The Myth of the American Dream: Reflections on Affluence, Autonomy, Safety, and Power

by D.L. Mayfield

And yet vaccines are the perfect example of the dire consequences that can occur when people of privilege choose to idolize the safety of their child over the safety of another. It is an example of how those who are the most well-educated can sometimes forget their responsibility to others. Vaccines work and operate successfully based on the logic underneath what is commonly referred to as the “herd immunity.” When enough healthy people are inoculated against a disease, they can surround and protect the most vulnerable members (who perhaps can’t risk the vaccine) from the encroaching sickness. The healthy take a small risk in order to protect those who need it the most, but what happens when the healthy opt out? When people who are otherwise healthy claim they cannot stomach the risks? When people of privilege choose to value their own safety over the common good, it is the most vulnerable in the community who will suffer, as they always do.