Live Free, Without Fear

Photo by Judith Prins on Unsplash

Not counting those of us currently suffering from hiccups we all crave fresh air, but do we really need as much as we crave?

Fresh Air-Yes, but Remember Mother?

Does anybody remember the standard for being properly bundled before venturing out on a cold winter day? It made no difference if it was to walk to school or to simply play in the snow. The build-up of fabric intended to protect our insides from the outside was impressive.

It all started with a collar that could be pulled up and secured around the neck. At least one of the layers of clothing would include a hood. If we had one, a ski mask was mandatory. If we didn’t have a genuine ski mask then a wool hat that we could pull over our ears without completely covering our eyes was substituted. To seal it all in there was a scarf, actually there were usually two. One might be a little thin but it served to secure the heavier scarf—the one capable of blocking any cold front.

Of course, most of us also had our natural defenses running full time in the form of our noses. We were equal parts stuffed and runny. Nothing was easily passing, neither going in nor coming out.

And this we considered safe enough for a day of hoard play outdoors.

Snowflakes

Today, health officials in the government have dared to ask us to wear thin cotton masks and some of us are screaming bloody murder. Whatever happened to the nation of hardy pioneers? The greatest generation?

 We’re asked to place thin tissue paper across the front of our faces and we go all apoplectic. We can’t breathe. We’re dying. We're losing our Freedom!

Freedumb

No doubt there will come a point where we encounter someone with a laminated medical alert card. The problem with these cards is that there is no way to distinguish between a legitimate medical alert card and a meaningless laminated hoax shipped from some off-shore online outfit profiting from the gullible for "freedumb".

Pants Free

Do people who refuse to wear masks also refuse to wear pants? If not, why not? Do they get upset when they run into other people wearing pants, or that their local restaurant requires them to wear pants? They should. Pants can promote hold moisture which can promote bacterial growth. Is there anybody who couldn't use a little air down there? Perhaps that extra bit if sunshine is all that is needed to fight infection.

End of Rant

Facemasks are not about freedom. They’re about responsibility. During times of pandemic, in fact arguably during every flu season, regardless of how immortal we believe ourselves to be, we have a responsibility to try and not infect our neighbors.

We are free to stay hidden away if we prefer to not wear a mask. Have your groceries delivered if you must. If you can't afford it then welcome to the real world of people who can’t work from home and are forced to intermingle with too many don't-give-a-crap anti-maskers every single day.

I'm sorry if after years of hearing clever phrases like libtard and snowflake that I’m just not feeling too sympathetic about your facemask panic attacks. There is no shortage of things to be worried about when it comes to your rights. Your voting rights are under attack. Basically all of your rights from the 1^st to the 14^th amendments are being threatened. Facemasks are intended to reduce the spread of a virus that might otherwise overwhelm the healthcare system. As a threat to your rights, they don’t even register as a blip.