Mixed martial artist Bryce Mitchell said he knew he was opening up a can of whooping controversy when he made a statement against children wearing masks while playing outdoors. He also said that masks should be optional.
The statement was apparently made in November but recently recirculated on Twitter.
…We did not vote for none of that. There was no vote that said we want our kids in masks, we wanna wear masks, we want our businesses to shut down, we want our restaurants at half capacity, we want our gyms at half capacity…There was no vote.
Bryce Mitchell
A transcript follows. Watch at the link below:
https://twitter.com/ZNeveri/status/1323285801560584194?s=20
Transcript:
I’ve had something on my mind, it’s affected me and a lot of people that I love and I’m gonna take a lot of criticism for what I’m about to say but I’m gonna say it anyway because I feel it needs to be said. I was driving by elementary school the other day and I seen all these kids outside, they’re tryin’ to play on the playground, they’re tryin’ to run around, they’re tryin’ to swing on the monkey bars, go down the slide, and wrestle, and play tag, and they all got masks on.
And I see ’em out there, some of ’em takin’ their mask off so they can breathe fresh air, they get fresh air in their lungs when they take the mask off, and then you got a teacher walkin’ around pointin’ at ’em sayin’ “oh, put your mask on, put your mask on, put your mask on,” and that makes me sick that these kids can’t get fresh air and they’re there eight hours a day, they’re sittin’ six feet apart from each other and they can’t, they can’t breathe fresh air, I don’t agree with that.
And I just want to tell [Arkansas Governor] Asa Hutchinson: I think you need to have a little bit of backbone because we did not vote for none of that. There was no vote that said we want our kids in masks, we wanna wear masks, we want our businesses to shut down, we want our restaurants at half capacity, we want our gyms at half capacity, and I just don’t know who he thinks tellin’ us that we have to shut down our businesses or shut our businesses to half capacity without a vote. There was no vote.
And if he likes shuttin’ down people’s businesses and he likes tellin’ people what to do, he can go to California. They’ll love him over there. That’s what they do over there, the government’s all up in people’s business over there and we don’t wanna live like that, and I’m just askin’ to get our freedoms back. And I don’t think that’s much to ask for.
What I’m sayin’ is: make the masks optional in Arkansas for people who own restaurants and people who own businesses, make it optional. Why tell somebody you have to wear a mask? What if they don’t want to or if affects their breathing negatively and gives them headaches? You know?
And here’s another theory I got: if your mask works so well, why you worried about if I’m wearin’ one? Don’t you got one on? Why does it matter if they work so good why you worried if I got one? You wear one and you worry about you. Okay? And if you think you’re gonna get sick, you stay home. You think you’re gonna get sick, then stay home. That’s all I’m sayin’ and I think that takin’ away our liberties and takin’ away our freedoms without a vote…
