Over the 4th of July a group named, “Patriot Front,” staged a march in Washington DC. During the march they wore a uniform of khaki pants, navy blue shirts, and tan baseball caps emblazoned with the group’s logo. Of note, they all wore masks. It reminded me of the white hoods of the KKK in the first half of the twentieth century.
The white hoods performed two
important functions. They increased the terror of the victims through the
inhuman specter of hooded shapes, and they provided anonymity for the
participants, shielding them from identification and possible prosecution.
These hooded figures with their violence and burning crosses terrorized Black
citizens and those who supported them. In more modern times, terrorists employ
the same tactic for the same reasons.
All of us understand this dynamic.
We want to protect our identity when engaging in nefarious activities.
Criminals operate under the cover of darkness. Other nefarious actors cover
their faces hoping to avoid identification. We know in our souls that what
we’re doing is shameful and do our best to protect our identity. We want to
avoid accountability. Knowing that there are many around us who would take
umbrage at our participation in such activities, we take steps to insulate
ourselves from identification. Such are the signs of cowardice.
Some may argue that masks protect
participants from “doxing,” the publication or use of personal information for
the purpose of harassment. And while the fear of doxing is valid, wearing a
mask to protect your identity calls into question how committed you are to your
cause. After all, our founding fathers and other patriotic heroes faced dire
consequences should their cause have failed. Hiding your identity behind a mask
calls denigrates the justness of your actions. After all, if you truly believed
you were doing the right thing, why would you hide?
Hiding behind a mask or a hood
broadcasts the moral bankruptcy of a cause. It tells all observers that participants
fear identification with the cause. If the cause were just, then those who
support the cause would feel comfortable identifying with the cause. Masking protects
your identity but undermines your belief in the honor of your actions. When deployed
to Iraq in 2003, I frequently wore either sunglasses or the goggles issued by
the Army. In fact, they still adorn the helmet that I wore. Iraqis often
complained about them, believing that I wore them to avoid identification and
to appear more menacing. Though I continued to wear them while convoying around
Baghdad, I did make sure that when I spoke with Iraqis, I took them off. I
believed then, and I still do, that the basic causes and goals of our
deployment were just.
Like the citizens of Baghdad in
2003-2004, I suspect those who hide their faces of not truly believing in the
justness of their cause. The mask preaches more loudly than any words that they
might utter in defense of their actions. It also tells me that they seek to
intimidate more than they seek to convince. Their cause being fundamentally
flawed, they must resort to intimidation and a menacing appearance. So I say,
if you want me to take you seriously, then take off your mask. Stop hiding.
Stop trying to intimidate. Stop menacing my fellow citizens.
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