I saw an interesting tweet yesterday that paired nicely with a conversation I had with a friend later in the day. No memes, no dramatic verbiage, just a simple statement of fact.
In the current state of ‘chaos = clicks’, the only thing we’re shown in MSM (mainstream media) are anti-vaxxers marching with despicable Holocaust symbols, or anti-maskers going maskless into establishments that require masks and creating a scene (while willfully and potentially exposing others to COVID).
Rarely does the MSM take the time to normalize those of us who have done what this gentleman has done i.e. get vaxxed/boosted, maintain sensible covid protocols, and live our lives free from COVID. It’s not sexy or dramatic, and certainly won’t garner a ton of clicks/views, but it’s kept millions of us out of the hospital and able to get back to our routines in this new normal.
So when do we get our due? The answer is simple. We won’t.
The oxygen is continually sucked out of the room by those on the other side of the spectrum. The ones who don’t want to keep their masks on, even while interacting with others in areas where masking is required. The ones who haven’t been vaccinated, and are proud that they haven’t let the government or anyone else tell them what to do.
Even when nobody has asked, you can hear them justifying their unmasked and/or unvaxxed lives; how strong their immune systems are, and how they don’t know anyone who has had it. The whole pandemic “is overblown”, and “Have you noticed that they’ve stopped reporting cases of the flu and are lumping everything under COVID?”
It’s a bit ridiculous to me, but that’s not what bothers me about the anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers. Honestly, I don’t care what their choice is regarding the vaccine, or wearing masks in places where they aren’t mandated to do so. I do, however, care about how they constantly disrespect my choice to live freely in areas where being vaxxed and wearing masks are required.
The conversation that I mentioned earlier allowed me to organize my thoughts around this issue in a way I hadn’t previously been able to articulate. My partner and I have these types of discussions all the time, but I haven’t done so with others outside of my San Francisco bubble. I’m glad I finally had this chance.
After some fairly passionate discussion about masking and vaccines, my friend asked “Do you hate people that aren’t vaccinated?” I quickly said “No”. If someone wants to play Russian Roulette with virus exposure, that’s their deal. If they get sick and die, it becomes a teachable moment that choices have consequences.
I went on to explain that I resent the fact that they try to make choices for me about my health and exposure risks. When someone refuses to properly wear their mask in communal areas designated for eating, I can no longer eat there unless I’m willing to expose myself to infection. When someone refuses to wear their mask in communal areas designed for resting/lounging, I have to find someplace else to do so.
On a long flight from Florida to California, the guy sitting next to me wouldn’t pull his mask over his nose even after I politely asked. His mask defiance wasn’t about choice or freedom. It meant that for the next 4.5 hours, he was choosing to expose me to potential infection. I didn’t eat or drink anything for the entire flight because I wasn’t comfortable removing my double masks and potentially exposing myself to infection by someone who clearly didn’t give a shit about me or my choices.
Because anti-vaxxers/anti-maskers refuse to follow the basic rules of COVID protocols in mandated social settings, my choice to remain healthy and free from COVID exposure is compromised daily. Every single freakin’ day, and nearly everywhere I go, my choice to remain healthy is disrespected. And I resent that very much.
I respect their right to make choices for themselves. Why can’t they give me that same respect? The answer is that they can’t OR simply won’t. So I’ll continue to be scornful of people who do this because it has an immense impact on the quality of my life. I will be scornful, and I will struggle to show respect to those who show me none.
In the end, I wish that their selfish disregard of the choices made by people like Mr. Wood and I was the media narrative, not their drama and chaos. However, I can promise you that it’s going to become a more vocal part of my narrative.