Wearing a mask is like wearing pants

To the people who think that wearing a mask infringes on their liberties, then how do you feel about pants? If a nudist demanded to be able to, ah, let it all hang out in Starbucks, plopped down next to your table, and then claimed that his or her liberties were being trampled if you objected on either aesthetic or sanity grounds, then would you shrug your shoulders and say, “OK.”

I doubt it.

I think you’d simply want to say, “Look, pal, part of living in civilized society is that there are rules that we agree on for the greater good of all, and we trust our elected representatives to try to figure out what those rules are in an always imperfect but getting better way. So… go ahead and be pantless in your home and in specially designated areas, but when you’re in a place of business or out in crowds of people, put some freakin’ clothes on!” 

Masks are no different. 

The job of government is to set rules. Want to change the rules? Run for office. Or vote. But stop complaining that there are rules that you disagree with or violating the rules and acting surprised if people condemn you or if the instruments of government fine you or worse.

It’s reasonable for the government to require you to do simple things (wash your hands, keep some social distance, wear an effing mask) to protect other people from dying.

These are the stakes. You don’t wear a mask to protect yourself. You wear a mask to protect other people from you if you are contagious and don’t yet have any symptoms. “But I don’t feel sick” isn’t a rational argument. The incubation period for Covid-19 is long, and people are virulently contagious long before they have to worry about whether there are enough ventilators at their local hospital. Lack of information (a.k.a. ignorance) is not an excuse. Toddlers don’t understand how guns work. That’s why we don’t give them guns.

When you don’t wear a mask, you’re saying, “I don’t care about other people.”

So wear a fucking mask already!

Oh, and by the way, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: if your mask is below your nose then you are not wearing a mask.