Let’s Quit Gaslighting People Who Hate Masks

You don’t have to love pandemic essentials

Image by Alexander Droeger from Pixabay

Wearing a mask sucks. I’m not going to sugarcoat it or pretend it’s fun.

But I need to clarify some things before we continue. This is not an anti-mask post. If you want to wear a mask, wear a mask. If your doctor won’t let you in the office without a mask, wear a mask. If your grocery store only accepts masked shoppers and you need food, wear a mask. If your employer says you can either wear a mask or get fired, you should probably wear a mask.

I don’t need you to blow up my comments with statistics about the effectiveness of masks. I’m not saying you should never wear one. I’m not saying masks don’t help stop the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. I’m just saying that if you hate wearing a mask, I get it.

I believe you. I’m not going to attack you for how you feel.

I’m sorry that a large chunk of the Internet won’t validate your feelings. You’re allowed to dislike having a piece of cloth or other filtration materials strapped across your face. I can’t even wear a loose-fitting headband without getting annoyed, so I understand why you hate having fabric pressed against your mouth.