The Ultimate Act of Patriotism Today? Wear a Mask.
The ultimate act of patriotism at this moment may very well be to wear a mask. It’s a relatively small sacrifice that is not only self-serving, it’s more importantly a service to our fellow man. We are a nation that takes pride in the values of community and taking care of one another. It’s core to the American spirit, even if we don’t always or even often live up to it. If we really love our country, then we have to love our fellow man enough to give each other this gift (along with appropriate social distancing). It’s for all our benefit and will aid some much-needed relief.
The “pitch” that mask-wearing is a high form of patriotism is something I’m surprised we aren’t hearing more calls for. While there are countless examples of division, corruption, selfishness, injustice, etc., in American history, there are also countless examples of us rising to the occasion. Think civil rights, women’s suffrage, LGBTQ+ rights, child labor cessation and many other movements and victories. Victory gardens during both World Wars are an even more apt example for this moment. It can take us a while to “get it” and come together sometimes, to do the right thing, and this moment is certainly an example of that, but we do usually rise up in the end. Let’s not let it be the actual end for too many people if we don’t make this our moment. We don’t have a lot of time to wrestle through or debate this issue.
Let’s do this for our first responders who are being overwhelmed in many parts of the country. They put their lives on the lines for us and many are already exhausted. There are also countless millions more essential service providers who are at risk: our grocery store clerks, teachers, janitors, bus drivers, farmers, etc. We are not just wearing masks for our own protection, we do it for these heroes. We often place the label of patriotism on military endeavors. In this moment we need to stretch and expand it to our heroes on the ground today here in America. There are many of them and they need our support! Not to leave out the vulnerable Americans who are going through chemo, or are elderly, or countless other examples of more at-risk people.
There is a certain familiar rebelliousness inherent in some American's lack of willingness to wear masks in public places in many parts of the country. Individual liberty is a value I most often hear as a justification, and it is obviously a value that has a long historical legacy in our nation and many argue it’s a pillar of our democracy. In a bubble, one can understand how this line of thinking is tied to the mask-wearing debate, especially regarding mandates. Our government and “experts” have led us down too many dark paths in the past that have somewhat understandably fostered varying levels of mistrust. This mistrust has caused so many false conspiracy theories about this virus and mistrust related to the science around things like masks. To be fair, there was mixed messaging early on and the science isn’t 100% settled yet as to how effective masks are, as we didn’t prepare well for this moment by doing the level of longitudinal research work in the past that was needed in order to fully prove the efficacy of mass mask-wearing. But the data that has been collected and reviewed since this pandemic started is more than compelling in favor of mask-wearing in appropriate settings. A recent study showed that “In countries with cultural norms or government policies supporting public mask-wearing, per-capita coronavirus mortality increased on average by just 8.0% each week, as compared with 54% each week in remaining countries.” In truth, there are not many downsides compared to the upsides. But this is part of what will have to be accentuated to get buy-in.
I don’t think we can win this victory if we don’t pay the value of individual liberty more respectful heed, and more importantly, shift the public narrative in a way that also employs the values and energy behind it into a narrative that can make help propel forward the case for why it’s so important we wear masks if we want to save countless lives and possibly have somewhat more normalcy in society while we deal with this pandemic. (It, of course, won’t be pre-February normal for a while, but at least less restriction than if we all have to keep locking down shelter in place in homes). I think making a bigger public pitch tying mask-wearing to patriotism would link closely to the value of individual liberties and could be a compelling narrative. It has been in some of our nation’s darkest moments that the values of patriotism have helped override some of our more individualistic tendencies. We can again look at victory gardens during both World Wars as a positive example of how a public campaign helped engage Americans.
Another reason I believe it’s hard to convince some to wear masks relates to personal and collective trauma that leads people to fight against any form of “control” or what is perceived as overly controlling. People who have felt excessively dominated in the past, whether from families or society — to the level that it’s created entrenched trauma — can be especially resistant to authority over-reach or the perception of it. It’s not just stubbornness as some may think, it can also be a biochemical neurally-entrenched trauma response. Mandates alone may only re-trigger trauma response. We will not force, shame or blame our way into the level of support and compliance we will need. I’m not arguing against mandates, I think they are essential, but if we really want to enroll large swaths of Americans, we need to use multiple approaches and find ways to tap into more inspirational, meaningful and respectful language for those that are resistant to the current dialogue. It’s harder work but essential.
We have a chance in this moment to redefine history. To model for the leaders that so many of us loath, depending on our side of the aisle, what it means to be American. To rise up for one another and set a path forward that will make this coming year safer and dare I say even more enjoyable once we get it settled down some. I also think it could help mend and repair at least a little of the gaping wound we collectively face with current divides, and maybe even show us better ways relating to countless other issues of lovelessness and injustice that we face. It’s a good training ground to directly learn how to better care for one another. Each time we put the mask on, we can make it a prayer or intention for our highest good. Demonstrating the tenderness and mercy that so many of us long for. If our leaders can’t all live up to this thinking and acting, let’s show them the way — an act of bottom-up democracy. What could be more patriotic than that?
