Ten years ago, I went to China and was surprised to find many people wearing face masks. Apparently, it was the smog and pollution. Back then it was strange in America to see someone with a face mask outside a hospital, dentist office, or someone who was immune suppressed or robbing a bank. I remember going to visit my mother who was in a nursing home and asking for a mask because I had a cold. I had a hard time getting one. And then came the pandemic.
Back in the winter of 2020, people were dusting off their sewing skills and making anything that they thought would protect them from the virus. Elastic was at a premium. I searched my attic for some aging elastic to help a friend that was busy on her sewing machine engaging in the new cottage industry. All of that was before Covid 19, the Omicron variant, Dr. Fauci and KN95 masks became household words.
Since then, face coverings have taken on new meaning. People have them color coordinated with their clothing. There are masks that honor sports teams, your college, your pets or your favorite candidate. They were important fashion statements when they were required at most business establishments, churches and on public transit.
They even become a political statement. For whatever insane reason, certain conservative groups decided that wearing a mask was an infringement on their liberties — tantamount to taking their guns. Screw the fact that they might be spreading the virus to others.
Parents demonstrated at schools because they didn’t want their kids to wear a mask — obviously people who were smarter than the docs at the CDC, the Cleveland Clinic and Harvard Medical School.
Now that the pandemic is allegedly waning, it seems that face masks are going the way of the pet rock and the hula hoop. I had occasion to fly both domestic and international over the last month and surprisingly, there were few masks in airports, hotels and on flights. Maskless flight attendants seemed perfectly safe interacting with passengers. On one flight, the pilot announced that passengers were not required to wear a mask and urged fellow passengers not to ridicule those that did. Remember all the altercations on flights over the wearing of masks?
Now, the decision to wear a mask is a personal choice. For those who have been vaccinated and boosted, going maskless seems safe, even though I keep hearing stories about people who have come down with Covid despite being fully vaccinated — kind of scary.
But the people that I don’t understand are those that I call the half-masked people — the ones that have the mask around their chin or hanging off one of their ears or just around their neck. Or what about the people who have the mask around their mouth and leave their nose exposed? What’s the point?
That’s about as half-masked as you can get. Maybe there is some correlation between being half-masked and half-assed. You be the judge.
2 Responses to “COMMENTARY: Being Half-Masked and Half-Assed by C. Ellen Connally”
Mel Maurer
Well said.
Tom Simiele
A great analysis of the lunatics who don’t wear masks, want to carry guns and think crazy aliens will destroy the country. They think the current aliens will destroy America just like those terrible previous aliens almost did – those Irish, Scotch, German, French and Italian ones.