Do-the-Opposite is Stupid

Lately I've seen people online eager to stick it to The Man by doing the opposite of what they're advised. When the air in New York City was orange with smoke from Canadian forest fires and people were advised to stay inside, some petulantly insisted people should carry on as normal. It's just more climate scare! Or lockdowns, like 2020! After all, you can be inside at school...just don't ask how kids are supposed to get there without going outside.

New York City in June. Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

Likewise vaccines. Looking at risk vs. benefit on a case-by-case basis, or whether other countries similar to your own recommend the vaccines you're considering, isn't a bad idea. But rejecting them wholesale because autism (long debunked) or because COVID is stupid. A major reason many of us were vaccine hesitant with regard to the COVID shots was because they were so different from previous vaccines.

Now it's subjecting yourself to roasting heat during a heat advisory. That'll show those safetyism nannies! When the University of Colorado at Boulder canceled their campus tour because of excessive heat (the forecast was 96 degrees with a "feels like" temp of 102, a UV index of 11 and an altitude of over one mile above sea level), people on Twitter were in a snit. There was a self-guided tour available, but how could they possibly get their questions answered without a tour guide?

Another man who heard about a heat advisory said he'd make a point of staying outside for two hours at midday. In Texas. If he's over 40, he won't be making much Vitamin D because people lose that ability with age. But he'll show the National Weather Service!

In Nevada, two hikers were found dead on trails last weekend as the temperature reached 114 and the southern part of the state was in an excessive heat warning. Police haven't released a possible cause of death, but in another article, the Clark County Coroner's Office says 16 people have died of heat this year. The hikers' deaths were most likely senseless and avoidable.

Doing something just because somebody said it's a bad idea is juvenile and stupid. Use your head instead!

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