Dear Editor,
I’m curious as to why locals were subjected to an inflammatory and poorly written Letter to the Editor [“Take the Vaccine!”] authored by an individual from Woods Cross, Utah, in the Jan. 12-19 edition of the Mountain Times. Of all the other “Letters” to choose from, why this one? Given its lack of intellectual depth, I have to wonder if it was meant to be taken seriously.
The only explanation I have is that this publication, like almost all the others in Vermont, is using its position to perpetuate the status quo, i.e. fear-mongering, division, and suppression of critical thought.
Shinkoskey’s piece violates all of the basics of persuasive writing. He completely alienates his audience, and more glaringly, he offers no evidence to support his opinions. Appeals to authority are an obvious fallacy, and his opening statements do absolutely nothing to reasonably convince people to take a vaccine that has been developed in the span of months as opposed to several years.
Furthermore, I would love to see a well-written explanation as to how one’s position as “pro-union” or “pro-abortion” “or “pro-women” or “anti-tax” could possibly be related to injecting a vaccine into one’s body.
It is ironic that Shinkoskey uses the phrase “anti-bullying” in his list of the supposed ideologies of people who may be opposed to taking a vaccine. He is apparently willing to dismiss you outright if you disagree with him; he’s willing to call you an “ignorant hypocrite,” and insult your intelligence if you hold an opinion other than his own. His letter serves as proof that those citizens who express any amount of opposition are already being bullied into submission by those who are willing to infringe on others’ rights in order to bolster their own sense of self-righteousness.
I’m disgusted by the dismissive tone of Shinkoskey’s article, and even more disgusted that a local paper chooses to publish such nonsense, the central message of which is essentially, “Shut up and do what you’re told.”
J. S. Getman
South Reading
