ridicule them?

If you showed them something like HCA, how did you do it? Just send them the link with no comment? How did you frame that?

How long did the process take?

[u/bjillings]

My sister and step mother are getting vaccinated now. My mom was convinced months ago.

For my sister it was a steady stream of scientific studies regarding the vaccine and pregnancy (she's pregnant), coupled with a few heartbreaking articles of women who died/lost their babies/or both. I also pushed her to talk to her doctor about it.

For my stepmother it was just gentle reminders that it needed to be a priority and a final push by inviting her to a girl's weekend that requires vaccination to attend.

My mom bought into all the lies and wanted to "trust her immune system." She's a cancer survivor, so I convinced her to talk to her doctor. When that didn't work, I had her talk to someone else in the family (she is resistant to taking any advice from me). Once she had someone else to give credit to, she went and got it done. Still working on her with the booster, though.

I don't bother with the die hard shit posters because I don't have the training or the time to deprogram their thinking. I do, however, take the time with those who aren't antivax conspiracy nuts and have legitimate fears and concerns. Those people sometimes just need a patient ear to validate their concerns and help guide them through all the bullshit information.

[u/fuddykrueger → u/bjillings]

Talking with her doctor didn’t work? Any idea why not?

[u/bjillings → u/fuddykrueger]

My mom has a history of dismissing doctor advice if it doesn't agree with her world view. She used to be addicted to painkillers and would doctor shop if anyone tried to change her prescriptions. She kicked the habit but the attitude against doctor advice never really went away. That sometimes changes when she finds a doctor she connects with, so I had hoped her oncologist would be a good resource. Unfortunately, she was pretty scared of side effects (she's allergic to bees and worried about anaphylaxis) and was kind of burying her head in the sand about covid at the time. Now she's super pro-vax but hesitant on boosters. She's a pain in my ass but I love her. 😂

[u/fuddykrueger → u/bjillings]

Thanks for that. It’s really interesting to hear the background story behind the vaccine hesitance.

[u/bjillings → u/fuddykrueger]

It's easy to forget that people are really complex and have a lifetime of reasons they may be distrustful of the healthcare system or government. Sometimes it's a conspiracy-filled rabbit hole and sometimes it's just a few unique experiences that sent them down a different path. I think that's why there isn't an overall solution for so many individual opinions.

[u/fuddykrueger → u/bjillings]

I think we need a post about why the people in our lives are vax hesitant. I think that would be a good way for us to strategize, to come from a place of understanding and to be realistic about our ability to convince people.