One problem with writing about something so ultra contemporary as the covid-19 pandemic of 2020-21, is the inevitable fall of the subject from timely relevance. For one who likes to write for all time, it would seem a poor choice, so I’ll do what I can to infuse something that some poor soul in the future can chew on and relate to.
My immediate focus is our old benefactor and protector; something that so many people in the world have lived with for what seems like a very long time: The Mask. And, while I included it in the title of my offering to catch your eye, Dear Reader, it will serve my purpose in more than one way.
As of this writing, three vaccines reputed to have high efficacy rates against covid-19 have been produced, and are now being administered to millions of people. And, the media is reporting that there are less cases of the virus within groups of people who have received the vaccines. This is their way of reporting that the vaccines are working.
One welcome result of this, is that in many states, restrictions on what is permissible social behavior are being lifted – most notably to my point: the relaxation of mask wearing. While I haven’t investigated every available source of information, my current understanding is that in many states of the country, a person can stop wearing a mask if he, or she, is fully vaccinated. This is, indeed, wonderful news, but I’m not sure that I understand just what fully vaccinated means.
If ‘fully vaccinated’ means having received the requisite series of shots of a multi-phased vaccine, or the single dose of a stand-alone version, and then having waited for two weeks, then there is no doubt as to the meaning. My understanding becomes somewhat fuzzy when I view the matter from a different, more practical perspective. There are references in the media to new strains of the virus that are allegedly appearing, and continuing to make people sick. The only possible logic, that I can think of, for insisting that non-vaccinated people continue to wear masks, is to hinder the development of these new strains.
Another thing confusing to me is the expectation of a need for booster shots in the future. If a health conscious individual is going to need a booster shot in the future, then at some point prior to that, he, or she, is not going to be fully vaccinated, and therefore, at that point, will be honor bound to wear a mask, until saved by the booster shot.
I don’t know if the above two suppositions about the reasons for continuing to mask-up are correct. They seem to be, and they even give the impression of being related, i.e. new strain – booster shot.
Now, as promised above, I’ll bring up something much more profound. It is still The Mask, but it is the mask worn by The Government and Government Agencies, The Media, and many people in positions of responsibility and power. The mask that they wear is most insidious because when it is used, its purpose is to obscure the truth, or, at least bend it beyond recognition. It’s understandable that organizations and governments in other countries would do what they can to keep us in the dark, but when it’s OUR institutions doing it, it is unforgivable.
All one has to do is attend to the media in all of its forms, investigate any number of social or political issues, and one will be showered with conflicting information delivered by news organizations highlighting certain events while ignoring others, with every reporting entity assuring us of THEIR veracity. There are even ‘news sleuths’ that are champions of the media that do what they call ‘fact checking’. Why would anyone believe them any more than the entity that they are checking?. It has gotten to the point where the only thing that we can be sure of is something that we can see for ourselves; like the rise of the price of gasoline.
And so, any person with even a modicum of intelligence and life experience, paying the least bit of attention to any and all news sources, would have to agree that there are innumerable examples of duplicity in today’s Government and its partner in obfuscation, The Media.
The Food and Drug Administration that has been insulting our intelligence for years by telling us that we should be very wary of vitamin supplements because they are not regulated by the FDA, and routinely warns us about the dangers of taking them, has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for Covid-19 vaccines, and have assured us that they have been rigorously tested.
In the current atmosphere of political chicanery and economic propaganda, both at domestic and international levels, how can we be expected to believe ANYTHING posing as factual news in today’s media?
Someday some of us will remember the time when we saw The Last Mask near the end of the present pandemic. It may be remembered with fondness, bringing back memories of a simpler time, and I think that that is a real possibility. Our face masks will be gone, but if we continue to have a Masked Government and Media, our country will be worse than it is now.
This should be obvious to anyone who has been paying attention for the last thirty years.
Jonathan Womelsdorf 2021