Herman Cain Award
Ironic award related to COVID-19 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Herman Cain Award is an ironic award given to people who expressed hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccines or face masks, who later died from COVID-19 or its complications.[1][2][3] The award is named after American businessman and political figure Herman Cain, a Republican politician who died of COVID-19 complications after attending a 2020 Trump Tulsa rally in support of then-President Donald Trump without wearing a face mask.[1][2] Cain had publicly tweeted the disease was not deadly and discouraged people from taking it seriously. A text label which says "Awarded" is emblazoned on the conversation thread containing evidence and community discussions of a third party's anti-COVID mitigation positions and their subsequent death.[1]
Type of site | Subreddit |
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Available in | English |
URL | old |
Users | 497,000 members |
Launched | September 21, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-09-21) |
The concept is associated with the subreddit r/HermanCainAward, where posts about people who have "made public declaration of their anti-mask, anti-vax, or Covid-hoax views"[3] are marked as "nominated" if the person is hospitalized with COVID-19. If the person dies, the post is marked "awarded".[1] The subreddit also flags users who show pictures of their COVID-19 vaccination cards as "Immunized to Prevent Award" (IPA).[4][5][6]
The concept of the award is controversial, with some arguing its merits to be justified and others criticizing it. Responses to the award are varied, including allegations that it contrasts common medical ethics.[5] Cain's daughter called the group behind the award "insignificant and irrelevant."[7]