The Utes have continued their winning ways as of late and currently find themselves in complete command of the Pac-12 South with a 5-1 conference record. In their latest victory, Utah cruised to victory behind an explosive run game with three running backs finishing the night with over 100 yards each and totaling 394 of the team’s 441 yards.

As the team has finally hit their stride, Utah will look to remain on course for the Pac-12 Championship with a victory over the inferior Arizona Wildcats this week in Tucson.

Scouting the Utes

Ranking: No. 24 CFP

Record: 6-3 (5-1 Pac-12)

Last Week: W vs. Stanford, 52-7

Utah put on their best overall performance of the season this last week against Stanford with notable contributions on both sides of the football. In what turned out to be a 52-7 obliteration, the Utes run game ran wild and the defense put the clamps on Stanford’s offense no matter what they tried to do.

It was a relatively quiet night for quarterback Cameron Rising who finished with just 140 yards on a 59% clip (13-22). But to be honest, with the way the running backs were producing, it’s no wonder Rising handed it off more than 45 times rather than passing since the Utes totaled more than 400 yards. There was no reason to attack through the air and Rising just kept feeding the beast because the Cardinal didn’t have an answer.

When your run game averages 9.6 yards a carry on more than 40 attempts, it’s going to be a productive night. Not only did Utah run for more than 400 yards with three players recording more than 100 yards each, but they also accounted for six of the team’s seven touchdowns. Simply put, the backs were cutting down the Cardinal defense all night long and could do no wrong.

.@Utah_Football strengthens its hold on the Pac-12 South.

Three Utes rushed for over 100 yards as they rolled past Stanford to improve to 5-1 in conference play with a 52-7 win over the Cardinal.#GoUtes | #Pac12FB | @GEICO pic.twitter.com/ShUskzWiB6

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) November 6, 2021

Overall, Tavion Thomas was the star of the show and led the game with 177 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 20 attempts (8.9 average).

Defensively, Utah stopped nearly everything Stanford threw at them and Devin Lloyd continued to remind everyone why he is one of the best defenders and a guaranteed first-round NFL draft pick. For the night, Lloyd led the game with nine total tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, one pass break-up, and an impressive pick-six that still cannot be explained logically.

#Pac12FB Defensive Player of the Week, presented by @Nextiva: Devin Lloyd.

Full release https://t.co/VQG4nwynHw#GoUtes | @Utah_Football pic.twitter.com/4FP9w1Zb7h

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) November 8, 2021

Utes to Watch

Cameron Rising

Rising will need to kick it back into gear this week due to the fact that the Arizona defense has allowed more yards through the air and a far more significant average than on the ground. For the season, the Wildcats have given up a total of 1,642 yards through the air with a 7.6 average. If the Utes are to take care of business like they should, Rising will more than likely need to be a key contributor.

The Secondary

As much they’ve given up through the air, the Wildcat passing game has also flourished in terms of yards this season. Through nine games, Arizona has thrown for 1,937 yards and eight touchdowns. Even though the Wildcats are far inferior to the Utes with only a 1-8 overall record, nobody should ever be underestimated, especially in the Pac-12. The secondary will need to be on top of their game to keep the receivers locked down and the production to a minimum.

Hear it From Coach

“Obviously we played very well on Friday night and we had a great week of practice and preparation, but I definitely didn’t see that coming. To play the way we did in the first half, that may have been our best half of football in a long time. It was good to get the win and that’s our mode right now. One game at a time, one week at a time and that was our entire focus last week – trying to get a win on the road. It will be the same this week and there will be no difference in the way we prepare, in the way we approach things, our focus, our attitude and our mindset. If we can stay in the same mode we are in right now, not looking past anybody, understanding that the game is won Monday through Friday with your preparation and just continue to work hard during the week then that will be in our best interest,” Kyle Whittingham told Utah Athletics.

Scouting the Wildcats

Ranking: N/A

Record: 1-8 (1-5 Pac-12)

Last Week: W vs. Cal, 10-3

Despite a pitiful overall season, the Arizona Wildcats finally got their first win of 2021 last week with a victory over Cal, 10-3. Even though it was a low scoring contest, it clearly meant a lot to the program as fans rushed the field and a win is a win, especially when you previously had none.

Even though Arizona has put up more yards through the air than their opponents on the season, the quarterback has been a bit of a revolving door with multiple players seeing action. Against the Bears, Will Plummer was entrusted with taking the reps under center and it was a performance to forget. For the day, Plummer finished with just 129 yards and two interceptions.

Ironically, Plummer led the charge on the ground and recorded 68 yards on 11 carries. Right behind him was sophomore Michael Wiley who had 37 yards on 12 carries and the only touchdown of the day.

Defensively, Arizona had their best game of the season and only allowed 122 yards of total offense and three total points. While that is largely an indication of how bad the Cal offense is, Arizona still got the job done and emerged with their first victory of the year.

Wildcats to Watch

The Quarterback

While Plummer has taken a majority of the snaps for Arizona this season, you never know who might be under center. With that being said, and as previously mentioned, the Wildcats have done more damage through the air than the ground this year. Expect that to be their primary source of offense against Utah.

Anthony Pandy

Arizona has done a decent job stopping the run this year, holding opposing offenses to an average of 4.4 yards per carry. Much of that has had to do with linebacker Anthony Pandy, who leads the Wildcats with 62 total tackles in addition to an interception and forced fumble on the year.

How to Watch

This week’s game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network with kickoff set for 12 p.m. MST. Roxy Bernstein and Lincoln Kennedy will be the TV crew on the game. Additionally, fans can also listen to the game on the Home of the Utes, ESPN700 with Bill Riley, Stevenson Sylvester and Scott Mitchell on the call.

c.bagley@dailyutahchronicle.com

@bagley_cole

The post Utah Football Looks to Remain Perfect in Pac-12 South with a Trip to Arizona appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

The Larimer County Department of Health and Environment will no longer be trying to implement the Vaccine Verified Facility & Event Program, according to a press release from the LCDHE. The optional program would have allowed businesses to choose hours in which only vaccinated individuals could enter businesses without a mask, giving businesses a way […]

How I’m breaking out of my perfectionism paralysis

Kelsey Choe/Staff

Let me walk you through what happens every time I sit down to write a blog article for The Daily Clog. 

Just as I’m about to start writing, I remember that I need to respond to an email from a friend. Once that’s done, I remember that I forgot to upload my math homework that’s not due until the end of the week, and after that, I’ll remember that I have a sociology paper to read before class. Eventually, I start to feel a little tired. Am I really going to write this article to the best of my ability if I’m being restrained by this fatigue? I don’t think so, I tell myself. I guess I should call it a day.

It’s been a few days, and I’ve reached the point where I can’t afford to procrastinate anymore. My article is due today. 

I have some breakfast and trudge towards the library. Once I’ve found a seat, I reluctantly open up my article document and curse my past self for leaving it to the last minute. At this point, you’re probably wondering, “Why is she even a blogger? She obviously doesn’t like it.” The reason I feel this way isn’t because I don’t like blogging; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. 

I suffer from perfectionism. Whenever I set a goal for myself, I feel like I need to achieve “perfection,” and nothing less. I’m discontent with anything lower because I feel like I haven’t worked as hard as I could have. Perfection, however, is extremely hard to achieve considering that another characteristic of perfectionists is that they’re highly critical of themselves. Although I strive to be perfect, I ultimately never will be. I will forever pick out the imperfections in myself and in my work, and beat myself up for them.

Perfectionism, at its core, is fear. And this fear turns into anxiety. I’m so afraid that I won’t attain this standard of perfection that I’ve set for myself, and it hinders me from doing the things that I love.

Perfectionism is malicious. It consumes you to the point where you lose sight of the things you love. When I’m going to write an article, I’m so focused on the result I want to achieve that I stop enjoying the process of writing. I’m so concerned about the quality of my work, and so terrified of potential failure, I dread the process of writing itself.

Writing blog articles is only one example of how perfectionism infiltrates my day-to-day activities. I suffer from these thoughts throughout most of my daily tasks. I procrastinate on essays, assignments, projects, emails, applications and sometimes even replies to friends.

Today, though, I’m making a change. 

So this is the authentic me. I didn’t procrastinate (that much) in writing this article. It didn’t take me four hours to start writing. I’m choosing to be my most true and honest self. 

This is the first step I’m making towards being content with progress. From now on, I will try to be happy with any steps I make in the right direction, not whether I’m completing something to perfection. 

And I’ve been trying to integrate this into my everyday life. I set small goals for myself, I give myself rewards. I tell myself that if I face my fears and write out my ideas for only thirty minutes, I can take a break and work on something else. And even more importantly, I allow myself to make mistakes, and I choose to accept them and learn from them. And I think it’s working. I really enjoyed writing this article. In fact, I enjoyed the process so much that it doesn’t really matter if it’s not “perfect.”

Just remember, the hardest part is always starting. Focus on finding meaning in your work, beyond perfection. Go easy on yourself, set small goals and celebrate your progress.

Contact Salma Sarkis at ssarkis@dailycal.org.

The Daily Californian

StudentUniverse, the world’s leading travel booking site for students and youth, prepares to launch their biggest flight discounts of the year, coming on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. StudentUniverse, the world’s leading travel booking site for students and youth, has announced today that Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2021 will offer their best flight and […]

Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar

The recent Netflix show “Squid Game” exploded in popularity and inspired some to recreate the games in real life, having people compete for money. However, because the show is a clear critique of capitalism, these recreations miss the point and are disrespectful to the original message.

The show takes place in South Korea, where a group of poor people participate in secret games to compete against each other and win a large amount of money. If someone loses, they are killed. The players are desperate to get out of poverty often sabotaging each other to succeed. It’s revealed later that rich westerners watch these games as entertainment.    

“Squid Game” is a tale about how capitalism requires poor people to compete with each other, often having to step on one another to survive. Meanwhile, the upper class sits back and watches as the lower class kills one another.

The creator of the show, Hwang Dong-hyuk has confirmed it was a critique of capitalism. He believes the global economy is unequal and wanted to illustrate that belief in the show. 

The television show and its creator made its message clear. Even if someone doesn’t totally grasp the capitalism critique, they can probably grasp the simple message that people should not have to compete for money.

Unfortunately, many people have either missed this point or just don’t care. 

Many people are now creating real tournaments based on the “Squid Game” show. People compete for a sum of money, but of course, aren’t killed when they lose. One instance took place with a bunch of YouTubers competing. Thankfully the winner donated his winnings to charity. 

However, poor people shouldn’t have to rely on a competition to see whether they get money or not, even if they’re not participating in the competition. If there’s money to donate, it doesn’t need to be dangled as a prize. It should just be donated. 

Now an even worse “Squid Game” re-creation is in the works with popular YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson. He is known as MrBeast and holds competitions where people compete for money. 

Donaldson is recreating the “Squid Game” set and plans on having 456 contestants just like in the show. The contestants are going to be randomly selected from his TikTok following.

Now people are following him just to enter the games, so it’s likely this competition may feature people who actually need the money, and aren’t just competing for fun. 

Based on a critique of capitalism, where the message is clearly against poor people competing for money as entertainment, a wealthy person wants to create a situation in which people in need will compete against each other for money as entertainment. 

If Donaldson wants to donate money to people in need, he should just do that, and he often has in the past. These tournaments having people compete for money totally goes against the message of “Squid Game.” People shouldn’t have to compete for a cash prize, and especially shouldn’t compete against each other for the entertainment of others.

While these tournaments may be entertaining for viewers, it is still wrong. 

The games are also disrespectful toward the creator of “Squid Game.” He meant it as a message of this, and now these competitions are being done in the name of his art.

If people want to create competitions for money, fine, but they shouldn’t use the branding of “Squid Game.” It’s disrespectful to the art and message of the creator.

Anna Baker is an English senior who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

—
“Squid Game-inspired competitions miss the show’s point” was originally posted on The Cougar

The city of Atlanta saw its first sports parade since December 2018 on Friday, Nov. 5. The Atlanta Braves took off from the Peachtree and Marietta intersection at noon, making their way up to Peachtree and 10th, where they loaded onto buses that took the team to Truist Park at The Battery, where the second portion of the parade took place.

In the area surrounding the start of the parade, the crowds were already five to eight people deep an hour before the start. Signs that said “Battle Won” were placed at storefronts for fans to grab and wave as the buses drove by. Vendors had the special edition of the AJC from the morning after the game six win along with noise makers and all sorts of fan created merchandise.

The parade itself included all of the current Braves players and coaching staff. Manager Brian Snitker and players Freddie Freeman, Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario and Charlie Morton all rode in their own white trucks with their families at the head of the parade. The rest of the team were divided among other open-top buses based on their fielding positions.

Joc Pederson, in the outfielders bus, spent the parade throwing pearl necklaces to parade goers. Most of the team smoked cigars throughout the parade. Fans attempted to throw beers at the players for them to drink. Video of Dansby Swanson catching a can is on the internet, along with A.J. Minter making a spectacular grab over the rail of the bus.

The only notable absence from the parade was Braves GM Alex Anthopolous, who tested positive for COVID-19. He was present at the celebration in Truist Park in his own open-air suite with his family.

Many noted in person and online after the Atlanta portion of the parade went by much faster than people expected. This was in part because the Atlanta Police Department did not have enough cars and officers to spare for the kind of crowd control necessary if the parade went at the expected crawl.

Cars from the Cherokee County Police Department and other counties were present to help. Students from the Institute were still walking towards the parade route after it had ended and headed to Truist Park.

At The Battery, the crowds were far denser than on Peachtree considering how much less road there was. Relief pitcher Tyler Matzek nearly got arrested while running off the bus during the Cobb portion of the parade since an officer mistook him for a random fan. Once the parade arrived at Truist Park, the entire team was introduced one by one as they walked on a red carpet starting in dead center field to a stage placed behind second base.

Braves radio color commentator, Joe Simpson, emceed the celebration on stage. Braves chairman Terry McGuirk and other front office members spoke. The spoken portion was highlighted by a speech from Billye Aaron, the wife of the late-great Hank Aaron, whose number 44 was present in the center field grass during the entire 2021 season.

Many players spoke after that for short stints. Joc Pederson’s short speech was an edited version of his now famous statement in The Players Tribune, saying, “Guess what? We are those mothers!”

Dansby Swanson was the first of multiple players to note the Braves should re-sign Freddie Freeman, saying “it might get me in trouble, but re-sign Freddie.”

Travis d’Arnaud echoed his statement. Dansby also wore an Outkast themed Braves jersey that read “ATLiens” on the front instead of the usual home jersey. Jesse Chavez wore the 1974 throwback jersey worn during the entire first homestand of the season in honor of Hank Aaron.

Big Boi and Ludacris headlined a concert on stage after the team took a picture with the Commissioner’s Trophy behind the large 44 in center field, capping off Atlanta’s celebration.

Dylan Olive

On Oct. 4, Southwest Airlines announced a vaccine mandate among its employees: to keep employment, you will have to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or be exempt for medical or religious reasons by Dec. 8.

The Southwest Airlines Pilot Association asked a federal court in Texas, where Southwest Airlines is based, for a temporary hold on the vaccine requirement to prevent the vaccination mandate from being carried out. 

The mandate complies with Joe Biden’s executive order requiring federal employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

American, United, Frontier, Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, as well as JetBlue, have all announced vaccine mandates for their employees, Southwest being the most recent to announce their mandate.

The Southwest Airlines Pilot Association is seeking an injunction from a federal court in Dallas for the vaccination mandate to be put on hold, the SWAPA also asked for a request to seek an immediate hearing in court, claiming that Southwest Airlines have continued to take actions that violate the Railway Labor Act during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Railway Labor Act solves disputes between carriers and employees.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot signed an order on Oct. 11 banning vaccine mandates for any private business with over a hundred employees.

Last month, the Biden administration said it would require any business with more than one hundred employees to get vaccinated or get tested weekly.

Despite Abbot’s new order, Southwest Airlines is going to continue their vaccine mandate, and the Biden Administration is continuing to push its executive order. 

“Bottom line is we’re going to continue to implement the law, which the President of the United States has the ability, the authority — the legal authority to do, and we are going to continue to work to get more people vaccinated, to get out of this pandemic,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

“I believe the federal vaccine mandate supersedes any conflicting state laws, and this does not change anything,” a spokeswoman from the airline said.

In a statement to POLITICO, Southwest said “Federal action supersedes any state mandate or law, and we would be expected to comply with the President’s Order to remain compliant as a federal contractor.” 

Over 2,000 flights were canceled starting Oct. 8 through that entire weekend, and it left thousands of passengers with a major inconvenience on their hands. The passengers wanted answers as to why so many flights were getting canceled out of nowhere.

“ATC issues and disruptive weather have resulted in a high volume of cancellations throughout the weekend while we work to recover our operation,” Southwest Airlines tweeted on Oct. 9.

Many assumed that the strike was due to the large number of flights suddenly canceled: if there is no crew, then there can’t be any flights.

No other airlines had this weather issue like Southwest did, which leads people to believe that the cancellations were due to the Southwest strike.

An update from Southwest was released on Oct. 11 as to why the operational disruptions were happening.

Weather issues caused cancellations, and that resulted in a continuous build-up of crews and aircrafts not being in the right place for their current schedule.

“On Friday evening, the airline ended the day with numerous cancellations, primarily created by weather and other external constraints, which left aircraft and Crews out of pre-planned positions to operate our schedule on Saturday,” Southwest said in a statement.

On Oct. 12 Southwest CEO Gary Kelly apologized on Good Morning America to the customers and employees affected by these cancellations.

Whether or not staffing was the issue due to all the cancellations, the Allied Pilots Association is worried that the vaccine mandate will result in a loss of employees for the airline, “We are also concerned that the Executive Order’s anticipated 60-day implementation period for mandatory vaccinations could result in labor shortages and create serious operational problems,” said the APA. 

The APA went on to say “Airlines generate a substantial portion of their annual revenue during the holiday period, with a great many travelers depending on us to get them to their destinations.” 

If the vaccine mandate is not affecting Southwest currently, then it will once the busy holiday season starts, and when the Dec. 8 deadline is here.

Many Florida Southern College students fly home for breaks, and the vaccine mandate could have an impact on flights being affected. This would result in some students having more difficulties in getting home.

“As a college student living over 1,000 miles from home, I usually fly home,” Hannah Noll said. “ If my flight were to get canceled, it would put stress on both me and my family to try to find another flight, and if we couldn’t find another one, I would be stuck at school, losing the little family time I get.” 

The post Student travel affected by airline regulations appeared first on The Southern Newspaper.

In 1960, four African-American college students remained seated at a counter in a segregated restaurant in Greensboro amongst police presence, inspiring hundreds of students to do the same across the nation.

In 1989, amid tanks and gunfires, a gathering of nearly 15,000 college students stood unyielding against a military advance and a corrupt government in Tianmen Square.

In 2018, students across the nation walked out during the school day and called for better gun control and their right to feel safe in their classrooms.

College students have been at the forefront of nearly every political movement–sitting, marching, and yelling for the change they want to see in the world.

Just as college students are an intrinsic part of politics, politics remain an integral part of the college experience.

As college students, we’re at a uniquely volatile time in our lives. In that transitory period between youth and adulthood, we are stuck in an odd liminal space where we are able to see all the problems in the world, and we are also sure that we can fix them.

Even though the surety we have in our ability to change the world is often discounted by adults who think we’re nothing more than disillusioned youth, they could not be more wrong.

Across centuries and nations, student protests have remained catalysts for explosions of change. In South Africa, student protests in Soweto inspired students in the United States to enact their own demonstrations, leading to the withdrawal of billions of dollars from investments in South Africa by administrators.

The ensuing economic pressure has been cited as one of the key factors to the dissolution of apartheid. In Czechoslovakia, five hundred thousand students remained resolutely nonviolent in the face of tear gas and water cannons. Ten days after the protest, the Communist Party relinquished its power.

Higher education serves as a gateway to the understanding of the society we participate in and with that understanding comes an ability to enact change. By studying the revolutions of generations past, we are able to demand more and better than our predecessors. Even in recent years, the goals of movements have continued to evolve.

In 2017, millions of protestors filled the streets of Washington D.C to participate in the Women’s March, the largest single-day protest in US history, to protest Trump’s anti-woman behavior. In 2018, they rallied to encourage a more diverse involvement of women in politics.

In 2019, for the first time, the movement created a federal policy platform and marched to call for change in legislation that would end violence against women, protect LGBTQ+ rights, and enact climate change reform.

In 2020, in light of the election, the march partnered with a voter registration organization to ensure that women would be able to vote.

In 2021, they marched to dismantle systems of oppression and build inclusive structures. They haven’t yet announced their plans for the 2022 march, but it can be assumed that it will be focused on the battle for reproductive rights currently raging in our courts.

As new leaders come into power and the uphill fight for universal human rights continues, the legacy of student protests remains one of the few constants of change. Every right we have today is one that was fought for by those that came before us, so isn’t it our responsibility to continue the fight?

Our willingness to stand up against injustice and demand a better life for our generation and every generation after us is what guarantees our growing freedoms.

You don’t have to take to the streets in protest. You don’t have to make a grand proclamation. You don’t even have to vocally advocate for anything.

Fighting oppression can be something as small as signing a petition or voting in local elections.

As long as you are using your voice, your privilege as a student of higher education, to make a change in something you’re passionate about, you’ve made a difference in our world, and, at the end of the day, that’s what matters.

Andrew Thompson

Residents of Lakeland cast their ballots during the local elections on Nov. 2 to elect the mayor and two city commissioners

“Local elections are just as important for students at FSC to get involved in. Even if Lakeland is your home away from home, as a member of the community you should play a part in helping better it,” senior Lexi Potter said.

Mutz won the election with 58.6% of the vote compared to Stevin’s 41.4%. 

Local and cultural issues such as police body cameras, affordable housing, funding for the police and the removal of the Confederate statue at Munn Park took center stage during the campaign. Stevin took a populist and culturally conservative approach, opposing the alleged radicalization of the city, while Mutz promoted his record as mayor.

“I decided to run for mayor because I saw a lot of things happening in Lakeland that I saw happen in Minneapolis that brought down the destruction of Minneapolis,” Stevin said to a reporter for ABC Action News.

“The mayor’s race heated up a lot because of Saga’s position on what was a dead issue: the Confederate statue,” said Dr. R. Bruce Anderson, the associate professor of political science at Florida Southern College.

Mutz, the incumbent mayor, grew up in Indiana before moving to Lakeland in 1996. Prior to successfully running for office in 2017, Mr. Mutz ran an automall and participated in numerous local organizations. Stevin grew up in Lakeland before moving to Minneapolis, but decided to return to Lakeland last year.

The commission elections were “remarkably civil exchanges on real policy issues-the road diet, infrastructural needs and the future of the airport,” said Dr. Anderson.

Incumbent Sara Roberts McCarley faced a challenge from Democrat Allyson Lewis in a race which is designated as nonpartisan. Lewis rose to prominence in the community last year after organizing racial justice forums. 

While progressive groups such as Ruth’s List endorsed Ms. Lewis’s pro-social justice campaign, the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce and local businesses supported Ms. McCarley, a Florida Southern alumni.

After winning a close special election in May, Mike Musick faced off against Shandale Terrell again in the election for Commission District D. Mr. Musick is the owner of Musick Roofing Company and a staunch conservative while Mr. Terrell is an educator and Democrat who ran for the Florida House of Representatives prior to running for the Commission this year. 

The post Incumbent Mutz wins 2021 Lakeland mayoral election appeared first on The Southern Newspaper.

Gerald Sastra/The Cougar

It’s okay to have a difference in opinion about certain subjects like pineapples on pizza or chocolate versus vanilla. However, there is a difference between having a different opinion about something and experiencing delusion.

Delusion is a belief rooted in a false idea. A person may believe in something despite being proven wrong time and time again. 

While there are many topics that could be talked about on this topic, one that stays relevant and is a matter of concern today is the debate over coronavirus and the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Many Americans believe that this global pandemic is a hoax created by other countries so that the Democrats can gain power. Going a step further, many people claim that there is no virus at all, that masks don’t work, and that the vaccines are magnetic trackers with microchips. 

All of these claims are completely false. 

Masks are proven to be helpful and effective against the spread of COVID-19. The better quality of a mask such as N95 and surgical masks or even double masking can be very effective to stop the spread of the virus. 

There are people who say that they don’t believe in masks, but the question of the matter is how can someone not believe in something that is physically proven?

There are several reasons why someone isn’t willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine which can be medical reasons such as being allergic to something in the vaccine or even religious reasons. Some people are genuinely worried that the vaccines are not safe because they came out too soon. 

However, there is scientific research that backs the safety of the vaccines created to help combat the pandemic. 

Many people who refuse to get the vaccine state very delusional reasons as to why they don’t want to get it. Some say that the vaccines are government propaganda and tracking devices, many state false scientific reasons such as infertility as a reason not to get the vaccine. 

Misinformation on social media such as Facebook contributes largely to these delusional ideas. Media like Fox News also treat conspiracy theories as though they have validity which just fuels the fire. A large media company endorsing Ivermectin gives validity to these theories and the delusional people that believe them.

People are denying reality and choosing to not get vaccinated which just prolongs this deadly pandemic.

Despite this danger, some people believe that it’s merely a difference of opinion. They say that vaccinations are a private matter and people’s ideas should be respected. However, if those ideas are based on false information, they shouldn’t be respected.

Additionally, it’s not just a difference in opinion. The claims of COVID-19 not being real or masks not working are scientifically false. Opinions should not be based on falsehood. 

When there are scientific facts online and a majority of agreement from the international healthcare community, it is delusional to believe in these conspiracy theories that have no factual basis. 

It’s not merely a difference in opinion, it’s about facts versus delusion. 

Atirikta Kumar is a journalism freshman who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

—
“Delusion over the COVID-19 vaccine is not just a different opinion” was originally posted on The Cougar