A CDA Approach to Anti-Pandemic Protests

Abstract

We can definitely say that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has changed our lives in such a
complex way that it may take us a long time to investigate the ever-branching
consequences upon all aspects of our existence. It has come with restrictions,
impositions and limitations, established by the authorities and meant to keep the
pandemic under control. It was only natural for such forced requirements to be met
with protest, as opposing what one deems as infringing upon one’s rights and freedoms
is still considered to be a basic human right. Yet, as with everything else in this world,
the truth is always in-between, at the intricate crossroads of inter-twining concepts
such as human rights, freedom of choice, (mass-)manipulation, conspiracy theories, and
individual and mass-psychology. When tackling the numerous and diverse protests
that have divided the world over restrictions to be observed or over the vaccination
process, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) may be regarded as providing a complex
view on such matters, revealing the sub-text of what we see and hear nowadays. And
let us not forget that, as far as segregation is concerned, one of the oldest tricks in the
book reads “Divide et impera!”