Why Gym Owner offered Free Membership to Unvaccinated

In recent weeks many businesses are offering very odd incentives in order to persuade people toward COVID vaccination. In response, some perturbed people and smaller businesses are offering alternate vaccination status offers. After hearing about Krispy Kreme’s offer of free donuts to the vaccinated, Ian Smith, owner of The Atilis Gym, is offering free memberships to those who do not get vaccinated in contraposition. “In light of @krispykreme giving free donuts for receiving the CVD shot, here at @TheAtilisGym we are giving out free memberships to all who don’t get vaccinated,” Smith posted on Twitter. “We believe in health – the real way – exercise, good diet, plenty of Vitamin D, Zinc, and an environment to destress.” Smith’s post quickly made the rounds all over social media.

Ian Smith and those who support his point of view have a point. Many of the entities and businesses pressuring and persuading their employees and the general public into vaccination don’t really seem to have a knowledge of or interest in health. They are merely assisting a mass vaccination agenda. And many of the incentives are not what the public should be partaking if they are genuinely concerned about the virus.

In Cleveland, Chagrin Cinemas is giving out free popcorn through the end of April to moviegoers who show their vaccine papers. Market Garden Brewery is offering 10-cent beers to the first 2021 adults who bring their completed card. The Greenhouse of Walled Lake, a marijuana dispensary in Walled Lake, Michigan, is giving anyone with vaccination proof a free pre-rolled joint. Yes, you read that correctly. They claim their “Pot for Shots” promotion is a “way of saying thank you for helping to end this pandemic and getting us back to normal.” And most recently, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is offering anyone with proof of a Covid vaccination a free doughnut each day for the rest of the year. So with weed, beer, popcorn, and donuts on the table to get vaccinated, Ian Smith’s offer of a gym membership not to, does seem the more logical and attractive for those truly interested in health.

Although perhaps the majority in society are more than happy to get vaccinated and enjoy these perks, privileges, and gestures, and even though many would get inoculated without any perks given, there is a strong growing resistance slowly becoming more vocal. Ian Smith and Atilis Gym is merely one of many around the globe. In fact, there are many who feel vaccination is a personal decision and there shouldn’t even be such a thing as “vaccine cards”, let alone giving perks to those who have them.

To combat this growing resistance we can expect countless mainstream platforms to swoop in with ridicule and smearing attacks in an attempt to “cancel” Smith and publicly demonize his anti-vaccination stance. Regardless, the vaccine debate rages on and Smith’s tweet drew ire from the pro-vaccine establishment but praise from holistic health communities who don’t see vaccination as the necessary sole solution it’s purported to be.