The face mask debates are about people's need to feel in control. People who are pro-mask are hearing the message that they primarily protect other people, not the wearer and they're freaking out about people around them not being forced to wear masks...
People who are anti-mask are scared too. The pandemic has made all of us feel like we don't have control over our lives, health, safety, and well-being. Anti-mask folks are trying to assert some control. Refusing to be "bullied" as they put it.
I'm afraid and feeling a loss of control, too. But here's my fear. All this focus on masks might be distracting us from holding the government accountable for doing more than just requiring people to wear masks.
If you want more people to wear masks, focus on holding federal officials accountable for modeling personally responsible behavior and (even more important) coordinating supply chains to make higher quality masks readily available & convenient for everyone.
If you don’t like being told we all have to behave as if we’re silent carriers of disease for months on end, focus on demanding your Senators vote this month for a well-funded & coordinated testing & tracing program so we can figure out who should be wearing masks & for how long.
And if you’re pro-mask:
Don’t let being angry at your neighbors for not wearing masks distract you from being angry at the Senate for failing to fund more testing & tracing.
Don’t let being angry at your neighbors for not wearing masks distract you from being angry at the Senate for failing to fund more testing & tracing.
And finally, if you wear masks and the people around you wear masks, don't assume that means it's safe to go back to business as usual.
Masks make high-risk activities safer, not *safe*
Mandating masks but leaving bars, dine-in restaurants, etc. open, reopening universities, churches & other places where people spend long periods of time in groups indoors isn't a great plan in high-transmission areas.
Mandating masks but leaving bars, dine-in restaurants, etc. open, reopening universities, churches & other places where people spend long periods of time in groups indoors isn't a great plan in high-transmission areas.
The mask wars have moved the goalposts on government response. Governors seem to be taking action when they allow local governments to impose mask mandates. We can and should expect more from our leaders.
