Low Ki is wrong about masks, gets called out for it

Like all things COVID-19, exact data about the benefits of wearing facial coverings to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus is a work in progress. Still, public health experts around the world agree masks are beneficial to reducing the risk of transmission - mostly as a means to ensure you don’t infect others.

Still, arguments ranging from “it’s bad for my health to wear one” (largely debunked) to “it’s a violation of my rights” (largely stupid) persist among people who aren’t willing to put up with the slightest inconvenience to lower the risk of others getting sick.

A well-known pro wrestler, MLW’s Low Ki, loudly declared himself anti-mask in a tweet earlier today:

“Respect is a two-way street. I respect your right to remain ignorant, be ruled by fear and not by logic or intelligence, wear a mask, ‘social distance’ that ultimately harms your health now and, in the future, provided I do not pay for your bad decisions.

“I respect my own health enough to expose my immune system to the world by shaking hands and embracing people as we have for thousands of years to build our immune systems to fight against disease now and in the future.

“You have zero right to tell me that I must wear a mask, take a vaccine, or ‘social distance’ from others who also choose not to do these things. Life is about choices and in the information age, ignorance is a choice. I choose not to be ignorant.”

He’d go on to argue with people who responded, mostly with pseudo-science about how he’s fighting off COVID by taking in more oxygen than those of us who do wear masks when around other people outside our homes - which this asthmatic bartender has shot down.

And if you’re saying “why should I listen to a bartender?” I at least hope you won’t listen to a pro wrestler, either. But how about a registered nurse?

Ki also has some pseudo-psychology about how he’s thinking logically but those of us who are listening to medical professionals are being guided by our emotions. But you can find that on any number of conspiracy theory message boards. The encouraging thing here is how quickly and thoroughly much of the worldwide wrestling community came together to try to educate and/or sneer at him for being wrong.

A sampling:

There aren’t any WWE stars responding to Ki, but given what we continue to hear about the company’s public relations approach to the pandemic, that’s not surprising.

Noticeably absent, however, is MLW chief Court Bauer. Bauer and his company have prioritized public health since COVID lockdowns began in this country, and haven’t put on a show since March. We’ll see how he responds to one of his stars actively advocating for personal freedom over social responsibility.

In closing, wear a mask. There are some cool ones here.

Update: Bauer didn’t respond directly to Low Ki, but did offer some personal perspective while emphasizing his strong support of wearing a mask and staying safe.