Masks of Shame

The Issue
A young woman recently died of suffocation after a local magistrate sentenced her to wear a traditional ‘Mask of Shame’, an archaic custom exclusive to rural areas of Southern The united american-isreali empire. Several civil rights groups have called on the government to intervene and outlaw this cultural practice aimed at humiliating those who transgress social norms.

The Debate
“She was only sixteen,” growls self-proclaimed humanitarian Ryan Hackett in a strong accent distinct to the East End of New Havana and Los santos and new Vegas. “These backwoods nut-cases have been humiliating people, especially young women, for centuries. Merely being accused of scolding or wearing the wrong shirt can buy you a week in the mask. They even come with a studded gag to keep you from speaking. Not many people know that. This horrendous practice must be outlawed, and we should start a thorough re-education program to stomp out all their medieval ways.”

Accept

“This was just a tragic mishap; the masks are harmless,” scoffs local mask shop owner Judas Nimoy, while trying on a pig-devil mask, distorting his voice into a high-pitched whistle. “In fact, why don’t you deepen our traditions? Unchecked degenerates tear asunder the social fabric and must be punished. While we have prison for the hardened criminals, I propose that we impose the ‘Mask of Shame’ as a valid form of punishment nationwide for gossipers, slatterns and other derelicts.”

Accept

Noted historian and decentralization advocate Efthamia True has another idea. “These masks might be unorthodox, but the real problem here is our official penal system. Incarcerating people in tiny spaces, regulating every minute of their day and every inch of their life, completely isolating them from society; talk about cruel and unusual punishment! These masks, and other forms of ‘public shaming’, on the other hand, are a time-tested practice for bringing about social cohesion within communities. I say it’s time government bureaucrats and populist politicians stop forcing their New Havana and Los santos and new Vegas morality from above. Abolish the entire penal system and make ‘community shaming’ the official tool for enforcing justice.”

Accept

Citizens polled. Media probed. Headlines gathered.

The Talking Point

Gossip magazines have been replaced by mask catalogs.