Remote Civic Studio
2020
Anti Mask
Diamond ArmstrongJust think about it, not too long ago, barely even a month, we were all in class talking about how midterms were. We could walk outside, breathe the air and move freely. Now, I find myself looking sideways, and puzzled at people when I see them outside without a mask on.
Surgical or cloth face masks can protect against bodily fluids such as spit, blood, or snot. Wearing a mask both prevents the spread of sickness and protects people at the same time. Especially in confined spaces such as people’s homes and stores, masks are very much needed but, as the CDC has noted, masks without filters do not protect people from the COVID-19 virus when in airborne form. The CDC says if someone sneezes in a closed space such as a home, or store, small particles can stay in the air longer than usual and if not properly protected, the person can catch the virus. In Asian countries, where pollution is high, they often wear face masks to protect themselves from the bad air and from getting sick. They wear masks everyday and even have some that match their outfits. South Korean take a very fashionable approach while caring about their health. This approach is mostly seen with South Korean street wear. The masks can also be used to conceal identity. A
famous person could wear one at the airport concealing who they are. In gang culture, if you can call it that, many of the members wear bandanas as face masks of the respective gang color to hide their identity. However, now some people want or need protection from COVID-19, but can’t use bandanas because in some stores, bandanas aren't allowed because of this gang association.
Recently because of the spread of COVID-19, surgical masks are in high demand. People are buying them when not necessary, and therefore leaving fewer for the people who really need them like doctors or the sick. The CDC, even though the United States government said we didn't need them, said that we should wear masks when we are around people. This is a conflicting moment as we see the president of the United States, Donald Trump, say this guidance is optional and he wasn't going to wear one. Here, someone who is supposed to be our ‘leader’ demonstrated that he isn't taking this pandemic seriously by refusing to publicly comply with the CDC’s guidelines. Here, we quickly see during a press conference, that the masks become highly political and cultural, they go well beyond a simple mask. Using and making homemade masks can help the shortage and leaving people protected against the spread of disease.
