If you like this idea, contact your congressional reps.
A few days ago I sent an e-mail to a friend, proposing a big push on the manufacture of N95 (or equivalent) masks. To my surprise, and gratification, he responded with a plan to DO SOMETHING, not just collegial affirmation of my idea. Here is our interchange.
Me:
Re COVID. I'm once again speaking up hither and yon for the country (once we get Biden) to pour enormous resources, atomic bomb, moon shot type resources, into figuring out how to produce an N95 equivalent mask quickly and cheaply, so that everyone in the world who wants one (some) can have them! It would be a super game changer, I think, in a way that a vaccine that only 50% of the population will accept won't.
My Friend:
I like this idea. I will begin sending a proposal for this type of action to our Senators and Ilhan Omar, our Congressional Rep.
I have been studying a recently published book, “The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone’s Mind” by Jonah Berger, trying to better understand how to bring about a change in people’s thinking, my own included, in the most effective way. One of the points Berger makes is that people, especially American people, have to feel like they have a choice, the they are not being forced to do something, to take some action. Unlike other countries where the social contract, the social compact, makes a difference and people pay attention to it, here in the US there are just too many people devoted to freedom of the individual, to freedom at any cost ( aka, NH—Live Free Or Die ), to lead them to make a decision based on the social contract to protect others by wearing a mask.
To keep this email shorter I won’t go into all the examples where choice vs mandate works far better. So my question: In other countries where individualism and freedom, even if somewhat false values, are not paramount as they are here in the US people probably will be willing to care for others by wearing masks. But here in the US we have to come up with a choice that has clear consequences, with one of the consequences being protecting each other more effectively by wearing masks. What I haven’t been able to figure out, is what is the other option or options, other than “don’t wear a mask and maybe die.” That isn’t a real option, or if it is an option it is so fearful that people will simply ignore it. So along with available masks, both in the US and around the world, we need to come up with a viable option, an alternative, so people feel like they are choosing a good option, i.e., masks, over another option. And the other option doesn’t need to be negative. It just have to be an option so people feel like they are making their own decision about masks, etc. Tricky - but essential. Maybe taxation of some sort? Maybe a national education initiative that shows highly popular and respected and loved and rich ( sorry - here in America that is a must ) wearing masks and urging everyone to wear masks.
Anyways, I like your idea.
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