The Face of Public Stupidity

Masks. I guess I really just don’t get the opposition to wearing face masks.  People are furious about the various official requirements to wear face masks when out in public. Now, to be fair, nobody is requiring folks to wear a mask when they drive around in their cars. Or walk around their living rooms. It is simply a requirement when you plan to enter a business, or any public place where other folks may be gathering for their own reasons. So, if you go into a store, or a restaurant, or any place of gathering, where proper social distancing is not easily accommodated, then face masks are a requirement.

Whenever I take my 2-3 mile walk along the streets of downtown Concord, I do not wear a mask. However, whenever someone approaches me on the sidewalk, I immediately step into the street, so that we have a proper 8-10 foot distance when we pass each other.  I choose to do this, so that the approaching folks will not have to and neither of us actually requires a mask. Many approaching people are pushing baby carriages, or walking with friends in a group, or running.  I enter the street, so they won’t have to.  And, my movement is always taken when we are still 50-100 feet apart.

Now, to be fair, downtown Concord, is not Manhattan. Were I doing the same thing there, I would wear a mask. It’s that simple. Now, I must note here, that I do routinely wear a mask (and gloves) whenever I go to a store for a pickup of items we have ordered online, or anytime I will be meeting people for any reason. We even wear masks around our family.

And why do we wear a mask? Well, because it is the simplest preventive act we can undertake to minimize the spread of this pandemic virus.  Yes, we know the mask is not perfect. But it is way better than wearing no face covering when out in public.

All this mask outrage, makes me wonder. If these outraged folks were to undergo surgery, and their surgeon announced that he or she decided not to wear a mask while carrying out the surgical procedure, how might these folks feel? Would they think, well, I think that is his decision, so I really cannot complain.  Hmmm, No??? Oh, I thought not. Or how about if they walked into the kitchen of a local restaurant and observed the chef sneezing openly into the pot of food he was preparing? Would these folks think, well, that really is his decision.  Hmmm, No again?

Now let’s think beyond the masks.

How about . . . clothing? What if the local nudists within our community decided that wearing clothes while shopping downtown was simply too much government regulation.  So, they all just wandered about the downtown shops and went in and out, while totally nude. And, guess what, they were not all young and beautiful so the sight, was, well, less than exciting? And some were even fat, with sloppy big bellies flopping about. Would that be ok?  Probably not, huh?

And then, we get into our cars, and decide that, not only am I not going to wear a safety belt, but I refuse to lock my child into one, or into a secure car seat. Nope, that’s just too much government intrusion. And those double lines in the middle of the street? To be ignored, right? I mean, no one should be able to dictate on which side of the street you drive, or whether you are allowed to pass someone driving too slowly. Right??? I mean, who really needs a copper telling us how to drive, right?

And on and on, as we get stupider and stupider. Civilized societies construct rules to live by. Otherwise, we are left with chaos.  One of the signs of a civilized society is that it has rules by which folks must live.  There are all kinds of rules. We aren’t allowed to take our gun out of the closet and shoot someone because we disagree with them. Or, if we come to an agreement, and that agreement involves, say, money, we expect both parties to adhere to the terms of the agreement. Otherwise, the aggrieved party is allowed to file a legal claim against the other.  And speaking of money, we also construct rules about how we are going to find the money to allow us to construct roads, or schools, or to build parks. Those rules are called tax rules. And, while we almost certainly won’t like giving our money away for such purposes, in the end, it is called civilization.

So, the anti-maskers are simply people who are opposed to civilized living.  They apparently prefer chaos, which is everyone making up their own rules.  Now, where does all this opposition to masks arise? Well, once again, Donald Trump. Our doofus president decided that wearing a mask would make him look weak, or stupid (he’s both actually), so he would reject the advice of his scientific advisers. And to make certain that he did not look weak or stupid, he punted the issue to the governors and the mayors of the land. So that if they created rules, and the people, 6-9 months in advance of an election, became annoyed, he could always say, “well, I didn’t require that. Complain to your stupid governor.”

And so, he promulgated an official viewpoint—that masks are a stupid, ineffective idea, and he would never wear one (even while touring a factory that makes them). And that provides ammunition for the people who hate having anyone telling them what to do—the rather stupid, and more broadly uncivilized folks. And Trump, thereby, creates and holds onto a presidential election voting base.

Now, I can’t wait until next year, sometime in 2021, when a vaccine appears on the street. What will Trump do then, and, more to the point, what will his anti-maskers decide to do? Will, they refuse to get vaccinated, like good antivaxxers?  No one is going to fill my body with these vile vials of chemicals. I refuse.  And then, what will the Drumpf say, or do? In fact, will Trump get vaccinated, or get his children vaccinated? He is stupid enough that he might well join the anti-vaxxers and decide against a vaccination.  One problem is that, to acquire a herd immunity, a certain percentage of the population must be vaccinated, or otherwise acquire an immunity (see the following article for a discussion of herd immunity: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/herd-immunity-and-coronavirus/art-20486808).

Exactly what percentage of the people will need to be vaccinated to acquire an adequate immunity to protect those who cannot get vaccinated is unknown to me at this stage.  But again, both our public health community –the Dr. Fauci’s of the world—and our presidential leadership will need to join forces to protect the American community at large. That likely means that we will have to get rid of Donald Trump, who seems to specialize in terminally stupid and destructive government policies.  So, we will see what happens in our election, and then subsequently after a vaccine is developed.

If Trump is re-elected, then I assume the younger population of America will begin to seriously consider emigrating to Canada or even New Zealand. Let us hope that is not required. Fond hope springs eternal, someone once said. We will see.