The @cityofokc council is considering an extension of the mask mandate in OKC this morning. As per usual, some public comments, and comments by members of council, are stunningly ignorant and selfish. Why, why, why is this the hill so many people are willing to die on? 1/

1. To those who say “masks are killing the economy” — HUH? What? It’s the masks OR the economy, do you not understand that? Wear a damn mask and your favorite restaurant/store/venue has a better shot of staying open. It’s pretty simple. 2/

2. Science is pretty wild. The conspiracy theory about masks being unhealthy, trapping germs, etc., is not true. Don’t @ me with outdated “studies.” Doctors and nurses wear masks for hours and don’t keel over dead when their shift is done. Masks are safe. COVID isn’t. 3/

3. I hear your comments about “well there really aren’t THAT many people dying of just COVID - lots of people had other conditions.” Okay? So? They still died and you’re being pretty damn flippant about the loss of life. Find some compassion and some damn common sense. 4/

4. 6 million Americans, 60k Oklahomans have had COVID. Nearly 855k Americans, 800+ Oklahoma deaths. So miss me with your “we’ll do the right thing on our own” because we tried that (remember when we just didn’t do anything about this for way too long?) and it didn’t work. 5/

Lately, it’s been blindingly evident that the definition of patriotism has really shifted for some. It’s loyalty to songs & flags instead of ideals & values. It’s law & order without due process. It’s selfishness and bigotry poorly disguised as “freedom.” 6/

We are, as a nation, as a state, as cities and communities, sick. The virus, which is real & deadly, will be vanquished some day. But the deeper sickness, which makes people apathetic, distrusting, hateful, ignorant, and selfish, won’t be cured unless we all commit to change. 7/

Nobody gets to sit this one out. It’s up to all of us. Don’t let ignorance and lies slide when you hear it. Confront it. Don’t be a party to normalizing hate-filled and conspiracy-driven public discourse. We can fix this if we all make an effort. /putting my phone down now