Face Covers, Fascism, and Johnny Cash

This week I read where Johnny Cash’s granddaughter was verbally assaulted when she went in a grocery store wearing a face cover. I won’t repeat what was alleged but it was a nasty name. Earlier, Elon Musk said it was fascist to tell people they had to cover their face and of course Trump has had negative things to say, even though his own health experts have told us to do this. Brent Hume, a previously credible newsman said the only reason to wear a face covering was to make people feel better about things. I find this commentary by people who should know better sad and disgusting.

I wonder what Johnny Cash would be doing if he were still alive today. I’m betting he would wear a face covering to show support for the experts out there trying to protect his age category from the virus. After all, this is not something new or out of the ordinary. We have photos of people wearing masks during the 1918-1919 flu pandemic. Evan pro baseball players! And we do all sorts of things to “protect the herd.” We put fluoride in our water to prevent dental caries in children, we make it a law to put a baby in a car seat, and we rarely allow you to smoke in public places anymore. This is all done in the name of the public’s health. To protect the herd. You know, like giving your cattle a vaccine to prevent the spread of a disease that would wipe out the herd, or your dog a rabies vaccine.

We learned most of the social skills we need as adults when we were about 4 or 5 years old. You know what those are. Don’t talk with your mouth full, don’t interrupt, wash your hands before supper, and cover your mouth when you cough. Why have we allowed this to become a political issue? It’s not. It’s a public health issue. Studies now indicate that a face cover helps reduce the spread of the virus from a person who may not show any symptoms. And the studies on that—well, they indicate nearly 50% may not have symptoms at all, but can still spread the disease. Why wouldn’t everyone want to do their part to help reduce the chance of sickness and death among their fellow citizens? I guess I just don’t get it. There are plenty of examples of fascism on display in America today, but asking people to cover their face during a respiratory pandemic isn’t one of them. Read Madeleine Albright’s book for more on fascism. And by the way, “drain the swamp” is not a new phrase. It was coined by Benito Mussolini. A fascist.

The Man in Black once said, “I learn from my mistakes. It’s a very painful way to learn.” My fear is that is where we are headed. No, wearing a face cover is not just to make people feel better, and it’s certainly not fascism. It’s a needed public health measure we have put in place as a society to once again, protect us from ourselves.