Masks

On March 10th my friend Leeman visited me in Chicago for the first time.

It was a strange visit because I felt stressed taking him out. It was the first time I was genuinely rethinking leaving home to go get food. We went out, ate food with my son, played pinball later that night, then the next day, on March 11th I started wearing a mask and I haven’t hugged anyone except my wife or my son since.

There’s something about calling my mask political that is deeply offensive to me. I’m not interested in making a statement. I am interested in protecting my wife and my family and my friends from death. Otherwise, I’d go back to drinking at bars, eating at whatever restaurant I want, and living the life. I’m not making a statement. I’m wearing a mask to prevent unnecessary harm to people I love and people I don’t love but also don’t want to be a party to their harm.

Forget about politics. People wears masks to go to parties. With some exceptions, in western culture, wearing a mask is something we don’t do often. So in going to masquerade parties, if I place a covering over my face and change the immediate view of my identity, I always feel a rush. I feel a swift embarrassed notion that I’ve gone too far, and it exhilarates me and gives me a sense of pleasure. I feel like I’m deceiving, playing a nuanced game, acting as someone different than myself, about to get away with something. Halloween. I feel Halloween all over.

The ability to put on a mask, to cover face, to play with identify - that is a freedom. In less open societies one must reveal, confess, be transparent. Transparency drives a quality citizen - one that identifies who they are and can stand up to the inspection of big brother.

If I was thinking of masks as political, I’d put one on. Keep the government away from my face. Throw Google and Facebook off the scent of ‘who I am.’ It used to be “I think therefore I am,” now it’s “I’m in a database therefore I am.” 

Best way to rebel against the political machine, put on a mask - hide from the government - Google - Facebook - the true overlords. Stop logging into databases - know that every website is a database about you - go anonymous.

Revealing a face lessens freedom - it always has. Showing your face in protest to masks just puts you ina different database for different people to trace.

Plus, it’s more fun to go outlaw-style into the Covid-19 night, feeling that Halloween rush.