There’s a rather fascinating “let-them-die” sentiment floating around out here. “They” deserve more compassion than they are receiving in my view. The internet is a hot, steaming mess of crazy ideas right now, not remotely based in science.

People believe in the 5G, nanobot mind control crisis or the pretty-sure-it-will-kill-us-in-a-few-years-because-there’s-DNA-in-it and it’s-rewriting-our-genetic code stuff. Sorting through facts, factoids and outright lies can be a tough proposition for the science-lite. Somehow — and we absolutely must figure out where U.S. education went so wrong — the US is filled with science-lite adults who don’t have the slightest idea how 5G or DNA works. But let’s be clear: Many monster whoppers and pure lies are populating cyberspace right now. Media stars with enough followers to fill a small city post stories they have never checked for accuracy and suddenly hundreds of thousands of lies are getting reposted and retweeted across the universe. How COVID-19 infected the world with lies – CNET

Politics isn’t helping us at all. Florida’s governor DeSantis has been championing the right not to wear a mask even as conventions cancel their Florida bookings and friends of mine decide to vacation in the North instead. “Florida has the country’s highest hospitalization rate and second-highest rate of recent cases, behind Louisiana. Infection levels have been rising in every state, with especially alarming rates in the South. Many of those governors have also been reluctant to impose new restrictions or require masks.” (A COVID Surge in Florida Challenges Gov. Ron DeSantis, Again (yahoo.com))

Almost all of America’s children may be masking up for the next school year. As it stands, “CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky urged all schools reopen to in-person learning in the fall, but with proper safety protocols — and that now includes masks.

‘CDC recommends that everyone in K-12 schools wear a mask indoors, including teachers, staff, students and visitors regardless of vaccination status,’ she told reporters.” (From CDC recommends masks for all K-12 students, even those who have been vaccinated (nbcnews.com))

Eduhonesty: It’s a tiny little mask, not a fifty pound backpack. Unless you have COPD or a serious lung disease, that mask is no big deal. I did a stress test while wearing two masks. I didn’t keel over. In fact, I passed my test just fine.

Here is my suggestion as we go through August. As we post the pictures of our paintings, kitties, puppies and delicious lunches, let’s make it a point to sometimes post the story that explains why children should be wearing those masks. Post the story of the Florida dad who thought he’d be fine because he was a former athlete, the dad sitting in his window with oxygen tubes running out his nose after he spent two weeks in the COVID ICU because his elementary age child brought the microbe home and gave it to the whole family. Vaccinated mom had the equivalent of a cold. The kids recovered quickly. Dad has not been so lucky. Weeks later, he still needs supplemental oxygen just to manage light daily activities.

Post those stories. Yes, many of us are vaccinated and have effectively moved on, tired of endless COVID stories, especially now that only one or two out of 100 COVID deaths are occurring in the vaccinated. But not all of us are living in entirely stratified COVID bubbles. Readers, we have to make sure the information flow doesn’t revert back entirely to puppies and vacation photos. Our science-lite friends need us.

In particular, I’d suggest digging up some of the old mask stories. Here’s a story that provides a start: Do face masks work? Here are 49 scientific studies that explain why they do | KXAN Austin . Here’s a useful picture:

Let’s help the schools to help the parents to help the kids mask up.

Parents who are dubious about masks, here is my simple argument. That mask may work. The evidence strongly suggests it does if you read far enough and long enough. That mask does no harm to a healthy kid. (I acknowledge special cases such as autism.) If the mask is useless (it’s not), still, having your child wear the mask will do no harm. If the mask is useful, you may save your family or others an incredible amount of misery.

As to the civil liberties argument: There are hills worth dying on. This for damn sure is not one of them. We are talking about a thin facial covering versus disease and even death. Please. The idea that we should even balance one against the other sounds … stunningly out of touch with our common humanity. The fact that I can drive though the crosswalk and probably everyone will be able to leap out my way in time to escape serious injury does not mean I should barrel through the crosswalk.

Please, readers, let’s keep the flow of accurate information on COVID going out to our various feeds.

Questions to share with social media friends:

Did you check Snopes?

Have you cross-checked that story?

Why do you believe Fred when most everyone else says something else?

I’ll confess I haven’t always checked out my sources as much as I should in this life. Right now, though, we should all be holding each other accountable. Because we have a long way to go and a short time to get there before the next school year begins.

Hugs to my readers. Jocelyn Turner