By David Kleinschuster
Q News
2020.
A year of chaos, conflict and controversy actively separates our nation, our communities and our families. Stares of death seep from wide pupils and furrowed brows towards once friends to now enemies in the streets and supermarket.
What could cause such division and frustration in just under a year?
Masks.
There are several sides to take in your stance of the virus, but two major belief systems are fueling such controversy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pro-maskers versus anti-maskers.
Though there is only a percentage of Americans who truly are anti-maskers – those who refuse to wear one at all times and all circumstances – majority of people who are deemed as ‘anti-maskers’ will wear a mask in stores or in areas which mandate it (else they receive an invitation for removal) and keep their faces free at all times where it is not mandated.
On the other side of the spectrum, there are those who wear masks in every aspect of their every day lives.
In a country with 330- million people, COVID-19 continues to impact the United States: currently, the U.S. sits at 7.3-million confirmed cases, 3.9-million recoveries, and 210-thousand deaths.
With a virus continuing to impact everyday American lives, why do masks, though most only a simple piece of fabric, contribute to fueling the flame of anger, fear and division into our daily, 2020 lives?
The Argument of a Pro-Masker
“I feel like it’s mission impossible.” said Morganne Kay, who spends her day dodging and weaving away from strangers around the luxurious campus of High Point University. The HPU campus is abounding with students enjoying leisurely strolls across the international promenade.
Bypassing benches seating statues of Amelia Earhart and Martin Luther King Jr. on the way to class, Kay shudders in discomfort by the array of students outside; some wear masks, some do not.
HPU holds strict regulations mandating students to wear masks within all buildings and in close contact with others, yet when individuals are outside practicing social distancing many opt out of the mask.
Kay has not contracted
the virus, yet some of her family and friends have fought through it. She
upholds a sterile environment wherever she goes.
“I live more cautious now…I use a special keychain which opens doors…and I only touch my bed with clothes directly out of my dresser,” she explained.
Getting away from the masses, she enters her dorm room. Kay and her roommates all agree to wear their masks in their common space and the only place where they will remove their masks is in their separate rooms; all guests wear masks as well. The countertops and doorhandles are always shimmering in the light from the constant cleansing of Clorox wipes.
This lifestyle may seem extreme to most, but to Kay it is a necessity.
For Kay, wearing a mask signifies compassion. “I’m a good ole Baptist girl, the greatest commandment is love.” Sharing her concerns, she expresses that in a world full of different people, you never know who could be at high risk.
Kay believes that the nation is too loose with COVID-19 restrictions, stating that if she were in charge, she would restart to square one: a complete, nationwide shutdown similar to what we faced in March.
Shutting down businesses. Closing schools. Quarantining families.
Taking the U.S. Postal Service and redirecting their purpose to deliver weekly rations to families so that they do not leave their homes was another thought process from Kay.
To Kay, those who do not wear masks are selfish and do not care that people are dying. “I’m not even going to waste my time with an anti-masker, you cannot argue with stupid,” Kay retorted.
Her anger and frustration rise as sparkling embers erupt into an inferno of flames toward “ignorant” anti-maskers. If given authority, she would enforce fines and even arrest those who refuse to wear a mask. “If we can’t wear masks peacefully, we should do it forcefully,” said Morganne.
Morganne scans the classroom for a seat, which she wipes down and applies Germ-x after finding a suitable option; after the professor dismisses class, a girl two rows behind her, makes her way through the double doors at the exit of the academic building.
And immediately removes her mask.
The Argument of an Anti-Masker
Anna Harris strolls around campus allowing her smile to breathe.
“We as humans need fresh air, we should not be quarantined and breathing stuffy air, we are meant to be in the open and to breathe in bacteria to boost your immune system,” said Harris.
HPU persists with their effective COVID-19 protocols through contact tracing and quarantining all who could be at potential risk of exposure. Harris shares that when she underwent a school mandated quarantine, it took a toll on her mental health.
Coronavirus rattled the world. Stripping Anna from her college education to be back home this past spring gave her some time to think; from then, lost in the uncertainty of what threats the virus could bear, to now being quizzical of the reality the media paints.
“We wear the mask out of respect, though many regulations the CDC puts out do not make sense. Restaurants, for example,” said Harris. The act of wearing a mask once you enter a restaurant, and then the permission to remove it once you sit down baffles her.
Other things began to catch her eye. The distribution of food and produce enables a business to remain functioning, while other small businesses and families running them must go out of business.
“How can strip clubs be open because they are ‘essential’ because they sell food, but gyms are still closed, said Harris.”
Another issue facing Harris is schooling.
Majority of all academics currently operates online.
Online has proven to be ineffective in more ways than one: not all Americans have functioning internet, not all Americans have access to a computer and an online education strips resources from the student to develop the proper skills and curriculum understanding.
According to the U.S.
Consensus Bureau, there are 52-million homes with children present, and only
74% of these households always have access to internet. This puts the remaining
26% of households with children at an immediate disadvantage in education.
Anna witnesses her 13-year-old brother stare into the brain frying pixels from the computer screen for seven hours a day. “It’s depressing…kids need to have a social life and need interaction in the classroom.”
She believes that schools need to be fully functionable and open and that the parents or the individual should have the choice whether to send them in person or to remain online.
Harris applauds Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida for taking away the mask mandate and giving the citizens the right to choose; she finds the ability to choose is what makes America so beautiful.
“You should just be smart and safe with your actions…calm down, this is not the end of the world,” says Anna.
Arguments Concluded
Kay and Harris both hold strongly to their beliefs and both state that they are pushing forward to a better tomorrow.
Morganne Kay encourages you to “just wear it bro.”
Anna Harris encourages
you that “there is no virus worth deteriorating your mental health.”
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