Why Do Strangers Care If I Wear a Mask?
It’s a free country, right?
Have you ever had someone you don’t know make a disparaging remark to you because you wear a mask? That happened to me last week. Before that, it was just dirty looks from barefaced strangers.
I live in a red state — one of the reddest: Idaho. I wish I didn’t but due to family obligations, I am staying put for now.
You may have heard about the recent mask burning protest at the state capitol in Boise. It made the national news. Yes, mask-wearing is a divisive issue here, more so than in the neighboring states of Washington and Oregon — blue states.
A mask mandate passed in my community last summer. (There has never been a state-wide mask mandate.) Soon after the vote was cast, local TV news reported on a group of protesters upset about the outcome. Many in this group were said to be tied to local militias. A woman with a blowhorn was caught on film screaming, “There will be blood!” The crowd was angry and frothing with threats, claiming that the mask mandate was an affront to their civil liberties.
If you’re unfamiliar with militias, just know that members aren’t shy about bringing out their long guns, like AR-15s, when feeling threatened. Idaho is an open carry state. (Idaho is a permissive open carry state, meaning you can open…
