Why a Former Anti-Vax Influencer Got Her COVID-19 Shot

annabenedetti

like marbles on glass
Heather Simpson dressed up as measles for Halloween in 2019 because it was, as she told her growing following on social media, the “least scary thing I could think of.” The Dallas mom was then a full-fledged anti-vaccine influencer, drawing tens of thousands of likes and comments on her Facebook posts that denied the safety and necessity of childhood vaccinations.

But today most of the thousands who recirculated those posts have abandoned and shunned her. On a mid-April afternoon, Simpson battled traffic into downtown Dallas to reach Baylor University Medical Center for her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19. Clad in jeans and a black “Kiss Me I’m Vaccinated” T-shirt—and a mask—the upbeat thirty-year-old said she wouldn’t back out, despite her anxiety.

“I’m freaking out. I hate needles. I’m gonna pass out,” she said. “But I trust the science.” The day before, she’d taken her three-year-old daughter to receive her first-ever vaccine, against polio. Now it was her turn. “I am now a full believer in vaccines, and I believe that the COVID vaccine is the way that we’re going to end the pandemic,” she said.

Simpson’s journey, from falling into the world of anti-vaccine activism to finding her way out and even to promoting vaccination herself, reveals not only how easily the movement entraps people but also that it’s possible—if much harder—for minds to change. The way Simpson was hooked and what she came to believe highlight the kind of insidious misinformation that has hampered the nation’s response to the pandemic, fueled hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccines, and undermined the efforts of public health officials. . . .
 

annabenedetti

like marbles on glass
You'll have to click the link to read why/how her views changed. But her epiphany rings true, the new understanding of how she'd been under the sway of false thinking, and how vitriolic and enraged her former compadres would be at her 'betrayal.' And this:

“Having been an anti-vaxxer, I understand what they’re thinking and why they think that way,” Simpson said just before stepping into the Baylor hospital in April to receive the vaccine. “I feel like I’m able to help parents who are on the fence because I can relate and empathize. I can say, ‘I’ve been there, and this is why I’ve changed, and this is why you don’t have to be afraid.’ ”
 

chair

Well-known member
Thats what I would expect from a fake Jew who supports those who advance the destruction of Israel, and who supports those who promote infanticide and sodomy. You are a disgusting excuse for a human being. If we were in Nazi Germany you would have surely joined the Jewish Ghetto Police by now, selling out the people of God for some crumbs..

Lies, slander and more lies. What is wrong with you?
 

chair

Well-known member
Well, I've had it with Trump Girl claiming that I support anti-Israel forces, am a fake Jew, and would work with the Nazis. In a COVID thread, for God's sake! She is beyond disgusting.

I really did think there was hope for her. I thought she couldn't possibly be this sick.

I was wrong.

Ignore time.
 

Leatherneck

Well-known member
Temp Banned
This is the main point.
Doubters- look at Israel. Look at the UK.
Don't like lockdowns? Hate Masks?
Get vaccinated!
Last time I checked my body belongs to God, and I trust Him not those who trust science. You can have my fast tracked Covid vaccine slop.
 

Trump Gurl

Credo in Unum Deum
Well, I've had it with Trump Girl claiming that I support anti-Israel forces

You do. You support the antisemitic Left who supports those who would destroy Israel.

am a fake Jew

You said in this forum that a Jew need not obey scriptures or the commandments. Fake Jew sounds right to me.

and would work with the Nazis

You do. You do right here in this forum.

She is beyond disgusting.

LOL. Amazing.

I really did think there was hope for her. I thought she couldn't possibly be this sick.

You are the sick one. Like most Leftists you have now descended into a fantasy world where facts have no meaning and your leftist ideology is reality. You're a gonner man.
 

Trump Gurl

Credo in Unum Deum
At this point you have conclusively proven yourself to be an idiot and completely selfish. As if proof was needed.

The funny thing about this post is that I pretty much side with the staff on the Covid issue but you would never have the courage to say that to them. I say that I am healthy and have not had a vaccine and don't need one and to your sick brain that translates as being "an idiot and completely selfish."
 

Gary K

New member
Banned
Heather Simpson dressed up as measles for Halloween in 2019 because it was, as she told her growing following on social media, the “least scary thing I could think of.” The Dallas mom was then a full-fledged anti-vaccine influencer, drawing tens of thousands of likes and comments on her Facebook posts that denied the safety and necessity of childhood vaccinations.

But today most of the thousands who recirculated those posts have abandoned and shunned her. On a mid-April afternoon, Simpson battled traffic into downtown Dallas to reach Baylor University Medical Center for her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19. Clad in jeans and a black “Kiss Me I’m Vaccinated” T-shirt—and a mask—the upbeat thirty-year-old said she wouldn’t back out, despite her anxiety.

“I’m freaking out. I hate needles. I’m gonna pass out,” she said. “But I trust the science.” The day before, she’d taken her three-year-old daughter to receive her first-ever vaccine, against polio. Now it was her turn. “I am now a full believer in vaccines, and I believe that the COVID vaccine is the way that we’re going to end the pandemic,” she said.

Simpson’s journey, from falling into the world of anti-vaccine activism to finding her way out and even to promoting vaccination herself, reveals not only how easily the movement entraps people but also that it’s possible—if much harder—for minds to change. The way Simpson was hooked and what she came to believe highlight the kind of insidious misinformation that has hampered the nation’s response to the pandemic, fueled hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccines, and undermined the efforts of public health officials. . . .
So, she sold out her integrity for money. That isn't surprising. Influencers of all stripes are being paid to promote the vaccines. One of them blew the whistle on it, and the Biden administration said they were going to spend billions to convince people to get vaccinated. Just the same old, same old, selling out one's integrity for money.

These "influencers" are all prostituting themselves by default anyway. Just like all the celebrities who will endorse anything if they're paid enough. Whoever would be convinced by any of them has to be an idiot. Ironic isn't it? You're quoting someone who prostitutes themselves for money as a source of truth.

Real convincing. :rolleyes:
 
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