By. Charlotte Roberts

You cannot look anywhere without seeing something pertaining to the pandemic. Shutdowns, vaccines, variants, we’ve all been inundated with pandemic talk. With the mainstream media and political figures constantly discussing the pandemic we are now starting to see a new class divide: vaccinated vs unvaccinated.

It is no secret that the government wants everyone vaccinated, so much so that any thought against getting the vaccine is deemed misinformation and gets vilified regardless of the validity of the questions or concerns. One particularly disturbing and outspoken voice recently came from Alabama Governor, Kay Ivey:

As you can see, she calls to “start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks.” She further goes on to insult the intelligence of people who have not been vaccinated by implying that getting the vaccine is common sense. The language here is demeaning and creates a sense of otherness and superiority of the people who chose to get vaccinated. This is coming from a political figure with mass visibility, and it is problematic. For those who look to political figures for guidance or support will simply reiterate this idea in their communities. We will see more of this division.

Businesses are partaking as well. Look at the following images and see the narrative.

Clearly, there’s a growing sense of “otherness” that has developed due to the pandemic. When the vaccines first became available, they were presented as a choice, but now it’s becoming clear that the choice is slowly being taken away from the public. Several schools are requiring the vaccine. Jobs are firing people for refusing the vaccine. Some businesses want proof of vaccination to enter. The mainstream media is constantly trying to demean and demoralize those who have not taken the vaccine. All these tactics are being employed to try to get everyone vaccinated.

How far will this go? Will tactics like this be used in the future for other things? Many people are okay with this now because they feel a sense of moral duty to protect themselves and the public. However, will getting used to this new type of society open the doors to more intrusive practices in the future?