I was really wanting to write something light, something easy. Maybe something about how Space Force is not quite living up to expectations, but still has real gems laced throughout storyline. And the cast is really strong, to include the casting of a podcast host I really enjoy listening to. On this last day of May, I wanted to write about relatively uncontroversial things– in particular how COVID-19 has pushed its way into society and we’ve modified our behavior in rapid and dramatic ways.

Big changes are already here, and they arrived in a real hurry. In Rome, what began as scarves wrapped loosely around faces became surgical masks and are now come in coordinating colors and patterns so we can at least change with some class. Much like how I once spied OJ Simpson postcards for sale in front of the Coliseum back in the mid-90s, it demonstrates that we are capable of adapting swiftly when called to do so. Especially when there’s a potential for profit…or we have absolutely no other choice.

To drive home the point, I had taken some photos of what it is now like to visit the hairdresser. Wait times are taking longer right now– both in part because of the three month lockdown but also because not as many clients can be seen at one time.

And the hairdresser looks more like a dentist’s office these days. The surfaces are clear of everything except what is absolutely needed. No longer are there magazines of unattainable beauty to flip through, or jumbles of overpriced styling products– in my hairdresser’s shop there were only different versions of sanitizer.

Before I even sat down, the parrucchiere had me stick my pocketbook into a plastic bag and then place it on the ground next to the chair. Protection against potential COVID germs. He unzipped up a new kit of styling tools, all wrapped and sealed in plastic. There were no towels to be seen- instead he presented a plastic bag filled with a disposable smock and cloth like towels for my hair only. The environmentalists I know would be dying, but would understand.

As I sat in the chair and watched the hairdresser add foil after foil to my graying locks, I grew increasingly uncomfortable breathing through my mask. Two and a half hours was a long ass time. Nevermind the fact that he was trying to speak to me through his own mask in a language that I am only starting to grasp. To me, dialogue in Italy these days sounds like how the T announcements were as a kid- before they finally recorded the voice of someone who was not a bored train driver with a Boston accent. Being able to communicate and and understand are too often taken for granted.

What I found impressive about all of the changes at the hairdresser (and beyond) was that society has adapted incredibly quickly. Big plexiglass dividers are installed everywhere, protecting vendor from client. Gloves and hand sanitizer are the norm. Even as I sat and was grateful to have my hair colored a terrible shade of whatever, I remember grumbling a bit to myself about how it was getting hard to breathe in that hot room. I can’t breathe.

Yes the world has shown incredible fortitude in adjusting to the danger of COVID-19. It’s a killer, and anyone who is still telling you that it’s just like a simple the flu needs to be taken to the dump. That’s my personal opinion. But if you are not going to take the situation seriously and adopt measures to protect yourself and others…well then you are actively choosing to be a part of the problem. This goes for COVID as well as for other societal diseases.

This blog entry was not the vapid blog entry that I wanted to write. And in fact, it is not about COVID either. At least not in the primary sense. I have to ask myself– my fellow white people– if we can adopt meaningful change in order to protect ourselves against a global pandemic, why are we not doing the same thing when people of color– our fellow human beings– continue to experience a wide spectrum of injustices that effectively put them in a different class of supposed liberty? I think wearing a mask is uncomfortable for a few hours because I Can’t Breathe? That’s pretty rich.

I fear to know what the news cycle will be like next week. Or what society will be like in three months. What changes, what doesn’t. The time has long since passed that if you are not speaking out, putting your money where your mouth (or social media feed) is, then you are tacitly accepting the system the way it is. And that makes you part of the problem. Time and time again we have shown that we are capable of transforming. If you’re not educating yourself right now, and figuring out how to make meaningful change…then wow. That speaks volumes about how you define humanity.