Let’s get one thing clear: the pushback was never about masks or vaccines; it was about being forced into these things.
This article could end with just that sentence, but I know too many people will want to argue about it being a public health issue. I, and many others, disagree.
Public health is a major concern. When we are dealing with something like COVID, there should be things that are suggested, even required, to keep the public as healthy as possible. I don’t think anyone disputes this. However, those things should be grounded in results based evidence, and be allowed to be spoken out against if there is a dissenting opinion.
The issue we had with the mandates surrounding COVID was not the actions themselves, but that they were not allowed to be questioned. Even Dr. Fauci had misgivings about the efficacy of masks, yet the policy became YOU MUST WEAR THEM!!!!
Why?
Whenever we enact zero tolerance policies, we negate any and all exceptions. With masks, we had people with legitimate medical concerns about long term use of masks. Asthma, anxiety, even down to those who read lips to understand what is being said to them. Yet the official line was that those people did not matter.
With the vaccines, we were simply lied to from the jump. The original line was that it would stop COVID in its tracks. This was shown to be a lie. I don’t think the lie was malicious, but born out of the speed at which the vaccines were developed. The reason vaccines take a long time to reach the general public is for long term study. We did not get that with these vaccines.
As a result, we learned on the fly that the vaccines were more of a therapeutic than a cure. They reduced the effects of COVID, and to some extent slowed down the spread, but the case numbers still came in large quantities. And we are now learning about some pretty nasty side effects from the vaccines.
But the largest issue was that neither masks nor vaccines were made as a choice. They were forced. We needed to do better.
The public deserved the truth and a choice.
I know several people who fall into very high risk categories for death due to COVID. They absolutely needed to be protected in every conceivable way! I am grateful that we had things to help keep them healthy and alive. The way we went about making those things happen was not ok.
Hindsight is always 20/20. In this instance, hindsight tells us that masks were not nearly as effective as we were led to believe. Yet, they were a layer of protection that should have been encouraged. Any layer of protection is good. It is likely that had we given people the truth, and allowed them to consider what works best for them and others, we would have seen a decent cross section choose to don a mask. Giving someone the choice to do so, or not do so, alleviates the anger toward anyone choosing something different than what you personally choose.
The forcing of masks created a division. A division that sometimes got violent. A division that tore families and friends apart. A division that was completely avoidable.
The forcing of vaccines (and make no mistake, threatening to fire people who chose to not put an untested vaccine in their body is forcing them) created further division.
Worse still was the absolute silencing of dissenting voices. If masks and vaccines were so freaking wonderful and would get us all through this safely, then why not allow a dissenting viewpoint? If these options were so very wonderful, then the dissenting voice would be easily rebuffed, wouldn’t it?
But that’s not what happened. Those voices were removed, silenced, made out to be crackpots. Two of those voices were doctors. Not just any doctors but men who are well respected. Men who have spent their lives studying the things they spoke about. Heck, one of those doctors was a pioneer in the RNA vaccine creation!! I think he MIGHT have a thing or two to educate us on.
Instead, he was removed from social media sites. Why?
As we enter this new phase of the COVID nightmare, let us all agree to treat each other with kindness. Wear a mask, don’t wear a mask. Get a vaccine, don’t get a vaccine. It truly should not matter. We are all of us responsible for our own health. We get to decide what we think works for us.
For me, I am vaccinated, have had COVID, and choose to not wear a mask. However, I am about to go on vacation with someone who is compromised. I will happily wear a mask to minimize her risk. And that’s my CHOICE. No one is making me. Even she told me I did not need to. She understands that the burden is on her to keep herself healthy. And it is. But I can help her, so I will.
If we all took this approach, we would be less divided, and likely healthier all around.
Made Dames 