Posted November 30, 2021
By Sean Ring
Why I Copped It on the Jab
- I took my first AstraZeneca jab yesterday.
- No, I dont think itll do much.
- And no, Im certainly not going to tell you to do it.
First Things First
Im going to reiterate my stance on the jabs themselves.First, I wish theyd stop calling them vaccines. According to Google, a vaccine is:A substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases, prepared from the causative agent of a disease, its products, or a synthetic substitute, treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease.
These shots do NOT provide immunity. We know they dont. The scientific community admits as much.These vaccines do not prohibit you from acquiring the disease. They do not prohibit someone from passing it on to you.For those who call you anti-vax for not wanting to inject this stuff, remind them definitions matter.Let me plainly state that I do not believe in any way that Ive made myself safer or that the effects of COVID will be somehow lighter for me.Ive already had it, though I cant prove it thanks to the appalling state of the Philippines medical establishment.But I was already laid up for three months, so my natural immune defenses will take it from here.For your friends wholl go nuts over that statement, heres the subtitle to an excellent WSJ piece:Evidence grows that infections provide as much protection as vaccines, prompting some experts to suggest a nuanced approach to vaccine mandates.
In fact, it makes me double down on my original thesis that lockdowns werent just useless, they were detrimental.The best course of action would have been to lock up retirees and other immunocompromised folks and let the rest of us get on with it.Yup, I just wrote that. And I believe it now more than ever.So why did I cop it?Here are my big three reasons:Traveling
When youre stuck in the Third World longer than you intended, you want to get on a plane.Its simply too much of a hassle to get on and off planes without the jab.I couldve wiggled my way through it until I got to Italy, but it was increasingly difficult to manage.This leads me to my next big reason.Leaving Money on the Table
I wrote months ago about how my teaching job made me feel like James Bond.My boss, M, would call me up, give me an assignment, and send me on a plane to an exotic location to carry out his orders.At least it feels like that, though the assignment is just what course to teach and for whom.When those courses last weeks, I get a bag of money in my bank account soon after.Ive had to turn down two jobs in the last three months whose combined total wouldve exceeded the yearly median income in the United States.It rankles.And thats the great lesson in opportunity cost.Not only that, but telling your salespeople, who work their asses off for you, that you cant do a job theyve laid on a plate for you is demoralizing.I want to keep those relationships as healthy as possible.Heart Problems with mRNA Vaccines, But Not the Others
Ive never felt comfortable with the mRNA vaccines and refuse to take them.You may feel otherwise, and thats just fine.But according to the CDC, the vast majority of heart issues have occurred after taking the mRNA jabs.Now you know Ive gotten much healthier lately, but Im still not at my dream weight.The last thing I can risk is a vaccine thatll give me heart issues.Sure, the CDC follows up on the heart issues here by stating:Myocarditis and pericarditis after COVID-19 vaccination are rare. As of November 24, 2021, VAERS has received 1,949 reports of myocarditis or pericarditis among people ages 30 and younger who received COVID-19 vaccine. Most cases have been reported after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), particularly in male adolescents and young adults. Through follow-up, including medical record reviews, CDC and FDA have confirmed 1,071 reports of myocarditis or pericarditis. CDC and its partners are investigating these reports to assess whether there is a relationship to COVID-19 vaccination.
(Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle. Pericarditis is inflammation of the outer lining of the heart.)So that left AstraZeneca and Janssen, the JNJ vaccine.Of course, I wanted the Janssen jab, as thats only one shot.Janssen also has side effects in women under 50.Thank you for not assuming my gender, but its not a concern for me.If its a concern for you, read here.Janssen isnt available in the Philippines.So that left Astra.I was okay with this. Why?The Astra vaccine early on had reported blood clots as a side effect in younger people. But it was so rare I was comfortable taking it.My real hope is that my natural immune system will knock out anything, real or synthetic, that doesnt belong there.That is, Im hoping all this is just a big nothing burger.As of this morning, I feel just fine, though my shoulder is sore. I think my jabber is a part-time knife-fighter, though I cant prove it.But no dizziness, headaches, or insomnia.I slept like a baby and woke up thinking, Ive got to tell my Rude peeps about this.With all that said, Id love to hear your thoughts. Write to asksean@paradigm.press and let it all out.I couldnt have been more honest with you about the what and why.Now its your turn. I can take it. I think.All the best,Sean
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