For kids, for sure, if you follow “The Science.” That’s the conclusion of Jeffrey Anderson in this data-driven review fantastically titled, “Kids full of life, Adults obsessed with death.” In general, there has been a dearth of evidence showing that any area that had mask mandates had death rates different from those that don’t, but for the kids the risk-reward tradeoff is especially biased in favor of no masks.

There’s an extraordinary difference—even greater than widely recognized—between Covid-19’s effects on kids and its effects on adults, as fatality numbers show. Far from regarding this important fact as a godsend for the upcoming generation, however, many policymakers have treated it as an irrelevancy. At the same time, they have ignored that children living in mask-mandate states have had essentially identical Covid fatality rates as kids living in mask-free states.

I think masks likely help at some level. Contra many that seem to think that masks emerged as a way for government to control us, historically masks emerged from people afraid of their lives in pandemics prior to modern medicine and vaccines. I generally trust the wisdom of the ages. But the issue for me is not are masks marginally effective (I strongly suspect they are–if (and that’s a really big if) they are worn properly), but that masks are a non-trivial cost for many and the benefits are marginal at best with respect to Covid-19. Kids especially. The last thing we need is for this generation of overly “safe” people training up a new generation to be “safer” than them. Rational public policy should have a proportional balancing of risks/rewards, and at this, our public health advocates have failed utterly. If you asked me, would you prefer to wear a mask for three years and get to live 25 more years or go with no masks and likely die, I think I’d choose masks. But the data long ago showed us that that real risk for someone my age that is very healthy with no co-morbidities is low. And for young people and kids, it’s miniscule. So no mask for me please. And no mask mandates for anyone.

But pushing this from a position of authority can get you cancelled, as Levi’s chief marketing officer Jennifer Sey found out. A reliably vocal progressive, Levi’s had no problem with her or other senior members being political–while they were bashing Mr. Trump or vocally supported Elizabeth Warren (as Sey did). But when Ms. Sey saw the damage to kids due to the pandemic shut downs and masking, she became a vocal critique in her advocacy of children (her own and others). This led to repeated pressure to keep quiet, which she refused. So “Yesterday I Was Levi’s Brand President. I Quit So I Could Be Free.”

In 2008, when I was a vice president of marketing, I published a memoir about my time as an elite gymnast that focused on the dark side of the sport, specifically the degradation of children. The gymnastics community threatened me with legal action and violence. Former competitors, teammates, and coaches dismissed my story as that of a bitter loser just trying to make a buck. They called me a grifter and a liar. But Levi’s stood by me. More than that: they embraced me as a hero. 

Things changed when Covid hit. Early on in the pandemic, I publicly questioned whether schools had to be shut down. This didn’t seem at all controversial to me. I felt—and still do—that the draconian policies would cause the most harm to those least at risk, and the burden would fall heaviest on disadvantaged kids in public schools, who need the safety and routine of school the most. 

I wrote op-eds, appeared on local news shows, attended meetings with the mayor’s office, organized rallies and pleaded on social media to get the schools open. I was condemned for speaking out. This time, I was called a racist—a strange accusation given that I have two black sons—a eugenicist, and a QAnon conspiracy theorist.

Even when you disagree with them (and I don’t disagree with Ms. Sey), we need to stand up and applaud those brave Americans that are willing to stand up for what they believe is right and be willing to pay the cost. So kudos to Ms. Sey. Let’s end with this thought from Mr. Anderson’s post:

Members of the phone-obsessed generation are hardly known for their polished social skills, but at least they haven’t been as closed off from others as the masked generation sadly is being taught to be. Young children need to see human faces in order to connect with others and develop fully and normally. Adolescents often wrestle with adopting facial expressions that are both natural and appropriate, a challenge certainly not made easier by being delayed by years of faceless interaction. Children of all ages need to see their fellow human beings’ expressions in order to be able to interact richly and wholly. Yet we are cavalierly denying our children these crucial opportunities for social, emotional, and intellectual engagement—undermining both their happiness and their potential in the process.

Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho…..