Mask Fashion and the Golden Rule

The more things change, the more they stay the same. It is somehow, oddly reassuring to see fashion mavens and tiktok influencers looking good behind safety masks. It is only natural that the young and hip will assert their fashion statement on the pandemic zeitgeist. And thus persona evolves. I suppose in these rapidly morphing times, Pop Future will not be denied!

Viral glamour aside, the lowly medical safety mask has become a street-tek necessity in our daily forays into our brave noö public spaces. The concept of wearing a safety mask in public, is a powerful precaution in "flattening the curve" of the spread of covid 19. It is an essential tool, recommended by all health organizations across the planet.

As most of us are aware, rather than being a personal safety protection device, it is a social protection strategy that safeguards your friends, family, and acquaintances. It is a strategy that protects, not you... but the people you meet (please keep your spittle to yourself, thank you very much!).

So here amidst a global pandemic, we are witnessing one of the most profound expressions of the "Golden Rule" ever seen in modern times.

As the astute reader of this blog knows, the Golden Rule or Ethic of Reciprocity is an anciently occurring ethical code of conduct. It expresses the most essential basis for the modern concept of human rights, in which each individual has a right to just treatment and a responsibility to ensure justice for others. A key element of the Golden Rule is that a person attempting to live by this rule treats all people, not just members of his or her peer group or tribe... with consideration.

The Golden Rule has its roots in a wide range of world cultures and is a standard that different cultures use to resolve conflicts. It is in this sense a truly global (if not universal) system of ethical behavior and as such serves as a cornerstone of human unity. What an elegant proposition... Treat others the way you would want others to treat you.

And in these pandemic days, the golden rule has never been more necessary. Strange reactions from some quarters have been cropping up here in the good ole U S of A. Certain factions have gathered to protest various State Governmental stay-at-home guidelines. Conspiracy theories have been propagated that the pandemic is a hoax... a false flag... a plot to... ?

There have even been armed protests in front of State Capitols, demanding that their duly elected governors cease and desist in their unjust shelter-in-place strategies. Armed gunmen, some... conveniently masked behind bandanas... have begun menacing various government officials. What are these AR-15 packin' protestors gonna do... shoot up their local public health offices?

  

Is it possible that these guys n gals have misunderstood the fundamental premise of shelter-in-place, is to protect your friends and neighbors? Predictably, counter conspiracy theories have suggested that these armed protests have been organized by White Nationalist Militias... as a recruitment vehicle. That the President of these United States actually dog-whistled and otherwise encouraged these groups through tweeting such slogans as: "Free Michigan!" No President of the United States would incite revolt in specific, sovereign States, would they?

This is not a time for partisan politics. This is not a time for ideological division. Now is not a time to foment conspiracy theories... left or right. Now is the time for us all to come together in strategy (if not in person) to combat a serious, extremely infectious viral threat to humanity. I know stress does weird things to people... but now is a time for a return to the Golden Rule. We are all in this together.

Stay safe, my friends... Let COOLER HEADS prevail!