I wear a mask anyway
For the sizable portion of the population that still believes we are over-reacting to covid-19, no amount of lecturing or shaming will change their minds. Not even President Donald Trump’s incremental advocacy of mask-wearing will alter their deep-rooted suspicion, logical or not, that it’s all more politically motivated than science-based.
Accusations aside, people on one side of the debate are not more caring than those on the other. What’s important to understand and acknowledge is that those who believe in doing whatever is necessary to curtail the virus and those who believe that we need to get on with our daily lives are each basing their opinions on the same publicly available information.
Two equally intelligent people presented with identical sets of covid-19 statistics can reach vastly different conclusions. To one, the numbers will demonstrate it’s a deadly disease worthy of draconian restrictions. To the other, the stats will reveal a manageable virus with a relatively low mortality rate.
We have reached the point on our collective covid-19 journey where our opinions about the virus and how we should respond are entrenched. I come down on the side of those who believe we have over-reached. I understand that covid-19 is a serious health issue with sometimes deadly outcomes, but forging ahead while managing risk is what Americans have historically done.
But I also care about the peace of mind of my neighbors who hold different attitudes.
And that’s why, whether required or not, and no matter how distant I am from a covid-19 hot spot, I’ve been donning a mask when I walk into a busy store where most people are wearing one.
On Tuesday, Trump said, “We’re asking everybody that when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask, get a mask.” Acknowledging the skeptics—the majority of whom are among his supporters—the president added, “Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact.”
Health experts say that impact amounts to measurably curtailing the coronavirus spread. But even if their impact amounts to as little as lessening someone’s anxieties, well, I want to contribute to that.
As an American who cherishes our freedoms, I instinctively resist new government edicts. But important among our liberties is the freedom to be considerate, a principle that I and others who share my dismay about our current course can exercise by showing empathy even when we disagree, and voluntarily embracing some behavioral changes for a while if it contributes to a greater degree of harmony.
Sometimes I’ll be gritting my teeth—but no one will know, thanks to the mask.