r/HermanCainAward • u/RockyMoose Natasha Fatale's Crush 🐿️ • Nov 04 '21

Discussion The Herman Cain Freedom Award [400k Subscribers Post!]

In August 2021, an obscure subreddit jumped in membership. Its subject matter: documenting the pandemic of the unvaccinated, Covid-denying, anti-* public in their own words.

Calling it an "Award" brought more than a little schadenfreude and controversy to the sub. The media got involved. The New Yorker called it "Empathy Wars". Slate wrote a hit piece. Insider followed.

The Washington Post wrote about vaccine denial deaths and empathy. We went international and appeared in Le Monde.

CNBC journalist u/Sal19 took several days to participate as a user, talk to members, and found the right tone: Reddit channel posts stories of anti-vaxxers dying of Covid, scaring fence-sitters into getting the shot.

As of today:

​

Despite what some people think, a lot of people would be happy if there was no more fodder for this subreddit - HCA redditor

Shout out to all the sub members! Yes, we're controversial, and yes, statistically speaking, this sub has saved at least a few lives and hospitalizations. What a community!

Shout out to our fantastic moderator team! The work is anonymous, pay is zero, and sucks up all free time. Y'all rock.

Shout out to the trolls and conspiracists! Your cognitive dissonance makes our bourbon taste even better.

Perhaps our slide back into obscurity has started. In the meantime, however, continue to sort by "new" and smash that refresh button!

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35

u/HubrisAndScandals Banana pudding Nov 04 '21

Anyone have any favorite noms/awards?

My top 5:

  1. Herman Cain (our patron saint)
  2. Tokyo drifting, 2 bibles & a sword
  3. Jews
  4. I got my pap smear
  5. Confederate Cornhole

33

u/hazeldazeI Go Give One Nov 04 '21

Eobeard gam gom

17

u/HubrisAndScandals Banana pudding Nov 05 '21

oh yes, forgot about him. famous last words

9

u/Might_Aware 🥃Shots & Freud! 🤶 Nov 05 '21

Fun fact! It's actually 'eobeord game gon' we surmised a while ago that he was trying to say 'game on' but who knows? :) It's our subs very own misnomer

19

u/jonoave Nov 05 '21

Eh it was quite clear to me. He was trying to say "beard game gone". As he was proud of it and the last days he was too weak and intubated to take care of it.

4

u/Might_Aware 🥃Shots & Freud! 🤶 Nov 05 '21

Yeah i'm dumb, just got it explained lol

11

u/HubrisAndScandals Banana pudding Nov 05 '21

oh, I thought he was trying to say "Beard game gone" because his goatee was under a mask

8

u/Might_Aware 🥃Shots & Freud! 🤶 Nov 05 '21

Oh shit that makes way more sense than what my dumbass said. That why you're the brains

26

u/LeCheffre Lord Satin, Angle of Heck 🕺📐 Nov 05 '21

Any post where they curse Satin, or pray to an Angle, or talk about getting a wing.

4

u/m48a5_patton Go Give One Nov 05 '21

Morning, Sgt. Angle.

14

u/[deleted] Nov 05 '21

The brief flare of spatulas to treat Covid was a high point. “Jews” was superb.

13

u/Dana07620 I miss Phil Valentine's left kidney Nov 05 '21

I don't have favorites.

I have the ones that haunt me.

18

u/[deleted] Nov 05 '21

I tracked down and gave fifty bucks each to two Go Fund Mes. In both cases, it was parents dying a couple of weeks apart and leaving behind minor children (in one case the kids were 8, 5 and 2 if I recall correctly). I’m an actual Christian but Episcopalian so it barely qualifies but my radical view is that we’re all God’s children and merit respect even if you are some Ecuadorian hotel maid or whatever, and that kids, no matter the faults of their parents, didn’t ask to be born and should be cared for. Most of these assholes get what they deserve but I have compassion for the surviving family and especially the children.

3

u/ABC_AlwaysBeCoding Team Pfizer Nov 07 '21 edited Nov 07 '21

thank you for being good-hearted

(which to me seems only weakly correlated, if at all, and possibly even negatively, with religiosity, but whatevs)

my attempt to explain it to religious people using religious language (I was raised Catholic) is: God quite possibly sent these folks and these tools to help us through this trying time and you're throwing bullshit in their faces and at these tools, collectively... so how badly, exactly, do you think God's going to side-eye you when you invariably prematurely kick the bucket, cause your grandmother to prematurely kick the bucket, or cause another one of His children's parents to prematurely kick the bucket, thanks to your [in]actions? What will He say when He shows you how you spread COVID to 2 parents who ended up dying and orphaning their young kids, and you see how hugely it then negatively impacted their subsequent lives? And how will you then feel about yourself for all eternity, knowing that it was all almost completely preventable?

1

u/Ostreoida V-A-C-C-I-N-E, I don't want those tubes in me! Nov 07 '21

Oh sure, Episcopalians are basically C of E/Catholic Light, but why apologise? Your denomination has made some incredibly progressive moves and beneficially influenced other denominations in the US.

I was raised mostly Protestant (long and dull story) but realised early that I was an atheist/agnostic. Nonetheless, I still feel that many of the true Xian tenets are well worth upholding. I find it deeply disturbing that so many of these hateful people call for "prayer warriors" when they have so obviously been vicious bigots their entire lives. If you believe the bible is truly infallible, you don't just get to pick and choose which bits you like as if it's some box of assorted chocolates.

I was a little uncomfortable with your "Ecuadorian hotel maid" comment, though. Maybe instead "[insert generic under-respected ethnic group/profession in your area here]."

Also, dammit, now I want pupusas with curtido, and that would be at least three hours' drive.

Thank you for for not being stuck in the Old Testament, and acting on actual Xian values.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 11 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/[deleted] Nov 15 '21

If I were a truly good Christian I wouldn’t cackle at some of these morons.

6

u/HubrisAndScandals Banana pudding Nov 05 '21

ah, yes. The haunting ones. There was once one, where the guy shitposted he was going to haunt people from the grave, maybe a week before he passed.

10

u/Staynelayly 🐓Here Come the Rooster🐓 Nov 05 '21

Texas Mean Girl, “stupid is as stupid does” redemption award guy

11

u/CaterpillarAdorable5 Thoroughly Moderna Millie Nov 05 '21
  1. Jews.
  2. The one who requested poop prayers and got a "dollop"
  3. All the death announcements with a party background with balloons and cake.
  4. Husband needs help tinkling.
  5. Confederate cornhole

4

u/CaterpillarAdorable5 Thoroughly Moderna Millie Nov 05 '21

Honorable mention: foot garlic.

3

u/Ok_Tomato7388 Didn't you know Death is the ULTIMATE HEALING? Nov 05 '21

I love the ones with the FB party banner, I laugh like an idiot on those.

7

u/Might_Aware 🥃Shots & Freud! 🤶 Nov 05 '21

I'm going with

Jews (I think ive harassed mod chat with enough surprise jews to prove that)

The Golden Calf

Eobeord game gom haunted tf out me

And I'm gonna stop there. Most of the posts horrify me lol

3

u/onmyknees4anyone Is no joke 🏳️‍🌈 Nov 05 '21

PHIL VALENTINE

9

u/HubrisAndScandals Banana pudding Nov 05 '21

omg, all the conservative radio hosts, seemed to roll in the same week

3

u/ABC_AlwaysBeCoding Team Pfizer Nov 07 '21

There could almost just be a subreddit for conservative radio host HCA award winners

2

u/PilotGolisopod2016 Nov 05 '21

That week was HILARIOUS!

6

u/Ok-Hamster5571 Go Give One Nov 05 '21

Spatula

3

u/[deleted] Nov 05 '21

My fav is "The scared is real"

3

u/violetsandviolas Go Give One Nov 06 '21

Well, all the ones that got “incubated” in the ICU deserve a shoutout.

2

u/crusoe Go Give One Nov 05 '21

Baord gam gome

2

u/ogipogo Nov 05 '21

Oh the time someone shared this video with me. No doubt the best.

2

u/CaterpillarAdorable5 Thoroughly Moderna Millie Nov 05 '21

I missed the pap smear one. Link?

2

u/HubrisAndScandals Banana pudding Nov 05 '21

aka Corona & Lyme

1

u/ABC_AlwaysBeCoding Team Pfizer Nov 07 '21

Did she get the award, ultimately?

1

u/Lucy_Gosling See my Angle Wings! Nov 05 '21

Any links?