As I See It: M and M's

I’m not talking candy today. I’m talking about a number of interrelated issues that all start with the letter "M."

“Mask” is No. 1 on the list. Any newspaper could fill up an entire section on this issue alone. Personally, I hate masks. Many don’t fit well. My glasses are almost always fogging up. They are hot and some have elastic straps that really chafe behind my ears.

But if the government - acting on the advice from medical professionals - deems masks in public buildings advisable to help curb the spread of this virus, I’m on board.

That doesn’t mean I don’t have questions. There seems to be a lot of disagreement among the “experts” as to what could or should be done, by whom, and when. Add to that the lack of rigor and commonality in tracking and reporting actual COVID-19-caused deaths and you have real cause for a level of doubt.

And all masks are not created equal and no one has yet to issue guidance much beyond covering the nose and mouth.

“Manners” follows the mask. Just because you are wearing a mask doesn’t make you a card-carrying member of the Mask Enforcement Brigade. And a mask does not automatically grant you an additional level of righteousness in berating anyone for not wearing a mask.

Or, your uptight sense of what involves your personal freedom is not an automatic excuse for not wearing a mask when you enter a place of business that clearly requires a mask. Your freedom stops at the threshold of that business and you are WRONG to not follow that requirement.

“No shirt, no shoes, no service” has been around forever and suddenly some think they don’t have to follow the new rules. The "Manners" side of this equation comes when people without manners berate the employees and others for telling them they must wear a mask.

I would personally love to see Luca Brasi or the Crusher at the door of each business ready to physically remove the rabid and whiny who won’t wear a mask.

Ah, but we’re a kinder and gentler society that looks upon rioting, looting, arson, murder and assassination of law enforcement personnel as just another part of our “new normal.”

This has been a stressful time for everyone in our country. Friends and relatives have related stories of their recent interactions with businesses in person and on the phone who have all been thanked by the customer service people for their patience and kindness during the resolution of their issues.

Apparently, patience and understanding by customers is at an all-time low.

Finally, I come to a more intangible issue, “Maturity.” Mature people do not riot, loot, murder or burn things down. Mature people don’t go out of their way to verbally or physically confront law enforcement and public safety personnel. Maturity is not a function of race or ethnicity either.

A mature individual does not attack the first person they come in contact with when they have an issue or a problem. They stop and try to identify why there is a problem and who or what is at the root of that problem. I have never argued with an airline ticket agent. All I needed to do was to smile, tell them I know they have a tough job, and ask if there was any way they could help me.

We are slowly but surely turning ourselves against each other. How is this going to work in November?

By the way, why do all those people in an operating room bother with those silly masks anyway?

Well, that’s how I see it.