Behind Low Vaccination Rates Lurks a More Profound Social Weakness

“Americans began thinking about health care decisions this way only recently; during the 1950s polio campaigns, for example, most people saw vaccination as a civic duty. But as the public purse shrunk in the 1980s, politicians insisted that it’s no longer the government’s job to ensure people’s well-being; instead, Americans were to be responsible only for themselves and their own bodies. Entire industries, such as self-help and health foods, have sprung up on the principle that the key to good health lies in individuals making the right choices.”

So many things have been laid bare by this pandemic, but one of the biggest is how we treat health and how much the idea that individuals doing what they think is best for themselves is how we should be living. Is there an idea of common good anymore? Do so many not want to acknowledge that we live in a society together and that means we have a responsibility to each other? I've found this the hardest thing to understand during the past two years.