It's Not Politics: Wear The GD Mask

I absolutely cannot believe this has to be said, but wear a gd mask. Wear it. Even if you’re not sure what it does or if it makes you look like a cartoon character. Wear the mask because it has been proven to stop the transmission of this virus that is wreaking havoc on the entire world. I’m not sure when the president starting politicizing the use of masks, but he is undeniably at fault for where our country currently is and its speeding descent into chaos.

I remember when the announcement came from my company’s headquarters to close NYC offices and for everyone to start gathering their belongings to work from home. For how long? We all asked, but nobody was sure. Two weeks. I think it was maybe two weeks they thought and we’d be able to come back to the office. This was all done as a precaution before the state even announced the work from home mandate for nonessential workers. Everything was up in the air. It was all speculation at that point as no one was fully aware the extent of the virus or how infectious it was.

Before our office closed, I got back from a work summit in California and got pretty sick, but figured it was because I was around so many people for an extended time. This was before Cuomo’s daily numbers announcements and before we knew where the virus first landed. It was around that time, when I got back, people were hesitant to order Chinese food and there was all this racism against asian people. Absolutely insane. Remember that NY Times article?! I remember a coworker and I joking about how absurd people were and not thinking much of the virus itself or at least how it could potentially affect work. It feels like aeons ago. That was in FEBRUARY. I’m still unsure it was the virus, but at this point, who knows?! Kinda scary to think about…

We all knew what it had done in China - shut downs, temperature checks - but with the little information being shared, the assumption was it was in America but it was just like the flu so it wasn’t that big of a deal. We were closing up shop for a few weeks so it wouldn’t get too out of hand.

It feels like that was legit years ago, but this was all happening back in MARCH. We thought this was just a phase some of the dense parts of the nation were going through and that in a few weeks things would go back to normal. Little did we know studies were being conducted long before the New York shut down and the World Health Organization had been warning leaders for months that this was no small outbreak that would just go away, but a full-fledged pandemic we should be preparing for. The president was briefed on multiple findings in JANUARY but did nothing to mobilize the country or alert anyone else of these alarming briefings. Instead, he continues to claim the virus will “go away.”

I just - he has been so unhelpful in creating plans the entire country can follow to ensure the virus doesn’t spread. He is purposely not wearing a mask and using that action as a political weapon making it a divisive statement instead of a logical preventative measure. He is getting people KILLED. His inaction is going to get even more people killed, and the complicit political leaders pandering to him, who are putting their constituents in danger, all need to be held accountable for their crimes against humanity.
There was a clip from Anderson Cooper’s show where he was interviewing the mayor of Vegas. She repeatedly told him they should open back up, but that she wouldn’t be found in a casino because she has family and doesn’t want to put them in danger 🤯 She also offered the people of Vegas to be a CONTROL GROUP amongst many, many ridiculous things. You can’t make this up. Here’s a clip, because I still cannot believe this is a real person making decisions for other humans. The title of the video is a little intense but really he is just asking her a series of rational questions, but her responses are… well, you’ll see. Mind you, this was APRIL.

Anyway, this way of thinking, even after all of the information being circulated by experts around that time and today, is utterly unhinged. What is really at play here is larger and more nefarious than opening casinos or wanting people to go to restaurants, it’s $$$$. The reason behind all of the whiney cry baby politicians who are shirking social responsibility for fiscal integrity is cold hard cash. The economy is not that stable right now because the people who are usually actively involved in it are dying of an infectious disease or trying not to spread or get the disease. Instead of figuring out sneaky ways to better word, “We should all go back to normal and ignore health experts,” maybe there should be a reexamination of why the hell we’re still operating in a system that values profit over people. This pandemic has made it exceedingly clear that we need new management. These managers aren’t letting us take sick days or paid breaks, aren’t paying fair wages, aren’t fighting for our betterment, and don’t care about our wellbeing.

We have to vote these sickos out of office, demand better representation, all while WEARING MASKS. Yes, they can be cumbersome and uncomfortable. Yes, it makes you feel odd to wear them because not everyone can smize and it feels weird having most of your expression hindered. Yes, you will forget you’re wearing the mask and smile at people anyway. You know what else though, you’ll be saving lives. You’ll easily be able to count yourself in the millions of Americans who care about their neighbors and want to get back to some semblance of normalcy. If you’re some sort of sociopath and knowing you’re helping someone else doesn’t do it for you, then think about yourself. You’ll be saving yourself from possible infection by strapping that little piece of cloth or synthetic material around that perfect nose and mouth of yours and live to terrorize another day. Maybe think about maybe not doing that though. Be nice. Go to therapy. If it’s not enough to wear a mask for yourself or others, maybe take a beat and think about why. Is it because you don’t want to be seen as weak? Well, not wearing a mask will be worse, because people will think you’re just an asshole and not only that, you could be an asshole who has or will get Covid-19 because of it. Do you think it’s some kind of global conspiracy and wearing the mask will somehow kill you? Google it. Try googling face mask deaths. Put on a face mask in your home and wear it for 5 minutes. If you’re not dead, guess what!? It’s not a conspiracy. You’re gonna be fine. Wear a mask. Do you think the government is trying to control you and this is your little way of rebelling? Hey, maybe rebel a different way that’s not going to potentially get yourself or others around you sick. It’s not a little rebellion when hundreds of thousands of people are dying from this virus and one of the sure fire ways to contain it is by wearing a mask. Wear the mask. Are you afraid someone will think you’re of another political party if you wear a mask? I don’t know, wear a donkey or an elephant on the mask or something so people will know you’re not. Wear a snowflake mask or something I dunno. JUST WEAR A MASK.

This isn’t over yet. We’re by no means in the clear and need to still be smart about how/if we socialize and follow the guidelines of health professionals and not the pleading of wild and crazy politicians. They are seriously going to get thousands of people killed and they won’t bat an eye. We have to look out for each other and that means WEARING THE GD MASKS.