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Yesterday was the first time in months that I ventured out of the suburb I’ve been living in and into a major metropolis, and it was quite an eye-opening experience. Throughout the day, I was fortunate in that most of the people I encountered in confined or enclosed areas were doing their civic duty and wearing a face covering of some sort or another (most were wearing masks), but rarely does a day goes by without a new story about a new set of idiots (usually back home in the US) who are refusing to cover their noses and mouths. This post contains a message to those idiots.
As I was walking through London’s Covent Garden area yesterday, a small memorial in the ground caught my attention. The memorial was dedicated to the workers of Covent Garden Market who perished during the World Wars of the early 20th century and it sits almost unnoticed at one of the market’s many entrances.
The inscription reads:
“When you go home tell of us and say ‘For your tomorrow we gave our today'”
“To the memory of those who worked at Covent Garden market and gave their lives in the Great War (1914-1918) and the Second World War (1939-1945)”
The opening line is a beautiful sentiment that originally comes from the Kohima memorial to the Burma campaign of the Second World War and, after reading it, I couldn’t help but think of the millions of men and women (across numerous conflicts) who gave their lives so that I and countless others may live free from oppression and persecution. My thoughts then turned to all the people who are now hiding behind the words “liberty” and freedom” in their pathetic attempts to justify why they refuse to wear a face covering when asked to.
If you happen to be one of those people here’s a message for you:
In times that are still being kept fresh in memory, millions of people sacrificed their lives for the greater good. They sacrificed their lives so that you can live free and enjoy the liberties you have today. They most definitely did not offer up their lives so that you can pick and choose which public health orders you adhere to. Considering what these people went through and gave up so that you may live the life you have, your unwillingness to make the insignificant “sacrifice” of wearing a face covering for the greater good makes you an embarrassment to humanity.
Your attempts to use the freedom and liberty that others died to preserve to justify your own selfishness is insulting to their memories, and the fact that you’re so willing to trample upon those memories marks you out as a truly hateful human being and one that’s deserving of nothing but society’s contempt.
Refusing to wear a mask or a face covering isn’t a badge of honor, it’s a badge that marks you out as a thoughtless individual with very little understanding of what the words liberty and freedom really mean, what the real costs and sacrifices the protection of those ideals have been, or what the responsibilities of living in a free society really are.
I’m sure you’ve convinced yourself that your ridiculous refusal to wear a face covering makes you a “patriot” and “defender of civil liberties”, but you’re really just an idiot parroting words you don’t understand and who couldn’t be further from embodying the ideals of freedom and liberty.
Allow me to sum things up this way: In the last hundred years, members of your family or, at the very least members of your friends’ families, have almost certainly given their lives so that others may live theirs. Now here you are refusing to do something as simple and painless as covering your nose and mouth so the same may happen again. Aren’t you embarrassed to be the person you are?
Featured image: United Nations COVID-19 Response via Unsplash
Great comments and perspective. Well said and thank you.
Well said. I expect a lot of troll responses though.
Comes with the territory 🙂
If face masks are so effective, why didn’t we just give them to prisoners instead of releasing them?
It’s a false sense of security. Medical grade masks are effective. Cloth masks are not.
Cloth masks reduce the distance that droplets emitted through an infected person’s mouth can travel when that person breathes, coughs or sneezes. That’s an undeniable physical fact and one that, on its own, shows how a mask can reduce the spread of an airborne virus like this one.
Ziggy is correct. Thank you for writing. It is thought provoking.
Jared, you’re a [Redacted by TFM – let’s not single out people for name calling]. Any face covering is helpful to prevent the spread of the virus, especially indoors.
Why are you even traveling out in the first place? Masks may or may not help reduce the transmission, but the only 100% sure way to avoid transmitting completely is by sheltering in place! People like you that go around endangering everyone’s lives make me sick.
Before I reply, I’d just like to clarify something: Are you suggesting that absolutely no one should be leaving their homes right now? And, if that is what you mean, do you believe that applies to the whole world?
Calm down Ziggy, Pamela Maddox made no such suggestion. You put words in her mouth and then attacked your words as if they were hers. Shame on you.
Consider that there are people who are [medically] advised to not wear a mask due to a condition. COPD can be such a condition.
I am in Denmark just now and have been for the past 4 weeks. I rarely see a mask. Very rarely. Denmark now allows visitors from a long list of countries, and the EU countries have just released a new list of countries that can enter the EU, but the list does not include the US.
I asked two questions to get clarification as the comment left was ambiguous as to who it referred to and what it meant. There was no attack and no one had words put into their mouth.
PLEASE stay at home Pamela!!!
The rest of us choose to go on with our lives (and that includes travel) but to do so in a responsible manner. If you stay hunkered down for the next couple of years (no faith in a vaccine and likely that timeline for the virus to run its course) that is your decision but don’t try to force your decision on others!
Well Said
I appreciate this. I’ve had to fly twice recently, once in May and once in June. Both were for essential work for HUD. Both times I had flights with people that didn’t care to wear a mask or seeing places that said it’s only recommended, not mandatory.
I made sure to wear my mask the entire time I was traveling if I was in a public space, and the only time I didn’t wear it was when I was eating when I was sitting in my rental car, and when I was sitting in my hotel room. Was it annoying, yes, but there are much worse things than having to be a little annoyed.
Masks reduce volume of droplets emitted but not the distance. Microscopic droplets pass through the mask- both directions- with no resistance. Seems logical that masks reduce the risk to some extent. Non-biased, peer-reviewed, conclusive scientific study results would be helpful.
The constitution guarantees the freedom of choice and action to every american. Whenever i tell MAGAots to not jump from a cliff they insist on exercising their rights to jump off the cliff. So nowadays I drive them to the cliff and also pack them a lunch to use on their way to hell.
Bye MAGAots
Thank you! Too many feel that their “rights” extend to causing the detriment of others. Try this logic: When you are arrested for DUI and see if your “right” to do whatever you wish keeps you out of the back of the Police car. You all who believe your rights “Trump” others right to safety have likely never read the Constitution. Your right to be an idiot ends where your fist meets my nose.
@Milehusband: Much research has been done. You are right that wearing a cloth mask will not prevent a wearer from microscopic droplets and thus catching Covid19 but they do protect others from you in that they limit the amount and distance your droplets can travel. If you combine mask wearing with social distancing, much of the spread is blocked outbound. To prevent yourself as well, wear a FDA or NIOSH approved 4 ply N95 or KN95 mask which is made in China but to the same specifications. These masks were in very short supply early in the crisis but especially the KN95 are widely available now. These masks stop upwards of 95% of particles and droplets which are over 0.003 microns (really small) from reaching you as well as the other guy. You can find them on many sites. Just google N95 but you will likely end up with KN95 which is quite OK. Just make SURE the product is FDA approved and not a copy. Reputable suppliers will publish their FDA certificates at minimum. They cost more but could save your life. No joke!
Stay safe and we will all travel soon!
Very well said. Thank you!
Ok for the last time. Face masks outside are useless. A face mask can protect OTHER people if you’re infected. You can be infected even without symptoms. It has to be a facemask with some kind of filter in it. In Europe cotton masks are advised which doesn’t make sense at all. Distancing works better by the way.
In closed spaces a mask can help if distancing is not possible. There are exceptions though. In an airplane there is a very good filtering system, the air is filtrated every 3 minutes. Also, the airflow is downwards meaning the drops are not travelling very far. That will not help much in economy seating though when there is no distancing.
Please stop calling it the new normal. It’s not normal at all. We need to go back to opening up the economy fast and lift all the measures which are against the law anyway. Current things are not working and also not helping.
Let’s hope we can start travelling soon. And yes I know I can travel but the problem is I cannot enter much countries yet. The strange thing is that those countries are welcome in Europe ………..
[…] I’m more than mildly agitated that I’m not willing to travel right now. Why is that? I’m not able to visit many places in the world because they won’t let Americans in. Even if I wanted to travel around the USA, some states would force me to quarantine for 14 days when I arrive because I live in a state where the virus is running rampant. I put the blame for this on my fellow Floridians who feel wearing a mask is a restriction of their freedom. While I spend the day sneering from under my mask, Ziggy from Traveling for Miles puts the frustration I’m feeling into words with “A message for people who refuse to wear a face covering.” […]
Well put Ziggy.
I find it difficult to understand that people in the UK are not taking the wearing of masks more seriously.
Save lives – wear a mask when you go out. You don’t have to be a genius to work it out!
If you cough, sneeze or exhale, most droplets will be caught by the mask. If you don’t they can spray a few metres.
If someone else coughs or sneeze with or without a mask, you have some element of protection that you wouldn’t have if you weren’t wearing one. Bit of a “no-brainer”.
If you’re not bothered about catching the virus – maybe think about vulnerable people in your family who can catch it from you – and potentially die.
PLEASE: WASH YOUR HANDS, SOCIALLY DISTANCE AND WEAR A MASK! ALSO, PLEASE ASK YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO DO THE SAME.
Good health to you all