Ben O’Shea: The lingering impact of COVID vaccine misinformation is becoming dangerous

There’s a conspiracy theory we need to discuss, and it’s not that Kim Jong-un was actually wearing Uniqlo women’s pants when he toured a weapons factory recently.

North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency released images of the dictator on Sunday, depicting him touring a variety of military facilities in a stylish all-white ensemble, complete with a jaunty cap.

With a few buttons undone and the odd tattoo, Kim would’ve been able to do a passable interpretation of Harry Styles’ so-hot-right-now gender-bending look.

The dictator’s wide-leg pants look awfully similar to Uniqlo’s pleated wide pants.

While Kim’s fresh fade might have been ahead of its time when it comes to trendy hairstyles, he’s behind the eight-ball if he’s looking for outfit inspo in the Japanese fashion giant’s women’s section.

Camera IconNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, holds a weapon during his three-day inspection from Aug. 3 until Aug. 5, 2023, at major munitions factories in North Korea. Credit: AP

Blokes’ fashion bible GQ published an article last year that described Uniqlo’s womenswear as “a gold mine for men”.

But that’s enough about Kim Jong-un, there are other dangerous weirdos to discuss — anti-vaxxers.

The BBC this week reported on a terrible situation involving a grieving mum, who was targeted by anti-vax extremists.

Edel Campbell had sued an Irish alt-right newspaper alleging harassment with defamation, relating to a story the newspaper published about the death of her son.

The Irish Light published a photo of Ms Campbell’s son on its front page last year, as part of an article that suggested the “untested and dangerous” COVID vaccine was to blame for his death.

However, her son had taken his own life, at just 18, in 2021, and had been unvaccinated.

When Ms Campbell raised her concerns with the newspaper, she became the target of a vicious online campaign that included threatening her lawyer with “execution”.

This is clearly at the extreme end of the spectrum when it comes to the lingering impact of vaccine misinformation, but other examples are not hard to find.

FILE - Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors Inc., introduces the Model X car at the company's headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, in Fremont, Calif. Musk may want to send “tweet” back to the birds, but the ubiquitous term for posting on the site he now calls X is here to stay, at least for now.  For one, the word is still plastered all over the website formerly known as Twitter. Write a post, you still need to press a blue button that says “tweet” to publish it. To repost it, you still tap “retweet.”  (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
Camera IconElon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors Inc., introduces the Model X car at the company’s headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, in Fremont, Calif. Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Just last month Elon Musk suggested the cardiac arrest of LeBron James’ 18-year-old son, Bronny, during basketball training could be linked to COVID vaccination.

“We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing,” Musk tweeted.

“Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common.”

Here’s the thing, though — the question of vaccine safety has been fairly conclusively answered.

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