In my last post, I tried to argue that it was important both to protect vulnerable populations from Covid and they should not be asked to absorb the cost of "returning to normal." I want to make this point clearly. If we are going to accept that Covid is endemic, it mean (to me at least) something other than making that statement and ignoring the effects of it as if they did not matter. It means making reasonable provisions for the safety of citizens and ensuring that the cost of our return to normalcy is not paid unduly by one part of society.
Another thing it means is that there is a need to think about what restrictions mean and what restrictions will need to be in place. This matter, I think, cuts to the heart of the question of normalcy for a significant number of people. While I strongly suspect that the word "normal" has a range of meanings (as I intimated in my last post), one meaning it has for some Canadians is that they can live their lives without the restrictions that were imposed on them as a result of the pandemic. We heard a lot about this in the early pandemic days. People complained about not being able to get to their cottages or see family and friends or play sports, among a range of other things. Different people clearly have specific issues that are closer to their hearts than others. I have friends, for instance, (and this is in no way belittling or disagreeing with them) for whom attending sporting events is paramount. I know others for whom religious services top the list.
If we are serious about living with Covid, however, we are going to have to think about the character of liberty in our society. The list of actions I noted in my original post on this subject contains a number of actions that amount to restrictions. For instance, masking is a restriction. The requirement says that you must be dressed in a certain way to enter certain premises and this is different (a change) from the way things were in 2019 (in New Brunswick at least). How can we justify restrictions if our objective is to "return to normal"? Or, put differently, are these restrictions justifiable in a free and democratic society?
We should begin by acknowledging that this is an issue where "the devil is in the details." It is also dependent on context. To get around these proviso, let me take an example that is as specific as I can. Is the requirement to wear a mask a mask, for instance, an unreasonable requirement that undermines an individual's right? How this question is answered depends a great deal on the specifics. For instance, if a person cannot wear a mask because of, say, a medical condition, then that requirement becomes unreasonable because it threatens someone's life. But, what if it does not? Let's continue with this example to illustrate the the point about restrictions and rights.
A number of people who oppose masks have asserted their right as an individual to make up their own mind about their own face coverings. The idea here seems to be that an individual has the right to decide matters related to their self. It is difficult to disagree with that ... except, we already have a bunch of rules that limit people's control of their own actions and we have introduced these rules often for public safety. For example, people who have certain dread diseases do not have a right to enter Canada. The government might still choose to let them in, but entry in that circumstances is not a right. My behaviour is regulated every day and in a range of different contexts. What is more, these requirements come from a range of different sources: different levels of government, private businesses, minor sports associations, schools, places of worship, etc. For instance, the government requires me not to drive in excess of a certain speed. If I do (and allowing I am caught), I can be fined. Businesses require me not to loiter, my church requires me to behave in specific ways. The minor sports association for which I coached required me to be certified, etc., etc. I'll bet you could add in some other ones related to your work or recreational activities.
The upshot of this is that regulation -- restrictions, limitations -- sound really horrible (an affront to freedom!), but they are actually part of our lives. They don't do anything to harm our lives and they do a lot of make improve it. One of my objectives as a coach was to try to introduce kids to games I really liked in ways that allowed them to keep playing the game long after they were on my team. Many of the rules of my minor sports association were intended to do precisely that as well. They restricted behaviour (fans were not supposed to curse at players, for instance) but that restriction was intended to build attachment to the sport (our common aim). While restrictions sound bad, most of us just go about our days, do our jobs, drive at the right speed, lower our speed in school zones, pay for our food at restaurants, etc. Said differently, there is nothing in itself horrible in these restrictions. Not only do we have them, most other societies do and most people in ours support them.
Does it actually harm me not to be able to break these restrictions. Again, context is important. I might, for instance, need to exceed the speed limit in order to get to my doctor for a life saving procedure. In that context, obeying the restriction would threaten my life. But, in other instances, does it? While there may be six year olds who are upset that they can't drive cars, I suspect most of us are quite happy about it because it keeps us (and, the six year old) safe. I am happy that my neighbour can't legally break into my house and take my TV. That is a restriction on her behaviour (a limit on her freedom) but it is one that is reasonable and acceptable.
What is more, we voluntarily enter into many of these restrictions. When I volunteered to coach, there were rules I had to accept. My employer requires a certain standard of behaviour from me (I have to be honest, for instance, and do my job). Said differently, far from being an imposition, most of us not only accept certain restrictions but voluntarily enter into more of them. And, there is the rub, what happens when someone does not want to obey restrictions and claims that they don't accept them. We'll need to come back to this because it is a complicated question. For now, you can see my point. We have a range of restrictions in our lives and, unless someone happened to mention it to you, you would not have known about most of them. As a society, we tend not to see these restrictions as a problem, we tend to see them as important for our and others protection, to ensure that businesses and schools can function, and to promote common objectives.
With that in mind, and allowing no medical problems, let's go back to the original question: does wearing a mask pose an undue restriction? I'd argue not. It does not restrict one's freedom of movement. I can go to the next town over to shop just as I could before. It does not limit my freedom of association (I can still hang out with my friends). It does not limit my freedom of worship (I can attend my church or another one, if I so choose). I do not forego due process because I wear a mask, I don't lose my job, I don't have to give up my blog. Said differently, virtually nothing has changed. I can still go where I want, see who I want, watch the TV show I want, read the book I want, write what I want. The only thing that has changed is that when I do go out in public, I need to wear a mask.
With *that* in mind, we can ask again: is that a valid restriction? No freedom nor democracy is sacrificed. There might be problems with election in Canada, but those pre-dated masks and they will post-date them, too. No other key rights are lost. The only thing that has gone on is that I have to take a small step (at very little cost, although I think the cost should be zero) and perhaps suffer a bit of inconvenience. Is that inconvenience worth it? If it saves someone's life ... sure it is. More than sure. In fact, consider the message we would be saying if we said "no." What we would be saying is that someone's life is not worth my inconvenience. This is not a threat to a fundamental right or my life or my security of person or my job. What I am saying I am unwilling to accept a minor inconvenience to help protect someone else's life. If I made that statement, what would it say about me? What message would I be sending to my kids?
We often like the message as long as it pertains to us, but what if the situation were flipped? What if your life could be endangered because I did not like a minor inconvenience? Or, you partners? Or, your children's? If you establish the principle that someone's life is not worth a minor inconvenience, you have established the principle that *your* life is not worth a minor inconvenience. I think my life is worth more than that.
Sometimes, I think about these issues in personal terms. With all this argument laid out, would I want to be friends with someone who persisted with an anti-mask perspective. I don't know about you, but I am not at all certain that that is a person I'd want to associate with. If I could not trust them to take simple care for someone else with a minor issue of inconvenience, how could I trust them with something important?
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