At a recent family gathering, I sat at the dinner table with a group of loved ones for the first time since the Covid-19 fiasco. Most of the cheerful discussion focused on the spectacular event of the week: my mother’s 100th birthday.
I was the only person at the table who hadn’t had any form of flu for many years, while all of the guests had been ill to one degree or another. Almost everyone had tested positive for Covid at least once over the last few years with accompanying flu symptoms. Although no one in my family was hospitalized or died during the so-called pandemic; they all had been vaccinated repeatedly. As far as I know, my wife and I were the only ones in our families who didn’t get any Covid shot, and I haven’t been inoculated for anything in the last seventy years.
On this happy occasion, the fear, masks, lockdowns, and accusations of the recent past had been mostly forgotten. It was not because the signs and symptoms of the disease had ended, nor that the call for vaccination or testing had been silenced. No one understood why they were still occasionally feeling unwell, with some continuing to report they’d been diagnosed with Covid.
My view of healthcare has always been outside of the box, having practiced Traditional Chinese Medicine for many decades. I’d worked closely with medical doctors in treating some of their patients and also served as the chief medical officer of a volunteer fire department, appreciating life-saving emergency procedures of modern biomedicine. Through a range of experiences, I gained some knowledge of the causes and cures for suffering and illness.
Before the Covid fiasco, my alternative approach to illness had been respected; I’d shared my knowledge with whoever might ask. My medical perspective was no secret from friends and family. When my daughters were young, they weren’t vaccinated as there were no threats of deadly or debilitating diseases. This was in a place and time when vaccination for infants could be considered and refused, not done by rote. There was reasonable dialogue about the topic—and non-compliance certainly did not elicit threats of excommunication.
As the specter of a pandemic arose, my opinion about vaccination became dangerous and irrelevant.
From the outset, it was apparent that the claimed benefits of the new vaccines did not outweigh their risks. I openly said and wrote that the technology remained untested—though never advised anyone to refrain from inoculation—only counseling those who listened to remain fully informed.
It wasn’t complicated. Using genetic-based technology in developing a new drug that attempted to manipulate the magnificent complexity of the human immune system was at a minimum, a gamble. As easily demonstrated, this new technology embraced the bold assumption that human design was flawed and could be improved. It was premature to declare that this experimental treatment was safe and effective. We still don’t know the actual long-term effects—particularly over generations.
This simple and logical evaluation was considered preposterous by those who responded to the seemingly new disease with unbridled fear. The danger of the Covid flu was deemed sufficient to quell all reasonable responses about the risks of the vaccines. Suddenly, there was an eclipse of medical autonomy, and debate was scorned. The actions and motives of corrupted government agencies and their profit-oriented allies in Big Pharma were blessed by devious leaders, who deemed them altruistic and unquestionable.
This atmosphere, developed and enforced in a haze of authoritarian dictates, created an unprecedented climate of hostility that infected all relationships. Because of my views and unvaccinated status, I rapidly became a pariah to my family.
Early on, when the fear tactics were in high gear, my cousin, who is an attorney involved in healthcare issues, sent a blistering email, condemning one of my first articles skewering the pandemic response. He left no room for dialogue and writing, it is the height of irresponsibility to add to the disinformation that is everywhere about the Covid vaccine. He concluded…
I am really upset that you have chosen to use your talents and thoughtful manner to give credence to the kind of wrongheaded rhetoric and conspiracy theories that feed the mass hysteria over accepting the reality that if we are to beat this pandemic, we need to not just take the vaccine if we want to, but take it on a societal level whether certain individuals want to or not. Your call for “transparency” just further feeds a certain, huge segment of the populations’ belief that they know better than the experts on this issue. They do not. You do not. I do not. But every reputable researcher and medical professional who has reviewed this data agree —it is safe, it is effective, and it is critical.
The venom exuded in response to my unwillingness to join in the mass delusion supporting vaccination was palpable. My crime was unforgivable.
Although we had been very close, all contact ended. However, it was not his unconscious, misdirected anger that troubled me, rather that he shared his views and wrath with my daughters, supporting their inclination to distance themselves from me because of my independent views. This wound with my cousin may never heal.
My mother, who had cordially disagreed with me on vaccination, balanced his bias with sound advice to her granddaughters. She urged them not to be harsh, suggesting that whatever differences they see, these were not worthy of destroying their relationship with their father. Thanks to her wise counsel, the love my daughters and I share has survived.
This and similar events had been left smoldering. In the spring of 2025, at this happy gathering celebrating my mom’s longevity, to my surprise, the topic turned to Covid. (My cousin was not there.) Conversation comprised mostly of personal accounts of suffering and confessions of a lack of understanding of why the virus persisted.
My sister said she’d attended a lecture at a local college on the history of the social response to mass infection. She described the common human responses and behaviors to past epidemics and pandemics, including how scapegoating was a dominant and destructive response.
Managing to remain quiet until all had acknowledged these horrors of the past, I spoke up, voicing a simple question: Did the recent Covid pandemic fit this pattern?
Of course, was the answer.
I innocently replied, And what group was reproached and attacked for causing the Covid pandemic?
There was a considered pause, and then everyone agreed, it was the Chinese.
With certainty I said, There were questions about whether an animal market or a lab leak was the initiating cause, but the Chinese as a culture or a nation were never blamed. Wasn’t there another group that became the scapegoats?
No one seemed to be willing to consider this inquiry, and I was pressed to say who I believed was targeted.
The vast majority of health professionals, public figures, including actors and business leaders, government medical agencies and the entire administration stood behind the President of the United States who openly declared that this was a pandemic of the unvaccinated. The press echoed this vicious attack. A majority of Americans did not object to this belligerent contrivance, but there was never any evidence that the unvaccinated had caused or exacerbated the pandemic. Wasn’t this overt and classic scapegoating?
There was dead silence at the table. I expected some defense of my assessment, but there was none. Then suddenly my brother (who had been vaccinated and had been ill a few times) spoke up loudly and emotionally, almost in tears, saying, I don’t want to hear any more about Covid—it has caused enough pain and suffering—and we should stop talking about it.
As he was trembling with emotion, I gently suggested that he leave the table and he did. His explosive declaration ended any conversation about the topic—there was no further response to my contention; I didn’t push it further.
My brother soon returned and unnecessarily apologized for his outburst. Though seemingly irrational, it was a direct response to my assertion—he had processed it as best he could. No one else had responded to my suggestion that they had participated in scapegoating the unvaccinated; he failed to recognize his ethical transgression, though had at least expressed some emotion.
It became apparent that historical atrocities are much easier to recognize than more recent iniquities. Few have admitted that ignorance, anger, and the demeaning of innocent people in response to Covid was an egregious, unfounded violation of human rights.
Those who sat with me at this table—and millions of others—have not considered the eclipse of their compassion and rationality. Few people can confess to having been manipulated into indefensible, loathsome conduct. They would have to see their similarity with those in past pandemics, who had projected blame and abused innocents for the suffering they were feeling. It takes a brave soul to admit that their emptiness and desperation caused them to display venom, disdain, and violence.
Because of the unwillingness to face the truth, the unrecognized pain and tears of those who questioned or refused mass vaccination remain unhealed, continuing a climate where repressive tactics and regimes are tolerated.
No matter how much information about the abuses of powerful forces during the pandemic, no matter how much data supports the dangers of the Covid response, no matter how much is learned about the deviant behavior of leadership and government agencies, the unvaccinated have yet to be vindicated.
Self-serving, unconscious attitudes continue to dominate, confirming human nature has not evolved since the plagues of the Dark Ages. In times of difficulty and stress, it remains more convenient and simpler to find others at fault, rather than perceive our failures.
This article was originally published by the Brownstone Institute. David Marks is a veteran investigative reporter and documentary producer. He has made films for PBS Frontline and the BBC, including Nazi Gold, which challenged the assumption of Switzerland’s neutrality in WWII.
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41 Responses
Thank you for this thoughtful piece. I am so sorry this was your experience. I’d like to gently add that we are vindicated. We don’t have the turbo cancer, “die suddenly,” etc.
You are confused. Through careful discernment we Unvaccinated CHOSE the path of health; every human is reaping the consequences of whatever decisions they made during the pandemic: good or bad. This has nothing to do with vindication. (I’d like to point out that if and when any unvaccinated person is in an accident and needs blood, we likely have escaped nothing: the blood supply is completely tainted, and will remain so until these issues are properly addressed.) We were targeted, ridiculed, scorned, cast out, blamed and dismissed. Yet we were correct in our thinking, while others were terribly deceived. The need for vindication still looms, and is not going away any time soon.
I agree 100%. THEY will always badger us. I will never again trust our government or the medical profession. This is tragic. I am not alone because if you straight talk a lot of people they feel the same. I suspect that as we sleep, the powers that be are working late in the lab to conjure up a new and improved tragedy. One that Ivermectin will not cure. So viligence is the only way to survive a country who hates its people.
Agreed.
Excellent….unvaccinated!
The author’s cousin used the classic deference to authority figures defense. I also got the response to my questions of safety with, “are you a doctor?” As we now see, these experts were not experts, often making things up on the fly like Fauci’s 6 foot rule and double masking. Everyone was taking the pharmaceutical company claims as truth until the Pfizer trial results were released and we saw, again, that they lied. The “experts” believed the lies unquestionly and then passed this on to the doctors who told us to trust the experts. The doctors didn’t know squat but because they wear white lab coats, people seem to believe them more. Deferring to authority once again to their own detriment.
The response I got was “Do you have letters behind YOUR name?”
My response to that is “what do you call the guy who graduated at the bottom of his class in medical school?”
You are absolutely correct. They think because a doctor’s mouth opens and shuts that it is a Prayer Book. I can assure you that it isn’t. My doctor badgered me and I backed him in a corner. When he left the room he was foaming. I wasn’t asked to come back for a yearly visit or anything else which suited me as I didn’t plan to. He thought because my hair is white he could pull his crap off on me. Wrong thinking. Believe this, it isn’t over for us.
Well said!
Thank you for this. You could have been talking about me and my friends/family, who treated me as a pariah because I refused the shot and boosters. My decision was easy having spent 40+ years researching health, vaccines, nutrition etc. Like you I am still the only unvaccinated person who to my knowledge has not had a cold or flu since 2019, nor any other medical issue, whereas close family members have spent time in hospital with issues clearly related to the shot.
And yet it seems people still do not want to accept the clear evidence of fraud, corruption and evil associated with the mandates.
David – What a great article! Sadly I underwent a lot of what you describe in this article with my own family. Some are still disassociated from me, however some have slowly come around after seeing the negative aftereffects of the ‘vaccine’ such as illness, early death, ‘sudden adult death’ and the like. Keep your head up and don’t compromise! God Bless
Well stated.
Thank you for such a well written article. You are so correct. Painfully correct.
My wife and I are also part of the UNvaccinated, and for that we make no apologies.
Mark Twain said “It’s easier to fool a man than to convince him he’s been fooled.” Or something to that effect. But…the author is absolutely correct. There is still discomfort in our family when we talk about how dangerous the shots and boosters are. There is usually a vague head nod, but no overt “I know, right?! Never should have done that! You were right to exercise caution! Everyone still got it anyway! Should have done what Sweden did!” I’ve come to accept that people hold so tightly onto their beliefs and delusions that the government works only for their good, and wouldn’t allow anything bad to happen, despite history being rich with examples of the contrary. All we can do is move on, and share our knowledge with those who are willing to receive it.
God Bless you…….Alternative Practitioner for saying the Truth, sticking by the Truth. I too was an Alternative Practitioner for many years….even during Covid…..then I retired after 35 yrs. I’ve lost friends & family members due to my Stance on this subject. My son was never Vaccinated…. after his first 2….due to his severe reactions and to his Pediatrician showing me the list of ingredients ……and told me to do my Research on all of them. The number of Vaccines that children get nowadays is insane ….in my opinion. Sincere thanks.
Thank you David Marks for your article on Vindication for the Unvaccinated. I, along with others where I work, were criticized and mostly ostracized, for our stance on not taking this shot that had very limited studies and lacked the years of testing that most vaccines go through. I am not sure that mainstream accepts all the historical data from the last four years in regards to the Covid shot causing many negative health issues, and in some cases death, but for those of us who have read countless studies, articles, listened to doctors, scientists, and other professionals who gave us data and information to consider before taking the shot, I appreciate your view. It is imperative that we as individuals must consider all aspects of our health and not leave it to any one source, or believe any one source.
although they see some errors of beliefs and sheepish behaviors, it’s very sad that they still misidentify the ones truly targeted by their sheepishness. how truly sad. Ive given up on my childhood and 3xtrnded family. my son and his wife, I will never give up on. why? Because, long after Im gone, they will hear my voice in their heads questioning their behaviors if/when something like this happens again!
And RFK still has yet to do a damn thing about it, or even recommend that vaccines at the very least be made voluntary. Beautifully written article.
Not at all fair. He is working very carefully and skillfully. Do you truly expect him to perform instant miracles against something very deep set in the world?
Our government and big pharma are not going to allow him to do but so much unless he can get more backing than he is getting.
I agree with you. He is very slow in his efforts. After all he is still a Kennedy. It should be voluntary and until he makes it so, his efforts will be patronizing.
Hi Mark–
Bless you for writing this beautiful article. My husband and I chose NOT to vaccinate for Covid, so, like you, stood alone while all condemned and blamed us as part of the problem. I maintain a (very scant at this point) file of articles under the title “vindication”–hoping that, at some point, the entire world will finally wake the hell up. Not holding breath.
Will the truth ever come out in a way the masses will understand and absorb for future reference? At 73, I fear this will not come about within my lifetime. I am sad for the current world all innocent children are being born into.
My only solace is courageous, bright, loving people like you who are willing to speak out.
I was over in the park during the lockdown and ran into an acquaintance. We talked about the dark times for a few minutes, and as I was leaving I said, “Right now, it’s really important we take care…”
I was going to say “of each other.”
As I completed the sentence, he said, “of number one.”
We stood there in silence just looking at each other for a few seconds.
Human nature excels at projecting and scapegoating onto others when life is frightening or unknown.
And it’s an epic fail when it comes to personal self-introspection of individual flaws made in times of crises… and then later having to muster the ego-strength/courage to admit to having been wrong about something.
It is easier to fool a man than it is to convince him he has been fooled ! A lot of people bought the lies and the result has been devastating .If you followed this pandemic from the beginning as I did and seen all the red flags flying you would not have taken the vaccine. There must be criminal prosecution and sentencing in order to move forward . This cannot be swept under the rug !
Thank you for a well written example of our current day.
People who supported the draconian covid policies/ positions, don’t seem to be able to admit their role in it. most certainly ly don’t seem to understand they should apologize for ostracized family and friends. They should look inward and discover the labels they used apply to themselves.
May you be blessed in helping others live well.
nurse Alicia
As an unvaccinated RN who quit my job due to the absolute bullying by peers and the hospital administrators, I feel vindicated because I never got sick. Many people around me were vaxxed and they are sick all the time. Summertime now and they suffer from colds and flus? Yet they don’t think anything of it. Even when I ask did you ever get the flu in the summer? Blank stare, nobody home. Weird cancers, brain aneurysms and sudden deaths occurring but still no idea what caused it! Great article.
The group that disappointed me the most was ” the church”. i was not overly surprisef, yet still remain disappointed. In Canada, according to an AI query, 83% of church attenders got jabbed. There were literslly only a handful of churches that directly opposed certain mandates, out of approximately 18,000 registeres churches in Canada. What is worse, is I am not aware of a single congregation anywhere that has formally apogized to the unjabbed, or has in any way, shape or form addmitted to being royally screwed over by the narritive. Why is this so? I can only come up with one solid answer. The church has succumbed to the mainstream narritive, and vouches for it to this very day. I still am waiting for a church goer in Canada to tell me about how their church has apologized for their part in joining the narrative. They have all moved on, refusing to revisit the past 5 years of disaster. No admissions of guilt, no inquireries, no apologies, no curiosity, just dead silence. It is unbelievable to me to imagine the collective body of church goers in Canada virtually all fell for tbis narrative, and 5 years later ignore it like it never happened.
Our church was one of a handful who refused to close, or adhere to restrictions (masks, distancing, etc). Our pastor is a former criminal who recognized Fauci from the AIDS crisis and knew it was a scam of some sort. There were still some at church who took the jab – whether fearing for their jobs or giving in to pressure of family/friends/ medical providers. Sadly they are now reaping the health consequences of that decision. As a Body we are still supporting them, but it’s hard to watch.
Because of what happened my husband and I left our beautiful home of 38 years in California and moved to South Carolina in our late 60s after a year voyage around America looking for freedom. Those we left behind still seem to have no clue or remorse about what they did to us. Totally clueless, even about why we left. Mattias Desmet provides the best explanation. Those who have fallen under a mass formation rarely come out of it.
Thanks for your article. At the beginning of the Covid pandemic, I thought it was a lab leak that caused it. And when they came out with the vaccination, I thought it was a depopulation plan, and I never had a Covid shot, as well as my sister and a friend of mine. At one time I tested positive, and was mildly sick. I did take ivermectin. A friend of my daughter in law became paralyzed after a Covid shot, but she recovered. I have never had a flu shot, also, and I don’t get the flu. I am 80 years old.
Early on in Covid, I was researching the PCR test created by Kerry Mullis, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for this. I came upon a lecture he gave whereby he said, “the PCR test should never be used diagnostically”. I wrote the CDC asking, why then, was the PCR test being used diagnostically? They actually called me. They did not give me an answer to my question. They only wanted to know where I got my information! That said volumes to me. The manipulation, i.e. free donuts, hamburgers, lottery tickets…..that alone should have made THINKING people wake up! I pray people are more awake now for their own health’s sake!
correction: Kary Mullis
Thank you for your thoughtful article.
The “eclipse of compassion and rationality” were truly frightening and I don’t think any of us will forget it.
I am an RN who works within functional medicine, and like you described my so-called alternative health views were respected pre-Covid. But when my husband and I decided against the covid vaccine for ourselves and our daughter I was called a bad nurse and a bad mother. I was also surprised by the silence of key figures within the functional medicine community. At my workplace, the silence was deafening.
But it was also heartening to find that there were many people around me (including family) who had kept their heads. I think we should keep hoping for some kind of apology so we can truly heal the relationships that still feel superficial or fake after what happened during covid. How hard it must be to admit that you were manipulated into indefensible, loathsome conduct. If we want vindication, I think we must continue to act in a spirit of compassion och rationality.
Yep! I was told that “It is because of people like you (refusing to the vaccine) that I can’t go out in public!” The lady that told me this was an ER Doctor who was on a drug that was immune suppressing so she opted to take a leave from work. At the time she said this to me I had already had Covid twice (relatively minor which I credit to my high vitamin D levels and generally good immune system!) so I had natural immunity. God’s design is much better than any human can come up with! I was sad…but we are fine now. The pandemic sucked peoples brains right out of their heads! Fear was the driver…not common sense.
Well said. Our household was not vaccinated – we were considered rebellious and misinformed, thoughtless even. Our family has not been the same since – we lost the closeness we had with our extended family. Though we miss them, we are ok being held at arm’s length. We will continue to stand at a distance – pray they learn the truth, pray for their health and their well being.
I am a terminated Medical Coder(100% Remote) worked for a prestigous NYC hospital and lived in Myrtle Beach SC(750mi away). It has devastated my finances and at times broke my spritit b/c I found out all of us fired became Unhirable. I am litigating the case in the NY courts & praying for some vindication. BTW-I ahve no regrets, never sick and cant wait for the lies of CV to come out to wake those sheep up!
David, you explained ME perfectly and you described how I have been treated by many, though quietly (nothing like your cousin). I don’t vaccinate, not any vaccine, so not COVID either. No amount of shunning or attempted shaming would change my mind on vaccines because I have done my homework. I have a vaccine-damaged adult son who caused me to lose all trust in health “authorities”. Thank you for speaking out about a topic most are unaware of.
I an now 90
I have not had a vaccination since i left the Australian Army in 1968
during the pandemc i worked in a store 8-5 and did not get covid
I cannot remember when i last had flu or cold
God Bless You!!
covid culture brought out the deep stuff within us all. nothing really changed, though for a while, it seemed the world and all our lives had turned upside down. in the end, within a few years, i realized it only revealed cracks that already existed. many “moments of truth” have occurred because of the elephant in the room that wont just go away. i hated the process, but im stronger and smarter for it now. it hurt, it was a deep pain, but it doesnt hurt anymore. i see more clearly now. i more easily can spot a lie than before. i didnt trust myself as much. but thats how things have changed. so many questions over my life have been answered. i learned almost all news sources are bunk. its less scary out there when you have a better idea of what is true and whats not. they intended it for evil, but exposed themselves at the same time. remember your dollars and your time are your votes in this world at large.