Anti-vaxxers are literally willing to die to belong to the tribe.

 

We know that most humans have a strong need to belong.  And that the pain of social rejection hurts as much as a physical injury. (Sahi, 2019)

Therefore it should be no surprise that people are willing to do things that they might not otherwise do when they are following the crowd.

In a previous blog I pointed out that the decision to wear or not wear masks was based primarily on peer pressure.  Here's the link if you missed it...

http://pjlehrer.blogspot.com/2020/07/if-your-friends-dont-wear-masks-you.html

So I guess we shouldn't be surprised that getting the Covid-19 vaccine is also a tribal decision.

A few days ago, CNN posted a graphic showing Adults 18+ with one+ Covid vaccine doses by primary news source.  Here were the results:

CNN/MSNBC: 83%

ABC/CBS/NBC: 79%

Fox News: 62%

While it would be easy to blame Fox, the reality is we should be blaming the tribe since they are the ones calling the shots.  And they are willing to sacrifice idiots in order to achieve their goal of destabilizing the U.S.   

Very sad.

 

Sahi, R. (2019, March 15)  Ouch: Understanding the Pain of Social Rejection. psychologyinaction.org retrieved August 3, 2021 , from  https://www.psychologyinaction.org/psychology-in-action-1/2019/2/25/why-dont-you-like-me-understanding-the-pain-of-social-rejection

Can an Eleanor Roosevelt Barbie really make a difference?

 

Mattel has announced that the newest addition to their "Inspiring Women Series" is Eleanor Roosevelt.  She joins Maya Angelou, Florence Nightingale and Sally Ride among others.  The series began in 2018 as part of Mattel's #MoreRoleModels campaign.  (2018)

Interesting. 

I once had a discussion about role models with my brother-in-law who said:  "Maybe Tiger Woods doesn't want to be a role model."  My reply: "He may not want to be a role model, but the first time someone looks at you and says - 'I want to be just like you when I grow up' - shame on you if that doesn't make you want to clean up your act."

Because the truth is people don't get to choose to be role models.  It's the followers who do the choosing.

Research shows that we are more likely to engage in "prosocial behavior" if we think lots of others are doing so too.  And that's where role models and public messaging come in. 

If we share stories about people not wearing masks and ignoring rules prohibiting large gatherings, then are we unintentionally encouraging others to do the wrong thing as well? 

Wouldn't it be more effective to highlight how people are behaving safely instead?  (Tingley, 2020)

 

What if we share this photo?  Could it make a difference?

 

Can you think of some examples where role models have inspired people to do better?  Do you think a specific MBTI preference would be more influenced by role models than others?  What about dolls?  Do they matter?  Why?

 

(2018, March 6) Inspiring Women.  barbiefandom.com.  Retrieved March 8, 2021, from https://barbie.fandom.com/wiki/Inspiring_Women#:~:text=The%20Inspiring%20Women%20doll%20line,to%20the%20women%20they%20honor.

Tingley, K. (2020, December 10)  We Know How to Curb the Pandemic. How Do We Make People Listen?  nytimes.com.  Retrieved March 8, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/10/magazine/covid-research-behavior-.html