OPINION: Our Family Trip Showed Me The Frustrating Truth About “Masks Required” Notices

Last week our family took a ski trip to Colorado and we stayed at a hotel which was plastered with “face masks required” signs. On the exterior door, on the check in counter, on the walls all around the lobby, on the hallway walls, on the inside and outside of the elevator.

They really made it look like face masks were definitely required. I nevertheless did not wear one, because I never do so voluntarily. Only when forced to. And no one forced me.

I later found out why. On a small slip of paper tucked in the little envelope with our key was the statement that “face masks are highly suggested-not mandatory.” Despite the dozens of “face masks required” signs around the hotel.

BTW, there was absolutely no social distancing in that breakfast room and not a single person said a single thing. Every table was packed and the entire room was packed with tables.

I later asked the nice lady at the front desk about it. Why are there signs saying that face masks are required if face masks aren’t actually required? She said that they decided not to take any of the signs down because management wants people to think that masks are required, even though they are not. That way people would still wear them even though they didn’t have to. She said that the majority of guests automatically wear one when they come in simply because they believe it is required due to the signs, rather than asking to confirm the policy or not wearing one until specifically asked to put one on.

They voluntarily comply with something that is not even a requirement simply because a paper sign taped to a door leads them to believe that it is a requirement, and they never question or resist it. And facilities feel empowered to lie to the public about requirements to get them to comply with political opinions.

A few months ago, our favorite donut shop almost got shut down by the health department because they didn’t have proper signage “requiring” masks. And that was because the donut shop didn’t actually require masks. They didn’t care. Wear a mask if you want, or don’t, but they weren’t requiring it. But the health department required them to require it, so they posted a sign saying that the health department was requiring them to require it, and the owner made it clear to patrons that she didn’t actually care.

More than a year ago, our church started requiring masks for everyone as part of mask policies that were not based in science and were blatantly illogical. It was frequently announced and there were signs posted everywhere as a reminder. My healthy family didn’t wear masks because we don’t wear masks unless forced to. And no one forced us. I talked to our bishop about it and he said that he was simply being required to require it, but that he was never going to turn away or confront a worshiper for choosing not to wear a mask. He said to me that he wished more people in the congregation would be brave enough to challenge it and then realize that they didn’t have to wear one, rather than blindly complying with the rule that was so blatantly illogical. But very few did. They were told it was required and they simply complied without question.

I recognize that there are places (until the most recent narrative shift) that very strictly require masks. We live on a military installation and there are places here that are incredibly strict about it. I recognize this. And some have said that it’s common courtesy to comply with requirements posted by establishments, and

While I agree to a point, this also concerns me on multiple fronts.

“No shoes, no shirt, no service” became a widespread posted requirement and almost everyone was fine with it and complies out of common courtesy. “No smoking indoors” became a widespread posted requirements and most people were fine with it and comply out of common courtesy. Then masks became a posted required, and many say that’s fine and comply out of common courtesy, even if they don’t agree or recognize the ineffectiveness. Then vax passport became a posted requirement, but fewer people said that was fine. So what’s next? Posted requirements of no Christians or no homosexuals or no Asians? No one would say that is fine. No one would comply with that posted “requirement” out of common courtesy, regardless of the justification for the so-called “requirement.” So why blindly comply with intentionally misleading “requirements” about masks simply out of common courtesy? Why never even challenge it?

Where’s the line? When do people challenge these posted “requirements” rather than simply complying out of common courtesy? Perhaps people have forgotten, but there used to be posted “requirements” about the color of skin permitted at restaurant counters and drinking fountains, but brave people challenged those posted “requirements” rather than simply complying out of common courtesy.

Today, people lie about masks being required, and I think it’s because they know they can get away with lying about it. They know that most people are afraid to be confronted about anything or to challenge anything so they just comply without ever challenging the so-called “requirements.” And why won’t institutions lie if they know people will just comply without question? What else will they feel empowered to lie about?

While masks seem like not that big a deal, I think it’s a slippery slope. While I believe that private requirements for things are permissible and important in a free society, and that not everything will actually end up being a slippery slope that devolves into something despicable, and I also believe that sometimes it’s good and even necessary for people to challenge posted requirements and “common courtesy” in order to keep that potentially slippery slope in check and force accountability for what is being “required.”

It scares me that facilities feel empowered to lie about requirements that are politically motivated and that people are willing to blindly comply out of common courtesy, even if they know it’s wrong or unnecessary.