I’ve been putting off writing this for a long time. Too long.
It’s scary to put out an unpopular opinion, to officially avow yourself with the side that the entire internet so strongly insists are selfish and stupid. I don’t want to put myself in that position of ridicule and bullying, and so I’ve been avoiding this.
But I can’t avoid it any longer. I can’t keep hiding my thoughts and convictions based on fear of what others will think of me. The need to speak up has been growing and growing within me for months now so much so that it consumes me.
And what do I do with topics that consume me? I write about them.
So let’s talk masks.
Yes, I’m an anti-masker. I have been from the beginning.
But please, before you jump to the very cruel conclusion that I’m some uneducated and selfish moron, I beg that you keep reading. Let me explain myself. If, at the end of this, you still want to conclude that I’m stupid and selfish, well then at least I’ve had the freedom to express myself first.
The bottom line is this: I simply don’t believe masks are effective at preventing the spread of Covid. They definitely aren’t effective enough to warrant mask mandates or all the bullying and shaming that goes along with it.
But I didn’t just fall into this conclusion by accident. I’ll break my reasoning down for you into the following six categories:
- Because all the doctors and “experts” TOLD us that masks are ineffective for months before the mandates happened.
- Because Dr. Fauci admitted to lying to the entire American populace, destroying my trust in him forever; he currently is pushing for mask mandates, a known liar.
- Because the general population doesn’t know how to correctly use masks, making them more harmful than helpful.
- Because the CDC declared a majority of commonly-used masks are completely ineffective.
- Because certain studies have shown that masks are not effective at preventing Covid.
- Because the rise in Covid cases indicates that mask mandates are useless in preventing the spread of this disease.
Let’s take an in-depth look at each of these issues. Here we go.
All the doctors and “experts” TOLD us that masks are ineffective for months before the mandates happened.
Let’s go back in time all the way to March of 2020, a month that I’m sure we all remember very clearly. I remember watching the growing Covid cases in China and abroad. I remember hearing the “2 million will die from this” projections. I remember the day that the first of the school districts closed down. And I remember when the church shut down everything too. Most of all I remember the most terrifying Walmart shopping trip that I’ve ever experienced and seeing the shelves torn apart and watching the mobs rip little bags of flour out of employees’ hands before they even got off the pallet.
I was scared, really scared. This was all unprecedented and to say I was super freaked out was an understatement. I think we all were.
The need to protect my children was forefront in my mind and I obediently quarantined my entire family for those first two weeks. We didn’t see family, friends, or neighbors. My husband became a work-from-home employee, and so we hunkered down all alone in our home, worried but confident that we were doing what was best for our family.
In fact, I was so devoted to our quarantine that I also advised my parents to quarantine from my two brothers, both of whom lived with roommates and continued physically going into their respective workplaces; you couldn’t trust that those roommates and coworkers were being careful, that they hadn’t exposed my brothers, who would then go on to expose my parents. I was adamant, but my parents didn’t worry about it as much as I did.
So I remained steadfast in our quarantine for an entire month.
But I’ve left out a significant memory in all of this: the first mentions of wearing medical masks as a means of preventing the spread of Covid.
I remember news articles about people hoarding masks, so much so that hospitals couldn’t get enough. I read that doctors offices had to remove them from exam rooms due to patients stealing entire boxes.
Most significantly, I read doctors, nurses, journalists, and politicians begging people to stop all this, because MASKS WON’T PROTECT YOU FROM COVID. That’s what everyone said all the time, that the masks won’t do anything for you.
This is an article from the New York Times back in January of 2020 marking the beginning of the panic-buying and mask-hoarding in the US. Note that this article very specifically states that wearing masks does NOT protect healthy people, but that masks need to be reserved for doctors and nurses who directly work with sick patients.
Do you remember reading those articles? Do you remember watching those news stories?
I do. Why don’t you?
But the mask shortages continued. Suddenly Facebook and Pinterest were flooded with DIY mask instructions and I think every granny with a sewing machine and hoarded-since-the-1980s fabric stash rose up out of the dust. “My time has come!”
And the floodgates for homemade masks opened. I started seeing them everywhere. I saw Facebook friends asking around for seamstresses to make them, and I saw plenty of replies accepting orders for homemade masks.
And do you know what else I saw? Articles and videos begging people NOT to wear homemade masks because the homemade ones were NO GOOD. They did NOTHING to prevent Covid, said every major news outlet all over the place.
Do you remember reading those articles? Do you remember watching those news stories?
I do. Why don’t you?
Regardless, the surge of homemade masks continued. In fact, I know someone personally who made a huge pile of homemade masks to donate to the local hospital, which reported it was frighteningly short on masks. She took her heartfelt donation to the hospital, hoping to do some good in the world, and do you know what happened?
They rejected it. They didn’t take a single mask. They sent her home with her new stash of masks and told her that HOMEMADE MASKS DON’T PREVENT COVID.
I remember asking what she was going to do with all those now-useless masks that she’d so charitably made. She shrugged and said that she gave them to an elderly neighbor. “I told her that they won’t work against Covid,” she said, “But she still wanted them. I think just having them makes her feel better.”
I continued with my life the best I could, considering the circumstances. I began visiting my family, but I still remained vigilant. I hand-sanitized mine and my boys’ hands whenever we went out, I wiped down the grocery carts, I social-distanced as much as possible in public, I washed mine and my boys hands often, and I hyper-focused on not ever touching my face (and reminding my boys to do the same, but as they are very young, ages 2 and 3 at the time, that was a hit-and-miss issue).
And no, I didn’t bother with any masks. Everyone had told us repeatedly, after all, that masks don’t prevent Covid.
So why did all of this change? Why, after months of doctors, media, and politicians begging us not to buy, wear, or make masks, did everything suddenly do a 180 switch?
Because of Dr. Fauci.
Dr. Fauci admitted to lying to the entire American populace, destroying my trust in him forever.
Most notably in those first few months of the pandemic, I remember the rise in popularity of this certain man: Dr. Fauci.
If you haven’t heard of him, then I wonder what on earth kind of news you’ve been watching this past year. Have you been watching any news? But I’ll clue you in. Dr. Fauci is the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He was the big head-honcho on Donald Trump’s task force to fight Covid and now is Biden’s chief medical advisor. Basically he’s in charge of all things medical on a national level.
Almost overnight he became a household name–at least in our household. My husband and I watched all the Covid news and everything Dr. Fauci said very carefully. Remember, protecting my children was at the forefront of my mind in all this and I was very scared; I was desperate for answers, like everyone else.
And I remember watching this particular interview with the good ol’ doctor specifically about wearing masks. Healthy people, Dr. Fauci emphasized, should NOT wear masks. “People should not be walking around wearing masks.”
Notice, most importantly, the interviewer following up on that statement: “You’re sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.”
“No. People should not be wearing a mask. There’s no reason for people to be walking around wearing a mask.”
You can’t watch the entire interview on CBS without an All Access membership, but I’ve linked to that video and article describing the interview here if you’d like to learn more.
And he went on with a very reasonable and logical rationale against healthy people wearing masks. First, it gives them a false sense of security, thinking that they now have a “perfect protection” when really they don’t; they still need to be cautious and wash their hands and all that jazz.
Second, he said that people are more likely to touch their faces to adjust those masks, which only puts more germs on their face. That worried me, because the most solid information we had at that time was that Covid was transferred through your mouth and nose, so “DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE” reminders were shouted from the rooftops on a daily basis.
And the weeks and months marched on. Cases continued to rise, very disturbing death counts rolled in from New York, and still life soldiered on for me and my little family.
Costco was the first store I remember mandating masks, but it was soon after that more and more places followed suit. But the official government mandates didn’t start rolling in until June.
Again, I watched the news carefully in all this. I’d already been following all the messy, scary stuff going on in New York and California, and I kept following as state after state, governor after governor, started implementing mask mandates. And in my own beloved Utah, Salt Lake County followed suit and ordered a mask mandate beginning in June.
And I was very confused. Hadn’t they told us for three whole months that masks don’t work? So why the sudden mandate?
And Dr. Fauci spoke out again, but this time he was suddenly singing a completely different tune. Just a few months prior he’d said that masks don’t prevent Covid, but here he was now claiming that everyone had to wear a mask, or any kind of face covering.
What the heck? Whatever happened to the concept that masks will make things worse because people will touch their faces more? The false sense of security? Why the sudden switch?
This is a link to the article describing Fauci’s reasoning for his sudden switch in wearing masks.
The good doctor’s reasoning here is absolutely critical.
When asked why he actively discouraged masks just a few months prior, note that he didn’t answer something like, “We’ve done new studies and understand something new about this virus, so I realized I was wrong last time; masks do indeed help prevent Covid!”
No, that’s not what he said. Not even close.
His reason for originally saying no to the masks? Because of the mask shortage, to discourage mask hoarders.
So you lied? To the entire country?
Yes. Yes he lied. Covid is literally a life and death matter, and your precious Dr. Fauci lied to you about how to protect yourself and your family. Let that sink in for a moment.
And the best part? He openly admitted to lying to the entire American population.
The worst part? No one cared. No one batted an eye. No one said, “Well hold on, you freaking LIAR! Why the heck should we listen to you when you just told us that you LIED to us? Give me one good reason why you shouldn’t be fired immediately and publicly disgraced right here, right now!”
No. No one said that.
Instead everyone just nodded and went about following his orders, following the admitted LIAR’S orders. “Oh sure,” the entire country fell obediently into line. “Mask mandates are good now. I’ll go along with that. If I don’t, then the self-proclaimed LIAR says that I’m selfish and want my grandma to die. So mask up, everyone!”
Well hold up. Hold the heck up.
Let’s talk about this, because no one else will. No one else wants to. No one else cares.
Well I care.
So let’s freaking talk about this.
We have two contradicting statements from the biggest medical head honcho in the country:
- Healthy people shouldn’t wear masks. They don’t do any good and will cause a false sense of security and dangerous face-touching.
- Everyone needs to wear a mask pronto to stop the spread of Covid; but don’t use the good ones–save those for doctors.
Both of these can’t be true. So which is? By Fauci’s own account, the first is false and the second is true. Let’s assume that’s correct for a moment. Do you understand the implications of Dr. Fauci’s actions, of the consequences of his lie to the entire nation?
It means that he, a doctor, actively chose his own life over the lives of every single American citizen. It means that when the first interviewer asked, “You’re sure of it?”…
…Our sweet little Dr. Fauci, in his evil and twisted mind, thought, “Hmm, if I am decent and honest in this moment, people will start wearing masks and a lot of lives will be saved. The shortage will continue, yes, but at least everyone will have the knowledge to save themselves and their families. I could save thousands of lives, if only I were honest. But no, I need a mask for myself, because my own miserable life is worth way more than all of these dumb peasants. If I lie right now and say no, that masks don’t work, then the shortage will end and I will be able to get a mask all for myself to save my own skin. So what if people die? They’re just dumb citizens, after all. It doesn’t matter if they die. And I don’t want to die, so I better say…”
“No. People should not be walking around wearing masks.”
What!?
Do you remember that I said from the very beginning that the safety of my children has been on the forefront of my mind through all of this? I want you to imagine with me the same scenario but on a personal scale.
Imagine you went to your kids’ pediatrician and asked, “I’m scared and freaked out by this pandemic, but above all I want to save my children. Will wearing a mask save my children?”
And what if your pediatrician sat there and thought, “Hmm. If I tell this mom yes, then she and her kids will start wearing masks and their lives will be saved. But there’s a shortage of masks and I need a mask too. Hmm. I’d rather have this dumb mom and her snotty kids die so that I can take the mask for myself. Yep, that’s what I’ll do.”
“No. You and your family should not be walking around wearing masks.”
Now fast forward a few months. If this same pediatrician, the one you trusted and obeyed, then openly admitted to lying to you, how would you feel?
This doctor put your children’s lives at risk. This is quite literally a matter of life and death and your doctor just sentenced you and your entire family to death.
How do you feel? Seriously?
Personally I feel freaking livid. That’s how I feel. You don’t play with lives like that, especially children’s lives. That’s just evil. It’s plain evil.
Would you keep seeing that pediatrician? Would you keep taking your children there, keep trusting that your kid’s best interest is that doctor’s priority?
Of course not, if you’re any sort of logical person. You’d, at the very least, stop seeing that doctor and tell all your friends and family to avoid that pediatrician like the plague because they put their own, selfish interests ahead of children. If it were me, I’d try to find some higher-up and report them. At the very least I’d leave a scathing review on something like ratemds.com and try to warn other innocent patients away from this doctor.
This has been a micro example, but remember, Dr. Fauci did this on a macro scale to the entire nation.
Dr. Fauci put your life at risk. He put your child’s life at risk. He put your high-risk grandparents’ lives at risk. He knowingly and willingly put your family, friends, and neighbors at risk.
And he has the gall to call himself a doctor.
And did we stop listening to him? Did we warn our friends and family to avoid him like the plague? Did we report him and try to have him removed from office? Did we do anything?
No. Instead, Time Magazine named him The Guardian of the Year for 2020. A self-proclaimed LIAR who chose his own piddly life over the lives of every single citizen in the entire United States of America was honored as a “guardian.” A “guardian.”
WHAT?! IS THIS THE FREAKING TWILIGHT ZONE? WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?!
But that’s only the first option. The fact that he’s a selfish liar is only true if he lied the first time, that masks do really work, and he was telling the truth the second time.
So what about the second option?
What if Fauci’s second statement, the encouraging of masks and face coverings, was the lie and his first interview was the truth?
Firstly, he’s still a liar. Like I said earlier, both of his statements can’t be simultaneously true, so even in this case, he’s still a liar and my trust in him is utterly and completely destroyed. I can’t trust that liars have my children’s best interest at heart.
What motivation would Dr. Fauci have to lie in June and tell everyone to mask up? Why convince a populace to wear ineffective masks, especially when he earlier admitted that masks cause more harmful face-touching than not?
I don’t know his motivations. Period. All I can do is brainstorm, which I’m not going to waste time doing here. But I’ll sum up with this: I can’t think of a moral and genuine reason to tell the American community to wear potentially-harmful masks. Everything I can imagine includes corruption, fame, power, or fearmongering.
Yikes. It doesn’t look good for dear old Dr. Fauci.
The bottom line is this: We can never be sure which of his statements is true, either that masks are ineffective or they are lifesavers. You have to use your own logical thinking brain and decide for yourself which you believe.
Either way, Dr. Fauci has proved himself a liar and he should be removed from his position immediately. I don’t trust liars and I have no reason to trust him any longer. So every single time he speaks about anything I take his words with not just a grain of salt, but a freaking truckload of salt; he’s an admitted liar, remember. Basically whatever he says I’m ready to do the exact opposite.
Unfortunately, a majority of mask mandates and lockdown policies have had some sort of trickle-down from Fauci himself. Whenever people say that meaningless platitude of, “Trust the experts,” they inadvertently mean Dr. Fauci.
Excuse me? Trust the man who lied to the entire country? Why on earth would I possibly trust him, expert or no? He’s lied at least once, so what’s to stop him from lying again?
No. I won’t trust him. And your self-righteous claims that you “trust the experts” only signals to me that you will tolerate Fauci’s known corruption in the name of feeling a little safe.
And that I will not do. No sir.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: After writing this essay I shared it with my husband who responded, “Hey! I just watched a YouTube video that’s all about exactly what you’re talking about here!” So if you’d like a very amusing sum-up of all this Dr. Fauci flipflopping corruption, here you go: (And the fact that he dare blame Trump for his “inconsistent leadership” is just…just…I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Dr. Fauci is just the absolute worst.)
Because the general population doesn’t use masks correctly.
Typically I believe in moderation in all things; rare few issues are as extreme and absolute as we might think.
I’ll openly admit that this mask-effectiveness issue is the same. I won’t sit here and claim that 100% of masks are useless 100% of the time in 100% of cases. That’s just not true.
No. We know that sick people have historically worn masks to minimize the reach of their coughing germs, and we know that healthcare workers have historically worn masks when treating sick patients to protect both themselves and the patient. I fully acknowledge and understand these concepts.
The big questions here are as follows:
- Are masks effective enough to warrant the extensive mandates that we have seen?
- Does a mask do more harm than good?
That second statement might confuse you. How could a mask possibly cause harm?
If you use your mask incorrectly, then yes it will absolutely cause you harm. The bigger issue you should consider here is how much do you trust all the strangers around you to be using their masks correctly.
I’m not just talking about wearing it underneath your nose, but yes indeed that will decrease your mask’s effectiveness. No, I’m talking about improper use and care for masks actually causing you, the wearer, more harm than good. Not only will improper mask care NOT prevent Covid at all, but it will also harm your own health.
Healthcare workers are actually trained how to correctly put on and remove protective equipment. It’s a thing.
I’m not a medical worker, but I worked as a lifeguard as a teenager and we were trained how to correctly remove contaminated gloves. Before that time, the thought to not just rip off bloody gloves willy-nilly would never have even occurred to me.
Masks are the same way. If your mask is contaminated and you rip it off willy-nilly, then you’re just spreading all those germs that you so hoped to contain all over your hands and every subsequent surface you touch. Way to go.
Congratulations. Your mask is now officially more harmful than helpful.
Now you might be thinking, “Oh, I’m really good at taking off my mask correctly. I always do it right!” Sure, sure. I might believe you.
But do you honestly, truly trust that every single person in the country is doing the same? I certainly don’t.
Do you honestly, truly think that no one has succumbed to habit and just tossed on their mask carelessly? Do you honestly, truly believe that all the elementary school kids know how to correctly put on and remove their masks? Do you honestly, truly think that no obnoxious middle-schooler is purposely doing it wrong as a form of mini-rebellion in the only way he knows how?
Honestly truly, do you?
Plenty of people only wear masks because of the mandates; otherwise, they wouldn’t bother. Do you honestly, truly trust that those people care to figure out the correct way to put on and take off a mask? No, I don’t think they do.
So lift the mandates. I’m not saying ban masks, far from it.
But if masks were a choice then I would trust (maybe) those who choose a mask to choose it based (hopefully) on research. I would trust a little more that that person might have watched at least one YouTube video on correctly using it. Let that person correctly use his mask to his heart’s content.
But for everyone else? Save them from accidentally harming themselves and others by spreading more germs. You’re not doing anyone any favors here by forcing them. Lift the mandates and let the people choose…and let them choose to educate themselves about proper protective equipment care.
Besides the putting-on and taking-off issue, we also have the cleanliness issue.
I know some people who religiously wash their masks after every use. Well done. But I know plenty of others (a majority of others) who keep their reusable cloth masks in their purses, glove boxes, or dangling from their rearview mirrors.
These masks are not sanitary, and even if they were, shoving it into my purse next to my germy phone and wallet to take to the store with me would remove any and all sanitation attempts I previously made.
In fact, the CDC recommends that you seal your contaminated masks in a ziploc bag after each use to keep it from spreading germs all over your purse or car. That’s news to me! Anyone ever heard of this before? Anyone out there do this method? Anyone? Anyone?
Again I hear you claiming that you always wash your mask properly, and again I ask do you honestly, truly trust that every other person in the entire country is doing the same?
Dirty or soggy masks are way more harmful than wearing no masks at all. Think of all the disgusting germs (Covid or otherwise) that’s all over your car, your purse, your phone, and your hands. Now shove all those gross germs onto a single cloth surface and place that cloth directly onto your nose and mouth. It’s filthy. It’s disgusting.
You could be breathing all sorts of filth and germs and grossness.
But hey, Dr. Fauci told you to wear it, so at least you’re obedient. And still gross.
And for the record, everything I say here goes double for kids’ masks. They just don’t have the maturity to know, care, or remember to keep their masks clean. I super, super don’t trust kids’ masks to be safe in any way, shape, or form, even if you do religiously wash it after every use. Kids are just gross, man; I should know, I’m raising three of them!
Besides the improper removal of masks, the improper cleaning of masks, I haven’t even mentioned the face-touching, oh the disgusting face-touching! Even if you do wear, remove, and clean your mask correctly, don’t forget that you, like everyone else, is just as susceptible to subconsciously touching and readjusting your face mask, therefore getting germs on your face.
You might think that you don’t, but know that I simply don’t believe you. But don’t feel bad about it; masks are a whole new thing for most of us, so don’t be surprised when you mess it up. Everyone else is messing it up too.
And with every daily mess-up, your mask is falling and falling down the effectiveness scale and potentially making you even more sick.
So no, I absolutely will not push for mask mandates on a populace who can’t or won’t handle them correctly and I absolutely will not push for my grimy, germy kids to spread even more of their grimy, germy mask-grossness all over their own faces.
No.
Because the CDC declared a majority of commonly-used masks are completely ineffective.
I already laid out the biggest ways that improper mask usage is causing harm. But, for the sake of argument, I’ll table that topic for a moment. Let’s visit an imaginary, magical utopia where every citizen–regardless of age, intelligence, or ability–wears, removes, and washes their masks correctly. Ah, paradise!
But even in this theoretical paradise, let’s talk about the masks themselves.
This whole mask issue weighed on me heavily and so I went to what I assume might be a trusted source: the CDC. They’ve published a list of masks that are effective and a list of masks that are not which you can view here. If you’re interested in even more info, you can navigate through related mask issues on the left of the article. And yes, they actually teach you how to wear, remove, and wash your mask. And yes, the CDC is very pro-mask.
But let me be perfectly clear: the CDC website itself reads, “Your mask offers some protection to you.”
That’s a big “some” if we’re talking about mask mandates, specifically when we’re trying to gauge if mandates are more helpful or harmful. Either way, be warned and wary that masks are not an end-all save-all solution to Covid.
Let me repeat that: Masks are not an end-all save-all solution to Covid.
So stop acting like they are.
Yes, I’m talking to you. Get off your mask high-horse and stop acting like I’m killing every grandma in the world by opposing mandates. Masks are not an end-all save-all solution to Covid.
Masks are no guarantee, was my first takeaway here. Even if you wear, remove, clean, and choose the most effective mask ever, you could still catch Covid.
So stop posting that we’ll finally end all this if we just shut up and wear masks. That’s simply not true.
The second takeaway here: I don’t trust people to follow this approved list.
Why? Why do I have so little trust in my fellow man?
Because I see unapproved masks ALL THE TIME.
Yes, I’ve seen knitted masks. Yes, I’ve seen ventilated masks constantly. Yes, I’ve seen kids wear adult masks that don’t fit them. Yes, I’ve seen lots of bandanas tied cowboy-style. And most of all yes, yes, yes, I’ve seen those stupid plastic face shields all over the place. All of these kinds of masks are a big no-no according to the CDC, and I see them often and consistently.
These people obviously didn’t check any of these CDC guidelines in choosing their masks, so they are doing zero things to prevent Covid. Let me reiterate that: their mask effectiveness drops to zero. ZERO.
And if they didn’t reference this list when choosing their mask, why on earth should I trust that they referenced anything at all in removing or washing that completely-useless mask of theirs?
So you have two possible solutions here. First, you could mandate specific masks and have doctors at the entrances of all public places to check the masks of people going in. If you’re wearing a cowboy bandana, then you’ll get turned around and sent home. This solution indeed exists, but it would be impractical, expensive, and a huge waste of medical professionals’ time when they could be actually helping save Covid patients.
The second solution is simple, free, and easy. Lift the mask mandate. Just like the proper removal issue, some people simply won’t care and will throw on the first cowboy bandana they can find. You’re not doing anyone any favors and you’re not saving any lives by pretending that his bandana or plastic face shield is somehow saving the world.
Besides the obvious mask no-no’s that I regularly see, the other most common mask I see are obviously homemade ones. Notice that according to the CDC, that some homemade masks are on the approved-list…if they are made correctly and have at least two layers.
Remember back with me to the early days of the pandemic. I’ve already said that I remember Facebook and Pinterest being flooded with DIY facemask patterns and instructions. And now I can’t help but wonder how many of those DIYs were up to these CDC standards. All of them? Some? None?
Remember that I already don’t have a lot of trust in the general public, but further remember that all those DIY instructions came out when the official stance was still that masks don’t work.
So who, knowing that, honestly truly checked the CDC guidelines when making your homemade mask? This all drops that somewhat-comforting statement of, “Your mask offers some protection to you,” down to, “Your useless homemade mask isn’t up to correct standards and so, far from actually preventing Covid, is actually doing you harm. Nice try.”
Because certain studies have shown that masks are not effective at preventing Covid.
I have to list this issue, even though I know that all of you obedient pro-masking enthusiasts will throw it out immediately. For every study I could cite backing up the claim that masks don’t work, I know you’ll find a study that shows the complete opposite. We could play that game all day, taking turns throwing contradictory studies back and forth, back and forth.
All studies, essentially, in whatever field can be manipulated. I always try to take studies with a grain of salt. This issue of mask-effectiveness is no exception.
With that being said, I still have to list this issue as evidence, whether or not you believe the evidence is credible. Credible or not, it exists and therefore needs addressing.
Instead of one-upping each other with various studies, I will share only one. It was performed in Denmark and was largely ignored by major news outlets. However I will be honest and tell you that the study isn’t entirely conclusive if masks were the source of preventing Covid or social distancing. But the study went as follows: out of over 6,000 participants, one group wore masks and one did not and then they were followed and tested to see how many contracted Covid. 1.8% of the maskers got it while a whopping 2.1% of the un-masked participants did.
If you struggle with math, that’s a difference of less than 1%.
Again, such a conclusion must beg the question: is a mask mandate worth such a small difference?
“But if it saves even one life,” I hear you protest, “Isn’t it worth it?”
Don’t forget the issues we talked about above with the harm that a mask mandate will cause. So I will rephrase the question back to you:
“But if the mandate destroys even one life, is it still worth it?”
But hey, you might not catch Covid.
Or you still might, who knows?
[For the record, this counter argument becomes terrifyingly stronger when discussing lockdowns as a whole in regards to the very disturbing rises in poverty, worldwide hunger, mental illness, suicide, and internet exploitation of minors.
“If these lockdowns destroy even one life, is it still worth it?”
But as I’m here specifically to talk about masks, I’ll leave the tyrannical lockdown issue for another day.]
But let’s get back to the issue of studies disproving the effectiveness of masks. Like I said earlier about Fauci, one of his statements is true and one is a lie; likely we’ll never know which.
The same applies here to these kinds of studies: some say masks work, others say that masks don’t. They can’t both be true at once, and so you have to do your own research and look into your own soul to really decide what you believe about both topics. What makes the most sense? Whose possible motivations are the most realistic? Who benefits the most from fudging a medical study like this?
Personally, I see this issue as just one piece of the puzzle, as I do deciphering Dr. Fauci’s lies. These are the pieces I’ve found that all lend to me not supporting mask mandates or me personally wearing a mask.
That being said, you’re just as free to see these same puzzle pieces and rearrange them into an entirely different picture. I can’t fault you for that, but still remember: we can’t both be right at the same time.
Because the rise in Covid cases indicates that mask mandates are useless in preventing the spread of this disease.
I just told you that studies disproving the effectiveness of masks are just a piece to the puzzle. Undeniably, that puzzle piece must link to this one.
Remember that at least here in Utah, mask mandates have been in effect since June for Salt Lake County, which has the highest population in the state and also the highest rate of Covid infections.
I personally live immediately south of Salt Lake County, but I go north to visit often as I have many friends and family who do live there.
And despite those mask mandates, Salt Lake County has still seen spikes in Covid cases. People are still contracting the disease. People are still getting sick. People are still dying.
Let’s focus on the most recent nationwide Covid spike that happened in November. Talks of more lockdowns and mandates ripped through the internet. Plenty of other places indeed instigated crazy-harsh lockdowns, but I was grateful that Utah was mostly spared of the insanity that is currently ruining lives in California, New York, Canada, the UK, and Australia, to name a few.
Regardless of Utah’s lockdown measures, we still saw a big spike in cases leading up to Thanksgiving. And I saw similar responses from so many Facebook users: “It’s because people aren’t wearing masks!”
“Hold on,” I finally confronted one of them. “There has been a mask mandate for five months now. You can’t go shopping, go out to eat, attend college, or go to school without a mask. So who still isn’t wearing a mask?”
It was actually a rhetorical question that I hoped would incite some thinking.
If I use my logical thinking brain, I come to this: a majority of people are wearing a mask a majority of the time. So shouldn’t we see a reduction in a majority of Covid cases?
If the masks prevented Covid, then yes.
So why the spike?
Because masks don’t prevent Covid. So is the conclusion of my logical thinking brain.
Sadly, instead of that logical conversation I wanted, I got shut down and called selfish. Shocker. The conversation didn’t move past that point.
I’ve already stated above that I think mask mandates are doing more harm than good, and this is exactly the kind of harm we were once warned about.
People don’t wear masks correctly and spread more germs around. Then people wear ineffective masks and still inhale all of those germs. And of course people touch their faces more often than not to fiddle with their masks, now contaminating their vulnerable faces.
And you wonder why we’ve seen a spike in cases?
And still the solution is clear: end the mask mandates.
I’ve had this and similar conversations multiple times (which has also spurred me finally writing this article) and I’m surprised by the almost-verbatim responses that I always get:
“People are DYING!”
Yes, I know.
“But I know so-and-so who DIED of Covid!”
Yes, I know.
“I know a [insert-medical-professional-here] who has horror stories of seeing so many people DIE of Covid!”
Yes, I know.
These responses confuse me, let alone annoy me.
I’m not denying the existence of Covid. I’m not dismissing deaths or scoffing at death tolls. I’m not brushing it aside and saying that Covid doesn’t matter or hasn’t affected lots of people in very tragic ways.
None of that. Stop assuming that’s what I’m saying or what I believe.
I’m saying this: lockdowns and mask mandates haven’t cured Covid. Lockdowns and mask mandates haven’t prevented the spread of Covid, like Dr. Liar-Fauci said they would. Lockdowns and mask mandates haven’t stopped people from dying, won’t avenge people who’ve died, and won’t prevent further deaths in the future.
Mask mandates haven’t done a single thing. In fact, mounting evidence suggests that mask mandates have made things worse.
So why are you still pushing for them? Why are you still begging for more of them, and stricter ones?
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. With that in mind, to all of you asking for more lockdowns and mask mandates, I must with great sincerity declare you insane.
So what now? I hear you ask. Lift the mask mandates? Let everyone get sick and die of Covid?
Let’s talk for real here. It’s going to be scary, but we can do it.
The Jurassic Park Analogy
I have seen SO MANY meaningless platitudes burn through Facebook since the start of all these masks.
“We’re in this together!”
“Come on guys, we can beat this!”
“If everyone wears their mask, then we can defeat Covid in a month!”
“We need to come together and get this under control!”
And when I see these worthless posts, I’m always reminded of Jurassic Park.
That might sound like a weird connection to make, but hear me out.
Jurassic Park (and it’s sequels, including Jurassic World) explores a very powerful theme of man v. nature. The whole story revolves around humans who think they can control nature, aka dinosaurs.
They’ve spared no expense, only bred female dinos, and keep everything safely locked up behind electric fences. What could go wrong?
Something always goes wrong. Nature always finds a way. Dinosaurs, it turns out, are not controllable, no matter what safety precautions you’ve put up. The fences will go out, the T-Rex will escape, the velociraptors will get into the kitchen.
And the movie doesn’t end until a bunch of people have been eaten by freaking dinosaurs.
Nature finds a way. You can’t control nature.
Covid may not have as many teeth as dinosaurs, but Covid is likewise not controllable, at least in such a stupid solution as, “Strap a plastic sheet around your forehead.” Wearing a mask and thinking you’re safe is the same as running into the bathroom and thinking the T-Rex won’t rip the whole place down and still eat you.
And here’s the even scarier part: we might not have a choice but to wait until the end of the movie.
Don’t misunderstand me here. I am NOT in any way, shape, or form suggesting that we throw caution to the wind and start licking grocery cart handles. I am NOT endorsing those idiotic Covid-spreader parties. I am NOT suggesting you send your high-risk granny to the germiest elementary schools around and have her start rubbing kids’ hands on her face.
All I’m saying is this: accept that you can’t control nature. Accept that pandemics are scary, really freaking scary.
Just please, please be wise. Another reoccurring theme you see in the Jurassic Park movies is that the wise usually survive. Don’t smear baby T-Rex blood on your shirt, don’t go into the tall grass, don’t steal velociraptor eggs, and don’t genetically engineer a super dinosaur capable of killing everything in its path.
But wearing a mask? Covering your face with filth and germs just because a self-proclaimed lair told you to? Not wise.
But I want to give a little hope: just like nature finds a way, LIFE also finds a way. YOUR life will find a way. Human life will find a way.
Humans are resilient. Humanity has endured and survived countless dangers, and still we rise and push forward. Pandemics are scary. Covid is scary. But you can choose to either meet that fear with renewed strength, or you can quietly lie down and accept danger, lies, tyranny, isolation, and death.
To Conclude:
I’m not opposed to you wearing a mask, I’m really not. You have the freedom to wear one if you choose, and I have the freedom to choose differently.
It all comes down to honesty from the media and our politicians. If someone, anyone actually spoke up and warned people about the potential risks of misusing masks, then I’d feel a little better. If someone, anyone actually spoke up and reminded the world that masks aren’t the end-all solution, then I’d feel a little better. If someone, anyone actually spoke up about anything useful in helping me protect my family, then I’d feel a little better.
But we don’t hear anything like that.
All we hear is that not wearing a mask is selfish. Not wearing a mask means you don’t care about killing your grandma. Not wearing a mask means that you deny science. Not wearing a mask means you think Covid is imaginary and you don’t believe anyone has ever died of it.
Where on earth is all this coming from?
Can we not have a real conversation about any of this without being shut down?
Apparently not.
But don’t forget who benefits from shutting you down. Let me clue you in: it’s not anyone you want to benefit.
Don’t forget that they told us from the beginning that masks won’t prevent the spread of Covid. Don’t forget that the hospitals rejected donations of homemade masks because they claimed that they don’t work. Don’t forget that the CDC published a very short list of effective masks that most everyone has ignored in favor of useless masks. Don’t forget that Dr. Fauci once told us that masks only encourage more germ-infested face-touching. Don’t forget that multiple studies have shown the ineffectiveness of masks.
Don’t let them guilt you into thinking that you’re killing your grandma. Don’t let them guilt you into just shutting up.
We’re being collectively gaslighted here, and that’s just as scary to me as the rest of this pandemic.
But remember that we have other more effective ways of preventing the spread of Covid. If you are at risk of dying from Covid, then please, I sincerely beg you to quarantine yourself. Wash your hands, don’t needlessly expose yourself to other people, don’t touch your face, take your vitamins, keep up your health, and get the vaccine. Please. No one wants more deaths.
But let me reiterate another point that people for some reason hate to hear: this disease has at least a 99.7% survival rate. I don’t say that to stomp on the graves of those who’ve died, but to give a little hope. Many, many people out there are very low-risk for dying of Covid. You might get sick, yes, and that will always suck, so be wise. Oh please, be wise.
But to both the high- and low-risk people, I give the same message:
Don’t allow yourself to be manipulated or gaslighted into allowing evil and corruption to run amok in our government and our society.
Don’t let fearmongering make you blind to evil and lax to those who lie to you.
Don’t let evil go unchecked in the name of obedience.
They want to take advantage of you and they want to control you. They are profiting off your fear and ignorance both in terms of finances and in political power.
They are gaslighting me. They are gaslighting you.
What are you going to do about it?
