A new trend circulating on TikTok is further contributing to the anti-vaccination extremism and the rapid spread of misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Crooks and Liars, the hashtag #PureBlood shows that supporters of the far-right are not only “unable to distinguish between J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter wizarding world and their own, but simultaneously appear either oblivious to the fact that either they’re identifying with the story’s fascists, or perhaps wink-and-nudgingly embracing their eugenics.”
Vice reporter Tess Owens initially reported on the disturbing trend. According to Owens, self-proclaimed “purebloods” are individuals who are not vaccinated for COVID. In one TikTok video on the topic, the onscreen caption read, “We will No longer be referred To as Unvaxxed… We simply go by….” Then the phrase “Pureblood” appeared on the screen in red letters.
One TikTok influencer named Lyndsey Marie helped popularize the trend when she made a declaration in support of it. In a video, she said, “From now on, I refuse to be referred to as ‘unvaccinated. I want everyone to now call me Pureblood.”
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