The Democratic Elites Enjoy a Maskless Super Bowl
"Nearly all of the celebrities spotted maskless at the Super Bowl . . . pledged their fealty to masks, virtue signaling on social media about the “necessity” of masking."
Opinion
The Los Angeles Rams were crowned world champions on Sunday after winning Super Bowl 56. The Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20. However, the game was overshadowed by the left’s continued hypocrisy regarding mask mandates. Los Angeles County left its mask mandate in place during Sunday’s Super Bowl, in addition to their vaccination requirement for attendees. The NFL provided all attendees with a free KN95 mask upon entering SoFi Stadium. Despite that, countless high-profile celebrities were shown attending the game maskless throughout the television broadcast. The maskless elites spotted include Eric Garcetti, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Charlize Theron, Drake, LeBron James, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber, Adam DeVine, Kendall Jenner, Matt Damon, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Emmitt Smith, Magic Johnson, and many more.
For two years, Democrats have argued that everyone must wear masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Yet, since the University of Waterloo study was released in July 2021, we have known that cloth masks and surgical masks are ineffective at stopping the spread of Covid-19. The Democrats have refused to acknowledge this, falsely asserting that cloth masks are effective despite the data.
Through the present day, Democrats have doubled down on mask mandates in most major cities. Additionally, they continue to mandate masking in public schools throughout the country, despite kids essentially facing no risk of severe illness or death from Covid-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 940 children under 18 died from Covid-19 throughout the entire two-year pandemic. That figure is extraordinarily low, considering that nearly 900,000 people in the United States alone have died from Covid-19. Of those 940 children who died, the overwhelming majority had pre-existing conditions or died due to another cause while simultaneously being infected with Covid-19. Those deaths were then inaccurately counted as a Covid-19 death. This is all to say that kids without pre-existing conditions face nearly no risk of severe illness or death from Covid-19. Yet, the Democrats have senselessly forced those kids to wear ineffective masks in school, severely impacting the children’s ability to learn and socialize.
After forcing all common people to mask for nearly two years, the Democratic elites have repeatedly violated their own mask mandates and rhetoric. In a past article, I addressed the mask hypocrisy of Democratic politicians such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nancy Pelosi, Gavin Newsom, Muriel Bowser, and Maxine Waters. Sunday’s Super Bowl was just the latest example of prominent leftists violating their own mask requirements and rhetoric.
Nearly all of the celebrities spotted maskless at the Super Bowl are vocal members of the left. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, they pledged their fealty to masks, virtue signaling on social media about the “necessity” of masking. Democrats for the last two years have treated mask-wearing as a litmus test to determine whether you are a good person or an evil person. Even though their claims are at odds with the data, prominent leftists tried to paint anyone who did not mask as a selfish, evil, Republican rube who wanted to kill grandma. Yet, when these celebrities had the opportunity to hang out with the rest of the Hollywood elites at the Super Bowl, they jumped at the chance to do so mask-free. Their “rules for thee, but not for me” attitude highlights an overarching theme with the left – there is no consistent standard. If a Republican does not mask, they are accused by the left of unnecessarily risking the innocent lives of everyone around them. When a Democrat goes without a mask, it is entirely acceptable.
The lack of consistency is reprehensible yet, entirely predictable. The mask for Democrats is equivalent to the “Make America Great Again” hat for supporters of Donald Trump. Based on the data, it is evident that Democrats do not wear a mask to prevent the spread of Covid-19. They wear a mask to convey that they are one of the good guys, a member of the left.
I want to highlight some of the previous mask virtue signalings, and political theater from those same Democrats caught maskless at the Super Bowl. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez kissed at the Met Gala in September 2021, with their cloth masks on. They did so in front of all of the cameras. I would classify this as the pinnacle of mask virtue signaling.
Charlize Theron ironically posted on Facebook, “Don’t be an ass, #WearADamnMask.” Well, Charlize, I disagree with the rationale. However, I agree with your conclusion - you are an ass.
Ellen DeGeneres previously posted the following message on Instagram, “However you do it, please remember to wear a mask. Infection numbers are still climbing.” It appears as if she forgot to take her own advice.
In an old Instagram video, Dwayne Johnson rebuked the idea of individuals making personal decisions regarding masking. Johnson said, “Wear your mask. It baffles me that some people out there, including some politicians, will take this idea of wearing masks and make it part of a political agenda . . . It has nothing to do with politics. Wear your mask . . . It is a fact. And it is the right thing to do, not only for yourself, but for your family and your loved ones, and also for your fellow human beings.”
Finally, the most egregious Covid-19 hypocrite is the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti. Just last week, images emerged of Garcetti maskless at the Rams NFC Championship game. Garcetti claimed that he only took the mask off to take a picture with former NBA star Magic Johnson. Garcetti went on to say that he held his breath while the mask was off, asserting that holding his breath made it acceptable. Apparently, the new Garcetti standard is that one can have their mask off as long as they hold their breath. It sounds very much like Eric Garcetti is “following The Science.”
Garcetti did not learn from his mistake. Despite the backlash after last week’s political gaffe, Garcetti was spotted maskless once again at Sunday’s Super Bowl talking with a group of people. Senator Ted Cruz had the best comment on Garcetti’s mask hypocrisy. Cruz tweeted, “He’s really good at holding his breath.”
The imagery of the maskless elites at the Super Bowl is indicative of the left’s view of the average American. They look down upon you. The left believes you are too stupid to realize that masking is entirely ineffective. They believe that you will not push back against government mandates. The left thinks you will not notice when they are overtly hypocritical, violating their own mask mandates. In the left’s eyes, you are not capable of making individual decisions on masking and vaccines. Only they can make those decisions for you. The left wants all of the control. They want you to shut up and comply.
Garrett Gillespie graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.
The Gillespie Report is a weekly news and conservative commentary column written by Garrett Gillespie. Subscribe to receive the newest edition each week for free.