Was talking about covid with some colleagues during lunch and a very funny moment happened.
New American colleague: I wear a mask, so you probably know what that means.
Me: no, I don't. What does it mean?
Her: it means I am a progressive democrat. Back in the US, I voted for the democratic party.
Me: I still don't get what being a "progressive" has to do with masking. Conservatives and rightwing types in Japan wear masks everywhere. Same, here in the Netherlands.
Her: *totally confused*
Me: okay, let me phrase it like this: what does your wearing a mask have to do with your politics?
Her: I just thought that it's obvious. You wear a mask and vaccinate if you're a democrat and you hate masks and vaccines if you're a republican.
At that point, other non American colleagues were just kinda confused.
One colleague from Hong Kong told her his parents are pretty conservative, but still wear masks everywhere. They also believe in vaccines. So he was also kinda lost by her statement.
I have always struggled to understand why white American progressives tie certain things to their progressiveness.
You're not automatically a "progressive" or a "good" person because you wear a fucking mask. I wear a mask too. So what? I get that Americans politicise everything and use random topics to drive a wedge amongst themselves, but if you leave the US, also leave that mentality back home.
It might come as a surprise to you, but outside of the US, there are people who are vegans, wear a mask, believe in science and vaccines, but are still conservative, rightwing, fascist, and fucking racist. So just because you've got those things on your social media bio doesn't mean shit. Good luck.
Lol the topics aren't random though, they're very much tied to specific histories and social currents in this country. This isn't just some "stupid americans" thing. People have literally been physically attacked repeatedly by right wingers furious that the person was masking.
I remember during trump's administration, Dutch comedians routinely made content based on some random shit that was dividing Americans. One of them was windmills. Fucking windmills. That's random to people who aren't Americans. Even one time meat was also a topic. Fucking meat!!
Well here in the US, masking is deeply political, and right wing folks have made masking a central platform to attack over the past few years. Like held rallies and have attacked ppl physically and everything. It's kind of a big deal here.
Yeah, it's not in the Netherlands. So I don't get the idea of an American in the Netherlands walking around identifying as a "progressive" democrat because they wear a mask. Hell, all of the far-right political parties and politicians here are socialists. They're just RACIST socialists.
