mask bullies

We all have a desire to belong. The tribe we gravitate toward dictates the rules of what is or isn’t acceptable for inclusion. Once we’ve found a place within a specific tribe, we’ll defend its narrative at all costs, as anything contrary will be seen as an attack on our personal identity. 

Case in point… [watch the video]

We see Kramer marching for a good cause, but since he refuses to wear the r-r-r-ribbon, he is assaulted and ostracized from participating in the group. Why? Because he doesn’t fit within the narrative of the tribe he wishes to be a part of, regardless of his good intent.

The idea seems stupid when you watch it, but this very scenario is unfolding all across the country right now. The ribbon bullies have graduated to mask bullies and they’re at war with the exposed faces of those who refuse to wear a mask. One side preaches about safety and the other exclaims they just want their freedom.

Who’s right?

Neither, because any facts presented on the matter are no match for an individuals emotional investment, especially if it allows us to feel like we belong within a tribe. You can tell a mask bully that masks are ineffective, and they’ll discount it. Likewise, you can tell the exposed, your company policy requires them to wear a mask, and they’ll dismiss it.

Because facts don’t matter, and the only way to illicit change is to construct a new narrative, let me say the following…

We are only free if we can do things without a visible objective, without justification, and outside the dictatorship of someone else’s narrative, just as we are only truly safe as a species if we allow ourselves to be exposed to the stressors of volatility and randomness that promote health in an ever changing world.