Many people have asked me why I am adamant about wearing masks and taking safety precautions with COVID-19, and why I have been so critical of those who think the virus is a hoax. The debate over COVID-19 is one time where my views come from more than my political beliefs.
Nearly three years ago, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Through hard work and daily medication, I have lowered my A1C to a manageable level, but the struggle, as they say, is real. I currently give myself six injections a day, including both fast-acting and slow-release insulin. There are still some days where I feel like I’m in a fog, but luckily those are few and far between these days. I’m just thankful I was diagnosed early enough to make the lifestyle changes necessary to be healthy for my wife and our boys.
For all of the deniers and conspiracy theorists out there, I have no use for your ill-formed and ignorant points of view. Your lack of empathy and refusal to wear a mask and practice social distancing could literally kill me, and I don’t have the luxury of “just staying home” like so many of you so snarkily respond. Gotta keep that economy going, remember?
The same goes for the debate over reopening schools. If I see you bragging online about how you don’t wear masks and don’t make your kids wear them, it terrifies me. If you are an asymptomatic carrier, you could infect your kid, who could then infect my kid, who could then infect me. Despite the talking points, children get COVID-19 at roughly the same rate as adults, even though many of the symptoms are less severe.
We hear people talk about the psychological impact on kids not being able to go to “traditional” school, and sure, that is a concern. But how does that compare to the psychological trauma of a child unknowingly infecting their parent or grandparent, resulting in serious long-term problems or even death?
One of the biggest things I resent about Donald Trump is how he somehow made it acceptable, if not popular, to eliminate empathy from our culture. America was built on a social contract, meaning that we take care of one another and lift each other when someone needs help. We have fallen so far that even the simple act of wearing a piece of cloth over our faces to keep others safe is somehow too much of a sacrifice because… freedom?
Freedom is a two-way street; the freedom to do what we want also comes with an implicit understanding that we will use that freedom for the betterment of not just ourselves, but our fellow citizens. I honestly don’t understand how people can derive pleasure from showing such callous indifference to others. When did caring become a symbol of weakness? Are we so fragile that we need to wallow around in willful ignorance of anyone who isn’t in our socioeconomic circle?
So anyhow, that is why I refuse to sit back and let such dangerous nonsense perpetuate itself. It is also why I devote all of my energy to the political process to find a way back to a place where empathy is a pillar of American life, not a weakness to be mocked and exploited.
This rhetoric that the virus will miraculously disappear after the election is just moronic. Over 170,000 Americans are dead, not only because we lacked the strong political leadership necessary to minimize the impact of this pandemic, but because too many of our fellow citizens couldn’t be bothered to look beyond their self-interest and pull together for the common good.
Those same people are now doing everything in their power to weaponize science to fit their narrow agendas; consequences be damned. If we allow this to continue unchecked, things are going to get worse before they get better. How many deaths do we need before people care enough to act? Forcing kids and teachers back into schools for the sake of “returning to normal” will backfire spectacularly, and you will have no one to blame but yourself. There will be blood on your hands- not that you’ll care if it means “owning the libs.”
Silence is complicity. Ignorance is a luxury we can’t afford. It matters whether you realize it or not. If you think I’m going to risk my life or the lives of my family without a fight, think again. Why? Because… freedom, that’s why. ✊
2 Comments
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Thank you so much for writing this and all you do. I understand your fears and frustrations, and your need to write this and speak out. I’m so sorry this is happening to you. I wish we would lock down once and for all as a nation, crush this thing, and then rise up like other countries have. We’re just limping along and killing more people.
Sadly, though it’s certainly rational to expect people to do the right thing, count on it being all on you to keep yourself healthy. I’m in the psychology field and I can tell you that the diehard anti-maskers can’t be reasoned with because they are emotionally unstable and were in need of mental health care well before the pandemic. The pandemic has triggered a panic state in their brains – what you may know as “fight, flight or freeze”. Fanatical people don’t have the executive function skill development to regulate their behavior or understand logic and rational thinking – especially right now because they are emboldened by the administration.
Stay home as much as you can. Be as disciplined as you can. Try to find Kn95 masks that the FDA has tested and approved for use in the US. The CDC and the FDA have an updated list of manufacturers. Kn95’s are the n95 equivalent in Asia and I think Europe also. The major difference is that in the US, masks can’t be NIOSH approved unless they have headbands, not the ear loops because the fit isn’t snug enough. Kn95’s are better than surgical masks, which also have ear loops, but don’t filter out enough of the Covid-19 particles.
You can also get a face shield, which will protect your eyes and the rest of your face. If your child goes to school, they will likely become infected and be highly contagious – it would be best to keep them at home if you can. Schools are ill-equipped to contain this, despite their best intentions.
I wish you the very best.