Your healthy, young son is recommended a COVID vaccine by his school. What factors shape your decision? Imagine if an entire generation was forced by government edict to get vaccinated, regardless of risk, health status, or natural immunity. Non-compliance meant being blacklisted from society—you couldn’t work, earn a living, or even go to a restaurant in some cities. That’s not possible, right? Our science is strong, and the FDA approved it. Didn’t they say the same thing about cigarettes?
What if the COVID-19 vaccine is our generation’s version of cigarettes? I’m not saying it is, but let’s explore some System 2 thinking and cognitive biases on this important and potentially life-altering decision.
Rank your hypothetical likelihood of getting a COVID-19 vaccine or another booster from one to ten, with one being “No way in hell” and ten being “Sign me up today.” Now, remember that number.
What if I told you that the mRNA therapy used in the vaccine was the first of its kind, rushed to market in record time, and beat all previous vaccine development by years? What if I told you that the approval granted was an accelerated emergency use authorization and had no long-term studies? In other words, it didn’t go through the typical FDA approval process. It was approved in good faith that the science was accurate.
Consider this: a Yale School of Medicine study found that nearly one-third of drugs approved between 2001 and 2010 had major safety issues years after they were made widely available. It took a median of 4.2 years for these safety concerns to surface, and issues were more common among drugs granted accelerated approval, like the COVID-19 vaccine. Over the past decade, the FDA approved and recalled nearly thirteen thousand drugs.
These are just a few factors to consider. Does this give you any pause? Did your one-to-ten ranking change at all? Do you want to ask more questions about the vaccine, the trials, and the data? Do you want to speak to your physician? Or do you line up like sheep and take the jab because everyone else is doing it, and you don’t want to have an awkward conversation with family or friends about why you are not vaccinated? Did you rely too much on authority bias? Media bias? Attentional bias?
Dive deeper into these themes and learn how to sharpen your critical thinking skills by reading more in Think Like a Black Sheep. Discover how to navigate through biases and uncover the truth hidden in plain sight. Start your journey today and see the world with clarity and purpose. Read more in Think Like a Black Sheep and unlock the power of critical thinking.
