When I entered my senior year of high school, my parents saw fit to bestow upon me a Facebook account. Granted, they had told me to get on the social media far earlier than 2019, but I failed to see why it would matter to me. All my friends were on Instagram, and I didn’t really care to check up on my second cousins, twice removed. However, getting a Facebook account has been extremely beneficial to me. If ever I am feeling down, I can always count on the vigor of my extremely Christian and conservative relatives to cheer me up. And a few weeks ago, my eyes feasted on paragraph upon paragraph of adamant posts concerning Biden’s federal vaccine mandate.
On September 9, 2021, the Biden administration released a six-part COVID-19 initiative plan concerning requirements for U.S. workers. In general, the approach included further testing, economic recovery, safely opening schools, etc. However, the most alarming part to many conservatives was, as the White House’s announcement that Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will develop a rule requiring that all employers with 100 or more to enforce employees to either get vaccinated or take weekly negative COVID-19 tests. The responses I saw on Facebook included outrage, concerns over Biden’s power, comments on the dangers of the vaccines and even some comparing the vaccine mandate to Weimar Republic Germany. My usual source of chuckles had turned into mild outrage.
As one majoring in intercultural studies and psychology, I have little to no comment on the actual policy of Biden and his lawmakers. However, my curiosity lies in the source of the outrage of the right. Sure, there’s the vaccine efficacy debate, but there almost seems to be something deeper. The comparison to the Weimar Republic seemed to indicate some concern greater than medical soundness. No, I would argue that the vaccine mandate fear has much to do with the deep-set American fear of government control, stemming in modern times from the Cold War.
The American right has a long history of anti-Communism, originating in both the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the aftermath of World War II. Ingrained within the American consciousness are ideas concerning democracy, freedom and exceptionalism, as a result of a government formed by individuals standing up to a tyrannical monarchy. Furthermore, the American elite, those in control of the means of production and subsequently the consciousness of American media, have the power to put forth any effort they deemed necessary to protect their gain. Thus, the concept of a governmental system seeking distribution of both rights and capital gain was frightening to both groups, encouraging public fear of the rising Communism in both Russia and poorer parts of the world.
This anti-Communist propaganda manifested itself in a number of unnecessarily exaggerated forms. The most famous of these was McCarthyism, a Republican campaign against Communism led by Sen. Joseph McCarthy from 1950-54, in which many were accused of being spies on American soil. However, McCarthyism is also famous for its numerous blackmailed and fired victims, many of which were innocent. This campaign tended to pursue activists rallying for social change and civil rights on the grounds of “Communism,” delaying civil progress in its wake. But who cared about the details, so long as our precious freedoms were protected?
The leaders of the current Republican party have descended from this tradition of eccentric anti-Communism, as their youths were characterized by the elite-stoked coals of the fiery politics of the Cold War. Regardless of its true nature, anything reminiscent of Communist policy, primarily concerning increased levels of government involvement, must certainly be un-American and threatening to our treasured freedom. Thus, a federal employee vaccine mandate is surely a sign of Communism, which should be rallied against so as to protect America, even if it is in the interest of public health. At least, so my Facebook-frequenting great aunt and step-grandma would attest.