That Moment When I'm On The Same Page As Sean Hannity

And I wonder if I've lost my freakin' mind

Please take COVID seriously, I can’t say it enough. Enough people have died. We don’t need any more deaths. Research like crazy, talk to your doctor, medical professionals, you trust based on your unique medical history, your current medical condition, and it absolutely makes sense for many Americans to get vaccinated. I believe in science and I believe in the science of vaccination.

• Sean Hannity, 7.19.21

Even with all of the fear and uncertain surrounding the almost 17 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, one touchstone has remained unshakable. At least until now, that is. Fox News talking heads and other prominent Conservatives could be counted on to lie early and often about both the severity of COVID-19 and the need and importance of vaccination.

Conservatives, led by Donald Trump, succeeded in thoroughly politicizing America’s (and the world’s) worst public health crisis in a century. As a result, one’s stance on the pandemic, the safety protocols advocated by public health professionals, and vaccines became an indicator of political affiliation.

If you leaned blue, you believed that COVID-19 was real. You were convinced it was a significant threat and should be treated with respect and caution. And so you wore masks, practiced social distancing, and got vaccinated as soon as you possibly could.

If you supported Donald Trump and your political leanings were more crimson, you believed that COVID-19 was a hoax and part of a Liberal plot to curtail your freedom and liberty. You believed COVID-19 was no worse than a bad case of the flu. And you probably also rejected any of the three approved vaccines because

A) you don’t know what’s in the vaccines,

B) the vaccines contain microchips that will allow the government to track your every move,

C) the vaccines haven’t been approved by the FDA, and/or

D) some and/or all of the above.

Never mind that

A) you consume things every day without knowing what the exact chemical composition is,

B) you almost certainly carry a cell phone with you everywhere, which is nothing if not the ultimate tracking device, and

C) the FDA has issued the vaccines an Emergency Use Authorization as the approval process continues.

Truthfully, what could and should have been a coordinated and apolitical response to a grave threat to public health was politicized by those who felt they could benefit by doing so. One could convincingly argue that these same folks are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths. We can’t know that within absolute certainty, of course, but neither could any reasonable person discount that possibility.

Much of the responsibility for the politicization, propaganda, and dezinformatziya surrounding the pandemic can be laid at the door of Fox News Channel (FNC). Many of FNC’s talking heads have spent the pandemic downplaying the pandemic and casting doubt upon the efficacy and safety of the vaccines intended to combat it. Their lies and misinformation have made the job of public health professionals infinitely more challenging and complicated.

Why? Because a lie can circle the globe twice in the time it takes the truth to drag its sorry ass out of bed.

That FNC has a policy requiring employees to be vaccinated has received little public scrutiny. It hasn’t been publicized because it runs counter to the corporate anti-vaccine line, but virtually everyone you see on camera at FNC has been fully vaccinated.

Sean Hannity has been one of FNC’s most egregious and notorious anti-vaccine propagandists. Since the beginning of the pandemic, he’s soft-pedaled COVID-19 and fallen in line behind Donald Trump’s efforts to pretend the pandemic isn’t nearly as serious as it clearly is.

For reasons known only to himself, Hannity has now become strongly pro-vaccine. He came out on Monday night and strongly advocated his support for vaccines and vaccine science. He also urged his audience to do their research, consult with their doctor, and make the decisions they feel will most effectively safeguard their health.

This advocacy would’ve been nice, say, half a million deaths ago, but I suppose late is better than never. While I seldom attempt to understand Conservative motives, I’m grateful when they do the right thing…even if I don’t fully grasp why. If using their voice helps save lives, we should be grateful for that.

Any accounting for lives they may be responsible for leading down the path to an early death can be left until after the pandemic is in our collective rear-view mirror.

We can only hope that more COVID-denying, anti-vaccine Conservatives will follow Sean Hannity’s lead and decide to speak the truth.

Thanks for tuning in. This is Dick Metaphor signing off. Have a great Wednesday!!