When Wearing a Mask Can Put Your Life In Danger

Summary

The article discusses the heightened danger black individuals face when wearing masks due to racial stereotypes and systemic racism, which can lead to increased discrimination and potential violence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

The World Health Organisation recommends wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but for black people, this simple act can be fraught with peril. Systemic racism and negative stereotypes that associate mask-wearing with criminal activity create a situation where black individuals are at risk of being profiled, harassed, or even harmed when wearing masks. This risk is exacerbated by historical connotations of mask-wearing in Western culture, which often links concealing one's face with illicit activities. The article underscores that despite the global health crisis, racism persists and may even intensify due to heightened fears and insecurities. Incidents in China, where Africans faced discrimination during the pandemic, and cases of police brutality in the United States, illustrate the compounded challenges faced by black people in the context of COVID-19. The author argues that while the world grapples with the coronavirus, it must also confront the ongoing pandemic of racism, which requires dismantling white supremacy and unlearning centuries of ingrained racist attitudes and structures.

Opinions

Wearing a mask can inadvertently reinforce negative stereotypes of black people as aggressive or criminal, leading to dangerous consequences.
The association of mask-wearing with criminal behavior in Western societies adds to the risk for black individuals who wear masks for health reasons.
Racism does not abate during a pandemic; instead, it can escalate due to increased fear and societal stress.
The author expresses concern that mask-wearing by black people may lead to an uptick in discriminatory behavior, including police brutality and racist 911 calls.
The article suggests that the global community must address both the COVID-19 health crisis and the systemic issue of racism, with the latter requiring deep-seated societal change to eliminate white supremacy and racist sentiments.

When Wearing a Mask Can Put Your Life In Danger

Photo caption: Aditya Saxena for Unsplash

The World Health Organisation’s policy is clear: you need to wear a face mask or some type of facial covering to protect yourself from catching COVID-19. However, this is easier said than done for a black person. Wearing a mask can put a black person’s life in grave danger.

Let’s be honest, we live in a world where black people are discriminated against based on pernicious stereotypes. Most often, these erroneous generalizations categorize blacks as aggressive gangsters and criminals.

The old white lady who clutches her purse closer and goes so far as to cross to the other side of the street when she notices a black person approaching, does so because she is afraid. Many negatives stereotypes are playing in her mind at that precise moment. She is afraid she will be harmed by that black person. Now imagine that that same black person approaching her is wearing a mask.

In Western culture, wearing a mask most often equates to wanting to hide ones face to commit an illicit act. Bank robbers are known for wearing masks, criminals and certain gang members are too. Until the recent advent of COVID-19, masks were not necessarily seen as an acceptable accessory in Western societies. People that wore masks to hide part or all of their faces were seen as being up to no good. In certain countries, for example France, it is illegal for Muslims to wear the burqa — a traditional piece of clothing that covers the body and face — because it is considered that hiding one’s face poses a security risk.

And then there is that age-old human fear of the unknown, the hidden, the dissimulated, the masked. Combine this with a fear of black people that white supremacists and racists perpetually instill in the white psyche, and then you will understand why it is dangerous for me and others like me to wear masks.

Don’t get me wrong, black people understand the risks involved in not wearing a mask during these scary COVID-19 times, but for someone like me in the United States, the risk of getting stopped or arrested by police or shot by neighbourhood militia (like in the case of Ahmaud Arbery), is even greater when wearing a mask.

I know that some of you are probably shaking your head thinking that this whole analysis is far-fetched, but you must know that racism doesn’t stop because there is a pandemic. With the wearing of masks and other face coverings, it actually gets worse.

There is not more solidarity or humanity or understanding out there because thousands are dying all over the world. From my perspective, people are even more afraid during these unsettling times, and this tends to bring out their insecurities and fears. Simply put, the current situation brings out the worst in humanity.

In China for example, just a few months ago Africans were horribly discriminated against because the local population believed blacks were the source of new COVID-19 infections. Black residents were evicted from their homes and refused service at a McDonalds. Some of the worse acts of racism were perpetrated against black people in China just recently.

So no, I don’t believe human beings behave respectably in times of crisis. I wouldn’t be surprised if we soon start hearing about the recrudescence of police brutality against black people wearing masks. And an increasing number of calls to 911 reporting a suspicious black person wearing a mask. I suspect that we’ll soon start hearing about a lot more cases unfortunately. And like the cynical saying: driving while black, wearing a mask while black, will also become a risky endeavor.

The world is currently facing two epidemics: COVID-19 and racism. While COVID-19 attacks its victims indiscriminately; regardless of race, creed, gender and/or sexual orientation, racism on the other hand targets its victims based on the colour of their skin with insidious and vicious ferocity.

We need to exterminate both these pandemics, but while one can be vanquished with a vaccine, the other will require the elimination of white supremacy and the unlearning of centuries of deeply embedded racist sentiment, behaviours and structures.

Masked or unmasked, we definitely still have a lot of work to do.

Thanks for reading me.