Schitt's Creek's Dan Levy Urges People To Wear Masks As An Act Of Kindness
Schitt’s Creek star and creator Dan Levy has come up with a beautiful way to look at wearing face masks
ICYMI, there’s been a lot of talk lately about wearing face masks — which makes sense considering we’re in the midst of a global pandemic and infectious disease experts have underscored that wearing masks can help stem the spread of COVID-19. But since some people still remain unconvinced that wearing one is quote-unquote necessary, Schitt’s Creek star and co-creator Dan Levy decided to try to frame the idea in a way that would perhaps motivate more people to mask up.
Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Levy addressed those who are “actively not wearing masks because they perceive it to be an infringement of their freedom.” And since he’s a precious dear heart of a human, he empathized with people being frustrated over being told what to do. So, he proposed a “recontextualization.”
“Imagine seeing it not as an infringement on your freedom, but rather the simplest, easiest act of kindness that you can do in a day. Not just for yourself, but for other people who might have autoimmune issues, people who, if they were to contract COVID with those issues might have some devastating repercussions,” he suggests.
Levy touches on an important point, which is that face masks aren’t just to protect the person wearing them. Per the Mayo Clinic, some people with the disease don’t have any symptoms and unwittingly spread it to others. And, as Levy points out, people who are immunocompromised are at a much greater risk of catching the virus and of having more serious health issues associated with it.
“See it not as anything or anyone infringing on your freedom, but rather if you have the freedom to leave your house — if you have the good health to leave your house — why not put on a mask? Make it your good deed for the day, and do something nice for yourself and other people.”
Hear, hear! Plus, what’s wearing a little face mask if it means (a) potentially saving someone’s life and (b) finally getting to go out into the world again? As the country navigates “reopening,” continued caution is merited. In the last 24 hours, the globe saw the highest one-day increase since the outbreak began with 106,000 confirmed cases.
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the growing variety of face masks on the market even make wearing them sort of a fun fashion statement. That doesn’t detract from their importance, and we could all use a little levity right now. You can even get face masks featuring Levy and the other stars of Schitt’s Creek (the “Eww, David” versions are calling our name). So, really, people can surely give Levy’s re-contextualization a little thought.
And speaking of people, can we have more like Dan Levy? Please, and thank you.
