Ya'll Masking?

I am not one for trends. I often think of mass human acts of expression as falling into a spectrum between fashion and passion. That is to say, that the acts that we perform as individuals within society, especially those aimed at attracting attention from the community at large, in my mind, either lean more towards acts meant to fit the model of the particular norm of the day or acts derived from an overwhelming sense of urgency for what it needed or necessary in the moment in which we are living. In short, I categorize one as being a mindless self-indulgence in the zeitgeist, a going with the flow as it were, while the other is a more thoughtful, often emotional, reaction to the zeitgeist. I offer you this notion not to pass judgement on either leaning, but rather to provide you the framework of thought that informs my perspective and my aversion to trends. 

However, this "Ya'll masking?" trend is absolutely an exception to the rule for me. On the one hand it definitely exhibits many of the tendency of a more fashionable trend. Yet, the impetus behind the fierceness and consistency of the trend absolutely lean towards passion. Unless you have been completely avoiding the realm of online public opinion lately, you are likely well-aware of the growing number of individuals that are currently dissatisfied with both governmental and societal responses to the ongoing pandemic and looming potential pandemics, with public health's messaging about said pandemic, and the lackluster pandemic management and inclusivity on the part of their immediate communities.

The base of this particular trend has been bubbling under the surface for some time now. In reaction to the weaponized incompetence on the part of governmental agencies, seemingly every day, new communal organizations constructed by private citizens in order to provide the support that government agencies have failed to provide the people and grass roots organizations focused enacting meaningful sociopolitical action at both locally and further afield have emerged. These communal structures have grown over the course of the pandemic in response to the lack of support provided by the powers that be but it is lately that they have become more noticeable as they continue to grow in size and scope. Now the seedlings that have been planted by these various grass roots movements have begun to burst through and begun to blossom and bloom as is evidenced by the "Ya'll masking?" movement currently in full swing. 

Clearly, "Ya'll masking?" is a rare amalgamation on the trend spectrum. This movement is nothing if not passion acting through fashion. Personally, I think this is a good thing and something that we have been missing in the fight against this pandemic. This is something the powers that be have completely failed to do throughout this pandemic. Passion trends can often be unpalatable  for all but a highly specific subset of society (think thrash metal) which cause them to not be easy digestible by society at large. Fashion trends are often fun, bright, and easily digestible (think EDM) but often fail to produce any kind of needed, lasting, or positive societal change. Although they do allow people to easily engage and express themselves through the trend which allows the trend to quickly disseminate through society as engagement is facilitated by the uncomplicated nature of the movement. As such, by harnessing the strengths of each of the extremes of the spectrum into one trend we can promote positive social behaviors that benefit all without making such behavior modification feel like a chore (think the cleanup song from elementary school).

All this to say, I absolutely love this trend. I love that this is another fabulous example of the people coming together to produce a better solution to a problem that the powers that be should have already solved. I love that it is both a great cause and incredibly fun and uplifting for all involved. Thank you to all involved in continuing this crucially necessary and highly enjoyable trend. I wish you all the very best in life and I leave you with one question: Ya'll masking?