Masks

As a kid watching the Lone Ranger, I knew somewhere in the program, someone would say, "Who was that masked man?"

Masks covered the top half of his face.

During Carnival in many cities such Basel, Rio, New Orleans for a start carnival masks cover the top half and sometimes the entire face. The nose and mouth are open.

Outlaws and robbers sometimes cover the top of their faces, sometimes the bottom. To totally hide their identities, they would need both.

Masks have become a big topic with the pandemic. To be safe and to make others safe we need to cover the bottom half of our faces and that is creating some incredible responses.

There are those that refuse to wear them, citing their civil rights. There was the woman who when denied entry to a store without a mask got her husband to shoot and kill the security guard who "disrespected" her.

And there was the woman who said she cut out a nose and mouth from the mask to make it easier to breathe.

Some of the reactions are hard to believe. 

Yes, I have every right to throw a punch at your face. No, my rights stops at your nose.

It is a variation of the Supreme Court decision on free speech. It does not cover yelling fire in a crowded movie theatre unless there is a fire. In other words, free speech does not cover the right to endanger others.

I hate the masks, including the pretty one with butterflies my husband made me and the colored ones made by our local tailor. 

My glasses fog up and breathing isn't comfortable. I feel claustrophobic. 

I wear a mask and will continue until the pandemic is over. I compromise by lowering it when people aren't around. When they are it goes back up.

I feel slightly better I have a couple of pretty colored ones, but then I'm color obsessed. I can imagine having masks to match my outfit in the same way I try and color-co-ordinate my undies to my outies. 

Yes, I know it is shallow, but if I take the inconvenience, I might just as well find ways to enjoy it.

I don't think I'm one of those people who have the virus without symptoms. Notice the word think. If I am wrong, I know I could kill someone who picks up the virus from me. Or if they survive they could pass it on to someone else who would die.

And if I pick up the virus from someone else, I endanger my husband. I could leave traces on the railing I use to go downstairs from the museum square to the post office. Someone else could pick up the virus and die. Even if they don't die, they could be horribly sick and/or pass the illness to others.

My rights come with responsibilities as a member of civilized society.

Hi Ho Silver Away!