For some anti-maskers, refusing to be considerate of others in a pandemic has become their entire identity. Failure to mask has become a crusade, something they can use to try to force others to submit to their whims, and ultimately get internet clout with their anti-science peers under the guise of fighting for freedom.
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Obviously, this only works in select circles, and to the rest of the world, these people trying to spread their anti-mask beliefs by harassing service employees just look like jerks.
One anti-masker in Arizona took things to the next level when he decided to target a wig store catering to cancer patients.
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23-year-old Ethan Schmidt has been traveling throughout the state harassing employees at stores that enforce mask policies. He then uploads videos of the confrontations in a pointed attempt to shame workers.
Although every video Schmidt uploads ultimately only serves to make him look like the bad guy, a 39 second clip of him refusing to leave Sunny’s Hair and Wigs in Mesa, AZ, is some serious villain-level nonsense.
Schmidt’s footage starts off filming two women behind the counter and a third customer standing in front of it with a young child. All of the adults are masked, and one of the workers informs him that they “have the right to refuse service” if he doesn’t wear a mask, which is accurate.
“Well, that’s called discrimination. So, you guys really want to be blasted on the internet?” he asks. “Because I’ll put your phone number and everything and you’ll get blasted. Otherwise, you can do the right thing and let me walk around right now.”
Schmidt moves closer to them despite requests for him to stay back, and at that point, one of the women tries explaining that their shop caters to cancer patients going through chemo.
“I care about health so much that I go around telling people that masks don’t work,” he replies.
Schmidt shared the video on his Instagram account, which seems to have since been deleted or suspended. But targeting a store serving cancer patients wasn’t the good look he apparently thought it was, either way.
The internet quickly turned against him, resulting in Schmidt being the one “blasted” online.
Him playing with himself is most likely his problem.
— Dave Perrino – Get vaccinated, it’s patriotic
(@DavePerrino) June 7, 2021
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This is gold, Bun! “But my eagle freedoms!” is going straight into my lexicon.
— This Must Be the News (@ThisMustBeNews) June 7, 2021
What’s possibly worse is realizing that when the pandemic is over and we can all go back to not wearing masks, guys like this are going to have to find new hobbies to make themselves feel important and superior to everyone else. And for most of them, that will probably just mean finding new groups of people to target for harassment.
*First Published: June 8, 2021, 6:19 am
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