This week my eldest son said he had been harassed by someone in the street. He was happily walking along, minding his own business, when a man started taunting him. He asked if my son was sick, if he wasn’t feeling well. He wanted to know what his problem was, and why he was wearing a mask.
In Alberta right now, the rate of Covid-19 infection is very high and most of us are being very cautious. We are wearing masks, working from home, not gathering with more than ten people outdoors, and not gathering indoors at all. Our provincial government has been forced to once again declare a state of emergency such that further restrictions are in place for schools, gyms, performance facilities and so on. Several areas of the province are hot spots with far too many new cases of infection. Sixty-two percent of cases now are of the new variants and our hospitals are overwhelmed.
When we leave the house, we wear masks and we expect most other people to do the same. It comes as a puzzlement, therefore, to be harassed in the street for doing what seems logical, socially appropriate, and necessary. It made no sense to me for anyone to criticize a complete stranger for doing the right thing.
Until today, that is, when I read about Tucker Carlson. Early last week he told his audience to harass people for wearing masks. Now it all makes sense. My son’s experience is Tucker Carlson’s fault. The man who repeatedly gave my son a hard time, was doing as he had been told by a Fox News star.
Bear in mind, though, that we live in Edmonton Alberta Canada, and a long, long way from the United States and wherever Tucker Carlson lives. While he merrily propounds his extremist views to his gullible viewers, his message goes much further than he might imagine. Now it has reached us. I can keep his awful television station out of my home, but I can’t keep its impact off my streets.
To make matters worse, he has instructed his viewers to tell parents of children wearing masks that they are child abusers. Child abusers! Can you imagine? If anyone says anything remotely like that to a parent in my presence I will lose my mind. How are we supposed to counteract this nonsense? It is a form of mind control that is now threatening us even on the sidewalks of Edmonton Alberta, 622 km (380 miles) from the U.S. border.
I used to think that Fox News was a threat to rational debate. Now I realize it is worse than that. It has become a threat to normal social interactions, not only in the United States but in Alberta, too.
Snowbird of Paradise 
And I tend to wonder about those who listen to Fox and literally believe it is gospel. Frightening world we inhabit. Really sorry to hear about your son’s encounter. I dare not imagine an encounter of the anti-Asian variety either.
It defies all logic, doesn’t it? And so alarming and intimidating. They have definitely crossed the line from influencing ideas to instigating antisocial behaviours.
FFS that guy drank the KoolAid..Sorry you son was in line of the vitriol
Thanks, June. The guy was still yelling at him as my son walked away. So much venom seems totally out of proportion.
It’s almost as though the mask had become a flash point, a way for people to vent whatever bad things are going on in their lives. It’s a symptom of what lies below…
I agree. It’s all very troubling.
I read this yesterday and couldn’t respond for a bit. I looked for an article but couldn’t find it, stating something like disinformation is another form of warfare, because it infiltrates and divides from within. And online-access to this disinformation is helping it spread rapidly. Propaganda no longer has to be on paper dropped by airplanes. It’s dropped right into our living rooms, looking all legit and everything.
That is exactly how it is affecting us! If you find that article, please provide a link. Thank you.
Let’s see if you can open this link! https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/30/cybersecurity-202-defense-department-isnt-armed-combat-growing-threat-information-warfare-experts-warn/
Yes, the link works. What a damning article that is!
Hopefully the new administration will figure out how to combat this.
Even if they make a small dent in the problem, it will be progress.
Some people are acting very weard. I have the experience of that too!
https://tanssitytto.wordpress.com/2020/12/07/advent-calendar-7-door-korona-aika-covid-time/
My son had a similar experience to yours. He took out his phone and was yelled at “Don’t take my picture! Don’t text about me!” He was doing neither. Too much paranoia everywhere.
That’s true. There’s too much paranoia! Interesting that your son had so similar experience!
I think they must be getting their ideas from the same sources.