The Unvaccinated: The New Negro
By Reginald Williams
Seeds of conflict deeply sowed in America's corroded soiled landscape produce blooming crops that consist of anger, hostility, fighting and division, and polarizing hatred.
Dismissive white folks continue their persistent history of propagating discord and preying on people of color.
Republicans and Democrats continue to scrap like the Hatfield and McCoys across the political aisle. Men and women embrace gender uniqueness with a partisan perspective that mirrors the toxic biases exhibited between heterosexuals and members of the LGBTQ community. The wealthy continue their practice of peering down on the impoverished. And if the aforementioned hasn't played enough of a burdensome impact on America's psychosocial sensibilities, now we have vaccinated and non-vaccinated proponents in bitter, oppressive opposition. What a shame! What's funny about this vax, non-vax conflict is that many arguments presented by advocates on both sides of the debate are amazingly obtuse, but this argument has nothing to do with that discourse.
My mission in this commentary does not advocate for either alternative. I support whatever you support for your well-being. Everyone has the right to choose whatever course of action they believe is best for their health, and not be devalued because of that choice. Whatever your position, I encourage you to be both thorough and vigilant in your process of making that health decision. I've tested positive for COVID. I do understand the anxiety felt learning that you've tested positive and sitting with the worry of – what's next. My mission is solely to push back against the self-righteous vaccinated folk who have elevated their choice as the exclusive one.
Inflated and Flaw Perspective
While I have absolutely no issues with a person's vaccination solution, I do have a huge problem with self-righteous folk who operate with an air of supremacy (If you do not behave as such, I'm not speaking about you). Individuals who believe that vaccination is "THE" only solution and marginalize anyone who disagrees with "THEIR" option. Hall of Fame basketball player Kareem Abdul Jabbar referred to basketball players who refused to get vaccinated as "sloppy thinkers."
"The problem with vague philosophies is that the rest of us pay for those sloppy thinkers because they are the ones clogging our hospitals, crushing our economy, and keeping us from our loved ones," said Kareem.
Hey Kareem, GTFOH!I remind you, my pursuit is to challenge this dense smog of elitism embraced by vaccinated people like Kareem. The inflated attitude of many who are vaccinated is nauseating. Like Kareem, a great population of vaccinated folk strut with an air that suggests their vaccination status represents the premier COVID defense; for them, vaccination equals protection, while the unvaccinated represents the infectors. This embraced orientation reminds me of those days when white folks chose to disinfect community pools when Black people swam in one. This flawed perspective conveniently hides behind the less spoken truth: there’s a surplus of vaccinated persons who have invested little in being healthy pre-COVID and continue to be marred in those unhealthy choices during COVID. Those same unhealthy vaccinated persons (professional gas lighters) elevate their status much like the privileged. Kareem's comment possessed that snobbish Us versus Them disposition. Wow, Reggie. Such an aristocratic attitude. Yep.
Despite the overall unhealthy lifestyle embraced by those smuggest vaccinated individuals – hue, religion nor ethnicity matters – there's a tenacity to treat unvaccinated people like new Negroes still living under the old rule of a racist Bull Conner paradigm. But anywho!
Good health is habitual
To improve my health, in the fall of 2018, I attempted to become a vegan. Approximately 15 years earlier, I began living a vegetarian lifestyle. Except for cheese, I had long eradicated dairy from my diet. Also, that year I began juicing. My daily juicing regimen consisted primarily of beets, carrots, a Fuji apple with fresh ginger, and lemon. I chose those ingredients because research reports they reduced blood pressure and bad cholesterol. The fresh ginger and lemon were agents that reduced inflammation. Eliminating inflammation builds the immune system. Let me say that differently. An inflamed body is the temple of a weakened immune system.
I chose to juice (not a meal replacement) to ensure that I consumed the daily recommended micronutrients. I complimented my pre-COVID intake of micronutrients with supplements to include 1,000mg of vitamin C, 50mg of zinc, 400mg magnesium, Omega 3, and I'd take one capsule of vitamin D (50,000mg) every Sunday. Allow me to digress. Research, after research after more research, reveals that "the majority of deaths due to SARS-CoV-2 infections are attributed to vitamin D deficiency." I find it interesting that the health benefits of vitamin D (also rooted in science) rarely make the nightly news. It is seldom if ever, shared by government officials or medical professionals in their talking points on managing the virus. Vaccination is the isolated message pushed. If the science reports that a huge population of people dying from COVID are deficient in the vitamin D, why doesn't the wellness messaging include the empirical findings of vitamin D? Backed by the government, healthcare officials are vigorously pushing the vaccine, yet are quiet as a church mouse pissing on cotton about the scientific significance of vitamin D. The chosen approach is abundantly clear that a "take a shot fits all" approach is the magic bullet. Remember, my argument ain't anti-vaccination.
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After receiving a positive COVID test result on January 6, 2021, I physically suffered not a day. No fever. No aches. No loss of appetite. After completing my isolation, I elevated my pre-COVID routine by adding vitamin B-12, Elderberry, and Cod Liver oil (essentially a second dosage of Omega 3) and replacing my powdered turmeric with fresh turmeric. I’ve increased my daily walk from 2.5 miles per day per COVID to three to five miles per day in COVID’s grip. Please excuse me for interjecting my personal testimony into this piece. But I need to be clear that "Good health is habitual." It's intentional.
While the vaccinated strut their superiority because they took two shots, I'm dedicated to a daily disciplined approach to being healthy. I love, absolutely love French fries and mashed potatoes, but I do not eat either because it briskly spikes my blood sugar. I don't partake in the ketchup – too much added sugar or dipping sauces laced with sodium benzoates – both deteriorate the immune system. I enjoy fried shrimp, but I do not eat them – it excites my cholesterol. Pizza is one of my all-time favorites. I'll eat it occasionally, but mostly I make my own. You see, my vaccinated brethren, I believe food "IS" medicine. For many vaccinated folk, food is their pathway to illness – but because they are vaccinated they live under the scope of “vague philosophies” that those shots is all that is needed to protect against COVID. Okay! Give me a minute; I'm going to swing back to my pre-supposition about poor health with some empirical evidence.
I am mindful of what I put in my body. I am and have been vested in my internal health pre-COVID and continue to be vigilant in continual learning while in the grips of COVID. I dare the unhealthy vaccinated prance and parade around me like somehow their vaccinated status elevates their safety above mine. Good health is a habit, not a singular or, should I say, two-shot event.
If I have failed to make myself clear allow me to state once again, I am so fed up hearing these vaccinated talking heads who – well – have shown that they are nothing more than "sloppy thinkers with vague philosophies." Here's the irony of their arrogance. My brethren are vaccinated:
But the primary food choice for many is processed food. I see what's in your shopping baskets at the supermarket. And I see you in those long lines at fast food restaurants. While some may not eat processed food, they still ignore that their fine dining experiences include cuisines prepared with flavorable ingredients that compromise one's internal health. Let's keep it 100, my vaccinated brethren, you eat to satisfy your taste – it makes you feel good. Simultaneously, you ignore eating foods that provide nutritional value, but you’re Good! You’re vaccinated.
My brethren, you're vaccinated, and yet your morning cup of coffee (the stimulant you need to get your day started) comes courtesy of on average 12 grams of sugar (America's white gold). Sugar and refined carbohydrates (bread, rice, pasta) packed with added sugar are arguably the most dangerous drug consumed. But, you're vaccinated.
My brethren, you're vaccinated but will compromise your lung capacity (oxygen) indulging in the "I'm Living My Best Life" past times of cigar or hookah smoking, and of course the compliment of some bourbon. I see your social media post.
You're vaccinated, but you have no time to exercise. That same science promoting vaccination also sponsors exercise – saying that it is critical to building a robust immune system.
My vaccinated brethren, I see your visceral fat. Oh, I'm not bringing this up as a point of vanity, but one of health. You see, belly fat raises your risk of serious metabolic disorders: those comorbidities that heighten COVID.
My brethren, you're vaccinated; however, your lifestyle choices are those that suppress your immunity and compromise your health. But you're vaccinated. Is it just me, or can you hear the hypocrisy in your flawed thinking?
Is my elitism too salty? It's no different than your elevated, "I'm Vaccinated" preeminence.
You Need A Booster Shot
While my food, supplement, and exercise choices consistently boost my immune system, you will need a booster shot to ensure that your vaccine can continue to protect your immune system. That "two-shot fits all" is now two-shots, and who knows how many booster shots. Where’s the lie?
As condescending vaccinated people, with their groupthink mindset, continue their propensity to throw shade or, should I say, dark cloud coverings at the unvaccinated, it straight pisses me off that they believe citizens should disregard – no distrust their right to advocate for their care in the manner that they believe is safest. Vaccinated people continue to push a narrative that bullies the unvaccinated (specifically unvaccinated people of color). I know you've heard the nightly news reporting that most COVID patients occupying hospital beds are unvaccinated people of color. Vaccinated folks of all ethnicities, treat the unvaccinated like new Negroes, expecting Black folk, in particular, to trust the science while implicitly suggesting that they ignore the mounds of empirical evidence of the healthcare inequities historically received by African-Americans. I'm not referring to the Tuskegee Experiment. I'm referencing the multiplicity of modern-day horror stories of inequitable treatment administered by healthcare professionals. Are Black people dying from COVID or negligent professional care? As a matter of record, America's health care system for most Americans is pathetic.
The great old U.S. of A has the most expensive health care system in the world, yet "ranks last overall compared with six other industrialized countries" in providing care, according to The Commonwealth Fund. Per the Health Care System Performance Ranking, the United Stated is last in Access to Care, Health Care Outcomes, and Administrative Efficiency.
Miss me with the regressive thought process that has you believing that the unvaccinated are a threat to your health. Such a sentiment sounds eerily like the PRIVILEGE who always push “They feared for their lives” whenever a Black person is murdered. The probability is that you are just as significant a threat to the unvaccinated. How so, you ask? I recently read that a university requires ticket holders to "prove their vaccination status" to attend home football games. In the absence of being vaccinated, a person must show a negative diagnostic PCR test within 72-hours of the game." Do you know what that means? No, glad you asked. That means unvaccinated persons (equipped with proof that they aren't infected) are at risk of being infected by vaccinated persons who have offered no evidence that they are COVID-free – smh! They only have proof that they are vaccinated, not infected.
COVID or Comorbidities
While many vaccinated folk boldly move about maskless, suggesting that their vaccinated status excludes them from spreading the virus. There’s evidence that contradicts this air of supremacy. On July 30, the CDC reported that a U.S. agency, in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, found that 74 percent of the citizens in Massachusetts infected with the coronavirus were fully vaccinated – 74 percent and fully vaccinated. The report also shared that fully vaccinated who are infected "carry as much of the virus in their nose as unvaccinated people and could spread it to others." That news behaved like the scroll that runs across the bottom of a newscast that few viewers pay attention to. I would be remiss if I failed to mention that 70 percent of the residents in Massachusetts are white. Are Black folks clogging up the hospital bed in Massachusetts?
Israel, one of the first countries to have the majority of its citizens vaccinated, had, as of August 2021, one of the highest daily infection rates. Wait. A country with a high vaccination rate has a high daily infection rate? Well, I’ll be! So, vaccinated people apparently spread the virus as well. I wonder if this applies to those vaccinated persons who boldly walk around NOT wearing a mask because why; they are vaccinated. Hmmm! What took place in Israel – a country with the majority of its citizens vaccinated corroborates the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, shared by the CDC that states vaccinated people can spread the virus. FULLY VACCINATED PEOPLE ARE SPREADING THE VIRUS. Things that may you go hmmm.
Most of the vaccinated people hospitalized in Israel were so because of comorbidities: you know, those underlining health ailments potentially due to unhealthy living habits. Remember Kareem stated the people clogging up the hospital were the unvaccinated: he's statistically correct. However, is that the entire story? In his "sloppy thinking" rant, Kareem chose not to share that most of the people clogging up the hospital were citizens with metabolic syndrome issues and low-grade inflammation. Many people clogging up hospitals were individuals having no less than two pre-existing conditions – people with poor immune functions like elevated liver fat, Type 2 diabetics, kidney failure, elevated blood pressure, and heart disease. Must I name some more comorbidities? So, is the problem COVID or Comorbidities? One medical study reports that 15 percent of the COVID death are people suffering from poor immune functions, while less than 0.1 percent who die have no pre-existing conditions. Another report indicated that 11 percent of people hospitalized for COVID had three or more underlying conditions. Interesting that these super-intelligent individuals never consider the complicities of comorbidities as the root reasons for the "clogging of hospitals." I'll ask again, is the problem COVID or Comorbidities.
American is sick and has been for quite some time, and COVID is far from the culprit. A 2014 study reported that physical inactivity, food choices to include portion sizes, tobacco, and unmanaged stress made up 84 percent of all U.S. medical costs. Six years before the outbreak of COVID, that same report stated that at that rate of sickness, more than 70 percent of Americans would be obese, and 75 percent would suffer from diabetes. For the first time in America, children were expected not to live as long as their parents. Since 1950, the rate of obesity in America has tripled to more than 800 percent. It appears to me, the "sloppy thinkers with vague philosophies" are those uppity vaccinated persons who choose to ignore the real virus - unhealthy lifesytle choices.
Blue Zones
Let me conclude this long-ass rant with this. Blue Zones are regions of the world where residents live a longer than average lifespan. Many actively live past 100. Okinawa, Japan, is one of five Blue Zones. Lean In. I'm bout to drop some deep shyt. In Okinawa, the natives (young and middled-aged adults) who live closer to Chatan City, the American village near Kadena Air Base, and dine on an American diet, experience higher rates of lifestyle diseases like cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes. Natives in their 80s’ and beyond, who eat traditional Japanese meals, live healthier and longer than those younger than they. One more gin’, is the problem COVID or Comorbidities. The more fatal virus might be you and your unhealthy choices. The SAD diet (Standard American Diet), aptly named, is killing you, but you're marginalizing folk because they choose to forgo some shots.
In closing, I reiterate: I support those who support vaccination. Be vaccinated, but sit your ass down. Shut up. Statistically, you are probably unhealthy and pose just as much risk to the public as anyone else. You have some nerve treating the unvaccinated like the new Negro.