Eric Clapton says his concerns about COVID-19 vaccinations are not shared by his children.
“My fear about vaccination is, what will it do to my children? They may go ahead. There’s no way I can stop them. That’s their choice. They see it as a short term problem," the 76-year-old musician told Oracle Films, a group of UK filmmakers protesting what they see as "global government encroachment and big-tech censorship."
Clapton, who has daughters ranging in age from 16 to 36, hinted at the discredited claim that the COVID-19 vaccine can cause infertility.
“To talk to my daughters about they may not be able to have kids – they don’t probably care,” he said. “At that point and time in your life it’s not an issue.”
Clapton said he felt ostracized for publicly voicing his views about the pandemic and vaccinations.
“I felt so alone… I really couldn’t talk to my family or my kids,” he said. “My teenagers seemed like they’d be brainwashed. It was the first time I’d seen my kids passionate about anything.
“I was being ostracized and I could feel that everywhere. I could feel alienation because I felt a different view. So I tried to keep my mouth shut.”
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Clapton described UK campaigns to encourage people to get vaccinated as “sadism” and “very dark.”
He said he believes in “free speech and freedom of movement … and life and love and kindness.” But, he added, “I found it very difficult to be neutral because I’ve seen scorn and contempt from both sides and I get caught in the crossfire a lot.”
Clapton also acknowledged that he can only offer personal opinions. “I don’t really feel educated enough,” he said.
“I’m not really a scholar. I don’t know anything about sociology and science. I’m a musician.”