Mask, Be Kind, Push Up not Down

We've made a decision lately that we're going to be getting out more. Let me start this by saying however, we will always, always mask: outdoors, indoors, everywhere.

But, getting back to the topic at hand, we're going to be doing more things more often outside the house. It's become blindingly apparent to me—and maybe it hasn’t to you, and that’s OK, and one of the topics of this post—that the medical influencers and the powers that be are never going to let this pandemic end. Since we’re still going to have to function in the world, we, as a family, made the decision we have to get back into the world.

And, it’s going to be quite scary.

And, it’s going to be an awful lot of fun getting back into the world. (If we don't enjoy it, why even take the associated risks right?)

And this same thing is happening to lot's of people:

Yes. It's now an impossible situation.

And so lonely.

As neither the normies who think Covid is over, nor the hardcore single/childless Zero Covid hermits understand our position

It's a choice between brain damage from forever isolation or possible brain damage from Covid
— Solidarity with Ukraine (@alscriv) June 19, 2022

But here’s the thing I’m seeing that I wanted to talk about. I’m seeing people, so far, surprisingly, (or maybe not?), people who don’ thave kids, start to rail against individual parents to mask their kids. These people are using the old saw: "you can build this from the bottom up and influence change in your schools." “You, yes you personally,” they’ll say, “can change the way your school operates just by influencing every student in your kid's class to mask.”

I wish I could say I’m being sarcastic about this. I’m not.

I wish I could say this was about anti-maskers. It’s not.

This is literally people telling parents that if they just masked hard enough, they could be the change they wanted to see in the world.

To be clear, I want everyone to mask. I’d love it if everyone would mask. I firmly believe case counts an the number of variants would go down if only everyone would mask.

I firmly believe though that the only way to achieve any change in this country is for the people in it to lean on their leadership tho creat the changes rather than micro-abusing each other.

And so, Be Nice To Each Other! Then, take your anti-masker angst, and call your local politicians. Write letters to them. Call in to board transit board meetings. Call in to school board meetings. Join groups that do the same thing enmasse to increase your leverage. Ask your friends to do the same. (Do Not treat them poorly if they’re uncomfortable with that.)

The only way we’re getting out of this is to influence our leaders who can actually drive changes. Many of those leaders want us to try to drive each other instead. It’s a trap that takes pressure off the top. Don’t fall for it.

Be nice.