Reactions to masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, November 2021


It's November 2021, and as usual I went for a ride in my little suburban neighborhood of Peoria, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. And even though I've been vaccinated, I still carry along a mask, and wear it into places like the grocery store.

These are interesting times, which as you know, is a curse. Here in Arizona there are people who disagree vehemently with mask mandates, and see it as just another way that big government pushes the little guy around. Or there are the "faith over fear" people who are protected by their faith, and the list goes on and on on the subject of wearing a mask in public.

Speaking for myself, I've had no difficulty wearing a mask, even back at the beginning of the pandemic. I started with the cheap paper ones that a friend of mine gave me, and then graduated to ones with interesting designs, like the wiener dogs one (my favorite) that I got from the Woman in my Life.

It's been an interesting lesson for me on what it feels like to wear something when you know that you'll be interacting with people who don't have the same beliefs. I've never experienced anything like that in my life, but it must be like wearing a yarmulke, or a turban in public - some people are going to react, and it might be very unpleasant.

Putting my mask on before going to a grocery store does send a clear message to some people - that obviously my faith isn't stronger than my fear, or that maybe I'm in on the conspiracy. It's a creepy feeling, and I just go in and buy my veggies, and wander off.

I wish that I could help these people, but I really can't. I'm in no position to explain viruses, or how contagions work, or anything like that. The best that I can do is to be true to myself, and I've always been "that guy" - I always sat in the emergency exit on planes, I was always willing to help. Wearing a mask nowadays is a pretty small thing for me to do, and I'm surprised that it requires any courage at all, but it does, and if you're doing it, I thank you, and commend you.

We're all in this together! I'll report back again, I promise.
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