Facebook conversations sink into vitriol over whether to mask or not to mask. Both sides yell at each other and have tantrums in public. The conversations often take on a religious tone with the mask wearers accusing those who don't mask of being selfish, uncharitable, even presuming (in rash judgment) a willingness by the unmasked person to endanger and kill others. The non-maskers accuse the maskers of being stupid lemmings.
Viral videos show zealots on both sides of the question attacking one another even with physical violence. The sad situation illustrates what happens when group behavior, the mob mentality, suppresses personal morality. There are studies showing how people become anonymous in a mob and behave in ways they never would when acting individually.
Viral videos show zealots on both sides of the question attacking one another even with physical violence. The sad situation illustrates what happens when group behavior, the mob mentality, suppresses personal morality. There are studies showing how people become anonymous in a mob and behave in ways they never would when acting individually.
Anonymity offers a temptation to barbarism. Think about the comments on the internet by people hiding behind an avatar or a "user name." They can throw verbal rocks and molotov cocktails without every having to answer for their behavior. My spam folder is filled with nasty, sanctimonious, virtue signaling comments from liberals who claim to hold the high ground. They remind me of St. Ignatius' Spiritual Exercise on the two standards where Jesus resides on the plain near Jerusalem in humble company with his companions while Satan sits on a high throne near Babylon screaming at his minions to do their worst. I can't help thinking of the president of Rwanda and his nightly radio addresses haranguing his followers to "Kill the cockroaches!" And they did, in 100 days of slaughter, murdering nearly a million people.
We haven't reached that level of barbarism yet, but the deaths in our cities is mounting as police departments are defunded and rioters and gangs grow bolder and bolder. Genocide begins by dehumanizing those with whom you disagree. Every verbal assault brings us closer to physical assault. Revolutions don't begin overnight. They grow one evil act at a time.
We haven't reached that level of barbarism yet, but the deaths in our cities is mounting as police departments are defunded and rioters and gangs grow bolder and bolder. Genocide begins by dehumanizing those with whom you disagree. Every verbal assault brings us closer to physical assault. Revolutions don't begin overnight. They grow one evil act at a time.
No one knows the heart of another person. It behooves us all to simply treat each other with common courtesy. If you don't agree with a non-masker, why engage? People don't expel as many droplets if they aren't talking, so just be silent. Keep your distance and walk away. Whether your masked or unmasked, or not following the arrows on the store floor, or getting accosted by a self-appointed guardian of the common good, just don't engage. Walk away and say a prayer.
As my older brother used to say, "Ignore the wookie." These days that would make a good 11th Commandment.
As my older brother used to say, "Ignore the wookie." These days that would make a good 11th Commandment.
Your brother is right!
ReplyDeleteFor the record, the Urban Dictionary defines Wookie as "A lifeless idiot whose whole existence consists of following around jam bands and not showering or shaving. "
ReplyDeleteSo it seems as though you are comparing unmasking to unsanitariness. On what basis? This is not a neutral statement, it has an unmask-shaming effect.
Well, the urban dictionary isn't on my radar screen, so I drop that definition in the circular file as irrelevant and wrong.
ReplyDeleteTo me Chewbacca is a big, hairy rather scary creature. When Han Solo said, "Ignore the wookiee." I don't think he was insulting Chewie as a "lifeless idiot, etc...." He was saying, don't be alarmed, he's harmless. Wookiees are on both sides of the mask issue. Anyone who is harassing someone for wearing or not wearing a mask needs to be ignored. Hence, "Ignore the Wookie." They are just a big creature trying to be intimidating like the wookiee. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. LOL!
BTW I love Chewbacca so if anyone bother me I'll think of Chewie and say a Hail Mary for them. That's what I do already with trolls on my blog. I "ignore the wookiee", put them in my spam folder and pray a Hail Mary for them.