The Anti-Mask Movement and Why It Bothers Me So Much
It might not be what you think
I’ve heard just about every excuse out there as to why someone would be an anti-masker. From Covid-19 is a hoax, and it makes people look weak (thanks President Trump!), to wearing a mask infringes on people’s freedom.
As someone who lives with a compromised immune system, it does upset me that people are so selfish. If they don’t want to wear a mask for themselves, why not wear one for the greater good of all? And yet, we still live in a me-first culture.
Since I am a bit of a conspiracy theorist, I can understand people not trusting their governments to tell them the full truth about most anything. So I do understand why some people would believe that this is all just one big hoax. I don’t subscribe to this theory, but I can see why others would. I can even see how some justify that a mask mandate infringes on their freedom. But we give up bits and pieces of our freedom all the time. I say take back your freedom and make mask-wearing a fashion statement, or a place to display your brand or thoughts on something. Get creative and save a life or two in the process.
No, none of these anti-mask excuses really get my goat. What does perturb me to no end is the sudden hijacking of the Pro-Choice slogan “My body. My Choice.” I have been pro-choice my entire adult life because it is not my place to tell someone what’s good for their own body. I grew up hearing this slogan used by powerful women begging for their rights as human beings. It is near and dear to my heart. Just the thought of a woman being raped, getting pregnant, and then forced to carry her rapist’s baby to term makes me cringe because I know how the trauma will affect that woman for the rest of her life. I have personally known the tragedy of losing a child due to complications in the first trimester and having a D&C performed, which is in essence an abortion. So I can never tell another woman that she doesn’t deserve to make her own choice.
So why have these right-wingers decided that now would be a good time to think about their bodies and steal a slogan that they’ve railed against for decades? Honestly, I believe it goes back to why they do anything — to own the libs. They know that this will get under our skin and tick us off. They also know we will scream about how hypocritical it is.
And they are right. I am pissed off, and it is hypocritical. And it makes no sense how a bunch of Pro-Lifers can ignore mask mandates, scream about their rights, and infect the rest of us, and then dare to use that slogan as a protest. They don’t care who lives or dies because they get to ‘own the libs’ one more time. Their pro-life stance always ended at delivery, but now they truly have become a death cult.
©2020 Lori Carlson. All Rights Reserved.
Articles that sparked this opinion piece:
Your Body Is a Bioweapon @ Vice.com
Anti-maskers explain themselves @ Vox.com
Coronavirus: Why are Americans so angry about masks? @ BBC.com
Anti-mask ralliers say a mandate infringes on rights @ Deseret.com
How the Republican Party became a death cult @ Washingtonpost.com
“GIVE ME LIBERTY, AND GIVE ME DEATH!” WHAT THE ANTI-MASK MESSAGES REALLY SAY @ milwaukeeindependent.com
Lori Carlson writes poetry, fiction, articles and personal essays. Most of her topics are centered around Relationships, Spirituality, Life Lessons, Mental Health, and the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to writing for Politically Speaking, Lori writes for nineteen other publications here on Medium. Check out her personal Medium blog — Ravyne’s Nest.
