Wearing masks, cloth face coverings, or N95 respirators, is awful. It’s a nuisance. It sucks. I get it. I wear them, and I hate it. As a matter of fact, I now have to wear them when I go to the gym. I don’t have to tell you that working out while wearing a face covering is awkward.
But…I’ll still wear my masks.
And, you should too.
Once again, I get it. No one wants to be told what to do by Big Brother. A mandatory mask ordinance was passed in Dayton last week. No one wants to be told to wear an itchy, smothering thing around their nose and mouth, in order to even enter a:
– Grocery store.
– Mall.
– Gas station.
– Gym.
– Or restaurant.
And no one wants constant reminders from every different direction to “WEAR YOUR MASK!!!!” from every conceivable media platform. Simply put, the entire concept of wearing masks in 2020 makes most of us uncomfortable.
However, ‘uncomfortable’ is actually what Americans do. And very well. Americans were uncomfortable when they were ordered by local governments to wear masks during the influenza pandemic of 1918 and 1919. And, they wore them anyway. Americans were uncomfortable with war rationing during World War II, but they did it anyway. Americans were uncomfortable during The Great Depression, when the phrase “Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without.” became a way of life. Many Americans ended up poor, or poorer, and got resourceful, creating and tweaking things like kitchen gardens, thrift gardens, and potluck meals. They made it through anyway.
Actually, we do things in our daily lives that make us uncomfortable, and we power through them. Paying bills. Going to work. Watching Tik Tok videos. Tasting your friend’s homemade hummus. Doing uncomfortable things for the greater good of a population, neighborhood, or, your loved ones is something we all do or have done on our lives. It’s real, it’s responsible, it’s American, it’s right.
So, if you are on the fence about wearing a mask, don’t be. There is proof that wearing a face mask does prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. And yeah, it won’t be fun wearing a friggin’ sock on your face…in the summer.
But, you’ll save lives. And what’s better, and more American, than that?
Sinclair College’s Theatre department sewing machines continue whirring across the Miami Valley as students, staff and volunteers make masks in support of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 400 masks are being produced and distributed by Sinclair students, staff and volunteers: Aurora Azbill, Garrett Hensley, Chloe Marstellar, Jordan Ross, Bailey Rhonemous, Katelyn Pennington, Gabby Neuerer, Brandy Mariani, Stephanie Poulson, Angel Ruiz-Crabb and Carol Price.
Hotmer plans to “porch pickup” completed masks from this week and distribute to additional donation sites including Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association,