Unmasking our irresponsible behavior

“Hey, maybe you haven’t been keeping up on current events, but we just got our a—— kicked, pal!” — Bill Paxton’s character in “Aliens”

In that movie, U.S. Marines embark on a rescue mission to save humans from aggressive aliens. The only survivor — Newt, a little girl — had an ingenious “secret” to evading the predators: She “social distanced” from them. In other words, Newt didn’t go near the very things that wanted to invade her body for use as a host. Smart.

But ironically, life isn’t imitating art in how countless Americans are dealing with coronavirus.

Rather than avoiding a virulent disease unknown to the human body — to which people have no natural defense, might have been genetically engineered, and is causing shocking effects — many are ignoring caution and choosing entitlement. In other words, they are doing whatever they want, whenever they want — masks, social distancing, and commonsense be damned.

Several years ago, an extended-family member died in a motorcycle accident. He wasn’t wearing a helmet, which is how he preferred to ride. At the viewing, some commented that Pennsylvania should mandate motorcycle helmets. Wrong. Such laws are government intrusion into individual freedoms. And the reason is simple: Helmet-less riders are not a physical threat to anyone but themselves.

But there is a massive difference between individual freedoms, and actions which threaten the economic and physical security of the American people. And make no mistake: Blatantly disregarding health and safety rules regarding coronavirus is a direct threat on both fronts. We reap what we sow, and our spoiled-brat “it’s all about me” mentality is setting us up for a potentially mammoth fall.

Many have made the reopening of states, or lack thereof, political. Maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t. But what’s clearly evident is that this is not a onesize-fits-all situation, meaning that areas with relatively few COVID-19 cases should not be lumped in with more severely affected regions. Blair County is not Philadelphia, just as Montana is not New Jersey. Caution is to be applauded, but it needs to go hand-in-hand with practicality. Reopening the country should not be done to meet political timetables so that rallies can be held, but executed in a data-driven, methodical manner so that people can return to work and put food on the table in ways that are deemed safe.

In many cases, those screaming the loudest to re-open — saying states remaining closed are doing so to hurt Donald Trump — are the very ones eschewing safety measures. So instead of getting back to work and seeing their candidate’s campaign ramp up, the opposite may occur: Failure to follow medical guidelines may lead to a resurgence in the summer, and an even bigger surge in the fall, resulting in more prolonged shutdowns, no political rallies, and a mail-in voting system that will be ripe for fraud.

Wearing a mask does not mean social distancing disappears. But it is appalling how many invade the personal airspace of others simply because they are wearing a mask — and that term is used very lightly, since most masks are ineffective.

It’s great that people are decorating masks and breaking out the sewing machine to make face coverings. Something is better than nothing, but, fact is, only the N95 is effective at preventing transmission of coronavirus. And even with an N95, the 6-foot distance between people should be strictly enforced.

Since more and more people are traveling as states reopen, the possibility of continued transmission increases. We can’t keep the nation closed indefinitely, so living with coronavirus is a necessary risk. But the more we don’t use our heads, the more likely that coronavirus will thrive. Consider:

• The Ocean City, N,J., boardwalk was packed this week yet video showed very few with masks.

• Beach-goers from coast to coast were close together, with most not heeding social distancing guidelines.

• Clueless religious groups of all faiths are pushing to reopen churches, which isn’t the smartest move since A) people will be close together, and B) many congregants are older, and as such, are the demographic most at-risk. Enough is enough. It’s one thing to reopen the country. But it is inexcusable that many Americans refuse to do it responsibly. How many more have to die for the ignorant to change their behavior?

If the recklessness continues, we may need to resurrect Kate Smith to lead a new song: God Help America.