Novak Djokovic. Photo / Photosport
COMMENT:
One of the intriguing and surprising elements of the lockdown has been just how many stupid people are out there.
The ones who didn't understand how going surfing or for a spin in their car might endanger others; the ones who think Covid-19 only affects old people; the ones playing touch rugby or frisbee in the park; the two dropkicks driving down our 50kph road at 90kph on Friday and the ones who think it's just another flu. There are also the celebrities posing naked on Instagram with a pillow lashed to their front with a belt. Don't ask.
Let's not even get into Health Minister David Clark – plus the almost unbelievably brain-dead sub-species of Americans who are demonstrating against the lockdown and "for freedom" – aka, as someone pointed out, the freedom to infect other people.
This week along comes Novak Djokovic, the best tennis player on the planet. In a Facebook chat with Serbian players, translated by Reuters, he said he had a difficult decision to make if receiving a coronavirus vaccine became mandatory to compete on the tennis circuit.
"Personally I am opposed to vaccination and I wouldn't want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine to be able to travel," Djokovic said. "But if it becomes compulsory, what will happen? I will have to make a decision. I have my own thoughts about the matter, and whether those thoughts will change at some point, I don't know."
He later released a clarifying statement asking whether a Covid-19 vaccination would be necessary for travel. He said he was intent on exploring options other than vaccination but did not rule it out if necessary. He added: "To be honest, just like the rest of the world I am a bit confused. Despite having access to information and resources, I am left in doubt about what could be the best thing to do."
Uh, anti-confusion memo to Novak: Get vaccinated, pal. It doesn't exist yet but when it does, get the jab. It might save your life, even if your Facebook chat seems to align you with the conspiracy-theory, flat-earth, 5G-tower-burning, kidnapped-by-aliens throng that is the anti-vaxxers. Even more importantly, it might save someone else's.
Tennis has been one of the sports hardest hit by the virus and stands to be one of the longest affected because both major tours, men's and women's, are global and involve much crossing of borders. Without a vaccine, it's difficult to see how top-level tennis can be played.
But there's clearly no border restrictions on stupidity. Measles were eradicated in the US 20 years ago. Last year, nearly 1300 cases were reported, mostly from people who hadn't been vaccinated. Measles sounds like kid stuff but, at its height, infected millions and killed up to 500 Americans a year - and anti-vaxxers still contend that measles vaccine causes autism, a theory soundly debunked by our best scientific brains.
While we can laugh at the anti-vaxxers, there is a serious side to this, especially with the search for a Covid-19 antidote. What happens when the vaccine arrives, only to be the subject of deep suspicion by anti-vaxxers? Will the virus surge back? How many might die?
The latest absurdity on social media is that Covid-19 was caused by 5G, the new wireless communications phenomenon pronounced safe by just about every expert in the world. But that hasn't stopped conspiracy theorists going viral with ludicrous posts that 5G has caused the virus or exacerbated it. In some countries, the lunatic fringe have taken to burning down 5G towers.
Part of the overall problem is celebrities like Djokovic (and others, when it comes to 5G); role models casting doubt only adds to the natural inclination of anti-vaxxers to be contrary to anything promoted by the Establishment.
Another part is people like me telling anti-vaxxers they're idiots after they reject the facts. As a communications strategy, this hasn't worked. When all the anti-vaxxers hear from the other side is that we have worn underpants with higher IQs, it seems to push people into even more extreme positions.
The inclination not to believe political leaders has taken root deeply in places like the UK and US; it's where Donald Trump came from, after all. When you have the leader of the free world introducing twaddle like injecting disinfectant to combat Covid-19 (one of his scientists had to stand up afterwards and say it wasn't a good idea), you fear for the human race – but you can see how anti-vaxxers gain momentum.
Maybe what's needed is a bit of their own medicine, so to speak. Instead of trying to win them over with facts, maybe the best tactic is to start websites specialising in viral propaganda that listening to anti-vaxxers makes great big cauliflowers grow out your ears or your genitals shrink.
We can't be too hard on Djokovic – he and the others of big three of tennis (Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal) have banded together to organise millions of dollars of financial aid for lower-ranked players struggling with the paralysis of the game due to the pandemic.
That's pretty great – and selfless. But, as Albert Einstein once said: "Only two things are infinite – the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe."
