The Four Horsemen of the Pandemic

New Kinds of Apocalyptic Riders

I am a people watcher, and The Pandemic has offered me a multiplicity of venues to watch people navigate their way through these challenging times. As the virus waxed and waned, and then waxed again, the movements of people changed in accordance with the news they heard and what they believed to be true.

The Fracturing

When the Pandemic first broke in March of 2020, it took most people by surprise. Almost no one wore a mask. As the threat became more real, however, employers began to require their workers to wear masks and asked their customers ever so politely to also wear masks (we don’t want to lose their business, after all, do we?). Still, there was a multitude of people who refused to wear masks. They openly refused even when asked, and some went so far as to resort to violence at the suggestion. The line was drawn, and the battle began in earnest. The population was neatly cleaved into two distinct groups — those who wore masks and those who did not.

This fracturing of our society continued for about a year until the next fault line appeared — vaccinations.

By late Spring of 2021, the push for vaccinations gained steam. Health care workers and teachers became eligible, as did those who were older. People began asking others “have you been vaccinated yet?” In time, rationing and appointments were replaced with plentiful supplies and walk-in vaccinations. There was a growing expectation that anyone who was eligible would get vaccinated.

But not everyone was on board.

By mid-summer, the lines were clearly drawn. There were some who were vaccinated, some who were getting vaccinated, and roughly half the country that was not vaccinated and had no plans to get vaccinated. Between vaccinations and mask-wearing, there became four different distinct kinds of people in the COVID world.

The Four Horsemen

The First Horseman of the Pandemic Apocalypse you will encounter is the Masked Vaccinator. These people are conscientious and got their vaccination as soon as they were eligible. They believe in science and what the CDC says about the virus. They understand that the vaccine is not 100% effective, though they try not to think about that too much. They are careful to wear their masks in any situation where there are many people. They are not going to get sick, and they are not going to get anyone else sick.

The masked vaccinator doesn’t like to think about the vaccine they received slowly losing its effectiveness. They have heard about breakthrough cases, but they are pretty convinced it is only happening to those who don’t wear masks. To them, what the CDC says isn’t gospel, but it is pretty close. They are confident that if people get vaccinated and wear masks, things will go back to normal. They don’t see the irony in that statement.

The Second Horseman of the Pandemic Apocalypse is a close relative of the masked vaccinator. He is the Unmasked Vaccinator. Like the Masked Vaccinator, the Unmasked Vaccinator also believes in science. They too feel the word of the CDC is unimpeachable. They were the first to take off their masks when the CDC told them to resume normal activities. They did and never looked back. In their minds, they deserved “normalcy” because they played by the rules and got vaccinated. They will be damned if anyone is going to make them “go back there.”

They go to bars, restaurants, and large venues without wearing masks. They revel in the normalcy they have achieved. They are very sure they will not get sick, and so far, at least in their personal lives, they have been right. They too have heard about the breakthrough cases of COVID, but remain convinced it is not going to happen to them. They like seeing numbers that indicate breakthrough cases are very rare, and going without masks is worth the risk.

They don’t like to think about how many vaccinated people have contracted the virus but are asymptomatic. They also avoid reading about how vaccinated people can contract the virus and spread it to others. These are uncomfortable thoughts, and after doing everything right to get back to normal, they don’t want to be bothered with contradictions like this. They will wear a mask if and only if mandated to do so and blame the unvaccinated for causing this to happen.

The Third Horseman of the Pandemic Apocalypse is the Masked UnVaccinator. These people recognize the seriousness of COVID, but do not believe in vaccines as a way to combat them despite all of the attempts made to convince them. Their reasons for not getting vaccinated are numerous. Some don’t feel the vaccine is healthy and will result in long-term physical problems later. Some believe the science is bad and that these vaccines were rushed through without the proper vetting. There are some who believe Bill Gates is trying to get a chip implanted in everyone, and this is the way to do it. Still others have underlying physical problems that make getting vaccinated risky or are too young to be vaccinated. Their reasons are many, but the result is the same.

These people generally rely on their immune system, mask-wearing, maintaining social distance, and staying away from large venues as a way to avoid contracting and spreading the virus. They order carry out and get their groceries delivered. They wear masks when they go into stores. These people are not so much “anti-vaxxers” as “non-vaxxers.” They are vaccine-hesitant or vaccine-doubtful. They are willing to do whatever they can to stop the spread short of getting vaccinated. They will do everything else, except…

The Fourth Horsemen of the Pandemic Apocolypse is the Unmasked UnVaccinator. This group is by far the largest and arguably the most dangerous. They wear no masks and are not vaccinated. Like the Masked UnVaccinator, their reasons for not getting vaccinated are varied also. Many of them do not believe what they have been told about the vaccines and doubt the science behind the vaccines. The classic “anti-vaxxer” falls into this group but is not the only kind of person in this group. Some of the people in this group flat out refuse to get vaccinated because F-you. That’s why.

In more extreme cases, they will not submit to vaccinations because they believe the vaccines are made from the parts of aborted babies, and this will all lead to “communism.” They refuse to wear a mask because it interferes with their “freedom.” They say masks do not work and call them “face diapers.” They will openly criticize people who do wear masks as accuse them of living in fear, or of living in a bubble. They have been known to be confrontational.

These people, however, are not the largest segment of this group. Do you know who is? Most of the world. That is right. Most of the world is unvaccinated and not wearing a mask. Most parts of the world do not have any vaccine to give their people. Most parts of the world have no masks either. These people are not rabid anti-vaxxers or conspiracy theorists. They are simply poor people living in a poor part of the world. But they will contract and spread the virus, and serve as hosts for the virus to mutate.

Unpleasant Questions and Other Icky Stuff

While anti-vaxxers are droning on about their freedom and communism ad nauseum (heavy on the nauseum), and some of the vaccinated are dripping with sanctimony so thick you can almost smell it, the virus continues to ravage the globe. Unfortunately, there is much that is not being addressed or talked about.

No one likes to discuss how long the vaccines are good for. I have read the full effect of the vaccines wanes in three months, while other places state they are good for a year. No one really seems to know. Already there is talk of booster shots. The danger here is that inside each vaccinated person is a time bomb, a vaccine that is losing its effectiveness with each passing day. When will it reach that critical tipping point where the person is no better off than a person who is not vaccinated? How will they know? Will they continue to behave as if they are bulletproof and end up getting sick?

For those who think their immune systems are sufficient, you might want to check into the number of hospitalizations there are in states with low vaccination rates. The people in the hospitals thought their immune systems would protect them too. Sure, many people who contract the virus will be asymptomatic, but how do you know you will be one of them? What is standing between you and a ventilator?

Is any research being done on why some people get sick and die, some have a mild illness, and others are asymptomatic, all from the same virus? Is any research being done about the severity of the breakthrough cases regarding who gets contaminated, who gets sick, and which vaccine they received? The lack of data makes this a crapshoot at best.

Do masks work? If you ask ten people you will get ten answers. Some will point out that they are worth using even if the impact is less than optimal. Others swear by them. But which masks? Those ubiquitous blue ones? The N-91? The plastic face shield? Do masks protect the person wearing them, the people around that person, or both? The answer to that seems to change as time goes on.

No one seems to know how much Big Pharma has made from these vaccines and what financial stake they have in the Pandemic. People think vaccinations are free because they don’t have to pay to get them. Not true. The bill gets sent to insurance companies, which then adjust their premiums. For the uninsured, the government covers it. They are definitely not free. With the billions of dollars that have been spent on this, it is a safe bet someone is making a lot of money from COVID.

Okay, parents. Get ready. It’s your turn. We heard incessantly how online learning “doesn’t work” for your child and this is why schools need to be open. We heard laments about how the Chromebook didn’t work, or you didn’t have internet access, or whatever. We heard about your concerns regarding your children’s mental health. You want those kids back in their seats and out of your house. Let me address these concerns one at a time.

“Virtual learning doesn’t work for my child.” Oh really? Are we talking about the same kid who can play video games or watch YouTube videos for hours at a time and tell their friends about everything they watched? Is this the same kid who can record and upload their videos to Tik Tok, update their Facebook status, and post a picture on Instagram faster than it took me to type this? That kid? Tell them to put their big boy (or big girl) pants on, sit their ass down, and get to work.

“Our Chromebook doesn’t work.” Oh? Do you mean the one your school gave you for free? Look. You can afford to buy yourself an $800 I-phone and a $300 tattoo. Buy your kid a damn Chromebook.

“We are concerned about the children’s mental health.” Oh isn’t that precious. Where was this concern when we were begging for more school social workers and counselors? Let me see if I understand this. What you are saying is your kid’s mental health is just fine when they are attending these big “socialist indoctrination centers with liberal teachers,” but when they stay home with you they have mental health issues. What does this say about your parenting skills? What does this say about the state of the American home?

Finally, there are the employers who want everyone back to work who was working remotely. Many have no reason whatsoever for this decision other than pure, unbridled control over a workforce they don’t trust. They need to see them in their cubicles in order to believe they are working. How many people are being forced back to the office when they can just as easily and effectively work from home? My message for these managers is simply this. If you have such a low level of trust in your workers, why did you hire them to begin with? Give that some thought.

This pandemic is not going to end soon or end easily. It will test the very fabric that binds us together as a society, and frankly, right now we aren’t doing so well. I hope that everyone can find a way to be charitable toward people who feel and act differently from them, and refrain from wishing anyone ill because of what they did or did not do, or what they wear or will not wear. Protect yourself from COVID, but also protect yourself from being the kind of person who wishes others ill.