History Lessened

Three of the most historically significant exhibits at the New York State Fair aren’t open to visitors this year. But don’t blame Fair organizers for keeping fans out of the perennially popular State Fair History gallery in the Grange Building, the antique-rich Agriculture Museum and the quaint Carriage Museum.

If more of our fellow New Yorkers had shut down their so-called social media feeds, turned off extremist “news” channels and substituted a modicum of common sense, we’d be further removed from viral threats and better positioned to get close to each other while touring these small, but delightful buildings. Vaccinated people could also ditch those annoying masks currently required in Fair buildings.

It’s disturbing that responsible and reasonable citizens, who were smart enough to get their shots, have to lose out on some of the best things in life, including at the Fair, because too many misguided nitwits get their medical advice from anti-social media feeds or sleazy politicians instead of medically qualified sources. It’s not callous for vaccinated folks to be angry that the shortsightedness of others is negatively impacting all of us.

Maybe it’s trivial to complain about having to miss out on beloved Fair exhibits when some of these ignorant neighbors may soon face much greater problems.