To mask or not to mask, that is the question some people can’t wrap their heads around and to those of us who do wear face masks, it’s one big pain in the ass. Here we are in the midst of a pandemic that has taken the lives of 100,000 Americans and instead of following the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control that state we should wear face masks and practice social distancing, some people are running around without face masks like toddlers with loaded pampers refusing to use the potty.
To kick off Memorial Day Weekend, governors eased up restrictions on beaches and large gatherings as long as people followed social distancing and wore masks in public places. By Sunday, viral videos flew all over the internet of pool parties where so many people were in the water, it looked like the end-of-summer sale at Macy’s. Beaches down the Jersey Shore opened. Some were packed blanket-to-beach blanket with people mask-less lathered up in sun tan lotion. Who knew Coppertone killed the coronavirus?
One mask-less beach bunny in her early 20s said if she has to die, she’s willing to do the deed for her right not to wear a face mask. She even brought God into the picture, saying if he wants her to get Covid and die, she’s ready to jump on the highway to hell. Reading between the lines, what she really said was, “If one of you geezers catches corona from my flying droplets, I’m not responsible because God will take me off the hook, and you out of the picture. Bye-bye Boomer!”
Then I see viral videos of people screaming about their right to not wear a facemask. Their rebel yells are as stupid as they sound. My boyfriend and I mask up (and wear gloves) whenever we venture out. You don’t see us screaming in the face of police officers that they’re taking away our rights, or spitting in the face of a security guard for enforcing a store’s rules. We’re Americans. We want to see our country get back on its feet, too, but we’re not going to beat this enemy if we’re not united in the fight. Covid-19 is invisible and we are not invincible. Just look at the numbers. As of today, America hit a terrible milestone: more than 100,000 people have died from the coronavirus. And yet, the same people who won’t wear a face mask also deny these deaths. Why?
When America lost 3,000 people in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, there were funerals every day of the week for months as bodies were uncovered from the debris. Those of us in the Metropolitan Area witnessed those burials. We saw the families in their grief. We felt their pain. We were all in pain. How can we expect people to empathize with something they can’t see? Maybe we all need to see the body bags in the refrigerated trucks parked outside hospitals. Maybe we all need to listen to the sobbing of children who just lost their moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas. Maybe we should check in with the nurses and doctors in our families to see if they’re okay. Then, we might all realize it’s up to all of us to win this war against Covid-19.
In World War II, when men went off to war, most women didn’t say, “I’m off to Bingo, see ya!”. As part of the war effort, they rolled up their sleeves and went to work, taking on men’s jobs in factories and ammunition plants. The country banded together to save America. Rosie the Riveter became a symbol of camaraderie and fortitude. Every woman was Rosie and worked to bring every man home safe and sound.
Some people claim wearing a face mask goes against their rights, but how? The government requires you to have a driver’s license to drive. Does that go against your rights? It requires you to pay your taxes or risk going to jail. It requires you to educate your children. It requires you to not marry your dog. Are you going to fight that, too, and give your French Poodle an engagement ring? What is the real agony of wearing a face covering, especially when you could be an asymptomatic Covid-19 carrier? Do you really want your flying droplets landing on the people close to you like a teenager French-kissing for the first time?
Maybe it’s a generational thing? The young and the restless just don’t see life the same as us oldies but goodies. When your age is closer to death than it is to birth, life takes on new meaning. This issue isn’t so much about the right to wear or not to wear a mask. It’s about the right to live and let live. If it’s better for the world to wear a mask, then let’s do it. Let’s do it for our family. Let’s do it for our friends. Let’s do it for the beautiful fragility of life we all love and have in common.
See You Next Week!