I caught this on a CNN loop. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-OH, apparently chair of the Congressional black caucus, instigated a confrontation with Harold Rogers (D-KY) over his not wearing a facemask at a Capitol subway system station. I don't know the specifics of the circumstances, e.g., if she was blocking his entry onto the train, but he supposedly poked her in the back and told her to get on the train. She took offense and threatened to escalate the situation, He reportedly responded, "Kiss my ass."
The "victim" claimed that she politely asked him to put on his mask. It was more of a demand with all the smugness of a self-appointed school hall monitor. She did get an apology over it. But her lecturing and tone with a colleague were unacceptable; there were other, safer, more professional ways to address the situation. This is not to suggest that Rogers' response was professional, not to mention unwanted touching Beatty on the back to board the train.Personally, if I'm dealing with an assertive jerk, like Ms. Beatty, I'll make a calculation it's not worth my time and effort to deal with an escalating situation, knowing anything I do or say will be exaggerated out of context, so I might simply choose to ignore the provocation. (I did that in dealing with the occasional troublemaking college student in my class who publicly insulted me as the teacher.) But in other contexts, I might say something like "Blow it out your ears!" or "Go to hell."
Now I consider travel and public transportation to be high risk during a pandemic, not to mention healthcare facilities, and I would likely wear my N95 face mask, with or without public policy. So I would not do what Rogers did. But I have been a critic of mask policies for a number of reasons:
- Most people, including Rogers, are not infectious. For many people, wearing a mask, especially a more effective N95, can make it harder to breath, a health issue. They don't pose a risk for others. You can argue that it may not be in their own best interests given the risks of infection, even for the vaccinated, with no protection from bioaerosols or virus-laden respiratory splatter. But the paternalism of protecting another person from his own mistakes is an untenable violation of liberty. (Yes, some people who are infected are asymptomatic, and testing has been a problem,) But the key point is that Congresswoman Beatty does have control over her own choices and protection; she can mitigate her own risks by wearing a quality mask and keeping her distance from others, especially unmasked people.
- Most mask policies are poorly designed and ineffectually enforced. For example, it's been known for some time that quality masks, like (more preferable) N95 and surgical masks, are more effective, but most masks worn during the pandemic were cheaper, more accessible cloth masks which do little to protect against bioaerosols. Not to mention a lot of masks are poorly worn (e.g., a number of people don't cover their nostrils), frequently reused without hygienic maintenance and/or are ill-fitting, meaning little, if any, public health benefit. The Congresswoman seems to be more fixated on the kabuki dance and controlling the behavior of other people.
- Beatty seems to be behind the curve on public policy with a rush of states dropping mask mandates, even in blue states, including CA, NY, NJ, CT, NV, RI, VA, OR, MA, IL, and DE; even my residential state, MD, is moving in that direction, although my county relaxed that polcy several months back.
About two-thirds of Americans are fully vaccinated, and over 40% of those are boosted. A few million also are COVID-19 survivors with natural immunity. For most of these people infection is a small risk with limited numbers of hospitalization or death outcomes.
Eliminating a mandate does not imply mask prohibition. A good evidenced-back claim can be made in favor of wearing masks during an ongoing pandemic. When I go to Lidl (grocery store) or Sam's Club a large proportion of customers voluntarily wear masks. I will wear them if I plan to be in crowded/indoor places, at work, in public transit, healthcare facilities, assisted living facilities, or if I see local statistics increasing. But I don't think enforcing rules of the kabuki dance should be a priority for law enforcement. I have extended family members and friends who have caught, been hospitalized and/or even died from COVID-19, I am fully vaccinated/boosted and I encourage my readers to do the same if they haven't and they physically tolerate shots. Consider wearing an N95 mask as I often will.
