ossibly I missed the critical news of the year – Covid-19 has an effective vaccine now?

No? Nothing changed?

Then why are we opening bars, tossing off our masks and acting like it’s VC day?

Today I went into an Ace Hardware and there in the paint aisle was a guy standing there, deciding if he wanted Cherry Red of Valentines Pink, breathing unfiltered, unmasked air, too proud to respect a store full of others, assuming that his risks should be run by all of us.

Needless to say, I loitered outside the aisle until he’d fumed his way up to the cashier. I noticed he paid with paper money. What is he, one of the four horsemen?

Happened the day before too, this time at Home Depot. Again, the paint aisle (what is it about that place – are painters idiots?). In an entire store full of masked Americans, you had this one agent biological wandering around without covering. Frankly, I’d rather see your dick hanging out than your chin, and seeing how little I want a glimpse of your wiener, that says a lot.

Really, what it comes down is the media narrative we’re getting pushed, that the virus is not so bad (even as it spikes upwards from schools, universities and bars). It’s coming from the president; even though he’s had it, he’s carrying on in rallies and gatherings where the red bravado is shown by not wearing masks. And of course, our little mini-me governor is following along in his troll-steps, flinging open the storm shutters of caution and basking in bohemian comradery, all hugs and open-air greetings, regardless of what science says.

Why am I saying something like the above in a writing column?  Well, simply put, nothing has changed. Doctors and nurses are still risking their lives, still working around the clock because people want to sit in Denny’s and enjoy a grand slam and an hour of yack with friends (I know someone who died if that specific thing). But with the election coming up, the narrative now is that patriotism wears no mask, that bravado will shield you, that science can be argued, even dismissed, and that we’re dancing on a yellow brick road of recovery when the Witch of the Covid is still alive and slaying tens of thousands a week.

It pisses me off when people who are clinical idiots puff themselves up on false narratives and consider themselves clever.

If you’ve gotten this far, you’re probably a sympathetic mask wearer. But I’ll say it anyway. WEAR A MASK!

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