A small story: Earlier today, I stopped in a small store in a tiny town. I was wearing a mask, as I always do. While I was in the store, my phone rang. I didn't want to talk through my mask, so I left the store, took off my mask, and took the call out on an open porch.

A couple was sitting on the porch about twelve feet away from me. They were wearing masks. The woman yelled, "Put on a mask!" I replied that I always wear a mask but I was on the phone, outside.

Suddenly her husband started yelling, "Put on a mask! I know, you think you're above all of this! I know what you think!" I said again, Hey, I always wear a mask and I'm outside and I'm on the phone.

The husband again yelled at me, repeating, "I know what you think. You think you're above this!" When I got off the call, I said, "Can I just say that if you want to convince people to wear masks, your tone won't work. I'm saying this as someone who wears a mask."

He said, "Oh sure, oh sure, I know what you think." To which I replied, "You're such an asshole." (Note to self: Sign up for anger management course.) Now, what was disturbing is that these people are my cohort.

They were bicycling, and they were wearing masks, and we probably agree on lots of things. So what I was seeing was the absolute contempt and arrogance and disdain they had for someone they thought didn't adhere to their way of thinking.

The irony is that I DO agree. I wear my mask all the time and secretly glare at people who don't and mutter under my breath at them. But if we have ANY hope of convincing non-mask-wearers that this is NOT a culture-war issue, exhibiting contempt is not the way to do it.

Of course, when I left the store I tried to run them over with my car. I'M KIDDING YOU KNOW I'M KIDDING. But I am still so furious about this. If we are this polarized, knee-jerk scoldy and contemptuous of each other, we are doomed.

I really didn't run them over, seriously, I did not.