When anti-mask protesters recently gathered at the home of Utah’s lieutenant governor (and governor-elect) Spencer Cox, he shared a picture of cookies and hot chocolate, along with the following caption: “Never dreamed I would have protestors at my home in Fairview. But we don’t get many visitors, so if you make the long drive, the least we can do is make you cookies and hot chocolate. I’m glad I got a chance to tell them I love them even if we disagree on masks.” This response was very disappointing. When people are rewarded for the harm they do, it normalizes and sanitizes the harm.
Groups like the one Cox served have contributed to the deaths of more than 700 Utahns (and the long-term health challenges of hundreds more) by undermining confidence in public health officials and staging large gatherings where a deadly, highly contagious virus can spread.
Certainly we can love people in spite of disagreements, but love isn’t expressed in rewarding people for destructive, selfish and ill-informed choices. Love is shown in accountability and true care for others. Seeing one of the most visible leaders in our state prioritize the sweet tooth of anti-mask protesters when thousands are struggling to breathe, pay rent, save patients and grieve loved ones is baffling and truly insulting.
Cox’s response paints an anti-mask stance as a harmless difference of opinion. I’m frustrated by the positive attention Cox’s post has received, as though giving refreshments to people who endanger public health is a sign of character.
As someone who has lived in Utah for more than 30 years and is raising her children here, I hope Lt. Gov. Cox will reflect on this instance and how he might strike a better balance in the future. Our lives and communities depend on it.
Sara Hanks, Layton