Anti-Vaxxers Think They’re Like MLK and Rosa Parks — They’re Not

Comparing themselves to civil rights leaders proves we need a vaccine for historical ignorance

No girl, no. They’re in Austria, so at least not all idiots are American. (Small victory). Image: Ivan Radic, Flickr, Creative Commons license

Forget Critical Race Theory for a minute — at this point, I’d settle for halfway decent history education and maybe a few required classes in basic logic.

Seriously, sometimes you have to start at the beginning, with that whole “learning to walk before you can run” thing.

Here are some examples, made sadly necessary by recent events and news items:

• Being asked (or even required) to wear a mask to prevent the spread of a virus is not the same as being forced to live in segregated communities, attend segregated schools, or being barred from voting.
• Nor is it remotely akin to being hosed down by police and having dogs turned on you by racist cops in Alabama or being murdered by other racist cops in Mississippi.

Also:

• Being encouraged to get a vaccine to prevent viral spread, or temporarily required to have proof of one to drink in bars or enter restaurants, is not like being told that you can’t eat or drink there because of your skin color.