Who Deserves It?

 November 4, 2020

“Alleluia, Noel, be it heaven or hell, the Christmas we get we deserve.” (Greg Lake, “I Believe in Father Christmas”)

I’ve never believed that.

I don’t believe it now. I don’t believe that people who tried to do the right thing deserve to get a life-altering illness or a death sentence because other people chose for them, by not wearing masks or keeping their distance or staying away from crowds.

It’s a good thing that I’m not in charge of the universe, because I would make sure that the only people who suffered were the ones who willfully disregarded the rules that could have kept everyone safe; and the ones who spurred on the disregard for public safety by knowingly propagating false information.

 

End of story.

November 5, 2020

 

A letter in today’s Post-Dispatch likens the refusal to wear a mask to manslaughter. I really can’t disagree.

January 9, 2020

Carolyn Hax has a humane answer to this question.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/advice/carolyn-hax-heres-why-denying-treatment-to-anti-maskers-is-a-bad-idea/2021/01/07/d8c5ec14-479f-11eb-b0e4-0f182923a025_story.html