Saturday,  August 21st,  I followed Anti-Vax and Anti-Lockdown signs into the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. Immersing yourself in an opposing viewpoint is often the best way to understand it. I was ready to listen,  and the message wasn't one I was expecting.

The movement isn't about being against the vaccine. It isn't about wanting to go on vacation. I
s is a battle for personal freedom and equality. This is class warfare.

Here is my experience, the opinions I heard, and what I learned.

Australia has had a peculiar COVID journey. Shut borders, travel bans, contact tracing, and strictly enforced lockdowns have kept case counts down and death tolls relatively low for the past eighteen months. But will the recent surge in Delta unravel everything?

People across the country are frustrated. You can only keep a population confined for so long without civil unrest. Sure enough, protests are popping up across the country. A recent one in Melbourne even turned violent with tear gas and rubber bullets. The new four-phase plan lays out a frame work for "returning to normal." But the path from now to totally open borders is like standing at the base of Mt. Everest looking up.

While cases are surging with a new high of 891 cases on August 21st , the vaccine rollout has ramped up. (Click HERE for the story of how I got mine.) 51.8% of the population has had their 1st dose and 29..6% of the population is fully vaccinated. (See the details below from health.gov.au.)

It's a race between Delta and the vaccine rollout. 

While the vaccine's trajectory looks promising, it takes two to Tango, and there's cohort of anti-vaxers who don't want to dance.

When I saw people waving anti-vax, anti-lockdown posters headed towards the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, I followed. I was ready to understand the other side.

The mix of people included all ages and plenty of different ethnicities (although predominately white). Kids were playing and adults were mingling. The atmosphere was more akin to a Saturday family-friendly music festival than a protest, but the t-shirts and posters were a reminder of what the mission was.

There were people wearing red "Make Australia Great Again" hats standing next to young people with dreadlocks and bellbottoms. It was as if a Pro-Trump rally met up with a Vietnam War protest; a mix I'd never thought I'd see in my life.

The Speakers

A two-minute didgeridoo performance was followed by a minute of silence before a speaker took the stage. I was ready to be slapped with some solid knowledge about the dangers of the vaccine and the predatory actions of the elite! Tell me why I need to join in this protest! Make me feel angry and passionate! 

If you want to be heard, you need to listen. And I was all ears.

Her speech was centered around class disparities and fighting the man. She warned the audience of the dangers of politicians, the elite, and the corrupted news media. "These people have never struggled, they've never had to turn around and whip up flour and water for their breakfast and lunch for their families. These people haven't been silver spoon fed, but diamond spoon fed!"

She continued, "They are parasites, sucking the blood from all of our children. Our people. You're here to pull that out, we're here to expose the institutions that claim to be representing us….This fire we've ignited isn't going to stop… justice is coming!"

No mention of the vaccine was made.

The crowd's energy started to fade as the next speaker took the stage.

The man is a popular leader of the movement, but his speech seemed scattered and unplanned. Like the woman, his focus was on class disparities and he didn't mention the vaccine once. Here were the takeaways I extrapolated from the piece-meal delivery:

  • The government is tracking everything. Don't use QR codes and don't use keycards.
  • We are entering a state that's worse than Nazi Germany. This isn't just about COVID, this is about fighting a Communist takeover.
  • Quarantine camps are being built now, but what will they be used for later?
  • We need tact; read in between the lines of what I say.
  • Police are peaceful today, but maybe not tomorrow.
  • The movement is non-violent. If anyone tries to start something, they will be immediately removed.
  • Be sure to sign up for the movement to get information about protests.
  • Fight for privacy now so that our children can be free later.
  • Watch out for moles and spies. (Jeremy and I shared a glance over this one, knowing we didn't belong.)
  • Support small business
  • A long story about the cops trying to unjustly arrest him. 

There are certain politicians and speakers who have opinions I don't agree with. But when I hear that person speak, a lightbulb goes off as the audience eats out of the palm of his/her hand. Charismatic and passionate public speakers can make people believe anything. These public speakers fell short.

I felt confused and frustrated. They weren't convincing or informative. Yet, the crowd was totally onboard.

I looked around me to learn more. Here is a breakdown of the arguments that were being made:

1. My Body, My Choice: Hippie Edition

A man with a guitar came up to me, "You look like you're healthy! Hi, I'm Rylie!" I told myself I wouldn't get into any debates. I was choosing to insert myself into someone else's protest, and I felt it necessary to allow them the free speech they deserve. But I couldn't resist a big of digging….

His stance was that we need to fight the system and stop putting chemicals into our bodies. Eat from the land! No prescription drugs! No vaccine! I asked how we would feed the world's population year round without preservatives. He didn't have an answer.

This anti-vax opinion is the one I can understand. If you grow and raise your own food and have made the choice to opt for traditional healing and herbal medicine, I get it.

2. My Body My Choice: Personal Freedom Edition

Brisbane Anti-Lockdown protest "my body by choice" sign

I am a strong proponent of allowing people to be in control of their own bodies. People should be able to dress how they want, eat what they want, marry who they want, drink what they want, and take on the lifestyle they see fit. For this argument to be consistent, it also means we should legalize all drugs, prostitution, and the organ market. It's my body, and it's my choice to do drugs, sell a kidney, or become a sex worker.

There one condition: My choices can't impair your ability to make a choice.

If your decision to remain unvaccinated results in spreading COVID to people who haven't had the opportunity to get vaccinated yet, you're infringing on their bodies.

Perhaps you disagree, which leads me to a somber fact: freedom doesn't exist.

In July 2020, I explored the idea in Life, Liberty, and the Freedom to Not Wear a Mask?

A truly free society would mean no laws, police, or regulations. All citizens would be "free" to steal from grocery stores, coerce people to do things at gun point, drive like a maniac, pay no attention to health code, so on and so forth. It would be nice to believe that individuals would do the "right" thing to create the most aggregate good, but alas, you and I both know that would never happen; a Utopian society simply cannot exist, and "right" and "wrong" are relative. 

We do not actually want freedom, rather, we want to be the key master to our own shackles and chains. 

As a result, we have agreed to a social contract where the government provides national security, regulates currency, mitigates externalities (air pollution, programs to alleviate hunger, etc), and protects our asserted natural rights of life, liberty and property via laws and a functioning justice system. In exchange, we pay taxes and abide by those rules. If the government fails us, we can vote out our representatives and sign petitions for change. If we fail the government, we get punished through fines and prison

3. COVID Is a Lie!!

Brisbane Anti-Lockdown protest sign

Australian news and media has done a particularly bad job on COVID reporting. People distrust the information as a result. However, COVID-19 does exist. Plain and simple

4. Vaccine Dangers, "I Am Not a Lab Rat!"

According to the CDC, there have been 6,789 reported death due to COVID vaccines. Which is a death rate of .0019%.

Every piece of research I've read has shown that the vaccine risks are incredibly low compared to the risks of contracting COVID. Here are just a few! I'd encourage clicking on the links and looking at the actual studies.

  • HERE are FAQS from the World Health Organization.
  • HERE are FAQS from the Mayo Clinic.
  • HERE are FAQS from the CDC.
  • HERE is information on vaccine safety monitoring in Australia.
  • HERE is a wonderful breakdown of 5 vaccines by Jaimie Meyer of Yale Medicine.
  • THIS article breaks down precautions used to ensure vaccine safety.
  • THIS article by Jennifer Falk at Mercer University does an awesome job answering 5 vaccinate hesitancy questions.
  • THIS article from Axia Women's Health busts myths and reveals vaccines with a focus on women.

Do you still believe that vaccines have been created by greedy elite? 

Demographically, vaccine hesitancy in Western countries is more common in low-income and underserved communities where people statistically have less money, less education, and less opportunities. This demographic is more likely to distrust the government, the elite, and news, which translates to distrusting the vaccine's safety.

Meanwhile, people with a higher income and more education are getting vaccinated. I agree that the big guys up top often use and abuse the people below them. But if the vaccine is unsafe and dangerous, why were these  "greedy elite" the first in line to snag a jab?

The logic just doesn't add up.

Click HERE for information on vaccine hesitancy in Australia.

Click HERE for information on vaccine hesitancy in the UK.

Click HERE for information on vaccine hesitancy across the globe.

.Click HERE and HERE for information on vaccine hesitancy in the US.

5. Save Our Children

Brisbane Protest

The "Save Our Children" angle was extremely popular, and one that was new to me.

In regards to fighting closing schools, I get it. Learning from home, being in and out of the classroom, and missing out on social interactions will likely have severe effects on growth and  development.  Children can't vote and they don't have representation in politics, meaning they can't stand up for themselves.

In regards to fighting lockdowns, I get it. Big wage gaps and income inequality create a divided society, and this gap is being cranked open with lockdowns. The rich can still work. In fact, some are making more money now than ever. Meanwhile, the lower and middle classes are having their lives completely flipped upside down. Leveling out the playing field so all children have the same opportunities is a worthy cause for a brighter future.

In regards to the vaccine, the threat of climate change to future generations is far more terrifying.

6. The Jesus Justifcation

There were a handful of signs, like the one above, indicating religious reasons to not get the vaccine. While some religious followers believe vaccines are a way of defying their respective god, the general message from religious leaders is that vaccines are crucial for helping humanity.

I headed to Google to find out more.

Many religious leaders, including the Pope and the Dalai Lama, have publicly received their vaccines and are encouraging everyone to do the same. The vaccine doesn't contain porcine ingredients, bovine gelatin, or fetal cell lines, which means it's respectively okay by guidelines set in Islam, Hindu, and certain Christian sects. (Click HERE for a great break down COVID vaccines and religion. Click HERE for a great discussion of general vaccines and religion.)

Here are some sources to learn more:

7. The Root of the Movement: Anti-Government, Anti-Elite, Anti-Lockdowns

Lockdowns send high wage earners to their home office while sending the working class and small business owners into financial upheaval. Government support money isn't always enough to foot the bills. People feel repressed, trapped, fed up, and lied to as freedoms and privacy have been taken away.

My Two Cents.....

I walked into this protest expecting it to be centered around the vaccine. But the anti-vax opinions are a mere biproduct of the bigger battle: government repression, privacy infringements, and inequality.

There have been 981 deaths in Australia as of August 23rd 2021, and the life-threatening nature of COVID is two steps removed. The worldwide COVID death toll is 4,443,801 people (also as of August 23rd), but reading about lives lost is different than experiencing it. As a result, some people see lockdowns, contact tracing, mask mandates, and border closures as shackles and chains rather than life saving measures.

There is a solution for Australians to get their freedoms back and for the government to save lives:

the vaccine.

The fight against COVID has become a war against misinformation. It's time to search for the truth, spread the truth, and come together to beat this thing once for a better future.