🎙️ Petit Petit Summit (12) The Emergence of a Vaccine-Divided Society

October 9, 2022 — Part 1

The "Ochiudo" (Fugitive) Settlements of the Unvaccinated

Goro: Long time no see. Today is October 9, 2022. Has everything been alright with you two?

Yūdai: As for myself, I suppose my life expectancy has just shortened a bit more.

Goro: Your lifespan? It doesn't ever... extend?

Yūdai: It might if something good happened. But so far, there hasn't been a single good thing.
However, some changes are happening in the land where I live. People fleeing the cities are buying up abandoned farmland and wilderness to start something like communal farms. They’ve begun settling in the empty houses nearby.

Allan: Fleeing? That sounds like the "Ochiudo" settlements of the Heike clan—fugitives hiding away from the world.

Yūdai: That’s exactly what it feels like. So far, it’s just a few families, maybe a dozen people in total. They occasionally stop by my place to chat, drink sake, sing, and dance...

Allan: What kind of people are they? Naturalists aiming for organic farming?

Yūdai: No, they don't seem to have such grand ideologies. The one thing they have in common is that they are all unvaccinated. Some of them even used to work in medical fields or nursing care facilities.

Goro: An "Unvaccinated Settlement," then.

Yūdai: I’m not sure about that definition, but in practice, that’s what it is. The pressure to get vaccinated at their workplaces became so strong they couldn't resist it anymore. Unable to take it, they abandoned their jobs and homes to migrate far away. These families aren't relatives; apparently, they met through the internet. There were some young single people, too.

Allan: So, a group forms and a new settlement is born... simply because they don't want to get vaccinated?

Yūdai: It’s likely more than just the vaccine. They believe that to survive the inevitable food and energy crises coming our way, it’s better to leave the city early and start a self-sufficient life. People with matching values and ideas are seeking connections, even in small numbers.

Goro: Oh, I totally get that! It’s a phenomenon born out of our so-called "divided" society. I know of several "Unvaccinated Communities" on the internet. Most are private, but I know a few exist. They’re like small-scale, closed SNS groups where only the unvaccinated gather.

Allan: Huh, that’s interesting. Do they just exchange gripes and vent their frustrations there?

Goro: No, they’ve moved past that stage. It’s more practical, rational... and desperate. For example, there are groups of young people using them like matching apps. They want to avoid romantic relationships with the vaccinated. If someone they like has already had two or three shots, they don't know what kind of fate awaits them. Will they be able to have healthy children? Even before that, they’re afraid of "shedding"—the idea of "close contact" or even touching the other person's body makes them hesitant.
Besides, people who got vaccinated easily get deceived about things like the Ukraine situation too, so they’re tired of arguing about every little thing. They just want to find a partner in a group where they don't even have to think about the vaccine from the start.

Allan: I see. That is indeed rational... or rather, realistic. But man, what kind of society have we become?

Yūdai: The fugitive settlement near me feels the same. They don't want to send their sensitive children to school. If they go, they’re forced to wear masks all day and practice "Mokushoku"—silent eating—where they have to separate their desks even during lunch. They can't bear to throw their children into such an abnormal environment.
So, they migrate to places as far from the "mask society" as possible and educate their children themselves. Neighbors with the same mindset help each other where they fall short. They seem to be trying to form a tiny society of their own.

Allan: Does it feel like the old hippie communes?

Yūdai: No, it’s quite different. The hippies of the past claimed to reject civilization and return to nature. The fugitives around me don't hold such idealistic views. They use electricity, gas, and cars as long as they are available. One family even has two or three large refrigerators to stockpile food.
At the same time, they are preparing wood stoves and rocket stoves for when electricity, gas, or oil might become unavailable. They are honing their wood-chopping skills, digging wells, and drawing water from mountain streams. They’re trying to acquire the basic wisdom and techniques for survival. It’s not that this is their "ideal" life; it’s about making sure they can live properly when things are gone.
They’re doing things they aren't used to, so it’s all a bit clumsy. For instance, they can't jump straight into rice farming, so they start with potatoes, which are the easiest. It’s a bit unreliable... almost endearing, in a way.

Goro: Ah, I see. Maybe I should join them. It makes perfect sense. The unvaccinated SNS groups I know online are also somewhat detached. On the mainstream SNS, the vaccine and Ukraine debates are still raging, but the people in these groups are either exhausted or have simply given up. They gather quietly, post only about things they enjoy, and build new, small-scale networks of friends.

Allan: I can relate to "giving up." I feel that way myself. At first, I thought people would understand if I explained things properly, but that wasn't the case at all. Those who get the shots simply refuse to listen. There’s this intense rejection—they don't want to hear it, they don't want to know. I wonder what that’s about. Beyond just rejection, they come back with completely nonsensical counterarguments. After repeated experiences like that, you just stop bringing it up to protect yourself.
In every era, when society becomes unstable, minorities are attacked. It’s no exaggeration to say I feel a fear that, eventually, we might be eliminated by our own neighbors.

Yūdai: That’s exactly how society was before and during the war. If you refused your draft papers (the red papers), the townspeople wouldn't stay quiet even before the secret police or the military caught you. If you knew that was going to happen but absolutely hated being taken as a soldier, you had no choice but to flee far away and hide. The fugitive settlements appearing around me are likely "hidden villages" for those who felt that same kind of danger.

Goro: Ugh, I can't stand it. We really are in the middle of a war, aren't we? Sigh...