Masks have become a culture-war issue but they are a symbol neither of virtue nor villainy
To mask or not to mask, that is the question. I’ll be honest, I’ve grown quite fond of mine. Not because I’m a Muslim woman but because I got asked for ID on Saturday night buying cheap wine at a corner shop. When that kind of magic moment occurs in your mid-forties, it’s like winning America’s Next Top Model — or RuPaul’s Drag Race in my case. Even if you’re in Archway.
Everyone is in a right tizz about the mask debate because the Government has declared it’s pretty much game over as far as Covid restrictions are concerned. It’s all down to our own sense of responsibility. This can go two ways. On the one hand I remember how so many people went above and beyond in this crisis. Then I remember there are people who actively seek medical advice from Right Said Fred.
The great mask debate is fast becoming the latest front on the culture war where everything is binary. Your entire character is now based on a mask. You’re either a saint for wearing one or masks are the most monstrous affront to human liberty. It’s making me yearn for the good old days of Brexit. Although it’s not quite reached the levels of beef around low traffic neighbourhoods on NextDoor, give it time.
For all the hysterics, I suspect that after July 19, levels of mask-wearing will probably remain where they are now. If you’re cautious, you’re likely to carry on, and if you hated them, you probably weren’t wearing them properly anyway. I think we mask aficionados look back with (slightly steamed-up) rose-tinted spectacles about how diligently people were wearing them.
We’ve never been a utopia of perfectly masked Avengers. We’ve all seen the chin strap and the nose peeper brigade. My favourite one was a chap enjoying an open-mouthed snore nap on a busy train while using his as an eye mask. No doubt sprinkled with lavender oil.
Masks are an important part of the story and I think we need to put things in perspective. They can help protect other people, rather than you. They can be helpful in confined spaces like the Tube. Most importantly, they can help hide double chins. But as we face the third wave, there are other important issues which this stooshie is masking (sorry).
How do we make sure places are well ventilated? That people who get Covid can self-isolate, especially financially? What’s the plan for those hard-to-reach groups who aren’t taking the vaccine? How do we protect the clinically vulnerable, pregnant women and others who will be terrified about freedom day?
It is time to open up society. We are already well on our way thanks to vaccines but many feel anxiety about the coming months. I hope many will continue to show some common sense and courtesy and wear a mask when they need to. But the best way to stop that good outcome is to make masks a culture war issue. They are neither a symbol of virtue nor of villainy. As with most things, persuasion is better than damnation.
Words are not enough to stop London’s knife crime epidemic
This week saw two teenage boys killed within hours of each other in separate stabbings in Greenwich and Lambeth. As a mother who lost her son to knife crime said: “You can never get over it, you can never move on.” Twenty teenagers have lost their lives in London this year. This terrible story is complex and intersects with poverty, cuts to youth services and the criminal justice system. But it needs to be addressed seriously and urgently by senior figures. Words are not enough.
Will you be wearing your mask post-July 19? Let us know in the comments below.
