Nobody
likes wearing masks. They're
uncomfortable, it's difficult to talk in them and they mess up your hair.
But as
of this morning, at least 2.6 million Americans have Covid-19, and 127,461 have
died from it. Perhaps more alarming is
the fact that infections have increased by 80% in the past two weeks. (2020)
Clearly
everyone should be wearing masks. So why
aren't they?
We
know that all decisions are emotional, so you can disregard the
"rational" excuses that people are offering. Instead we should consider what it means to
wear a mask. It means acknowledging the
fact that a pandemic is raging across the globe killing people and destroying
economies.
That's
scary stuff.
And
putting on a mask means admitting that we have no control over this virus. And that it might actually kill us or our
loved ones. Instead we chose denial -
and skip the masks so we can pretend that we are safe.
Sadly
pretending won't help. Wearing a mask
will. But people make bad decisions when
they are under stress.
Research
tells us that we need to fight fear with fear.
We need to show photos of the overrun hospitals, supply shortages and
pictures of sick people. And then maybe
people will realize that it's even scarier not to wear a mask.
(2020, July 1) Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case
Count. nytimes.com. retrieved July
1, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
3 comments:
You make a good point, but how does it fit with New York City, where I think mask wearing is relatively common? I have theories. New York, despite its size, is a community that does have a shared sink-or-swim mentality. A less flowery explanation might be that New Yorkers are reminded daily that it's a scary, uncertain world so that mask-wearing is just another precaution.
As a native New Yorker, who was here for 9/11, I would agree that New Yorkers are more aware of their interdependence than others. It's always been NY vs. everyone else. But I would also give Guv. Cuomo credit for his leadership. He has been begging people to stay home and wear masks for months. If he told us tomorrow that we needed to stay home again, I would do it because I trust him.
It was 9/11 I was thinking of too and remembering all the little and big things people did for each other, with each other. I agree about Cuomo. Back to your blog post, though, I agree that people don't want to be reminded of their fears, including their political fears.
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