NEW SOCIAL MEDIA TREND: MAKE ANCHORAGE MASK UP
A new Facebook group has popped up in Anchorage to share information about which businesses are mandating masks — and which are not.
The mask shaming is strong with the group called “Anchorage Businesses that Wear Masks,” whose members call out businesses where masks appear to be optional, and then vow to boycott them.
This is the place to go to see the world of Karens.
The group’s purpose is benign enough: “Many of us would like to shop and support a business whose employees wear masks to help protect themselves and their customers. This is a group meant to share the places that are doing a good job, and those who could use some respectful encouragement to do better.”
But the execution of the policy results in a social media neighborhood busybody, scolding companies that are struggling to stay alive — from the House of Harley to hipster bakeries and cafes, and even drive-through burger joints.
“Though I have patronized the House of Harley for 17 years and my TriGlide is getting its 30k service now, unfortunately, not one staff member was wearing a mask, upstairs in sales are or in service department. I will not enter HOH again, except to pay bill today, until they wise up,” wrote one group member. The group response was predictably agreeable.
“Just called them…Happily Offered them 50 masks for staff and 75 for customers. They laughed and said no thanks,” wrote one member, who decided to follow up the lead.
“Just watched the grand opening of the Bear Paw restaurant on the local news. None of the staff was wearing masks! Not a good thing!” wrote another scolding group member. No more Bear Paw for her. The restaurant had been on the verge of its grand opening when the shut-down orders came down and closed dine-in restaurants.
“While I love this bakery so much, I was disappointed to see the employee handling all of the ToGo pickups at the Fire Island Bakery South shop was not wearing a mask yesterday. UPDATED: Fire Island responded and stated this was an accident. All staff should be wearing masks. Yay!!” offered one customer who had shamed a locally owned business. Fire Island Bakery owner quickly joined the Facebook group, apparently to protect his business’ reputation.
Businesses should be wary — their customers really could be out to get them. In “Anchorage Businesses that Wear Masks,” ninety percent of the members of the “mask spying” group are young- to middle-age women, most of them in the white genre, but MRAK notes that Forrest Dunbar, who aspires to become the next mayor of Anchorage, is also an early adopter of the “make Anchorage mask itself” tribe. An indication, perhaps, of how he will govern.
