Just back from a week-long road trip where the misplaced belief that we are out of the COVID woods was on full display. And, as other observers have noted, the further South one goes, the fewer masks one sees.
On a Nashville Saturday night, the streets were as clogged as I've ever seen them (see photo)...almost impossible to make one's way to the next block without stepping into the street, as there were lines to get into every bar by 9pm. And, not a mask to be seen. Those gas stations along the way that still had "Masks Required" signs on their doors were filled with those that refused.
Masked, I walked onto the deck of the hotel pool during our stay in Florida and was accosted by a fellow guest who called me a "pansy" for buying into the false narrative that COVID was more dangerous than the flu. I said that the hotel GM was a friend, and she had asked for masks in the lobby...so, I was more than happy to comply. He just snorted an expletive.
And, so...after a week in a land with no masks, I found myself back on home turf this weekend. I strolled into a local outdoor garden store to score a few plants to complete this year's herb garden. And, I was getting stares...which I immediately recognized as scorn.
Yeah...I wasn't wearing a mask. And, almost everyone else was.
Where I live is one of the most-vaccinated counties in the country...and we're still wearing masks, voluntarily. For each other.
Why is this so hard?
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