Do you think that it’s important to use different approaches to fight the reluctance to vaccinate?

From what I can tell, there are different paths people can take to lead to being against vaccination. While I believe that vaccination is the right thing to do, I don’t necessarily think that all of the paths that lead to an anti-vaccination position are equal. But it appears that pro-vaccination advocates are intent on interpreting all anti-vaccination people as having taken the same path. And the result is arrogant and largely missing the point for many people.

We live in a country that usually celebrates individualism and I think it must feel odd for people to see the level of vitriol and arrogance when suddenly everyone has decided that there is such thing as “good for the group”. Our entire healthcare system normally goes out of its way to make this group-over-individual mindset seem absurd. We don’t have universal healthcare, we favor treatment of symptoms rather than preventive care, yet suddenly there are loud voices telling us that we should all do our part for the team. Where’s the team when I have cancer and need to sell my house to pay for medication that will help me live another 3 months?

Many people see corporate programming marketing junk food to their children and selling the expensive treatment for the inevitable obesity. Political correctness comes along and provides a free hand in the marketing of leading an unhealthy lifestyle and treating it later with expensive pills and operations. They see the science about healthy eating (starting with breastfeeding), exercise, and the dangers of obesity, talked about with such a different tone than we are seeing with vaccination (rights and individual freedom vs responsibility to the group). When the neighbor who spends her days driving her SUV to her marketing agency to figure out how to get kids to eat more sugar decides to lecture about personal and social responsibility, I think something doesn’t feel right for many people. The people that are fine with destroying the planet for my children are now lecturing me about my responsibility to others.

I think it’s possible for someone to be confused about vaccination on every level, and still be someone justified in their confusion. Is it possible that there are other ways to address the issue of vaccination that would help people understand why it’s the right thing to do?

I’m extremely pro-vaccination, but even I feel a bit uncomfortable about how concerns about vaccinations are dealt with. I’m not sure I have the answer.

Am I wrong? Should we just treat peoples’ concerns about vaccinations with the same approach? Do you think we’d be better off if we weren’t already so averse to considering the group over the individual?