I’d like to paint a picture for you. It’s a store, any brick-and-mortar location of any retail establishment in this country. You approach the glass doors, which slide open with a gentle whoosh. Inside the environment is frantic but hushed. It’s not quite as frantic as it was four months ago, but there is still a nervous energy permeating the air. The aisles are one-way roads, marked with large neon duct tape arrows on the floor to indicate the direction of travel, but many of the customers ignore it as they lament the fact that they must wear face masks and hurry to complete their shopping as quickly as possible.

You grab a cart. The handlebar has a film on them and the distinct smell of disinfectant, the remnants of being clean. You begin down one aisle, then another, picking off items as you cross them from your list. You handle them more carefully than usual and make a note to wash your hands as soon as you get the chance.

Then you turn the next corner. In the middle of the aisle, a woman is yelling at a stocker. His eyes above the edge of his mask are wide with surprise but heavy with the exhaustion of it all. The woman has light skin, fine blonde hair, curled and hair-sprayed. She has no mask.

This scene is everywhere in America. Someone has decided that their own personal freedom is more valuable than the health of their community. The rallying cry has been one of many things in a revolving door of absolute selfish insanity. Often it focuses on the high survivability of the virus, or the belief that it’s all a hoax to accomplish whatever ridiculous end they feel fits properly. Regardless, facts are ignored in favor or personal belief. In every case of this, personal selfishness is the belief that prevails as the basis for these outbursts.

The customer has just been informed that they are required to wear a mask while they are inside the store, as per city ordinance and store policy, or they must leave the premises. And just as a toddler does when told that they cannot have the overly sweet cereal that they want, the customer, a grown adult, throws a temper tantrum in public. Behind them, another customer shoots video.

She tries every trick in the book she can think of in a vain attempt to get her way. Her will and determination are strong; she is a vile and powerful adversary.

We’ve all seen this before, either via video footage or personal experience. They’re very creative in the excuses they employ, so let’s examine some of the more common ones:

1. “I have a medical issue”/ADA Compliance

Okay, yes, some people do have a legitimate medical issue preventing them from wearing a mask. However, those are very few and far between, and even people with medical conditions are wearing masks, so the point is moot.

When that excuse fails, they’ll naturally gravitate to the Americans with Disabilities Act, claiming that they must be accommodated, or those preventing them will face fines of up to $75,000. This is completely bunk. Here’s why.

Per the Department of Justice, the agency overseeing enforcement of the ADA: “The ADA does not provide a blanket exemption to people with disabilities from complying with legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operations.” The National Law Review goes further to explain what this means: “The ADA generally prohibits eligibility/screening criteria that tend to exclude individuals based on a disability, unless the criteria are necessary for the business to operate safely in providing its goods and services. Those requirements must be based on actual risks and may not be based on speculation, stereotypes, or generalizations about people with disabilities. At this time, businesses concerned about the safety of their staff and customers should be justified in relying upon guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state and local governments’ orders, to justify policies forbidding customers without face masks from entering their stores.”

In other words, if regulatory agencies and governmental bodies deem masks to be a safeguard essential for public safety, enforcement of a store policy in accordance with those guidelines does not violate the ADA, since a mask requirement is universally deemed necessary for the safe operation of a business.

So, no, you’re not going to get fined $75,000 for telling someone to mask up or take a hike. Be sure to offer other accommodations, such as curbside service, before putting on your best “fuck off” smile.

2. Personal Freedoms/FTBA

This one is the most selfish and idiotic of the bunch. So many of our “personal freedoms” are forfeited on a daily basis in the name of public safety. Driving regulations, such as seatbelt requirements, or smoking ordinances are common examples.

As a means to get around this, aside from yelling and throwing a temper tantrum, as in the above scenario I created, they have begun attempting to hide behind the Freedom to Breathe Agency, or FTBA. If this sounds ridiculous and made up, it absolutely is. The FTBA is neither a government agency, nor an agency at all. It has no power and no jurisdiction. Many of the selfish morons hiding behind its name carry around a card explaining that you shouldn’t violate their personal liberties. The card tries very hard to look legitimate, going so far as to even include the logo of the Department of Justice, which is an unauthorized use of the seal. The DOJ had to respond by saying that this is fraud. Feel free to laugh at anyone who tries to pass this off as legitimate and escort them to the exit.

3. CO2 Poisoning/Oxygen Flow Prevention/Ineffective Against the Virus

I’m just going to attack all three of these at once, because they all run counter to each other, and either they are all true or none of them are. Allow me to explain.

First, doctors and healthcare professionals wear N95 masks, the highest quality of PPE, for hours and hours a day and have suffered no ill effects from “carbon dioxide poisoning” or a lack of oxygen.

Second, let’s talk about the sizes of the particles we’re dealing with here: oxygen, carbon dioxide, and COVID-19 particles. (All of this information is taken directly from an article published by Loma Linda University.) So, the premise is that masks prevent the flow of oxygen in and carbon dioxide out. Also, a popular claim is that masks are ineffective against preventing COVID from passing through. To sum up, the claim is that COVID particles are smaller than Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide. This is a false claim.

Per the article, oxygen molecules measure in at 0.120 nanometers, carbon dioxide molecules at .232 nanometers, and COVID-19 particles at 120 nanometers. For scale, an oxygen molecule is 1/1000th the size of a COVID particle. Already, the claim is bullshit. Now, factor in the size of the the weave of an N95 mask at anywhere between 100 and 300 nanometers. Oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules will flow just fine through there. COVID particles, on the other hand, might not. It just depends on the mask, not all of which are created equal.

The bottom line with this one is anti-maskers need to figure out which one of these false claims they want you to debunk at a given moment. The truth is science backs up the ability to potentially prevent COVID spread while allowing free flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide. So, still, shut up and wear a mask.

BONUS ROUND: “You have to accept cash! It’s legal tender!”

Yes, it is legal tender, but no, there is no regulation forcing a business or person to accept cash as a method of payment. Per the Federal Reserve’s own website and Section 31 U.S.C. 5103, cash is only set up as legal tender for the purposes of settling debts but is not required for doing so. So, any time a customer says it’s the law for you to accept cash, politely inform them that it’s not.*

*Check your state and city laws and statutes to double-check this before going all-in on it.

Now, this information, alone, will not guarantee victory or success. That depends on a few other factors.

1. Information. Arm yourself with the facts above. Knowing the truth is half of the battle already. Facts are not opinions. They are indisputable. Even though anti-maskers will continue to dispute them.

2. Confidence. Believe in yourself and in the facts you carry. You hold far more power than they do. The worst they can do is get huffy, demand a manager, and then go cry on the internet, which brings me to my next point.

3. Backup. If you are able, request support, the higher up the chain of command, the better. But bring in whomever you can. There is safety and solidarity in numbers.

4. Stand firm. Anti-maskers pose a threat to everyone. We still don’t know enough about what this virus can and can’t do. We do know that PPE can help prevent the spread of the virus, but anti-maskers are too selfish to comply. There are a number of factors behind this, which I won’t get into here, but they ultimately believe that it is worthless and amounts to government control. Stand your ground against them, and you will prevail.

I wanted to create this guide to help essential service industry workers fight back against these bullies who are attempting to take advantage of them during an awful and challenging time. Hopefully, you will find something valuable here. Good luck out there, comrades. Stay safe.

-The Retail Explorer