But why does my mask bother you? (not you, the next guy)
Why was I heckled out of a farbrenen yesterday for wearing one?
That's the attitude I'm afraid will start the new wave
This, 1000 times this. This has been bothering me for a little while now, and I've been trying to find a good way to say it without sounding hypocritical.
I know I've posted a lot on the DDF Coronavirus board, to the point where people more or less know what I'm going to say when they see my name pop up. I've used some strong language at times, and I've been called out for using rhetoric that may have been shaming or guilt-laying, so I'm about to type this, I know I may be guilty of setting a double standard. I beg you to ignore the messenger in this case and just take the message at face value.
Please, please don't shame someone into lowering the safety standards they've taken upon themselves. Unfortunately, it has become extremely prevalent, and
@gozalim's experience is far from the exception. I've had friends reach out privately to reassure themselves that they are not the only ones still not going to a maskless minyan or kiddush club. I've seen precautions abandoned by very high-risk individuals because of peer pressure. I've seen spouses made to feel uncomfortable for supporting their partner's desire to be more stringent than their community. I've seen rabbis pressured to lower standards in communities, causing people to put themselves in situations where they are taking risks they aren't comfortable with in order to avoid being cut off or missing out. The language used may not even be malicious. If someone hears the same "joke" about their standards a few too many times, they become uncomfortable exhibiting those standards in public. This leads to them cutting themselves off from otherwise beneficial interactions, or dropping the standards just to make the comments go away. Regardless of your personal feelings on the matter, please don't discourage others from trying to be as safe as possible.