Face Mask Controversy: Politicizing A Pandemic

With the coronavirus just beginning to subside and portions of the country starting to return to a new normal, certain Americans seem to be succumbing to a new sickness: face mask controversy-itis.

Current Events
For some strange reason, conservatives and members of the Trump MAGA cult have convinced themselves that they don’t need to wear face masks and that nobody can force them to do so. The idea almost assuredly comes from Donald Trump himself, who has politicized face masks and created an “Us vs. Them” mentality amid a global pandemic. Like any cult fanatic, the Trumpies want to follow their leader. Since Trump has made it a point to never wear a mask in public and has mocked anyone who dared do so (despite desperate warnings from his own pandemic team), it’s no wonder why America is suddenly faced with a national face mask controversy.

Stores across several US states have reopened with one caveat: all shoppers must wear a mask. However, the MAGA Trumpies have decided they are exempt and are selfishly refusing to wear masks under any circumstances.

In Florida, a man decided to physically fight his way inside an Orlando-area Walmart after being denied entry for not wearing the required face mask.
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In Colorado, a Costco shopper refused to put on a mask, saying, “I’m not doing it because I woke up in a free country.”

In Reno, NV, a passenger threatened to “crush” a Lyft driver’s skull after he was informed of the new policy which requires all drivers and passengers to wear a face mask during every trip.

“You’re a f*cking wetback,” the man told the Latino driver after insisting that the coronavirus “isn’t real.”
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Store employees have been spit at, coughed on, and even stabbed for simply requesting that shoppers protect themselves and others by donning a face covering.

Apparently, many Americans are under the assumption that being asked to wear a face mask is a violation of their constitutional rights. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Almost every restaurant and take-out joint in America has a “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service” policy. Some establishments even require a certain dress code. So, if a business can legally require patrons to wear pants, they can also legally require patrons to wear a face mask during a global health crisis.

“When people say they have the right to not wear a mask they may as well say they have a right to not wear clothes,” said constitutional law and first amendment lawyer Dan Barr. “They certainly have a right to not wear clothes in their home, but no one would say you could walk in naked into a Walmart or Costco because it’s your constitutional right to do so.

“It’s strange when people say I have a constitutional right to not wear a mask while ignoring the rights of private property owners,” Barr added.

“Some Americans might wear face masks not as a way to prevent the spread of coronavirus but as a way to signal disapproval of me.” – Donald Trump

Yes, these MAGA people have somehow forgotten that constitutional rights and freedoms work both ways. A private business has the right to prevent anyone from entering their private property — so long as the decision is not discriminatory based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc. The same goes for Lyft drivers, who actually own their private vehicles. They have the right to deny service to anyone not wearing pants — or not wearing a face mask.

Donald Trump reportedly receives daily coronavirus tests. So does everyone in his orbit. All West Wing staffers are also required to wear masks and repeatedly wash their hands. So, when Trump receives such protections for his own life but willingly encourages ordinary Americans to place their own lives at risk with a politicized face mask controversy, it’s mind-boggling, to say the least.

Face masks shouldn’t be a divisive and political issue. Neither should testing and other methods to keep Americans safe during this ongoing pandemic. Had Donald Trump chosen to be a unifier by following the advice of his pandemic team, wearing a mask in public, and encouraging ALL Americans to do the same, there’d be no “Us vs. Them” political mentality and there’d be no face mask controversy.

OK WASSUP! covers Current Events:
Donald Trump and the face mask controversy.