The thing about masks, they were never a panacea. We treated them like they were at the expense of talking about the harder structural things in a serious way. The lack of sick pay. The congregate living issues. Vaccine hesitancy and public trust.
— Angie Schmitt🚶♀️ (@schmangee) December 19, 2022
For a lot of people masks were the equivalent of 1,000 feet of lead shielding: unassailable, unquestionable, better than all vaccines, better than any other alternative. This was fine with the powerful because the other alternatives would’ve required concessions, changes, and money spent.
It sucks when something becomes an identity marker. Really makes your brain turn into mush.