Guest column: Freedom denied - Press Herald

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To mask, or not to mask. That is the question.

Many governors have directed us to wear face masks as a public or collective good. I am unable to appreciate the arguments given for refusing: That as American citizens we are free to do as we wish, that it infringes on our freedoms; that it is an attack on our rights in a free country. But are we free?

No! Our actions are constricted and molded from birth. It is called enculteration via behavior modification. Parents directly or indirectly channel our conduct. They provide the language we learn, the clothes we wear, the foods we eat, and train our toilet habits. Remember the hoarding of toilet rolls. (Not all societies use paper or use a toilet.) Did a parent teach tooth brushing (not all societies use brushes), how to tie shoelaces (not all wear shoes), how to wear a dress (not all wear them), or how to use a knife and fork (not all …)? Whether country or city, neighbors reinforce and expand the rules and curb our ‘freedoms’ of action to reduce conflict and improved social bonding.

Schools add constraints: where to put your coats, how to hold a pencil, where to sit, how to line up. We have rules against bullying and intolerance. Our classroom teachers, art instructors, our choir and drama directors, and our sports coaches all apply layer upon layer of regulations which limit our freedoms so each sphere of activity can function as a group – as a team. Religions, jobs, fraternal organizations and the military require conformity. Driving a car, cycle, boat or snowmobile require licenses and rules. Using public transportation and parks, bars and restaurants, zoos and aquariums, department stores and clinics request compliance.

Our lives overflow with prescriptive regulations, customs and practices. Would those who demand “freedom” to reject a mask wish to reject all laws? Why not adopt your own babel, go nude in public, take a service or product without payment, or drive as you wish?

There are people who seek ‘freedom’ and establish utopian or libertarian societies but ultimately fail. No society can exist without freedom-limiting regulations. Some are more stringent than others. Our country, for good or ill, is better than many. Our requirements are not as painful, as in some. But arguing against wearing a face mask as an attack on your freedom seems not only illogical but rather petty. Medical and service personnel wear them all day. Why can’t you?

When Hamlet asked of himself: “To be, or not to be”, he was struggling with the vicissitudes of life vs. escapism in death. Here, today, we struggle with the limitation of personal freedom; the rights of the individual vs. the rights of the family, the group, the community. You may wish to jump off a bridge, just don’t take me with you.

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Guest column: Freedom denied - Press Herald

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