Opinion | Masks aren’t political, neither is kindness
Mady Dever, Opinions Editor
It’s disconcerting to witness how quickly certain events become politically polarized. Wearing a mask has nothing to do with one’s political affiliations, nor should it. It’s a piece of cloth. Choosing to protect yourself and others from the spread of a disease seems to be a pretty basic act of kindness and respect. If you have the privilege to leave your house, dine out and visit friends, then take a half-second to put on a mask so you can protect yourself and those around you.
Wear a mask. It’s that simple. We should have been doing it since the beginning of the pandemic, but we seem months late and thousands of masks short. If “masking up” is annoying or tedious, or if the concept is difficult to grasp, try this simple checklist before leaving the comfort of your social isolation. Are you wearing pants? I sure hope so. Shirt? Shoes? Check and check. And finally, do you have your mask? Got it.
Throughout our lives, and since modern-day humanity, wearing pants, shirts and shoes when going out in public are basic requirements to be accepted as part of society. Good luck trying to go to a supermarket naked. You will definitely be met with repercussions, but you don’t see people protesting pants. This year, masks and face coverings have been added to that list of required clothing items, and it would be beneficial to everyone if we all came together and participated. I applaud those who do wear masks in public and take the pandemic seriously, but I truly question the thought process of those who choose not to mask up.
The resistance to masks is nothing new. Let’s take it back to 1918 during the Spanish Flu pandemic. Most people complied with mask ordinances. People felt they had a patriotic duty for wearing masks in order to protect the troops from infection during World War I. But after the war ended, a second wave arrived in many cities and resistance to wearing masks increased. Many of these resisters were called “mask slackers,” – which I find quite funny; we should bring that term back. In San Francisco, California, once a second-wave masking order was put in place in January of 1919, the Anti-Mask League gained a foothold throughout the city.
The league was led predominantly by women, which is great to know female leadership prevailed at this time, but it’s not exactly the kind of empowerment I’m rooting for. The New York Times stated, “Their objections included lack of scientific evidence that masks worked and the idea that forcing people to wear the coverings was unconstitutional.”
Sound familiar? It’s pretty scary that a similar instance of a pandemic happened a little over 100 years ago and it seems we have learned nothing from our past. We have the same approach and the same resistance. Only last week, did the sheriff in Marion County, Florida, enforce a ban on deputies wearing masks while on duty and at the office. He noted exceptions to this enforcement, such as when officers visit areas such as nursing homes, hospitals, schools, courthouses, and situations involving “high-risk elderly individuals.” Including these exceptions to the ban only further proves that masks do, in fact, work to prevent the spread of this disease. Countless reputable sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommend wearing masks in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Instead of trying to make a statement against government mask enforcements, people should be exercising their political muscles where politics belong. You can wear a mask and still stand with your political parties. Not only do masks protect people, they can also be something that unites us, no matter where we stand politically.