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Thursday, February 17, 2022
Lifting mask mandate recasts Bay Area front-of-house staff as referees of warring audiences
Datebook: Front-of-house staffers at theaters and concert halls used to be able to fall back on union rules or government orders in testy interactions with patrons about masks — the most contentious part of their pandemic-era duties.
As a service worker in a conservative town when Connecticut dropped its mask mandate in early 2021, I really empathize with these front-of-house staffers. It’s a very different situation between service and live entertainment because service staff is able to get people in and out of the store very quickly and entertainment staff has to enforce rules for the safety of everyone in the venue for the hours that the event is occurring. When the mask mandate was in effect I even had an issue with a customer that my manager told me to let go of and serve her coffee regardless of her being unmasked, even though I had seen her in the coffee shop with a mask on every week beforehand. Because many people who see theatre are in support of the mask mandate and rely on it to feel safe in public gatherings, I can definitely see how staffers would end up as referees between theatergoers who want to wear masks and the few who don’t. It’s really irresponsible for both the state and the union to “recommend” masks rather than mandate them because its very clear how little they care for their workers relative to making money.
I'm surprised to hear that the bay area dropped their mask mandate. When I was there during winter break, restrictions were still in place, with no sign that they'd let up due to worries about omicron. As the article discusses, I can absolutely see how difficult it is to police adults in this situation. I saw it myself on a smaller scale when I was on crew. During one show, the ushers had to go to the box seats on the second floor twice to remind two younger adults to have their masks on properly.
I'm also not unfamiliar with masking struggles myself. Last summer I was apart of running a camp for little kids (my ages were like 4-6), and it was difficult enough to remind them to pull their mask up as it was. At least they didn't try to debate me on modern science, which sounds much more exhausting for the staff members in these venues. I can see how having a no-food-or-drink theater policy like the Ballet would be helpful, but as for other venues, I can see why management wouldn't want to sacrifice the potential revenue from the theater's bar or cafe in order to make mask enforcement simpler.
I think we can agree this has been a widespread question for a lot of us: does this place require masks? Or a vaccination card? Or a recent COVID test? Because we have to wear masks at school, I’m wearing one wherever I go, but that is not the case for everyone (exhibit a: I saw some family recently, and some of them didn’t carry a single mask on them, just assuming that they either didn’t need one or would be provided one if they did). I think there has generally been a lot of confusion as states, cities, or towns change their policies and then even more confusion ensues when it is up to individual places to implement their own policies. Which, is where this article comes in: being a service worker or front-of-house staff at a theater cna be busy and hard enough, without having to worry about people having issues, complaints, or questions about COVID guidelines (especially when those can be so politically charged).
There really does seem to be two diametrically opposed sides to this pandemic, and the uncertainty of the situation and the inconsistency of mandates and guidelines, especially as time goes on, are not helping the situation any. And the thing is, I know that it isn't everyone who's contributing to this issue by any means. As the article says, 75% of respondents were still in favor of mask-wearing in audiences, meaning only 1 in 4 people would even try to contest it (in an ideal world anyway, reality always tends to be messier than the numbers portray). It's all-around a tricky situation to contend with. I know that when I go out now, I'll maybe see half of the people wearing masks - if I'm lucky. I can certainly empathize with the exhaustion of restrictions and mask-wearing, but why do you have to be that person who makes the lives of workers (like front-of-house staff) so much harder. There's a larger problem behind this, but in my mind, it boils down to just following the rules of the place you're in. If the theatre is still mandating masks, just do it. Don't make the people around you uncomfortable and unsafe or make people who are just trying to do their jobs struggle even more.
Look, I’m from the Bay Area and though there is an image of the Bay Area as a haven of liberalism and mask compliance and acceptance, but there are annoying people everywhere. The aspect of the geography of the area that makes this a ticking time bomb is the ingrained entitlement of native Bay Area people. They truly believe that everything is owed to them, of course I suppose I should be saying we but I think I am aware enough to be able to check myself before I act like this. So, when it comes to differing beliefs between two native Bay Areaers, things get loud and messy. I pity the ushers and front of house employees who have to stand between these people and try and mediate their conflicts under a time sensitive situation waiting for the show to start. All I can say is, I would not sign up for this job.
5 comments:
As a service worker in a conservative town when Connecticut dropped its mask mandate in early 2021, I really empathize with these front-of-house staffers. It’s a very different situation between service and live entertainment because service staff is able to get people in and out of the store very quickly and entertainment staff has to enforce rules for the safety of everyone in the venue for the hours that the event is occurring. When the mask mandate was in effect I even had an issue with a customer that my manager told me to let go of and serve her coffee regardless of her being unmasked, even though I had seen her in the coffee shop with a mask on every week beforehand. Because many people who see theatre are in support of the mask mandate and rely on it to feel safe in public gatherings, I can definitely see how staffers would end up as referees between theatergoers who want to wear masks and the few who don’t. It’s really irresponsible for both the state and the union to “recommend” masks rather than mandate them because its very clear how little they care for their workers relative to making money.
I'm surprised to hear that the bay area dropped their mask mandate. When I was there during winter break, restrictions were still in place, with no sign that they'd let up due to worries about omicron. As the article discusses, I can absolutely see how difficult it is to police adults in this situation. I saw it myself on a smaller scale when I was on crew. During one show, the ushers had to go to the box seats on the second floor twice to remind two younger adults to have their masks on properly.
I'm also not unfamiliar with masking struggles myself. Last summer I was apart of running a camp for little kids (my ages were like 4-6), and it was difficult enough to remind them to pull their mask up as it was. At least they didn't try to debate me on modern science, which sounds much more exhausting for the staff members in these venues. I can see how having a no-food-or-drink theater policy like the Ballet would be helpful, but as for other venues, I can see why management wouldn't want to sacrifice the potential revenue from the theater's bar or cafe in order to make mask enforcement simpler.
I think we can agree this has been a widespread question for a lot of us: does this place require masks? Or a vaccination card? Or a recent COVID test? Because we have to wear masks at school, I’m wearing one wherever I go, but that is not the case for everyone (exhibit a: I saw some family recently, and some of them didn’t carry a single mask on them, just assuming that they either didn’t need one or would be provided one if they did). I think there has generally been a lot of confusion as states, cities, or towns change their policies and then even more confusion ensues when it is up to individual places to implement their own policies. Which, is where this article comes in: being a service worker or front-of-house staff at a theater cna be busy and hard enough, without having to worry about people having issues, complaints, or questions about COVID guidelines (especially when those can be so politically charged).
There really does seem to be two diametrically opposed sides to this pandemic, and the uncertainty of the situation and the inconsistency of mandates and guidelines, especially as time goes on, are not helping the situation any. And the thing is, I know that it isn't everyone who's contributing to this issue by any means. As the article says, 75% of respondents were still in favor of mask-wearing in audiences, meaning only 1 in 4 people would even try to contest it (in an ideal world anyway, reality always tends to be messier than the numbers portray). It's all-around a tricky situation to contend with. I know that when I go out now, I'll maybe see half of the people wearing masks - if I'm lucky. I can certainly empathize with the exhaustion of restrictions and mask-wearing, but why do you have to be that person who makes the lives of workers (like front-of-house staff) so much harder. There's a larger problem behind this, but in my mind, it boils down to just following the rules of the place you're in. If the theatre is still mandating masks, just do it. Don't make the people around you uncomfortable and unsafe or make people who are just trying to do their jobs struggle even more.
Look, I’m from the Bay Area and though there is an image of the Bay Area as a haven of liberalism and mask compliance and acceptance, but there are annoying people everywhere. The aspect of the geography of the area that makes this a ticking time bomb is the ingrained entitlement of native Bay Area people. They truly believe that everything is owed to them, of course I suppose I should be saying we but I think I am aware enough to be able to check myself before I act like this. So, when it comes to differing beliefs between two native Bay Areaers, things get loud and messy. I pity the ushers and front of house employees who have to stand between these people and try and mediate their conflicts under a time sensitive situation waiting for the show to start. All I can say is, I would not sign up for this job.
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