We are writing in response to “Magical thinking and the scarecrow invasion” published on Aug. 18. We have lived in Forest Park since March 2020. We’ve never known a non-pandemic Forest Park and the Forest Park Review has been one of the ways that we’ve gotten to know our new community. We’ve been impressed by the quality of your paper.
This is why we were very disappointed by the latest opinion article in which the decision to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is described as “magical thinking” and asserts that somehow not “understanding the science” requires a “leap of faith” to make the decision to get the vaccine. We believe that publishing opinion pieces like this, given the authority and respect created by the overall quality to the Forest Park Review, undermine the very efforts that will allow us to enjoy a mask-free, safer Forest Park in the future.
From cell phones, to refrigerators, to how groceries are just always “magically” stocked on the shelves – we live in a society where we don’t understand how everything works. Instead we rely on experts to build and distribute things for our use. This same logic can be applied to these amazing mRNA vaccines. Dedicated, specialized researchers developed the science behind these vaccines over 30 years. COVID-19 gave the technology a chance to be applied in a very public way in order to help end a pandemic.
As two Forest Parkers that have chosen to be vaccinated, we did so because we trust the public health experts, scientists, the CDC/NIH, and our local governments. We know that the vaccine (and indoor masking) is truly our best way out of this pandemic. We also generally trust journalists to keep our community informed, and to help provide accurate information, even in an opinion article. And unfortunately, we feel that the Forest Park Review failed to do that in this case.
Making the decision to get the vaccine doesn’t take “magical thinking.” It’s just the right thing to do.
Melissa Crane and Stephen Garrett, Forest Park
