In the past few weeks, I have begun to hear the phase ‘holding us to ransom’ a lot more frequently. Specifically, it is the unvaccinated who are apparently holding the country to ransom. Really?

Let’s imagine a scenario where a terrorist grabs two teenage children of wealthy elites and asks for a ransom from both sets of parents before he will release them. The parents of one immediately pay the ransom, and the other set, not so sure that paying the ransom will in fact lead to the release of their child, refuse to pay. The parents who have paid the ransom then turn on the other more suspicious parents and say, “Stop holding us to ransom!” While I can understand their frustration, it is in fact the terrorist who has held them to ransom. Not paying the ransom is not equivalent to holding someone to ransom.

In my mind, it is actually many unvaccinated people who are being held to ransom. Those who are teachers or nurses are being told that unless they bow to the government’s wishes they will have no job. Others who have no vaccine mandates (yet) will be denied entry to restaurants, big events and churches. Not bowing to the government on this is not holding others to ransom. It’s refusing to pay the ransom. We don’t negotiate with terrorists!

Most unvaccinated people I have chatted with are happy for the government to open up society. They have made their choice based on their own risk-benefit analysis. They tend to be a lot more clued up on the stats than many who have just gone ahead and got vaccinated. It is not they who are holding us to ransom, but our government. Our government is threatening people with loss of livelihood and like the grinch is planning on stealing Christmas too unless we all bow to their demands. Don’t turn on your fellow prisoners. Remember who the real enemy is in all of this.