What the Nicki Minaj-Tucker Carlson connection says about vaccine skepticism
Over the past week, Twitter has been mystified by the apparent convergence of Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj and Fox News host Tucker Carlson on the risks of the COVID-19 vaccines. The people who were surprised should not have been.
Black vaccine hesitancy is a real phenomenon. It may not be as big of a barrier to vaccinations as the shot skepticism among conservative whites or as important a contributor to racial disparities as access or economic resources. But Black people have their historical reasons to distrust institutions, with the Tuskegee experiment serving as just one example more powerful than a talk show monologue.
Before Tucker defended Minaj's call to her nearly 23 million followers to "pray on" their vaccine decision, there was the 2016 Saturday Night Live skit in which Tom Hanks played a MAGA-hat-wearing Donald Trump supporter who excelled on Black Jeopardy. The embedded social commentary was that blue-collar whites and African Americans both had their reasons to question whether the political class really had their best interests in mind in ways that could yield surprising common ground.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Whatever the differences between these communities in terms of the reasons so many within them haven't gotten their shots, it is a fact that only about 43 percent of black Americans have taken the COVID vaccine. Policies intended to make the lives of the unvaccinated harder are not just going to fall on Trump supporters. They are going to have a disparate impact on these Democratic demographic groups too.
It is something especially important to consider as President Biden, in an attempt to push back against the politicization of the virus, may be inadvertently leaning into it instead. Biden again took swipes at Republican governors who are "doing everything they can to undermine the lifesaving requirements that I've proposed." Biden has a legitimate policy dispute with those governors, and may soon find himself running against Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.
But slicing and dicing the pandemic into red states and blue states, to paraphrase Biden's former boss, might be counterproductive. It is surely an oversimplification. It may feel good. But will it get shots into arms? The president should pray on it.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
W. James Antle III is the politics editor of the Washington Examiner, the former editor of The American Conservative, and author of Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?.
-
'Biden is smart to keep the border-security pressure on'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Bird flu worries mount as virus found in milk, cows
Speed Read The FDA found traces of the virus in pasteurized grocery store milk
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Palazzo Durazzo Suites in Genoa: a palatial gem in northern Italy
The Week Recommends Live your Italian dream in this astonishing and recently restored palace in the heart of the city
By Nick Hendry Published
-
Is the Supreme Court about to criminalize homelessness?
Talking Points The court will decide if bans on outdoor camping are 'cruel and unusual'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Myanmar: the Spring Revolution and the downfall of the generals
Talking Point An armed protest movement has swept across the country since the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi was overthrown in 2021
By The Week Staff Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is there a peaceful way forward for Israel and Iran?
Today's Big Question Tehran has initially sought to downplay the latest Israeli missile strike on its territory
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How powerful is Iran?
Today's big question Islamic republic is facing domestic dissent and 'economic peril' but has a vast military, dangerous allies and a nuclear threat
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US, Israel brace for Iran retaliatory strikes
Speed Read An Iranian attack on Israel is believed to be imminent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published