Zaraki KenpachiFox News is courting death and danger by giving Tucker Carlson a platform to incite strangers to confront and harass mask wearers. I can tell you from personal experience that this can’t end well.
Two weeks ago I flew to Miami, where my cardiologist is, for a battery of medical tests because I suffer from cardiovascular disease and am at higher risk than most for a heart attack. Before heading to the hospital, I took off on an early morning walk. Coming from North Carolina, where masks were still required in public, I had mine on. I understood there’s no such requirement in Florida, where folks are free to wear — or not wear — a mask outdoors.
About 15 minutes into my walk, a stranger on a bicycle, coming from the opposite direction, slowed down as he approached. I thought maybe he knew me but instead he shouted: “You got a mask on? Yeah, I got a (expletive) mask. You want me to shove it down your throat?”
Carlson knows that masks work
Whoa. Not only was I startled, but for a moment I was afraid of this person’s out-of-the-blue and incendiary rage. I wasn’t making any statement — political or otherwise — and I sure as heck was minding my own business. I wore it out of habit and to protect others. Even though I’m vaccinated, not everyone else is. In fact, only 27% of Floridians have gotten both shots (or in the case of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the single dose). As I’ve said often during the pandemic, our response needs to be about “we, not me.”
