This week, while I was at a McDonald’s in South Burlington, Vermont, I ventured into the men’s restroom. For a moment, it felt like I’d been transported back to the ’90s.
You know that dark, clubby vibe from places lit by black lights? They create this eerie purplish-blue glow that highlights every speck of dirt like some sort of odyssey.
It wasn’t just an odd decoration; the bathroom was so poorly lit that I struggled to make my way to the sink. Looking up, I noticed all the lights were dim blue. But why on earth, you might wonder?
The answer reveals a lot about the state of affairs here.
Sugar Crush
Consider this a follow-up to my recent article about Electra Havemeyer Webb—a sugar heiress who left an impressive collection of American art and architecture, a true gift to Vermont.
Unfortunately, I have to report that Mrs. Webb’s lovely 39-acre park feels increasingly isolated amidst growing problems of crime, disease, and despair. It reflects a decline that seems to echo throughout the state.
Initially, I found the bathroom’s design more puzzling than saddening. I’ve never encountered a McDonald’s that looked so, well, dystopian.
Then it struck me—this has to be a symptom of the anxieties we’ve experienced since COVID-19 began. How could I not have seen that?
If this didn’t occur to you, you might be living in a particularly fortunate area, perhaps one of those healthier blue states in the Northern Plains.
For those entrenched in Democratic territory, let me explain what we’ve faced during the pandemic.
New England Breakdown
Here in New England, it often feels like entire communities have lost their grip on reality. Everything came to a grinding halt. I remember a masked elderly man yelling on the street, “Where’s my mask?!” while I walked Main Street without one in January.
In some cases, unvaccinated individuals were even barred from urgent care facilities. I had a doctor threaten to report me to the health department simply for visiting family during the holidays.
My business partner and I were actually asked to leave a popular music supply store by three young men because we weren’t wearing masks. A nearby restaurant even threw us out for the same reason, while mothers clutching their kids looked at us as if we were criminals.
It sounds like a scene straight from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” but I assure you, this really happened. Almost everyone went along with it.
Germ Warfare
Fast forward six years, and the neuroses of that time have morphed into a “new normal.” While the numbers have declined, I still see people wearing masks outdoors or even in their cars daily. The Post Office hasn’t removed the plexiglass barriers installed to keep customers and staff apart. The sign still reads, “Stand Here.”
So, naturally, I assumed that McDonald’s dim lights had to be some germ-killing technology. Isn’t that what the geniuses who came up with all-day face coverings would suggest?
Convinced I’d figured it out, I drove home to Montpelier and did some digging.
Turns out, the blue lights aren’t for germ elimination. They’re meant to deter IV drug users from locating their veins as the light makes them less visible. It’s a measure to prevent the bathrooms from becoming makeshift drug dens or worse—sites of overdose.
As NPR’s Steve Inskeep noted, “Philadelphia authorities are handing out blue light bulbs because they think the light obscures the lines of blue-stained veins.” That practice dates back around seven years.
Since about 2018, this issue has garnered its share of media attention.
“Symbolic Violence”
However, much of the follow-up coverage seems to overlook the broad ramifications of this “harm reduction measure,” especially concerning the impact on everyday citizens. It feels like society has surrendered to the chaos of junkies and criminals. When do we say enough is enough, and ensure public spaces like McDonald’s remain welcoming instead of alienating?
One article criticized the use of blue lights, arguing that “major problems” arise from this approach. It suggests that drug users often attempt to shoot up under blue lighting, increasing the chances of soft tissue infections.
Stand Up and Fight
I’ll admit I am not particularly concerned about the damage drug users might inflict on themselves. I belong to the majority of ordinary, productive citizens, and we matter too. It’s us who foot the bill for “safe injection spaces” that should be repurposed as psychiatric facilities. The system seems to ask law-abiding citizens to accept this imposed burden while providing coddling measures for the most troubled among us.
This grim bathroom experience is just one example of the steady decline in areas dominated by Democrats and progressives.
Burlington, Vermont, once a beautiful lakeside city, is now struggling economically under a progressive administration that sheds tears yet refuses to adequately address crime and drug use.
In my town, Montpelier, we cling to our historic charm, but it’s increasingly obscured by graffiti, pothole-ridden streets, and unchecked homeless encampments.
When I write pieces like this, the most common retort is, “Why don’t you just move?” My response: “Why not stand up and fight for the city you love?”
