Twitter Users Scorch Idaho Parents Who Burned Masks With Their Kids
Anti-maskers in Idaho held a public burning ceremony on Saturday and had their kids join in by tossing their own personal protective equipment into the flames.
The Washington Post estimated that some 100 people gathered outside the state’s Capitol in Boise for the mask burning.
“Here fire, you hungry?” a child asked in one of the videos circulating on Twitter. “Here’s another mask.”
Idaho does not have a statewide mask mandate for the coronavirus pandemic, but some communities within the state have put mandates into place and Gov. Brad Little (R) has encouraged people to wear them. He tweeted in support of masks just last week:
Keep up the good work, Idaho. Keep practicing the things we know work. Wear your mask. Wash your hands. Stay home if you’re sick. Together we will emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever and continue to Build Idaho’s Future! https://t.co/bxuofdZeji
— Brad Little (@GovernorLittle) March 5, 2021
That message was not well-received by some on the right.
“Certain health districts are mandating or certain towns are mandating wearing masks and we just don’t have the numbers here,” Darr Moon, husband of state Rep. Dorothy Moon (R) and a point person for the protest, told NBC News. “The COVID numbers are very low. We’ve flattened the curve a long time ago and people want to go back to work. They want to have a normal life.”
Idaho’s hospitalizations and deaths have dropped in recent weeks as has happened in much of the country following the winter surge. However, The New York Times reported that cases were up 8% in the state over the past two weeks. And, according to the Idaho Statesman, the state has had more than 172,000 cases so far, including more than 1,800 deaths from the COVID-19 infection.
Twitter users were stunned, not just about the mask burning, but that the protesters dragged children into the spectacle:
That people are using their children to burn something that saves lives..... spare me the lectures about how you support life. https://t.co/n5y63jWGmw
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) March 6, 2021
Parents are suppose to protect their kids...SMH. 🤦🏾♂️🙏🏾 https://t.co/uaURPlHsln
— Jaime Harrison, DNC Chair (@harrisonjaime) March 7, 2021
Dear mask burning folks in Idaho: Rejecting science is not anti-elite; it’s not owning the libs; it’s just plain stupid.
The virus spreads through respiratory droplets. Masks help prevent the spread. Masks help save lives. You are putting your family at increased risk. https://t.co/GmgSVqEFql— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 6, 2021
The band #Devo’s name comes from the concept of "de-evolution", the idea that instead of continuing to evolve, mankind has begun to regress. https://t.co/YsT8KtShSX
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) March 7, 2021
Jesus.
I mean...Jesus. https://t.co/PQO7OQwDhb— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) March 6, 2021
You know what ALWAYS ages well? Pictures of kids being encouraged to burn a big pile of something. https://t.co/LIFlkCdTq5
— Daniel Kibblesmith (@kibblesmith) March 7, 2021
Dear Historians of the Future
It was like this. https://t.co/e2ceDfw09H— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) March 7, 2021
Parents:
burning polypropylene gives off really harmful fumes
if your kids are burning masks, they should be wearing a mask! https://t.co/tLTQy3R5G9— Michael Madowitz (@mikemadowitz) March 7, 2021
I really hope that some historian out there is carefully documenting how utterly COVID broke the brains of Red America. https://t.co/I1ygYU8Wap
— Noah Smith 🐇 (@Noahpinion) March 7, 2021
The story of an ICU nurse navigating two COVID worlds in Boise. Posted, by chance, the same day as a mask burning protest at Idaho’s Capitol.
COMIC: How One COVID-19 Nurse Navigates Anti-Mask Sentiment https://t.co/dJtEstFS6I— Nate Rott (@NathanRott) March 6, 2021
Ritualized mask burning in Boise wins this week’s award for acts of symbolic stupidity. pic.twitter.com/jCbXS6U3uv
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) March 6, 2021
Humans have free will. Why do they choose to be stupid? https://t.co/p3S6kIYEJh
— God (@thegoodgodabove) March 7, 2021
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.