When arrogance masquerades as intelligence

It is exhausting and enraging. When people , including the so-called educated and enlightened, casually say, “COVID is just like the common cold now,” or, “Stop spreading fear,” or worse, “The vaccine was a scam; I did not take it and I’m fine,” it is more than just ignorance. It feels like betrayal of truth, of science, of care.

So why are we still talking about this? Because people are still suffering — some quietly, with long COVID, some grieving, some still cautious in public spaces. And while many of us try to move forward, we are being gaslit by a rising chorus of voices that frame caution as cowardice and scientific consensus as conspiracy.

They scoff, claiming it was all a business — masks, vaccines, medicines, fear-mongering. They boast about never getting vaccinated. But these are not just internet rants anymore. These are casual remarks at dinner tables, in offices, in classrooms. And they are dangerous.

This growing pride in “not complying” is often framed as intelligence — as if seeing through global scientific consensus is a mark of brilliance. But let’s be honest: It is not intelligence. It is arrogance propped up by luck. These people did not beat the system. They were protected by it.

They say, “I’m fine.” But millions are not. Some died. Some live with draining effects. Some lost family they could not even bury properly. They say, “It was all exaggerated.” But hospitals were overwhelmed. Healthcare workers begged for oxygen and PPE. Mass graves were dug. You cannot fake that.

What fuels these narratives? A combination of pandemic fatigue, privilege, misinformation, and ego. People are tired — of restrictions, of fear, of uncertainty. That exhaustion has been exploited. Tired people are more likely to accept comforting lies over uncomfortable truths.

Others were lucky enough not to get very sick. They were not immunocompromised, did not live in crowded housing, did not have loved ones on the frontlines. And now they confuse luck with wisdom.

Then there is ego — the need to feel smarter, freer, more “independent” than the herd. Mocking masks and vaccines becomes a form of rebellion — a performance of superiority dressed up as skepticism.

It is especially disheartening when those who have had access to education and information choose to reject well-established science. Sometimes this stems from a desire to assert independence or from confusion amid so much conflicting news.

People are not wrong that big corporations profited from crises. Pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna did make billions. There were genuine problems — mask price gouging, fake PPE suppliers, corruption in government procurement. So when someone says, “It is all a scam for money,” they’re tapping into real grievances — only these get exaggerated or applied inappropriately.

Yes, companies profited — but that does not mean the virus is fake or that masks and vaccines did not save lives.

This ties into anti-capitalist rhetoric that overlaps with conspiracy theories. The idea that “COVID is just big business” merges with classic conspiracies — “follow the money,” suspicion of elites like WHO, Bill Gates, pharma CEOs. A belief that the system is engineered to control or exploit ordinary people. It is comforting: it simplifies a chaotic world into “good people vs bad people” — much easier to digest than complex science or public health tradeoffs.

And it gives people an excuse to disengage. You can reject public health guidance without guilt. It restores a sense of control. Feeling powerless during a pandemic is scary; believing you’re seeing through the scam feels empowering.

So what is the reality? Yes, there were profits. Yes, capitalism shaped the response. But vaccines were developed in record time and did prevent millions of deaths. Masks reduce transmission — It is basic science, not a scam. Health systems were overwhelmed — you cannot fake that level of death and suffering.

Why do some call vaccines a “sham” or dangerous? It is important to understand the roots of these beliefs:

Over decades, governments, pharmaceutical companies, and the media have lost public trust. This deep-seated mistrust spills over onto COVID vaccines, especially since they were developed quickly under intense pressure.

Yes, rare side effects like blood clots or myocarditis exist, but these are far less common and far less severe than the complications caused by COVID itself. Anti-vaccine narratives amplify these rare cases out of context to make vaccines appear more dangerous than the disease they prevent.

Pandemic fatigue also made people crave simplicity in a complex world. Conspiracy theories offered answers easier to swallow than the shifting. This psychological exhaustion made way for reckless confidence — an embrace of denial as relief.

Omicron and its subvariants, while more contagious, tend to cause milder illness compared to earlier variants. But “milder” does not mean harmless — high spread means more infections, hospitalisations, and long COVID cases overall. This is why caution remains important, even as the virus evolves.

Many cite anecdotes of people who got sick despite precautions — “See, they wore a mask and still got COVID” — as proof that precautions do not work. But they misunderstand probability. Vaccines do not offer 100 per cent protection, but they drastically reduce severity, hospitalisation, and death.

The bitter irony is that these very people were protected by those they mock. It is called ‘herd effects’. Vaccinated people reduced spread. Masked people slowed transmission. Public health systems gave them options if they got sick. They were carried by the herd they dismiss. Their bravado was shielded by the caution of others.

Yes, the COVID-19 vaccines were developed faster than any vaccine in history — a record that reflects not recklessness, but the global urgency and unprecedented cooperation the crisis demanded. They were fast because they were prioritised, not careless. Decades of prior research into mRNA and coronaviruses paved the way. Unlimited global funding and concurrent trial phases allowed unprecedented speed.

In fact, this was the first time in modern history that governments, scientists, pharmaceutical companies, and health agencies mobilised simultaneously across borders with singular focus. Past vaccine research — like for SARS and MERS — gave us a head start. It was like a culmination.

Yet many people claim they suffered from chronic illnesses after vaccination — falling sick repeatedly or experiencing flare-ups of autoimmune symptoms. But a temporal connection does not mean causation. The pandemic itself damaged immune and mental health. Immune activation can briefly stress the system — that’s how vaccines work.

Vaccines are designed to target one pathogen — in this case, SARS-CoV-2 — and teach your immune system how to fight it. They do not create new viruses, activate other viruses, or disrupt your whole immune system. In rare cases, a strong immune response can coincide with a flare of a dormant condition, but this can also be triggered by stress or infections. This is not unique to COVID vaccines.

Mocking vaccines is nothing new. Every great vaccine was once doubted, vilified, or politicised:

Smallpox: One of the first vaccines in history. It was mocked in the 19th century with cartoons showing people turning into cows. Yet it eradicated a killer that once claimed millions.

Polio: Dismissed in some regions as a Western plot. In reality, it nearly wiped out a disease that paralysed generations of children.

MMR (measles, mumps, rubella): Falsely linked to autism by a discredited study. That one lie caused real outbreaks.

HPV: Attacked for supposedly promoting promiscuity — even though it prevents cervical and other cancers.

Tetanus, DTP, Hepatitis B: All have faced backlash from various quarters over the years, accused of being unsafe despite decades of evidence.

People fear what they do not understand. And they forget what vaccines prevent.

They want to say it was fearmongering, just pharma, never serious. But we remember. We remember the frontline workers who died. The ICUs that overflowed. The families who mourned alone. The vaccines that saved millions.

Truth is not mere volume. It is resilience. Vaccines work. Public health matters. And arrogance is never intelligence.

* Farjana Liakat works at Prothom Alo. She could be reached at farjana.liakat@prothomalo.com