I think the greatest political victory of anti-maskers here in Canada was shifting the focus of covid precautions from public responsibility to personal risk.
It’s no longer about “My mask protects you; your mask protects me,” or about keeping your neighbours or loved ones safe. Now it’s only about “I’ll wear it if it’s crowded, otherwise I’m not that worried,” and how much of a risk it is *to you*.
You see a lot of people who previously called anti-maskers idiots and would heap blame upon them, but now those same people all stopped wearing masks or taking precautions because “Vaccines are so effective now!” or “There’s hardly any [reported] cases!” or “I’m tired of being scared,” or “Well it’s not going anywhere, and I’m tired of putting my life on pause.” And it just becomes very clear that it wasn’t ever actually about protecting those around you, (or if it was that it isn’t now), but instead it was that everyone was just waiting until they could “start living again” or get back to “normal”, and those people were angry because they thought someone was preventing them from living.
I thini that’s the real root of it, is simply that most people never knew how to be alive in times of stress, that no matter how shit things get, you’re alive and your life is right here and now.
But it’s really hard to not read it as betrayal, as a childish selfishness, when someone doesn’t wear a mask or do the bare minimum; because well, it’s just very clear that it’s not about the other people they’re hurting, or pushing to the side, they can go back to stores and dance class and bars!!! There’s even less people in wheelchairs clogging up the halls, or less people to serve their drinks or staff their business. It’s all back to *normal!*
I’ve been in an abusive or tumultuous home basically all my life. If I decided that my life “started” when I wasn’t stressed, I would discount my entire existence, it all just would have been “on pause”. I still wear a mask. Everyone else is “back to normal”.
It’s just very clear that their idea of “normal” doesn’t include you, or the people we lost, or the people now being pushed aside.
“Those at-risk will protect themselves,” because the disabled and the old and children historically never need help, right? Get a grip. But don’t worry, I know you don’t feel too afraid to wear that mask that protects me and them, so I’m sure it’s fine.
