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Melinda Crow
Yes, I Live in Texas, and Yes I Will Still Wear a Mask
2021-03-03
But for all our sakes, stop the mask shaming
Photo by engin akyurt on UnsplashOh my God, my social media is a war zone this morning. Just when I thought we had learned to like each other again, even caring for each other in the wake of the state's most widespread disaster, Governor Greg Abbot has lobbed a missile into our midst again fueling the return to hate speech. I live in a very conservative part of the state, you know, the rural part. I understand that the conservative way of life detests government mandates and that the lifting of one is cause for celebration. I get that. We all want our freedom back. We want our businesses to operate unrestricted (as if that were ever going to be a fact). I personally don't think the governor should have lifted mandates until after spring break, but then I don't own a business that stands to gain from spring break business. I used to, so I do understand that this could potentially be the lifeline those in the tourism industry have been waiting for. I can appreciate the need to begin to rebuild our economy. And believe it or not, I appreciate your right to voice your opinions on all of the above in any way you choose. What I do not appreciateFirst, and foremost, let's all take a breather and actually read what the governor said in his executive order. Here are some of the highlights that seem to be taking a backseat to the lifting of the mask ban:"...individuals are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings over nose and mouth wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household, but no person may be required by any jurisdiction to wear or to mandate the wearing of a face covering."Judging from my social feed, the entire first part of the statement will be disregarded by a large portion of the state. And even in areas of the state with high hospitalization rates (over 15% of total capacity in use by COVID-19 patients):"no jurisdiction may impose a penalty of any kind for failure to wear a face-covering or failure to mandate that customers or employees wear face coverings..."All of that means that Texans are now on their own in protecting their health. And many social posts are celebrating that, saying it's the way it should have been in the first place. Except that sometimes we need governmental protection from the actions of selfish people. It's why we have speed limits, traffic signals, and drunk driving laws. The worst part of today's social media barrage though is the mask shaming. I am seeing posts like this semi-literate rant:
"I agree with Gov. Abbott! It’s the peoples choice. Antigens or unproven vaccines- We will all have to just TAKE AND CHANCE and KEEP LIVING WITHOUT FEAR! Who will come at your funeral if you do die anyway??? Who will come visit you in Hospice when you’re on your WAY OUT! It is ALL ABOUT THE FEAR! Think about it"
I am not living in fear, but I am living, unlike several people I know who died from COVID-19. If wearing a mask is my right, stop shaming me for choosing to wear one. I fully anticipate wearing one in public for years to come. Now that those who don't believe in vaccines or even the virus, for that matter, I'll probably be double masking if I choose to go out.
But guess what? Dropping the mask mandate is more likely to keep people like me home even longer than we would have with masks. Like my friend who died last month, I support vaccination. I support masks. And neither of those things means I am a "lib-tard sheep afraid of my own shadow." It means I educate myself. It means I have no intention of dying from this disease any more than I intend to die of lung cancer by choosing not to smoke.
My mask-wearing in no way infringes on your rights. Your right not to wear one has been restored, wanna tell me why it bothers you enough to try to shame others into not wearing one? What are YOU afraid of?
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