Am I Rude for Not Following a Mask Mandate That Ended Three Weeks Ago?

We can start by assuming that someone else’s decision about what to put on their face is their business, and is probably not intended as a tacit rebuke to us personally.

MASK ORDER: Inside a Little Big Burger in 2020. (Brian Burk)
By Marty Smith

A few days ago, a checkout person at my local overpriced organic supermarket visibly recoiled from my lack of a mask. I told her I’m vaxxed and boosted, but she continued to treat me like Typhoid Mary. Am I rude for not following a mask mandate that ended three weeks ago? What’s the etiquette here? —Typhoid Tony

The COVID mask prominently shows that the wearer puts the good of the community ahead of their own convenience, so I can’t say I’m surprised that some residents of a city whose unofficial motto is “Allow Me to Demonstrate I’m a Kind and Compassionate Person or I’ll Beat the Shit Out of You” aren’t ready to let it go quite yet. Hell, if we play our cards right, we can probably turn unmandated masking into a permanent part of Portland culture, like our famous “No, you first” traffic game.

If it’s any consolation, Tony, people who still wear masks are getting harassed as well. This is probably even less justifiable than what happened to you, since wearing a mask has literally no impact on anyone else (except maybe depriving them of your germs). Also, while there are lots of sympathetic reasons to keep the mask, from immune disorders to medically fragile family members, there’s really only one reason to ditch it. As justifications go, “Masks are kind of a pain in the ass” is never going to be as compelling as, say, “I have lupus.”

All that said, in every report I’ve seen on the subject, the person being attacked for their mask choice has had the same message: You do you. Not one’s demanding that everyone else adopt their views; it’s all, “I’ve chosen to do this for my own reasons, but you should do whatever you want.”

If that’s the way the wind of mask etiquette is blowing, I say we let it blow us. We can start by assuming that someone else’s decision about what to put on their face is their business, and is probably not intended as a tacit rebuke to us personally. We could also presume that (absent notice to the contrary) they don’t care what we do, either.

After that, who knows? Maybe we could agree that accepting the right of way at an intersection doesn’t make you a serial killer. It doesn’t have much to do with masks, but hey, a man can dream.

Questions? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com.

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