May 14, 2021

J.D. Martinez Refuses To Lead On Vaccinations, Says (Wrongly) It's "A Personal Decision"

Peter Abraham of the Globe reports that the Red Sox may not be fully vaccinated for a long time. Part of that reason, he writes, is "the hesitancy by some players". Abraham cites a "cultural divide with Latin American players".

J.D. Martinez refused to say whether he has been vaccinated:

That's one of those personal things for me. . . . That's a personal decision. That's to each his own. Everyone has the right to believe and to think what they want to think about their body and what they're putting into their body.

Well, that's actually not true when it comes to potentially fatal communicable diseases that has killed, according to some estimates, seven million people worldwide in a single year. While the official US death toll from Covid-19 stands at roughly 600,000, the actual total is likely over 900,000. Doesn't Martinez also have a responsibility to ensure he's taking proper steps to make sure the people around him are also safe?

Everyone has a right to their body and what they do. It's a crazy time we're living in. I think I understand that. So it's one of those things. If you want to do it, do it. If you don't, then don't do it. It's bigger than the game, you know what I mean? It's your life. It's bigger than just baseball.

Everyone has a right to their body and what they do . . . until it impinges upon the individual freedom (and safety and lives) of other people.

What if Martinez applied his philosophy to getting drunk and driving around?

Driving drunk is one of those personal things for me. . . . That's a personal decision. . . . Everyone has a right to their body and what they do. . . . If you want to drive drunk, do it. . . . It's your life.

Manager Alex Cora has been fully vaccinated, a fact he mentions from time to time. JDM could also set an example for his teammates, but he has actively chosen not to do that.

Also: Martinez's comment that "everyone has the right to believe and to think what they want to think" makes me wonder if he has fallen under the spell of QAnon or some other deranged cult but is hesitant to admit it.

3 comments:

RA said...

Yup.
Ultimately, I think, the failure is one of education. Vaccines are not a particularly complex concept, nor should they be a political one. Yet because people don't have a basic grasp of foundational science, they feel confident redefining the issue as a 'personal decision'.

Dr. Jennings said...

Actually, it's still a personal decision. Driving drunk IS a personal decision. Anyone can decide to do it and of course, there are consequences. You can be arrested, end up dead, or end up killing someone else, but that doesn't mean it's not a personal decision. It still is. His body his choice right? Same philosophy. This article didn't age well either. In April we didn't realize vaccinated people could still get covid and could die from it. Now we know the can and at the same rate.

allan said...

Thank you, Doctor, for creating a Blogger profile solely for the purpose of leaving me a comment.

The meaning of Martinez's comment (as I am sure you understand) was that he was making the decision for himself, that he was willing to risk getting Covid, so it was, therefore, a personal decision. However, Martinez's failure to get vaccinated could (just like our drunk driver's decision to drive drunk) ALSO make a life-ending decision for someone who happens to be unlucky enough to cross his path.

Martinez's decision does not effect only himself, but he apparently doesn't care very much about the people with which he comes into contact. There are selfish shitheads in all walks of life.