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Along Life’s Way
Masks and Unmasking
By Lois E. Wilson
Most of us became aware of masks in our childhood when we put one on
for our first Halloween event. They were to conceal our identity and
add to the effect of the character or animal we were portraying through
our costume. We realized that by wearing a bandana tied around the
lower part of our faces we could pretend to be an outlaw. We knew they
hid their faces so others would not know who they were. We also
learned that cowboys wore bandana masks to lessen the amount of dust
they inhaled while doing their work on the range
Early tribal cultures in Africa and on our continent created masks
which are prized today for their workmanship and artistic value. They
are of humanoid and animal forms and were worn in ceremonial rites for
hunting to please the spirits. Some were hung where people lived to
keep evil spirits away. In the Old World there were elaborate
masquerade events. The half mask (domino) often attached to a stick was
held to the face and served as a flirting device. Masks were also used
during carnival seasons and in drama productions such as the Noh of
Japan.
There are protective masks worn in occupations such as firemen and
welders. Gas masks are equipment for the military. Masks worn in sports
events are to protect the wearer. Some examples are those for fencers,
catchers, and goalies.
The masks we are hearing so much about during the COVID-19 pandemic are
to protect those in healthcare facilities caring for patients and
others from acquiring the disease, or to prevent the virus spreading
from infected people. The mask has been suggested as proper wear when
going out, but has not been a required item in all situations. Many
protesters wear masks which are political and impede identification.
There has been much news lately about the government “unmasking” the
names of political rivals, their family members and staff during and
after the 2016 presidential campaign. By law, U.S. citizens’ names
incidentally gathered during government investigations of foreign
agents are masked to protect the U.S. citizens from invasion of privacy.
If the foreign target is speaking about a U.S. citizen or with one, and
the information gained has no intelligence value, it is purged from
government databases and the person’s name redacted. In the second type
of incidental collection where the person is actually involved in the
conversation, nothing the U.S. citizen says can be disseminated without
following the requirements of the law of minimization.
After following the necessary procedures, when unmasking occurs there
must be a valid reason. The name is to be given only to the person
requesting it. The name is to be masked when the intel is distributed
further. This may not have happened in the current unmasking being
investigated.
We should be consoled that, at least, we still have the choice of
whether we wear health masks or not. I am for choosing and using all
the protection possible. I’ll unmask on my terms—while I still can.
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