Scott Tibbs
Masking and unnecessary divisions
By Scott Tibbs, April 23, 2023
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, reactions to the virus and public health policy have been taken to extremes. We have seen this in masking recommendations, including a completely insane statement by "experts" that people should wear masks during sex. This is treating masks like religious iconography, not as a pandemic mitigation tool. It creates distrust of public health experts, and trust is very important during a global pandemic.
But anti-mask conservatives have not fared well either. One of the most strident voices against mask mandates is Doug Wilson,
who wrote this last week as part of a broader post that had almost nothing to do with masking or mask mandates:
Sin always wants to skulk. And this why so many Americans masked up so readily. They were fearful and ashamed of themselves, and shame always breeds more shame.
Some of the people who are most adamant about government and churches not biding our consciences about wearing masks are the very first people to bind others' consciences about wearing masks. Claiming that wearing a mask indicates "shame" or hiding one's sin is an obvious example of binding the conscience.
But if it's wrong to bind someone's conscience and tell them to wear a mask, is it not also wrong to bind someone's conscience and tell them not to wear a mask? What does it matter if a consenting adult chooses to wear a mask? How does it harm you? How does it infringe on your liberty in any way?
Why do you care?
We see this with secular conservatives too. Someone who wears a mask is a "sheep" and cannot think for himself. I have had many people tell me they do not take me seriously because I wore a mask in public, especially early on in the pandemic before it was mandatory. I believed the "lies" and went along with what I was told to do.
All of this needs to stop. Yes, there are Leftists who have gone too far with their views on masks. That does not mean that conservatives need to shame people who - for whatever reason - decide to wear a mask. It makes conservatives look petty and controlling. You might get applause from your own side when you condemn mask-wearing, but you are not convincing any Leftists of your position and you are not winning over any moderates. Let it go and move on.
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