“Unmasking Masks”
Mask: noun: a covering for all or part of the face, worn
as a disguise, or to amuse or terrify other people.
Verb: conceal (something) from view.
Here are
some synonyms for mask: camouflage, cloak, veil, affectation, air, blind,
concealment, cover-up, disguise, façade, front, guise, hood, masquerade, pose,
posture, pretense, pretext, put-on, fig leaf.
Virtually
all of these terms have negative connotations. They all describe an attempt to
hide, confuse, obfuscate, confuse and bewilder. To deny reality and truth. We
may put on a mask to pretend or frighten. To do bad things anonymously. Masks
are incompatible with human dignity and an open society.
It is no
coincidence that the riots, lawlessness, destruction and sheer depravity that
has broken out around the country in recent days came hard on the heels of the
COVID-19 pandemic and governments’ mandate that most of us give up our jobs-- and
don face masks if and when we are allowed to step outside. Idleness, lack of
money, loneliness, substance abuse, and resentment welled up, just waiting for
a trigger to burst forth. The Minneapolis policemen who extinguished George
Floyd conveniently provided that spark. The masks just made it all seem so much
easier. A perfect storm. And masks aren’t just for Antifa anymore. Now they are
a totem of the left, of the “resistance.” Antifa masks were illegal in some
localities prior to the coronavirus crisis. Now masks are legally required in
many of the same areas and de rigueur in most others.
Masks may
make rioters bolder, but they don’t make them braver. They more often are an
attempt to hide the smallness, cravenness and lack of self-respect of those who
wear them.
“Experts” say masks may or may not help prevent us from getting sick. They are most certainly not amusing. Nor do they really conceal anything, other than the truth. Ironically, they reveal the sickness and cravenness that has penetrated our souls, masks or no masks.
No comments:
Post a Comment