I don’t get it.
Why is it so hard to wear a little piece of cloth that covers your mouth? You will still be able to talk, shout and breath. This is really not a big ask. You don’t even have to go spend money on it, you are allowed and encouraged to put something together at home, a piece of fabric, whatever it is, and use it as a face cover.
No one is taking anything away from you, you are simply being asked to take care of your fellow citizens, of your community, of your loved ones. You could be infecting and killing them without knowing, yet here you are, fighting for “your freedom and liberties.”
The individualism in American society, this idea of the “I” before everyone else, is sometimes hard to process for me. I wish people would care more about how their actions impact others, and make the effort to think beyond themselves.
Sure, not everyone in Asian countries which are known for a higher degree of cultural collectivism always wears a mask, but there you also don’t see idiots storming capitol buildings, armed with rifles, shouting for their right to get a haircut. Yet here we are, and the president of the United States says that wearing a mask is a sign of disapproval of him.
Just look at the numbers. Notice anything?
Wearing masks is mandatory in over 50 countries. Yet here we are, not only with a curve that was never really flattened, but with a significant uptick in recent cases.
Sadly, the refusal of wearing a mask isn’t just an attempt to make a case for one’s freedom, it’s symptomatic for problems that go much deeper than that. It’s a sign of protest against a collective effort to protect those in need. It’s a denunciation of a country’s effort to work together unitedly.
I love America for so many things, but I hate how individualistic and selfish some are and how it seems to be so hard to look beyond one’s own needs and interests. You wearing a mask doesn’t take anything away from you, it actually augments you for the empathy and care you show for others. It only makes you a better human being, and not less.