If anything goes wrong the streets will be filled with blood, no big deal.
The vaccine debate has largely settled. Most of America has either nut up or shut up when it comes to getting the COVID vaccine, and life is now back to normal, if not a relatively horrible, status quo.
That said, it lingers in the minds of many: What long-term effects could the vaccine have? Whether concerns stem from the cherry-picked few who had heart-related complications, the fairly typical experience of body aches and sickness, or even the notable cases of those who have unrelenting tinnitus onset directly from the shot, there are some whacky things in the spotlight that came out of such a massive and publicized vaccine roll-out. Do other vaccines experience similar complications, in the same quantities? Compared to a flu shot, there does seem to be some marketable difference.
But long term effects are still being studied. Despite it being a pill swallowed at this point, there does come the occasional study or press note that the vaccine is still undergoing certain protocols and testing to find out effects down the line, which obviously stokes the flames of the unknown. “Will it have some unforeseen long-term effect?” It’s a fleeting thought to many as COVID gets shrouded in dust in the rearview mirror, but it remains a possible reality.
So What Would Probably Happen?
If there are long-term effects, one of two things will probably happen, and it really depends on the severity.
Something with a mild or abstract effect (think Teflon chemicals) likely wouldn’t cause any backlash other than grumbling and I-told-you-so’s from certain family members at Thanksgiving. Even something that is severe but only impacts a small, small few would likely be a very liveable offense, with maybe some scapegoat offered for slaughter despite the extensive legal protections these companies hold just to sate mass outrage.
But something severe and widespread would enter history into a dark moment. The ultimate truth is that society would not take widespread harm well.
For argument’s sake, if the next generation of children to be reared end up turning into balloon animals in the last trimester across the board, directly because of the vaccine, no amount of legal protection from lawsuits would keep repercussions from finding the parties and people responsible. It won’t matter if a company can’t be sued or face legal liability when angry, roving mobs are stringing up c-level executives like Christmas lights and (in all likelihood, innocent of wrongdoing) bean counters get the French Basket treatment outside their suburban homes. That corporate offices become raging infernos and those lucky enough to escape the smoke and flame are run down by warring couples, redlining their Subaru Outbacks while an unassembled crib from Target rattles and jostles in the hatch. It will be the people driven mad. And because these same people trusted the interlocked arms of the federal government and medical sector to do the right thing.
We are now locked into an immense handshake agreement. One between society at large and the massive corporate and governmental entities involved in purveying the vaccine to combat a global pandemic; both with the mutual goal to keep the wheels spinning on our little human endeavor in the best way possible. Trust was required, and the truth is simply this: If the cure comes out to be severely worse than the disease, heads will roll.
And the unfortunate thing is, in this scenario, revenge or retribution will not change anything about the situation. It’d be a fleeting, spiteful luxury that is quickly consumed and then forgotten. And everyone would still be stuck with the problem at hand.
So the sentiment is fairly universal: “I hope these assholes did their job right.”
