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| "YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!!" |
In the absence of a vaccine, and apart from massive testing and contact tracing, the two effective strategies are (1) social distancing and (2) wearing of masks. We all want to get out, to move about, to see our economy moving and our jobs restored. These activities circumvent social distancing in some cases. But for the strategy of wearing masks, the resistance is individual and, unfortunately, often political.
This resistance to a simple altruistic behavior baffles the mind and frustrates the heart. The moral logic is akin to the thinking of a toddler ... "You can't make me." And in truth, no one can make you wear a mask. Many try to frame this as a personal liberty issue, which trivializes the meaning of liberty in the light of the actual, meaningful civil liberties that we enjoy. And here, the deeper liberty, less selfish and more considerate of others, should be the liberty to move about in public without being exposed to the unknown germs of mask free adults exercising their "freedom" at the public's expense.
When I enter the home improvement store, the main culprits of mask freedom (and unknown exposure) are the middle age men like myself, with half or more exposing their face to the world. The elderly wear the masks, the young wear the masks, the employees wear the masks (there to serve our needs and to make a living), having no choice but to exposed to the mask free libertarians who don't give a shit about the store clerk standing in front of them, facing hundreds of customers in a given day.
South Korea, for example, has implemented a wide range of virus prevention measures, including a very high rate of mask wearing in public. As of June their Covid rate was 216 cases per million, whereas in the U.S., our rate is 5,175 cases per million.
I have had family members to contract the virus. A relative has died. A neighbor my age has died. The hospitals and medical professionals are stretched thin and tired. This touches many, many people.
We want our health. We want our jobs. We want in-person church. We want our restaurants. We want our sports. WAKE UP PEOPLE ... WEAR A MASK!!!
*I am aware that some very small percentage of individuals have valid medical reasons that prohibit mask wearing. I intend no disrespect. This reality is not the cause of the very high percentage of adults that refuse to cooperate with mask wearing in behalf of the public good.
Sources:
Image credit: clipartkey.com
Forbes.com, "What South Korea Teaches the World About Fighting Covid.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2020/06/16/what-south-korea-teaches-the-world-about-fighting-covid/#73de36ae3e36