…the only mask required.
Up until they became hospitalized they had been mixing freely as they had been told there was no danger.
These folks followed ‘the rules’ and it killed them.
Some folks genuinely listen, without guile, to the those charged with keeping them healthy.

I’m the only one in on any socials, bar a couple on Facebook. My dwindling family looks at the info I present and weighs it against the entire rest of the world telling them things are okay. They’re not rebels or trolls or trying to make a point.

Their ordinary and it’s killing & disabling them.
They’re gentle with me but nothing is going to get them to mask again without a mandate & a whole new, HONEST public health campaign that’s not coming.
Please don’t make fun, don’t be smug, they are doing the best that they can.

Also relatedly people’s abusers aren’t automatically narcissists because they abused you

We have to factor in how systemic oppressions, socialization, etc create the environment for unequal power dynamics, abuse, cruelty, etc

Blaming mental diagnoses for all evils is ableism

Relatedly, you don’t need to attach a mental health diagnosis to someone’s situation to make it legit

Someone’s abuser doesn’t need to be a narcissist in order for the abuse to be serious and real

We need to be careful not to protect/help ourselves with -isms that harm others

I know this isn’t popular (or “sexy”, from a social media marketing POV), but it’s true

Someone doesn’t need a personality disorder to be abusive when society is set up to encourage harmful behaviors & abuse on every level

Making all abuse narcissistic hurts more than it helps

After all, your doctor's office, your dentist, your hospital isn't protecting you from Covid. Add privatization and confusing insurance coverage to that mix along with toxic messaging from the Right and you have an unprotected, increasingly vulnerable population