Mask mania part II: Should you wear one out of 'respect'?

I see that talking about coronavirus mask mania triggers some passionate responses, and I knew it would, of course, when I wrote last week's column. In light of some things I've heard, I'm compelled to follow up. So let's get to it.

I'm no politician, and I don't give a flying flip about what politicians say about most things, so my thoughts about masks have nothing to do with politicians. I operate on what I observe and believe, and I'm madly in love with common sense. Am I always right? Of course not, but I'll always be true to myself and to others based on my reflections. I don't need a multitude of people to agree with me. If they do, great, but if not, that's okay also. If my conscience agrees with me, that's what matters.

So let me address a few things about the masks. As I said last week, if one feels to wear one, have at it. If one has a compromised immune system, by all means, please feel free to wear one. However, I'm not going to pretend that the science unwaveringly indicates that these masks are doing what drivers alone in a car, joggers on a private run and lone hikers in the forest have been told they will. I am also not going to get caught up in the craze of matching masks to outfits and all of that "interesting" behavior. This isn't a cute wardrobe addition to me -- although it does appear to have morphed into an accessory one can never leave home without. Again, I refuse to settle in to this new (ab)normal. I'm not going to applaud the mask police, who get all up in people's faces, pointing fingers at folks who choose not to wear a mask and scaring small mask-less children. And to the business I saw in New York that had masks for sale -- displayed on those mannequin wig heads outside the store to attract buyers: Really?

People counter the idea of getting a divorce from suffocating masks by indicating that they are intended to protect others from us, not so much us from the virus. It's good to hear people acknowledge the possibility that these masks are not only ineffective at keeping us from contracting the virus, but may actually make us more susceptible. But I have to address the perspective that wearing them shows "respect" for the vulnerable. I can understand that desire, but how long must we wear masks to show respect? One week? One month? One year? The rest of our lives? Think about how we live. Are we shamed into wearing masks during flu season out of "respect" for those who might catch the flu from us -- the flu we may or may not have? Do we wear body armor out of "respect" for those who might get the chickenpox from us -- the chickenpox we also may or may not have? And what about reverse "respect"? Do those who feel susceptible to the virus stay inside out of "respect" for those who are healthy or even those who are not so healthy with breathing problems so they don't have to choke on a mask for the rest of their lives. Or is the "respect" all one-sided? How does that work? Who gets to be the "respect" receiver, and who only gets to be the giver? I'm not trying to be unkind at all. I'm injecting my own common sense into this whole thing.

I can already hear it: "You're supposed to be a Christian. What kind of talk is that?" That usually translates to "You're not a real Christian if you don't think the way I think a Christian should think" or, more accurately, "You're a fraud because you don't subscribe to the way I want you to think." I'm not fazed by those calculated comments; I know what's behind them, and I know who I am. My thoughts about masks have nothing to do with being callous or condemning anyone. Common sense and Christianity can coexist -- should, in fact, coexist. So my words serve to beg for common sense practices and caution that should be employed, without embracing a life sentence of mask-wearing -- which seems to be where we're headed.

Really, Adrienne, all this about masks? Yes and no. Masks are just a symptom of a larger problem -- one that's so easy to go after, in part, because it's so visible, but in truth, "all this" is about a whole lot: masks, mandates, misinformation, mania and, of course, media manipulation. So my question from last week remains: When will it end?

Adrienne Ross is owner of Adrienne Ross Communications and a former Southeast Missourian editorial board member.