17 Creative, Unconventional, And Brutally Honest Ways People Actually Persuaded Vaccine Skeptics To Get Vaxxed
We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to share how they convinced the people in their lives to get vaccinated for COVID-19. As it stands, only 52.4% of the US population has been fully vaccinated, and cases in the country continue to surge due to the highly contagious delta variant.
The responses to the original post inspired even more anonymous stories from people who managed to get their loved ones vaxxed. Here are just a few:
1."My husband is a microbiologist working on COVID and other viruses. People often had this disconnect that it wasn't real, not really knowing anyone actually working on it. When I told some skeptics about his long hours, how long this vaccine had been in the works, the tons of testers and the whole scientific process, it convinced them!"
—Anonymous
2."My boyfriend didn’t want to get the vaccine. I told him that with the delta variant going around, if he wanted to spend time with me and my 3-year-old nephew he would need to get vaccinated. I left it unsaid that we were done if he didn’t get it. He read between the lines and got vaccinated. Did I give him an ultimatum? Yes. Am I ashamed? Absolutely not."
—Anonymous
3."I told my husband it was the most glaring example of his selfishness, self-centeredness, and small-mindedness that I’d seen in our almost 12 years of marriage, and that I was completely finished with it and wanted him to move out immediately. The fight spanned other topics, and clearly we have work to do. But less than a week later, he came home from running errands and casually informed me that he’d gotten vaccinated on his way home."
—Anonymous
4."I didn’t go into the conversation trying to convince them, but I’m a science teacher, so I explained it all as best as I could when they asked me why I got vaccinated as a person of color. I broke down everything about how the immune system works, how the coronavirus attacks our body, and I differentiated between the two types of vaccines (J&J vs. Moderna/Pfizer) and how they worked. They had a lot of concerns about the side effects of the vaccine and how closely those resembled COVID itself."
"I listened to all their questions and answered them, and left the conversation there. I NEVER told them to get vaccinated. A few days later, they told me they got the vaccine on a whim when they drove by a site and thanked me because they had a clearer understanding of the entire process."
—Anonymous
5."Hamilton was coming to my mom’s area, and she’d always wanted to see it. I told her I’d take her if she got vaccinated. She got her first shot three days later after almost six months of not trusting the vaccine. Another thing to thank Lin-Manuel Miranda for."
—Anonymous
6."Guilt and emotions. Sharing articles and facts doesn’t work, because they’re not interested in that. My relative kept saying vaccinated people could still get it and I countered with explaining that you'd be much more likely to survive if that happens. I also shared anecdotes from friends about family members who had permanent nerve damage or other complications from COVID. This was more effective than facts."
"Ultimately, I had to tell them that if they didn’t get it and got sick, they'd be leaving me and that wasn’t fair, while also bothering them every single day and letting them know I wouldn’t stop. My family aren’t the most hardcore skeptics, but this is my best advice to anyone else. Play their emotions, because it’s a highly emotional reaction, not a rational one."
—Anonymous
7."I made an appointment for my mother, and I told her if she loved me, she would get the vaccine. She went along with it after weeks of refusing. Her husband (my stepdad) lost his own father to COVID-19 just last year, and he was so relieved that my mom got vaccinated, he cried. Now, my mom’s mother has COVID-19, and she's worried out of her mind. We all are. Strange how quickly people lose perspective."
—Anonymous
8."My whole family was 'too lazy' to get vaccinated, but my little brother was especially nervous about getting it. I came out to visit my family and just sat by my little brother and asked him a few rhetorical questions. The most impactful question I asked was, 'Would you rather go through the rest of your life being afraid of COVID, or just get the vaccine?'"
"I knew he was scared and always had the 'what if' questions in his head, so that seemed like the best approach. Talking to someone in a condescending 'I’m smarter than you' way, or yelling at them to 'just go get the vaccine' wasn’t going to work on my family. I had to just talk to the person who was the most nervous to get it, and then the rest of my family followed."
—Anonymous
9."It took nine months, but I finally convinced my 'vaccine hesitant' sister (her kids have received ZERO vaccinations in their lives) to get the jab. It was mostly soft pressure since the beginning of COVID, expressing why herd immunity was vital and getting her to agree with the science. After I got an agreement, I would steer the conversation in a different direction so as not to pile on. I'm so happy to say that after getting the vaccine myself in December, I was able to get my sister AND her 100% unvaccinated child their shots. All I can say is, keep being persistent. Love, honesty, and listening got us here. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it!"
—Anonymous
10."I didn't initially plan to get the vaccine, because everything was happening so quickly. My parents were also skeptical about the vaccine, but I wanted them to be protected as much as possible. I ultimately had to lead by example and show them it was safe. It took a bit more convincing with my dad since he was scared about how it would affect his heart. I was able to take him through a drive-thru vaccination site and be there the whole time for support."
—Anonymous
11."I was chatting with a guy on Tinder in May 2021 and he told me he wasn't vaccinated. I told him that I only dated guys who were vaxxed up, so he got his shot and we went on a date. Turns out we didn't have much of a connection, but at least I got him vaxxed!"
—Anonymous
12."I'm a PhD scientist. I made a Facebook post explaining the science behind vaccines. After that, I had several people message me telling me they got the vaccine because of my post."
—Anonymous
13."I'm getting married in February of 2022. I made it very clear to my family that they would not be invited dress shopping, wedding planning, or to the wedding itself unless they were vaccinated. My mom scheduled her vaccination as soon as I told her the wedding date. She's extremely skeptical of vaccines, but planning my wedding has been her lifelong dream."
—Anonymous
14."My unvaccinated boyfriend and I (vaccinated) spent three days together for a staycation. He had fatigue and headaches, but we dismissed it as allergies. The day after we got back, he called me because he got tested and did indeed have COVID. I got tested after that TWICE and was negative both times. After telling this to some family members, they all got vaccinated and so did the boyfriend."
—Anonymous
15."My fiancé refused to get vaccinated simply because he 'didn’t want to.' I started by giving him the sad puppy dog eyes and reminding him that it’s not all about him. He still wouldn’t get the shot, so I put together a PowerPoint presentation with all the reasons he should get vaccinated. I put on a blazer and everything. He got the shots, and said he only did it for me and not himself. I wish he cared enough about his health to do it for the right reasons. Sometimes I feel guilty for persuading him the way I did, but at the end of the day, I feel good knowing that he’s protected."
—Anonymous
16."My husband didn't want to get the vaccine, so I moved into our guest room. No stick in the arm = no dick in the...He's now vaccinated."
—Anonymous
17."I had COVID in January 2021, and I'm STILL suffering with long-hauler symptoms. It's gotten so bad recently that I've been referred to a neurologist to assess my all-consuming brain fog and fatigue. The true misery that the last eight months have been is unimaginable. Telling that to a few skeptics has scared them into getting the vaccine."
—Anonymous
