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They are citing ONS figures of excess deaths as proof the vaccines are killing people. I tried to explain that not being able to get a doctor's appointment, staying home and getting fat, etc explain the figures (official sources have said it too) but they said it's "gaslighting" and then said their family doctor wouldn't get the vaccine.

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[-] Lasherz12@lemmy.world 87 points 2 weeks ago

"If you think the world's top scientists are trying to kill you, then why would you listen to any expert about anything? They'll save you from yourself when you're wrong anyway. Would you do the same for them? That's why they're trustworthy, and you and your sources are not."

[-] thermal_shock@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Seriously. Take your car to a baker next time you have trouble.

[-] db2@lemmy.world 59 points 2 weeks ago

"Bye."

Then leave and stay gone.

[-] Resplendent606@piefed.social 39 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Not everything requires a response and at some point you have to pick your battles. They have revealed to you that they are an idiot. It is not your job to fix them.

[-] bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 2 weeks ago

Seriously, I've had multiple conversations with my BIL where he comes over to me and says something insane, and my response is just "huh okayyy...." and I walk away without saying anything else. I don't care to be polite anymore.

[-] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

Sometimes the best response is no response at all. Silence can be deafening.

[-] sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 27 points 2 weeks ago

I'm often a dick. I probably wouldn't say anything immediately, and then use that asinine opinion to dismiss anything else the person says later. Forever. They say something about , "Yeah, but you also think vaccines kill people, so we already know you are an idiot." Just on repeat on every opinion they voice, until they never want to say anything around me or talk to me.

[-] wide_eyed_stupid@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

Yup. This is the answer.

[-] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 1 points 2 weeks ago

It depends on how invested you are in their health. I wouldn't do that to my mother, for instance.

[-] Nomecks@lemmy.ca 22 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Tell them that you're a sheeple, and got the safe dose of the vaccine, since they want to keep the compliant people around. Tell them it's too bad they're on "the list" of bad people.

[-] Clasm@ttrpg.network 21 points 2 weeks ago

I generally reframe it from a perspective even they think they understand: Money.

Governments want their money. Less Population = Less Taxes for them to take, ergo, no government is trying to lower their population. And do they, the audience, think that the government is willing to have less money?

I don't think so!

[-] solrize@lemmy.ml 16 points 2 weeks ago

"How to speak to a vaccine sceptic: research reveals what works Hesitancy about vaccinations is on the rise, but studies show there are specific ways to address people's questions."

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01771-z

Optimistic, but a start maybe.

[-] Berttheduck@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

In summary of the nature article:

Listen and be interested in why they hold those opinions, use motivational interviewing techniques (I explain this as Inception, trying to get the patient to have the ideas) and provide solid evidence, be realistic about data and certainty, ie the MMR vaccine is safe (and doesn't cause autism) the COVID vaccine has less data as it's newer, but it is still safer for the vast majority of people than COVID.

[-] floop@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 2 weeks ago
[-] JackDark@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago

"If that were true, I'd be trying even harder to make you take it."

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago

Maybe not the answer you’re looking for, but I have an uncle like that.

I suggest going no contact if you can.

Reason being, they don’t care about facts, nothing you say will convince them.

[-] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

If you think they’d be open to it, try Bayes’ theorem. Ask them to give percent likelihoods for the following:

A. The odds that the government (or whoever) is trying to kill everyone, before taking the evidence of excess deaths into account
B. The odds of seeing excess deaths for any possible reason, not just their conspiracy hypothesis
C. The odds of seeing excess deaths if the conspiracy hypothesis were true.

Then logically, the odds of the conspiracy being real given the excess deaths should be A*C/B. If you disagree on the outcome, you must disagree on one or more of the assumptions (probably A—if it’s B, you can find the objective odds by checking historical data).

If you still disagree on the prior assumption (A), you can set aside the excess deaths argument and ask what other evidence led them to form that prior assumption. Then you can repeat the process until you either reach agreement or they’re left with an assumption they have no evidence for.

[-] veniasilente@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 points 2 weeks ago

...You are asking people who.. willfully choose to be idiots to... do science?

I mean, you do you, but at the point someone is willing to believe "the top scientists in the world are trying to get you killed" you might as well consider them lost, as they are ignoring elementary-level statistics.

[-] Albbi@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 weeks ago
[-] RegalPotoo@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

You can't use logic to talk someone out of a position they didn't use logic to get into in the first place

[-] Death_Equity@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

They don't need a vaccine to depopulate when heart disease(695k/y), car accidents(40k/y), overdoses(82k/y), abortion(1m/y), and suicide(49k/y) kill far more people than the vaccine could possibly be linked to the COVID vaccines(8k in total).

Don't at me for including abortion, I support abortion access and want it to be a free service, but we are talking about depopulation means and abortion is a means to depopulate.

[-] Deestan@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

A pregnancy is not a person to count. That's anti-abortion rhetoric.

[-] daniskarma@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Tell them that's completely true, and that if they keeps spreading the truth the black vans will come for them, they know too much.

The birds have already heard the rumors, and the clock is ticking. They better do something and shut up before they end up in "the facility".

[-] kender242@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

IIRC there was a study where people with strong opinions talked to an Al and the process changed their minds.

Edit:

Durably reducing conspiracy beliefs through dialogues with AI https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq1814

[-] schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 2 weeks ago

in 2025? Vaccines have been available for how many years now? Why does anyone even think about COVID vaccines anymore in this year? We would have figured out any adverse effects by now if there were any.

[-] Fedizen@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Every time he lies about vaccines you break one of his fingers and tell him lying is bad for his health.

Jokes aside, ask him who his doctor is, call up his doctor on speaker and ask the doctor if they'd recommend vaccines. He is almost certainly lying to you because he thinks "you believe doctors, ergo I will lie and say a doctor supports my position in an attempt to manipulate you".

[-] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

You are allowed, and sometimes encouraged, to not say anything.

[-] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

This is an easy one:

source

Ask them to point to the depopulation occurring.

On the graph the fuzzy dot is on June 2021 which was around the time that vaccines were in full availability. According to their logic we should see a decline occurring from the "depopulation" occurring from COVID vaccines. Where is that decline?

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[-] Hello_there@fedia.io 4 points 2 weeks ago

Just mock them.
"Yeah, sure. It's all apart of Elvis's plan to return as the antichrist."

[-] last_philosopher@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

A lot of people are saying cut them off, but I have a family member who was into the anti-vax conspiracy theories and kinda still is, but it's much less of a focus now and is pretty obviously just being carried forward by cognitive dissonance at this point. There will never be total victory, but there can be a reasonable truce.

What I'd suggest is the most counter-intuitive strategy - show genuine interest. Say "Ok, I want to know more, but I need you to be specific. Tell me what your theory is and what the evidence is, I'll take my time looking at it, and respond in detail."

Keep in mind, they probably won't pay attention to whatever your respond with. That's ok. The response isn't the point, pinning them down on what they think is. So often these things are purely emotional, and forcing them into a logical framework will make them do the work for you. As for the response, odds are it's some combination of cherry-picked data and spurious correlations, if not outright made up facts. Think of alternate explanations for what they're showing you that are more plausible than a vaccine killing people. And remember that if the vaccine really was killing people, it would be really obvious, not something we need look deep into the matrix to find.

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[-] bacon_pdp@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Well I guess we agree that we should respect body autonomy.

But please be cognizant of the social consequences of not having herd immunity to protect the vulnerable and the perfectly reasonable judgement that your actions will result in the death of children, potentially including your own.

[-] Steve@communick.news 3 points 2 weeks ago

Ask them questions. Have them explain how, why. When you find contradictions or confusion, ask how they resolve them.

[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 3 points 2 weeks ago

Slap them in the face to bring them back to their senses.

[-] HappySkullsplitter@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Yes they are. Those who don't take them help depopulate the planet

[-] veniasilente@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago

Arceus, if it only worked faster...

[-] boydster@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago

"It couldn't hurt to get a second opinion, at least, right?"

[-] moseschrute@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

Are people still talking about Covid vaccines? Aren’t there new conspiracies to move onto. How about Biden being a robot?

[-] greenbit@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 weeks ago

COVID is being used to depopulate and the vaccine is for those who want to survive

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 2 points 2 weeks ago

Remind them abortion is illegal in many places, that women are to be awarded certificates for having a "litter", and show them the article about the brain dead woman kept on life support for months to deliver a child slightly over one pound that now needs months in the NIC unit to survive.

[-] starlinguk@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Not deliver. They autopsied the woman to collect the baby. They had to collect it because the lady's body was decomposing. Because she was dead. Not brain dead. Dead.

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 1 points 2 weeks ago

Point taken.

[-] Deestan@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Their bullshit causes a risk that someone else hesitate or pass on vaccination. You did an attempt at convincing. The responsible alternative is to make them feel uncomfortable bringing up the subject.

[-] catty@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Don't bother. Anything bad you say will be dismissed as a 'smear' campaign against that person because 'they' (big pharma, the millions of scientists who are all in on "it") don't want you to know and they'll just shut off against you. Just take a step back from the dolt.

[-] frog_brawler@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

You just stop talking to them entirely. Sorry.

[-] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Not even gonna fact check myself I'm just gonna bet excess deaths fell off dramatically when the vaccine became widespread. Literally the opposite of what you'd expect if the vax was killing people.

[-] Stern@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

You can't logic someone out of something they didn't logic themselves into, and they definitely got emotionally attached to antivax before they found "statistics" to back shit up.

[-] Cyberflunk@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Punch them in the fucking face and 300 kick their asses out the door

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this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2025
67 points (91.4% liked)

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