Hey. I have a question for some of you. And this question might seem five or six years late — but recent events in my irl social circle have brought it back to the forefront of my mind. The question is (and my fellow conservatives and RadTrads are gonna hate me for this, but):
Why do y’all take such issue with mask mandates?
Please, do explain. I’m so curious. Because never since all this started have I once heard a single intelligent, rational argument against mask-wearing.
I get it. Wearing a mask is no fun. It’s uncomfortable. I don’t even have any respiratory health issues, but wearing one of those things, I feel like I can’t breathe properly. During Covid times I got used to it, out of necessity, but still, as soon as I was alone, even if just for a moment, I’d rip the thing off my face, gasping for air.
And they don’t fully protect you or others agaisnt viruses, that’s true! They’re no guarantee that you won’t get sick! However, do masks help some? Obviously they do! I mean it’s just common sense, right? When you talk or breathe, you expel particles — and, if you are infected, germs — from your nose and mouth. Why not have a shield, a barrier of some sort, to slow the spread.
It’s the same reason we cover our nose and mouth when we cough or sneeze. Is covering your mouth perfect prevention against the spread of disease? No, but it helps some, because of the barrier provided by your arm, and it’s also significantly less gross than just coughing and sneezing in the open air! — or would you propose that we start doing that, too? “Can’t no one tell me to cover my damn mouth when I sneeze! Don’t Tread On My Right to be Fucking Gross! FREEDOM! 🦅”
Covering your mouth and nose is common sense, during an outbreak of a virus. Wearing a mask should be too. Isn’t that why doctors wear them when they’re at work?
Why do people think a mask mandate is “the government trying to control us”? Tell me, please, how does “the government” stand to benefit from us little people wearing masks?
I don’t disbelieve that the government does not have our best interests at heart, us little people, and might even be out to actively harm us — but the thing is, wearing a mask does not harm us (unless you have a serious respiratory health condition, in which case, just stay home). So how is the big bad government “winning” by me wearing a mask? In what way is me covering the lower half of my face serving the corrupt politicians and billionaires? Seriously, can anyone out there explain the logic? Even if the government is evil, making us wear masks is not, and cannot be, one of their evil ploys.
“Well it just makes you look like a stupid government pawn when you wear a mask” — stupid because I believe the empirical evidence that there is an infectious virus going around, and I’d rather not inhale your gross droplets? Stupid because I’m following the rules of whatever establishment we’re standing in? That’s like saying I’m a “stupid government pawn” for carrying an umbrella when there’s rain in the forecast, or that I’m a “stupid government pawn” for not shouting at the top of my lungs in the public library.
You know what I think is really going on? Some of y’all just don’t like to be told what to do.
And look, I get that too. I’m hardheaded and suspicious and fiercely independent by nature, too. I also prefer to not do whatever’s mainstream and normal.
But (1) it’s common sense, isn’t it? Why would you not want to protect yourself and others?, but even if you don’t care about that, there’s still (2) the whole “render unto Caesar” thing: if there’s a mandate in place (and that mandate isn’t telling us to do something sinful or otherwise harmful, which this one is not; I can already sense some of y’all about to call me a hypocrite for supporting the SSPX while coming on here and ranting about good Christian obedience — but the difference is, the SSPX disobeys because they see that obedience would actually support sin and harm souls, therefore they opt for obedience to the actual Catholic religion instead of to the individuals currently occupying the Vatican; whereas, in the case of wearing a mask where mandated, no harm is being done and no sin committed, so it’s totally different) — then we have to obey that mandate!
Which is so funny because most if not all of the mask-refusers are Christians! As Christians, shouldn’t we be the best at obedience? Shouldn’t we be okay with it? Yes, obviously if a rule or law tells us to sin, then we can’t obey it, but the mask mandate does no such thing!
Some people get way too hung up on individual freedom and personal liberties. Personal liberty is not the most important thing. God’s law is. Obeying the mask mandate is keeping the Fifth Commandment. Why do so many Christians not see that?
Obeying legitimate authorities, accepting discomfort for the sake of others — as Christians, this ought to be our MO. And Catholicism has always been pro-preventative medicine. I truly don’t understand this back-asswards crunchy culture trend that insists that modern medicine, which saves tons of lives every day and extends and improves so many more, is somehow satanic (until it serves them in an emergency, that is).
There’s nothing un-Christian about covering your face to prevent the spread of illness. There’s nothing about that little act of service that imposes on your “rights.”
“But you can’t tell me what to do” — actually, friend, as a human being living in a society, sometimes you do have to be inconvenienced; sometimes you do have to be told what to do, even if you don’t like it. Wearing a little paper mask is not even that big a deal.
Can anyone explain it to me, then, why you refuse to comply with mask mandates, why they upset you so much? I’m not being sarcastic, I’m seriously really curious. Because tbh I know plenty of individuals who are much smarter than me and whose opinions and beliefs I deeply respect who are, mystifyingly, anti-mask, and I’m dying to understand why — because it just seems like a common sense issue to me. If you think you can enlighten me, I’m leaving the comments open.
8 responses to “Mask Off”
Touchy subject. 10 foot pole wanted. 🙂
I was “that guy.” Chiefly, and I can feed you more detail if you’re not watching your figure later, because of the subtext in your well written post.
Placebo.
For me. It wasn’t the mandate. If it ended there. I’d have said less. But it didn’t. It moved into needles and threats and genetic manipulation with vaccines that have no good defence, being either untested or tested in advance – in either case begging harder questions.
Now. The masks? I masked when in company of the fearful. I did this for the same reason fasting Christians eat unsacrificed meats and cheeses in company of heathens during fast. To spare offence. Simple.
But. That’s me. Each body should be automous. When the government gets to start making small decisions. Big ones follow.
It never ends with the small it starts in.
I agree that the covid vax was a bad one, and the pressure that they put on everyone to get it is, in retrospect, really scary. So that is a fair point. I can understand being wary of the slippery slope. However, I still maintain that we don’t have to be “all or nothing” about CDC recommendations; we should employ our common sense, take the good (cover face) and leave the bad (receive brand-new inadequately-tested mystery injection). Thank you for a civil comment 🙂
I am a Citizen of Civilisation. I try to be… not a dink. I owe your more brain food, though. Bring your eating pants. Later. When you can sit and *expand.*
I’m not ignoring this out of spite or anything. I’m at job #2, which is more hands on than job #1. I owe you a couple threads of commentary, one on less carnal and more subjectively objective philosophy, the Feedee von Willendorf aside – I believe. I have, however, also added more of the Venus stuff to my degenerate repertoire.
Anyways. Home now..
Hiding in bathroom from my sons like a coward. Just for a few.
I agree. It is why I conducted myself as I did. I can never not see CoVid as a fear based overreaction, and I can never not see it from the same government who brought us things like the Vietnam War and veterans gone mad from chemicals – on government issue.
It ultimately boils down to personal autonomy. For me. Because at the end of it, objectively, I’m being asked to subordinate my senses to a government which in every other estate arbitrarily stands against everything else I believe in. Lieing with glee about whatever it wants to affect, and blaming failure to comply on changing scapegoats. We tolerate the government because we’re in limbo, but as far as I’m concerned, it lies. I can trust nothing it says or does because the narrative changes every presidential cycle.
Quid est Veritas?
As I say. My middle ground, which I think is fairer than most – vain man that I am – is that everyone follows their conscience. That has limits, obviously. My conscience can’t allow me to beat midgets with circus hammers. But if you want masks – who am I to say no? If I don’t want my infant son masked? I will gladly embarrass myself in front of God and Grandma to enforce my authority as father of my children. Lines must be drawn between Dad and Daddy Gubmint.
There was enough data in both directions for me to say: they weren’t for us and we didn’t believe they were worth the squeeze. But it wasn’t for me to dog on the scared people hunched up with foggy glasses in their rolled up window cars, either.
I dunno. I should probably go back to filling my sketchbook with fat girls and get off the soapbox.
ah yes, hiding in the bathroom – a canon event in the day to day life of a parent! 😆
Totally understand not trusting the govt.
It seems to me though that many of us react with a trauma response, now, to anything at all that comes from the govt. Once bitten, twice shy. We’re like abuse survivors who have a hard time trusting even a harmless kind gesture. It’s not true that the government doesn’t do/enforce anything good at all.
And frankly even if the govt didn’t mandate mask-wearing, it’s simply a smart thing to do. If the government mandated umbrellas on rainy days, would people suddenly refuse to use them because the government is bad so any advice they give must be evil? – they probably would, lol.
I’d also argue that, when it comes to protecting other people, especially the vulnerable and immunocompromised, it’s no longer a matter of personal conscience but a matter of our duty to each other. Bc masks (and vaccines) aren’t just to protect us, they’re to protect our fellow humans.
Like you could also say it’s a matter of personal conscience whether I fasten my children into their car seats when we drive. Big evil government says I have to put them in car seats, but it’s my choice and big evil government can’t tell me how to parent my kids, dammit! – but, it’d be really dumb not to.
Lol yep, people love to make fun of those who were spotted wearing masks alone in their car, and I agree it’s a funny and ridiculous image – but, I’m pretty sure most of the time those people simply forgot to remove their masks after being in a public place. I saw my mom do that multiple times and had to remind her to take it off. We got so used to wearing them. Couldn’t be me tho, I hated ‘em too much to ever forget I had one on, haha. If anyone actually did wear a mask out of fear in the privacy of their closed car, though, that is pretty laughable, I’ll give you that!
No, stay on the soapbox – the anti-mask side sorely needs intelligent and courteous voices like yours!
I’m being made into a libertarian, and I don’t like it. ;p I’ll stay on a little longer, but then it’s back to fat madonnas. I find there is a solid half-life for me and talking politics. It’s like the song says: I’d rather hear a fat girl fart, than a pretty boy sing.
But.
I maintain my position. Bear with me. Christian persecution. It begins with simple, benevolent government concerns. Or any persecution, for that matter. Are “anti-maskers” persecuted Christians? No. But. The obvious and overt, disproportionate reaction of the hoi polloi and yhe same elites that want trannies to have bathroom time with your children, is undeniable. Tree? Known by fruit.
Reactionary? Yes. Necessarily wrong? No. They say “intuition” is a simple neurological breakdown. Your brain performs trillions of operations per second which, obviously, move faster than light or sound. Thus, speech or thought. And so “intuition,” is a chemical defense against failed logic, an evolutionary mechanism to keep us from being too soon Darwin’d at the Finch Awards.
You have known evil when you see it, and you have known it without needing a Summa Apologetica. For some of us, that’s it. And some won’t budge. I try to keep an open mind, and be respectful. But the ick you feel, instinctively, when discussing the male gaze – problematic or not – is the ick many folks who denied the mandate feel. I don’t think they need any more a defence than you do. Or I, for eyeing – and stopping myself from ogling – what I eye. There’s a degree of nature, and I think its there in good season.
Now. I’ll go a limb further. I try really hard not to slap “anti” on things. Do you know the phrase NLP? It’s morally neutral, so we can all say whoever we don’t like is doing it. But generally, once the pro and anti come out it becomes a game of attrition. Not you, but generally. “The People.” The mythic WE.
Seat belts. I could make the argument, and have, that the rule should be a civil guideline. The categorical imperative marches to the Left and Right. If everyone drove sensibly, none would be needed. And, it has been shown, as with masking and vaccines, as many again deleterious ends to the measure are reported as glorious saves. For every airbag miracle, some poor bastard gets snapped by the belt, or crushed. It all, by metric, boils down to personal autonomy. We can and should imply, encourage and assist good decision making.
But. And I stress. I’ll never know the truth. But what *I* remember was bullying, coercion and threats. None of which ever scream: “truth on my side.” Not you, but the general “we the.” I felt bad mocking the lone mask smart car guy. I’m trying really hard to stop punching down.
But. As I say. A much better use of my time is sketching fat madonnas. They have as much power to affect positive change as my useless opinions.
Interesting. Fair comparison — some people’s hatred of the mask mandate is as irrational and emotional as my hatred of the male gaze, and perhaps equally valid! We all have our little triggers, don’t we. Well I’m a bit of a germophobe anyway, govt’ aside, so next time there’s mass uproar about some outbreak I might just invest in a hazmat suit. Which, hey, that’d solve the male gaze problem as well! 2 birds, 1 stone.
Indeed. Back to the pages, with me.