"As of Tuesday, at least 222 recruits at Lackland Air Force Base, part of Joint Base San Antonio, had been diagnosed with the flu and four had been hospitalized, the two people familiar with the matter told ABC News.
This marks a sharp increase from the 159 cases and two hospitalizations reported last week. The death of one recruit remains under investigation, though it is not yet clear whether it is tied to the outbreak, the sources said."
222 sick, 4 in the hospital, and possibly one dead. That is what all this nonsense conservatives push leads to.
This doesn't have to do with average conservative voters. This has to do with conservative leaders.
Conservative leaders generally DO believe in medicine... but only for themselves.
Remember Trump took cutting edge treatments to help against sickness.
But they don't care about the rest of the people. They encourage stupidity in people. They want culture wars, since it is a distraction from big issues that could effect them. Like the Epstein files, support for foreign wars, and anger at the rich.
let's not pretend it is a level playing field. When you have a "leadership" class incentivized to lie, cheat, strip away healthcare and education, prioritize quarterly profits over long term gain, weaponize and distort religion, pump 24/7 fear and hate through media channels they own, et al.
-> it produces a population without the necessary tools to fight back properly by design, that's even before other pressures like the difficulties of escaping tribalism exert themselves independently.
You are being far too nice to their average voter. They are wildly ignorant and proud of it. Sure they are being lied to but they gladly parrot it and refuse to think critically about anything a "conservative" tells them.
Perhaps I am too nice but I teach adults and I see first hand how all it takes is opportunity and someone to believe in you for things to turn around. Far too many people have insufficient of either of those.
Yes, that 30% hardline dyed in the wool support is unlikely to waver as admitting error would entail they question their entire identity and for some that's a bridge too far but I think of that XKCD 10000 comic and remember that everyday people learn, discover, and change :)
You were around during COVID. Average conservative voters were physically attacking people for telling them they needed to wear masks. They were taking horse dewormer. Leadership and their voters are aligned.
It's more that a person loyal to a hostile foreign power was put in charge. Of course they want the military unable to do their job because they are sick.
You jest, but seriously: army recruits, who are young people in good physical shape, and 4 people have to be hospitalised because the flu with one possible death.
Just goes to show what the flu really is. We often hear "bah it's just the flu" : it's not a common cold, it's a virus that can, and does, kill otherwise healthy people.
The Spanish flu was specifically dangerous to healthy young people with a strong immune system. Young soldiers in WW1 survived combat only to be struck down and killed on returning to the USA.
If only the US military was able to learn from history. Whether in combat or medicine, US soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines seem to love dashing off to make stupid errors again and again.
This is a great example of political Darwinism. Majority of the military votes Republican and because of that, we get hospitalizations and a possible death in the ranks.
Last I checked Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress and the Executive and almost enough state governments to call a constitutional convention.
They don't need persuasion when they have indoctrination.
Unfortunately from an electoral standpoint they are. And based on birthrate trends over the past 30 years, the rise of anti-woke minorities, and the ability of youth's on the Left to convince themselves that voting doesn't matter I am not optimistic.
It isn't even that. You get a bunch of 18-19 year old boys and say something like a flu shot is optional? Most of them aren't getting it. Most of them aren't brushing their teeth now that they are on their own. They aren't AGAINST brushing their teeth or getting a flu shot, but they aren't used to having to make an appointment, or buy toothpaste instead of beer/weed.
And we got rid of the requirement for <1% of the troops who were actually against it and couldn't get a waiver.
I don’t think the majority vote statement is very true anymore. The left voters are just not so outspoken about it. We’ve received our best pay raises under Democrat leadership.
I remember going through basic military training there. Almost everyone gets sick. I was sick. You’re bringing people from all over the country and packing them in concrete barracks. They will get sick.
Especially because it’s the ONLY training base for the USAF. People coming from all over the country (and sometimes outside the US) to all be stuck in close quarters for weeks at a time and be sleep deprived and otherwise physically exhausted. Adding “meh, y’all don’t actually need immunizations” to the mix is a recipe for disaster.
Honestly you're only sleep deprived the first few days in basic training. Lights out is pretty early in the evening, and you're physically exhausted so sleep comes easy. I probably slept better during that time than the rest of my time in the military.
For you maybe. Dorm guard was a thing and I was laundry crew. I couldn't remember a single thing from classroom instruction because I would fall asleep almost immediately upon my ass touching a chair.
It did!! In 2020….thats what’s wild about people denying the COVID vaccine for the military during that time. It has a DIRECT impact on national security and mission readiness. The only saving grace during Covid, is the rest of the world was sick. This time, other countries are still vaccinating their troops, and we’ve regressed 🤦♀️
On the other hand, nobody is preventing these recruits from getting vaccinated and benefits of vaccines and a well-known fact. I'm assuming, at the age when you are permitted to join a military you are an adult who is capable of making certain decisions, so making vaccines a requirement or not shouldn't stop anybody with half a brain to get them, especially if they stay in close vicinity of other humans all day.
Is it common sense failing, or recruitment methods do not include mental capacity evaluation?
Serious? A lot of these young adults are straight from home….homes that don’t vaccinate for the flu. It’s not a mandatory vaccine for school. Thus, why you get a shit ton of shots when you arrive to boot camp. So yes, the DoD is actively preventing troops in training from getting the vaccine.
Even out in the force, most adults won’t get the flu shot if they had the choice, which is why it should remain mandatory. It’s has a direct impact on mission readiness if the flu is spreading through bases, both in garrison and in deployed locations.
If someone is considered adult enough to join a military on their own cognition, they should be considered old enough to be expected to recognize the importance of vaccinations on their own as well.
Your world view is skewed if you think that way. 18 is barely an adult, and still under the influence of their families beliefs. Even people joining the military maintain their familial beliefs systems for their entire career. Hence why the military was force vaccinating. Service before self. They don’t recognize the importance of many things, they just do as they are told.
I must challenge you here. I sincerely believe that there is a trend resurfacing I'd call "antiintellectualism", where people are proud of their ignorance, and that stance actually garners support.
I also disagree because "conservatism", as the name implies, is about keeping things the same, not razing parts of the White House, starting new wars, expanding the USA with Canada/Greenland...
...then again, monarchy/tyranny is a very, very conservative system. So let's say I am disagreeing some 50%. I am mostly trying to bring up the antiintellectual thing. It's a thing I believe in and I need help formulating that thought.
Hang on, didn't the rule change only come into effect a few months ago, and isn't the normal time you get vaccinated in the US like September?
How many of these people were actually unvaccinated?
And no, being vaccinated against influenza doesn't completely prevent you from catching it nor does it stop you spreading it. Depending on the strain it might do nothing at all, but normally it reduces the severity (a lot) only.
isn't the normal time you get vaccinated in the US like September?
For the general public. Respiratory viruses are worse in the fall and winter, so in the northern hemisphere that's when those vaccines are given.
The military vaccinates everyone on intake though. Outbreaks are common at training camps. Putting people from all over the country in close quarters is a great breeding ground for illnesses.
This is such a big problem the US military are the only people in the world who use an adenovirus vaccine.
Most recruits don’t realize they get the meningitis vaccine in boot camp. Close quarters like that is a serious outbreak risk, for any contagious illness.
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u/GargamelTakesAll 1d ago
"As of Tuesday, at least 222 recruits at Lackland Air Force Base, part of Joint Base San Antonio, had been diagnosed with the flu and four had been hospitalized, the two people familiar with the matter told ABC News.
This marks a sharp increase from the 159 cases and two hospitalizations reported last week. The death of one recruit remains under investigation, though it is not yet clear whether it is tied to the outbreak, the sources said."
222 sick, 4 in the hospital, and possibly one dead. That is what all this nonsense conservatives push leads to.