Covid-19, medical freedom of choice, coercion and bullying

A tongue-in-cheek meme, posted on social media

The Political Class has embarked on a vigorous campaign of bullying, coercion, and harassment to ensure that Australians “toe the line” with regards to the government’s Covid campaign.

Not only are health care workers being forced to have the Covid-19 vaccinations (what some people are calling “experimental drugs” due to the rushed way in which they were produced, without testing for long-term side-effects), but employees in the general workforce are now also being forced to have Covid-19 injections as well.

Supermarket employees, police officers, teachers, and others, are being required to have the Covid-19 “experimental” injections. Media reports have said that employees with various companies, such as Telstra, Qantas, SPC, etc., are being required to have Covid-19 vaccinations.

Under the federal Privacy Act, workers should normally be protected against employer demands to know their private medical details, but if governments give legal authorisation for companies to demand such information, then it becomes a different story. Despite the Prime Minister’s claim that vaccinations aren’t mandatory, clearly vaccinations are being made mandatory by stealth or other means.

Mandatory requirements vary from state to state. In Western Australia it has been made mandatory for about 75% of workers to have Covid-19 injections.

People who are wary of having the “experimental” vaccinations are to be barred from hotels, nightclubs, theatres, restaurants, gyms, book shops, clothing businesses, toy stores, and all sorts of places.

So now thousands upon thousands of workers have a choice: They can lose their jobs, lose their homes, and lose their freedom of movement — or they can submit to the boot of government authority upon their neck, and meekly have an untested (long-term) foreign substance injected into their bodies.

For most people, it’s not really a choice they can afford to make — they’ll have to give in to the orchestrated bullying and coercion. Goodbye freedom of choice; hello authoritarianism. There are some who think that people have too many freedoms, so they’ll be rejoicing now.

For years the authorities have been conducting campaigns against harassment, bullying, and vilification, with campaigns in the schools and media. However, their commitment to end bullying only goes so far — if they’re the ones doing the bullying, then it’s alright. “Don’t give in to bullies” was their mantra — but they forgot to include the qualifying phrase, “…unless it’s us doing the bullying”.

At least the government isn’t dragging people out of their homes and injecting them by force. Instead, it’s “only” ensuring that people lose their jobs, and therefore lose their homes and suffer extreme financial distress. Well, that’s ok then — apparently it’s alright to be a jackbooted bully, so long as you pretend to give people a choice (giving people a “Hobson’s choice”, i.e. no choice at all).

The Covid-19 coercion is not dissimilar to the stereotypical story of the schoolyard bully, “Give me your lunch money, or I’ll smash your face in”; now it’s “Be injected with our fast-tracked vaccine, or we’ll smash you financially”. It appears that the schoolyard bullies have now grown up — and become sociopathic politicians and employers.

When a democratic country decides that it’s going to stomp upon anyone who won’t do what they say in medical matters, then it’s not really much of a democracy, is it?

References:
“Vaccines have been made compulsory for these Australian workers”, 9 News, 7 September 2021, Emily McPherson [Telstra, Qantas, SPC; “Under Telstra’s proposal, staff who have regular contact with customers and colleagues must be vaccinated as a condition of employment.”]
“‘The time is now’: Western Australia to mandate Covid vaccines for most workers”, The Guardian, 20 October 2021
“COVID-19 vaccination to become mandatory for Western Australian ‘at risk’ port workers”, Government of Western Australia, 22 September 2021
“WA Premier Mark McGowan tees off at Covid protesters after altercation caught on video”, The Courier Mail, 19 November 19, 2021 [“the state announced vaccination against Covid-19 will be compulsory for roughly 75 per cent of WA’s workforce”]
“COVID-19 mandatory vaccination policy for SA teachers and early childhood workers”, ABC News, 16 November 2021, Rebecca Brice and Eugene Boisvert
“How Victoria’s COVID restrictions on masks, quarantine and density limits have changed”, ABC News, 18 November 2021, Tim Callanan [“Unvaccinated people will not be allowed into non-essential retail businesses such as clothing, toy, and book shops, hairdressers, and real estate inspections and auctions.”]
“Australian state makes COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for athletes”, Reuters, 2 October 2021, Ian Ransom
“Mission Australia introduces mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for staff”, 4 November 2021
“Scott Morrison reveals which Australian workers will face mandatory coronavirus vaccines after National Cabinet meeting”, 7NEWS, 6 August 2021, Alex Chapman
“‘A hill I’ll die on’: Senate headache for Morrison over vaccine mandates”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 November 2021, Rachel Clun

Further reading:
“Is it true? Are COVID-19 vaccines mandatory in Australia?”, Department of Health, Commonwealth of Australia
“Mandatory COVID vaccines or a ‘passport’? Either way it’s a hot potato Morrison doesn’t want”, ABC News, 13 August 2021, Michelle Grattan
“Can Australian employers make you get a COVID-19 vaccine? Mostly not — but here’s when they can”, The Conversation, 11 August 2021 Joo-Cheong Tham