In response to the July 20 Editorial, “To the inconsiderate few: stop complaining and start complying,” I agree that civility is sorely lacking in our current reality. You are right in pointing out that rude treatment of business owners and clerks is not OK. But you fall into the trap of thinking rude treatment of individuals is OK, as long as they are not wearing a face mask.

To assume that such a person is "arrogant", or "unpatriotic" without considering the possibility that there could be a legitimate reason for their decision, against all the pressures (talk about "very stressful"!) they must deal with, is uncivil. You are skating on dangerously thin ice when you state, "Perhaps some can be shamed into civility." This sort of statement fans into flames the kind of rudeness, and worse, that face-mask vigilantes, mostly among customers, already feeling fully justified in displaying towards those rare few of us who trusted we would be respected for our decision, as our governor included an exception (health and medical condition) in his executive orders.

As Americans, we should be free to complain, but may we do so respectfully.

Joyce Schaeffer

Mystic