When the vaccines were rolled out and the government pressured people to take them, it was common to hear some iteration of: “if you don’t get the shot, then grandma will die.” I was repelled by this phrase but couldn’t put my finger on why.

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Nathan Smith is a former business journalist and columnist at the NBR. He also worked as the chief editor at the New Zealand Initiative policy think tank. He is now a freelance writer and copy editor.