I was saddened to hear about the vitriolic response to your family’s Covid story. It was an honest and thoughtful piece - a reminder that even the wisest among us can drop our guard. Your story is a sad reminder that the vultures are constantly circling in search of any evidence of vulnerability. What really worries me about this is the degree to which the spectre of hateful attacks is forcing all expressions of opinion by rational people to be filtered - to the point that all ideas become flattened. Have we entered the flatlands of grey thinking?
I appreciate this comment, Marty. I fear that many fall into the trap of absolutism when science (and the ways science gets translated into public health action) are far more complex and gray than simply disease transmission. We must keep in mind the many factors that influence behavior including, but not limited to, psychology, SDoH, behavioral economics, and much more. I also find it quite hypocritical since we, as scientists, often caution AGAINST all-or-none types of messaging as being a major red flag of misinformation. Thank you for recognizing this, and for your support. (I, too, was quite shocked and disappointed...)
I was saddened to hear about the vitriolic response to your family’s Covid story. It was an honest and thoughtful piece - a reminder that even the wisest among us can drop our guard. Your story is a sad reminder that the vultures are constantly circling in search of any evidence of vulnerability. What really worries me about this is the degree to which the spectre of hateful attacks is forcing all expressions of opinion by rational people to be filtered - to the point that all ideas become flattened. Have we entered the flatlands of grey thinking?
I appreciate this comment, Marty. I fear that many fall into the trap of absolutism when science (and the ways science gets translated into public health action) are far more complex and gray than simply disease transmission. We must keep in mind the many factors that influence behavior including, but not limited to, psychology, SDoH, behavioral economics, and much more. I also find it quite hypocritical since we, as scientists, often caution AGAINST all-or-none types of messaging as being a major red flag of misinformation. Thank you for recognizing this, and for your support. (I, too, was quite shocked and disappointed...)