Opinion: Man Up, “Conservative,” And Wear A Mask
By Dillon Bergmann
This article was originally published on December 30th, 2020.
All opinions and beliefs expressed in this article are those of our editorial board, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of the Sunset Scroll.
Before we start — for those of you looking for yet another leftist bashing a conservative, you are in the wrong place. I am someone who identifies as a Tory, or Rockefeller Republican, which are both forms of conservatism. Now let us begin.
Mandatory mask wearing has been in the news quite a lot as of late. You may have seen people in Florida who call themselves “conservatives” throw hissy fits over a mask mandate in their town, for example. They argue that this is an assault on their rights to do as they please and that this is an overreach of the government’s power. But is that supported by true conservative thought? I would say no. True conservative thought is the belief that finds its general ideals from Catholic social thought, which in general is the idea that people should be able to reach their fullest state without unnecessary interference by and with the necessary support of society — which can at times be the government. To quote Common Sense:
“Some writers have…confounded society with government…[but] Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices…The first is a patron, the last a punisher…society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.”
The necessary evil of government can be a tool of society to bring about its desired means through policies designed to protect society from it failing to support its citizens. Government intervention is sometimes needed, like with masks, to protect the populace.
In this case, to make it through the pandemic, we must support others by choosing to wear a mask. Masks have been proven to protect against the virus, and people must wear them. If, let’s say, people did not wear masks, we would have hundreds if not thousands of persons dying because of a lack of necessary support from society. This is why the government must step in to ensure that all citizens have the necessary support of society. This is done through mask mandates.
It is for this reason, among others, that I ask everyone to wear a mask. It may not be fun, but do it for the betterment of society. Do it so that people can move around in the world and be safer. Do it to save lives. It is but a small price to pay for a large net benefit on society.
