We’ve all seen them, the young man or woman walking down the street or riding a bike, the middle-aged angry white woman driving a Subaru; all of them have one thing in common: they are all wearing masks. It’s becoming a cultural phenomenon, even as the Omicron variant begins to recede from the nation’s consciousness and Covid numbers head in a manageable direction. So, why do so many Americans insist on wearing a facemask? Are they making a political statement? They are engaging in virtue signaling and saying in so many words to those of us who choose not to mask that we are selfish and uncaring about the safety of our fellow citizens. But I think what really rankles them is that those of us who cherish freedom just won’t capitulate to government edicts.
Dr. Robert Malone, credited with inventing the core mRNA technology platform has been a leading voice in opposing what he terms unethical government mandates. On a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, Malone explained what he thinks is going on: “When you have a society that has become decoupled from each other and has free-floating anxiety in a sense that things don’t make sense, we can’t understand it, and then their attention gets focused by a leader or series of events on one small point just like hypnosis, they literally become hypnotized and can be led anywhere.”
Observing these Covidians leads me to believe Dr. Malone is on to something. It certainly appears these zombies are under some sort of spell, believing that face coverings are actually saving them from certain death. There have been numerous studies questioning the efficacy of face masks. But that’s for another column.
The virus is on its way to becoming an endemic, like the seasonal flu, but that’s not stopping leftist politicians from continuing to impose senseless mandates on an American public that has Covid fatigue.
As though Americans need another issue to further divide them we have a number of Blue state governors, including our own Kathy Hochul, refusing to lift mask mandates in public schools. Requiring children to be masked up for seven or more hours a day, often without “mask breaks,” defies reason. That age group is the least susceptible to serious illness or death. But it’s never really ever been about protecting children, it’s been about making teachers and administrators “feel” safer. But parents are beginning to fight back. Many are letting their local school boards know in no uncertain terms that their patience is wearing thin. It’s long past time to unmask our children.
A tweet from Danny O’Donnell of the Danny O’Donnell Show says it all:
“An MSNBC reporter notes that the biggest challenge for Democrat governors ending their mask mandates is that liberals have made mask-wearing such an important part of their identity that they might not be able to give it up.”
They don’t have to; if they choose to continue donning a mask that’s their prerogative, but the rest of us will not be forced into wearing one. It defies “the science” and basic common sense, which is why the Left embraces mask wearing.
Masks are becoming the latest symbol in the growing cultural divide, like Birkenstocks and NPR, when you see a person wearing one; you’ll know which side of the political divide they’re on.