Yes, they are selfish. Yes, they are putting lives in danger. But do they deserve to be vilified? No
Costco Karen; Walmart Karen; Starbucks Karen; Target Karen. Name a US retail establishment and there’s probably a viral video of a “Karen” (internet slang for an angry white woman) fuming about face masks in it or getting chased out of the store for refusing to wear one. “Mask meltdown” videos have become a feature of the pandemic, part of a larger trend of mask-shaming. Sneering at people who refuse to wear face coverings has become a particularly viral form of virtue signalling.
Britain is a few months behind parts of the US in terms of masks. In New York, where I live, they’ve been compulsory in most public places since April. But with face coverings becoming mandatory for English shoppers this week (and already compulsory in Scotland) I’m sure it won’t be long before mask-shaming is as rampant in the UK as it is over here.
Continue reading...from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2WI65Wb
