I will preface this by saying that I can’t speak for all Democrats, although I think most of them would agree one reason they hate Donald Trump is because he won’t require everyone to wear a mask. But why the outrage? Is there a reason a lot of folks on the left freak out when Trump (or anyone) appears in public without a mask? I have a theory. Let’s take a look at an example of my theory using “Jeff” as a Democrat.
Jeff wears a mask. Jeff believes firmly that science says masks work in fighting COVID-19. Whether the President mandates it or not, Jeff would wear a mask. That much is clear. But Jeff is livid every day that Trump hasn’t made everyone wear a mask. What upsets people like Jeff is not that Trump isn’t telling THEM to wear a mask (because they already wear the masks), it’s that he isn’t telling EVERYONE ELSE to wear a mask. They want everyone to behave like they do. This is a problem.
You see, this is how immature children behave. When I was a child, if my parents didn’t make my brother do something I thought he should do, I got upset and acted out. It came from a selfish place, as if I knew all the answers, and since I couldn’t make him do whatever it was I wanted, I hoped my parents would.
[on a lighter note, check out a bit of satire here: Biden to Grow Leg Hair Out for “No Shave November”]
Getting back to Democrat Jeff, he would say his enthusiasm for the mask is completely altruistic. He wants good things for everyone; in this case “good things” is the avoidance of sickness and death from the virus. But what if Jeff’s motives are the exact opposite– egoistic? (definition: Being centered in or preoccupied with oneself and the gratification of one’s own desires; self-centered)
Could it be about control? You might think that now I’m going to say Jeff wants all the control. Nope! I mean, it’s kind of like that but really it’s that Jeff (and people like Jeff) want to be controlled. This is the closest thing I’ve seen in my lifetime to someone literally wanting to be enslaved by someone else. After all we’ve seen and been taught about the horrors of slavery, and here we are again with people willingly putting themselves in chains!
Donald Trump (and maybe conservatives, in general?) thinks the American people have the right to decide for themselves whether they want to do this or that. It’s a novel idea called freedom. If non-mask-wearing Mark doesn’t want to wear a mask and this upsets Jeff, then Jeffy boy has to figure out a way to be an adult about it. He can be frustrated, annoyed, and irritated thinking Mark is being selfish and stubborn, and both have the right to feel the way they do. It’s a novel idea called freedom.
It’s a scary proposition, but I believe some mask-loving Democrats want to be enslaved by their leaders. “Tell US to wear masks. Tell THEM to wear masks. Take away our choices. We will do whatever you say.” They want Uncle Sam to be their dad. On the other side is personal freedom. Also remember, while this freedom means some won’t wear a mask, there are plenty that will. Now, I don’t like a smooth-talking politician, not many people do, but I’ll take one of those any day of the week if they’re the type who says, “You have the right to choose how you want to live, how you want to treat others. Yes, you need to live within the law but other than that, go enjoy your freedom!”
Until this particular group of Democrats can force everyone to believe the same things about masks, climate change, sharing wealth (taxes, minimum wage, etc), they’re going to moan, whine, and pout like I did when I was a selfish, immature child. It’s really not a good look and I hope people wake up to this soon before we all wake up and hardly recognize a novel idea called freedom.
-Out of the Wilderness
Out of the Wilderness 