A personal anecdote describes the feeling of social exclusion and being "the other" when refusing to wear a mask at a Whole Foods during the pandemic. This experience is compared to the "double consciousness" described by W.E.B. Du Bois, where an individual is constantly aware of how they are perceived by a hostile or judgmental society. The hosts argue that pandemic mandates allowed non-minorities to briefly experience the systemic pressure typically faced by Black Americans.
