Author of The Blackout Book and the online course Bloom Where You’re Planted
Masks have become a symbol of which “side” you’re on in the coronavirus debate in the United States and for some folks, whether you choose to wear one or not says a lot about you.
If you don’t wear a mask, you’re seen as a callous brute who doesn’t care whether you spread your germs and kill grandma. If you do wear a mask, you’re seen as a quivering sheep, someone who has been willingly muted by the government.
Rationally, we know there’s a lot more to it than that, however, rational thinking is rarely at the forefront when tempers are flaring. Whether or not you choose to wear a mask is an incredibly visible sign that many will read as an alliance to one “side” or the other. It’s becoming almost tribal. It’s like the Bloods and the Crips of suburbia getting ready to throw down at Trader Joe’s.
The Mask Wearers
There are a lot of folks who come down on the side of wearing a mask. Why? Most of them say it’s to protect others from them in case they’re unwittingly carrying and spreading the virus. Asymptomatic COVID is a mystery. Scientists have said anywhere between 5% and 80% of carriers are asymptomatic, which really tells us nothing except, maybe you are, maybe you aren’t.
The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University summed it up after assembling the data from 21 reports:
What did we learn (see the table for the analysis)
- That between 5% and 80% of people testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 may be asymptomatic
- That symptom-based screening will miss cases, perhaps a lot of them
- That some asymptomatic cases will become symptomatic over the next week (sometimes known as “pre-symptomatics”)
- That children and young adults can be asymptomatic
We also learnt that there is not a single reliable study to determine the number of asymptotics. It is likely we will only learn the true extent once population based antibody testing is undertaken. (source)
So with that in mind, the case for mask-wearing does carry some weight.
However, it also depends on what kind of mask you’re wearing whether or not the protection is present. Everyone knows that N95 and N99 masks are nearly impossible to find and most want to leave those for healthcare workers anyway. The data regarding the cloth masks that most people are wearing doesn’t really support their use. But again, we don’t have very much data, so it’s not a definitive answer. The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy reports:
Limited, indirect evidence from lab studies suggests that homemade fabric masks may capture large respiratory droplets, but there is no evidence they impede the transmission of aerosols implicated in the spread of COVID-19, according to a paper published yesterday by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (source)
So while science does not dispute the wearing of cloth masks, science doesn’t back it up, either.
Those Who Won’t Wear Masks
On the other side of the debate we have those who refuse to wear masks. Some folks won’t do business in stores that require them. Others try to enter the establishments that require masks without adhering to the requests. Others just stay at home because they refuse to comply.
Why won’t they wear masks? Some of it goes back to the Surgeon General’s early recommendation that masks were not helpful in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Many people chalked this up to an attempt to save the few high-quality masks that were available to healthcare workers while others took it as the Gospel. However, Surgeon General Adams seems to have walked this back and has since demonstrated on video how to make your own face mask.
There are a couple of other reasons, too. First, many feel based on the information above that the masks are not effective. If they don’t work, why should they go through the discomfort and for some, the difficulty breathing that mask-wearing brings?
Some see it as a symbol of weakness.
To some, wearing a mask means admitting a fear they may not have consciously confronted yet, said David Abrams, a clinical psychologist and professor of social and behavioral science at New York University’s School of Global Public Health.
Many view the mask as a walking symbol of vulnerability that tells others you’re scared about contracting the virus. So to compensate for that fear, and as a show of strength, they may reject the masks entirely, he said. (source)
For others, it’s a matter of liberty. They feel that wearing a mask is a symbol of bowing down to tyranny or a symbol that the wearer has been silenced.
Even though wearing masks isn’t compulsory in much of the US, adhering to these rules may feel like, to some, a forfeiture of their freedoms.
People naturally rebel when they’re told what to do, even if the measures could protect them, said Steven Taylor, a clinical psychologist and author of “The Psychology of Pandemics.”
“People value their freedoms,” he said. “They may become distressed or indignant or morally outraged when people are trying to encroach on their freedoms.” (source)
That last reason shouldn’t come as a surprise. Our nation was built on refusing to be told what to do.
There has already been violence over masks
People have already expressed their displeasure on both sides of this debate…sometimes violently.
Unfortunately, retail workers are often the ones bearing the brunt of the anger when they’re simply trying to enforce the policies set forth by their employers. One of my daughters is a retail worker. She and her coworkers have been warned they’ll be fired on the spot if they haven’t followed the arbitrary guidelines of people standing on Xs and limiting the number of customers in the store. Officials from corporate headquarters have dropped in unbeknownst to employees to check that their measures are being enforced. She’s definitely not alone and the risk of violence is high. But she – like many others – is just happy to still have a job.
Earlier this month, I wrote about three violent incidents that occurred when people refused demands that they wear a mask in certain establishments:
A physical fight erupted at a gas station in Decatur, Illinois when a customer refused to don a mask to pay for his fuel. Sgt. Brian Earles with Decatur Police spoke to the press about the incident. It seems that a 59-year-old customer got into a verbal altercation with a 56-year-old cashier when he was trying to pay for gasoline without a mask, as is mandated by the state of Illinois. The customer allegedly shoved the cashier, who said he felt threatened, and the cashier responded by punching the customer in the face. The customer was arrested and charged with battery over the incident.
In Holly Michigan, a Dollar Tree customer refused to follow the posted store policy of wearing a mask. When a young female employee approached him and let him know of the policy he responded by saying, “Here, I will just use this as a mask,” and wiped his face on her sleeve. The customer continued to behave belligerently until he left. The entire incident was caught on store surveillance.
At a Family Dollar store in Flint, Michigan, the most violent response yet occurred when Calvin Munerlyn, a security guard for the store, was shot and killed after he refused to allow a customer’s daughter to come into the store without a mask. (source)
And the violence is not one-sided. In Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a fight broke out when someone coughed in a parking lot.
A 53-year-old man confronted a motorist who reportedly coughed without covering his mouth in a convenience store parking lot. The argument sparked a physical confrontation, and the coughing man opened fire. No one was injured. Both men were arrested for assault. (source)
More than one woman has been violently assaulted because she chose to wear a mask:
An Asian woman wearing a mask was attacked by two men and called “diseased” in a subway station in New York City’s Chinatown, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD). Four people were arrested in March in Hilton, New York, after they allegedly punched and taunted a woman for wearing a respirator mask in a store, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. (source)
In Vermont, people are snitching on members of their communities to publicly shame them for not wearing masks. [Grammatical errors are quoted directly from the source]
Some of the messages read like field reports: “The sidewalks between price chopper and walmart had groups of people standing together no mask or social distances.”
Others like warnings: “I want to make you aware of the health crisis that is ongoing at the floating bridge in Brookfield. Since fish were stocked in the pond it’s become a daily gathering spot of dozens of covid ignoring people.”
Others are more inquisitive: “Picture below shows people at Roxie’s in Bomoseen VT around 5 pm. I am the only one wearing a mask. Can u ask the Governor at his Monday press conference what citizens should do if they witness these blatant violations of his mandatory mask order?” (source)
Peter Erb, a Hinesburg, Vermont resident believes these attempts at citizen enforcement are dangerous.
Erb said it’s also dangerous to have citizens enforcing the rules against each other — pointing to violent incidents in other states when citizens have attempted to enforce the rules. In Michigan, a security guard at a Family Dollar was shot and killed after he told a shopper to wear a mask. An order requiring people to wear masks in a city in Oklahoma was dialed back to a recommendation after a slew of threats of violence in the first hours the order was in place.
Erb said he worried the coronavirus compliance divide, played out nationally, could turn angry and politically partisan. He also pointed to a more personal experience.
“You know my wife got into a fairly contentious discussion in a grocery store when somebody wouldn’t back off, had no mask and just wouldn’t distance,” he said. “And, you know, that’s a fairly controlled situation, and, you know, in Hinesburg.” (source)
Erb isn’t wrong about this becoming a partisan topic, either.
Is this where the battle lines will be drawn?
This debate is somewhat, but not entirely, divided down partisan lines. It’s notable that you will rarely see President Trump or Vice President Pence wearing one.
Here are the demographics of mask-wearing:
Whether Americans are embracing the change may depend on their political party. While most other protective measures like social distancing get broad bipartisan support, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say they’re wearing a mask when leaving home, 76% to 59%, according to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The split is clear across several demographics that lean Democratic. People with college degrees are more likely than those without to wear masks when leaving home, 78% to 63%. African Americans are more likely than either white people or Hispanic Americans to say they’re wearing masks outside the home, 83% to 64% and 67%, respectively.
The notable exception is among older people, a group particularly vulnerable to serious illness from the virus. Some 79% of those age 60 and over were doing so compared with 63% of those younger. (source)
The issue now is that those with masks and those without masks are clearly members of a “team” or a “tribe.” And a return to tribalism can be dangerous when paired with the many things that we’ve lost over the first half to 2020. We’ve lost loved ones, we’ve lost jobs, we’ve lost businesses, we’ve lost our incomes, and many are on the verge of losing homes and cars.
It isn’t a stretch of the imagination to think that if violence were to erupt, people who feel the opposite way about masks could become targets of the outraged group. Outrage and the potential for civil unrest are things I’ve written about numerous times throughout this pandemic.
A person wearing or not wearing a mask is as clearly marked as somebody wearing a red bandana in the wrong neighborhood during a tense moment when people are butting heads during the mask debate. Is that really the hill you’re prepared to die on, metaphorically speaking?
What should you do?
I’m not here to tell you whether or not you should wear a mask when you leave the house. I strongly believe we should be responsible for our own health and therefore make these choices ourselves. At the same time, I support the right for businesses to choose whether or not to serve people who refuse to wear masks. If you, as a customer, feel strongly about not wearing a mask, you should vote with your wallet and go to stores that don’t require it. This is a purely libertarian point of view. It’s about personal responsibility and the free market.
Personally, I keep a mask tucked into my purse and wear it if the establishment I’m visiting has a policy requiring it. If I had to visit a hospital or a friend with a health vulnerability, I’d wear a mask out of caution and courtesy. I do choose which grocery store I shop at based on the mask policy (I go to the store that doesn’t have a mask policy) and I do not wear one unless it’s required.
However, from a preparedness point of view, there’s a different angle.
If your goal is to blend in with the crowd and not be a person who draws the attention of others, then it’s good to check the local baseline and see what other people are doing. In areas where the majority is wearing a mask, the gray thing to do would be to wear one too.
If you are in an area where nobody is wearing a mask, the gray thing would be to go along with that group with a caveat. If you are extremely concerned about your health or the health of a loved one, forget about the crowd and do what you think is right. Just don’t try to force others to conform to what you think is right.
What are your thoughts on masks?
Do you wear masks when you go out? Why or why not? Does a store’s mask policy influence whether or not you’ll shop there? Do you feel that everyone should be required to wear them? Share your thought in the comments below.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther writes about current events, preparedness, frugality, voluntaryism, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, The Organic Prepper. She is widely republished across alternative media and she curates all the most important news links on her aggregate site, PreppersDailyNews.com. Daisy is the best-selling author of 4 books and runs a small digital publishing company. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Well, my state mandates mask wearing in restaurants and big box stores, but many smaller stores have elected to require masks. It’s hard to find a store that doesn’t require it, but our feed store of choice is one of those and it’s a breath of fresh air (literally) to shop there. The owner of that store told of a customer at another feed store who called the police to investigate a non-mask wearer, and they came out to investigate! Another feed store has a customer who comes daily to make sure everyone is wearing their masks. Apparently she does this at a nearby gas station, too. I’m stupefied by that behavior. Get a life!
How do you eat in a restaurant with a mask on?
Good question! At some point, you have to remove the mask!
You are allowed to remove it when eating idiot.
Allowed?
I have to wonder about all those stores that have signs saying “no shoes, no shirt, no service”. Why aren’t people protesting that radical imposition on their personal rights to idiocy? In fact, why can’t people just walk into those stores naked? After all, clothing is just arbitrary, while masks are a public health benefit. People can be pretty irrational. And that’s the normal ones.
No shoes and no short may be visually offensive – dirty feet and chest hair a distraction among sexes. A mask is NOT a shirt or shoes. Also, I want to see the other guys face, it will help me to assess intent. Now stop being sill and wear your mask if you choose but don’t pretend to have a moral high ground or the authority to bully others into muzzling themselves, to inhibit their ability to communicate or to avoid the discomfort they may personally experience from wearing a breathing impairment device.
Not a logical comparison and you must hot have seen the physicians who say healthy people wearing masks all day is not healthy. But for the record I’m good with a PRIVATE business being able to refuse service to anybody for any reason. My store,bar,restaurant my rules.
You need to take the red pill, Karen.
I’ve heard this same argument before and I find it very silly. As a society, we have voted in laws that have set a clothing standards. Both because there are private body parts being covered and because feet are inherently dirty when they are not covered. Most importantly, 90% of the public supports this kind of a rule. It’s simple with masks: the science isn’t settled. So, taking away my rights, covering my mouth, and most importantly impacting my healthy immune system (yes, masks can have a negative impact on health because my immune system needs to be exposed to viruses and bacteria in order to work properly) when 8/10 individuals who contract this illness will not need to seek medical care, is offensive. I want to add, in my community 99% of people are wearing masks (and it’s 90+ degrees here and its scientifically proven that the coronavirus cannot survive in high heat and direct sunlight). And like the author of this article, I wear one as well when required. Guess what? I still got the virus! Even better, no one in my household contracted it and they DO NOT WEAR MASKS! Even more so, it was like a three day cold with fatigue. Certainly not the worse illness I’ve had….
I don’t see it as which side I am on. I don’t wear one because of breathing issues. I breath better without one. The mask is harder to breath with. Makes my breathing labored. If my store required it. I sure would. If they don’t. Then I don’t wear it. But I don’t get into people’s faces. That just rude anyway. I do believe in the herd mentality. So ????????♀️
Look up OSHA Masks Oxygen levels. You will see that there is very specific requirements when an employer requires masks. The oxygen level in a normal room is around 21%. When the oxygen levels drops to 19.5% they state that brain cells are being damaged and lost. Wearing any kind of mask without a respirator or oxygen tank would never meet OSHA requirements. If they ask you to wear one, I would then ask them what the OSHA requirements state!! I highly doubt they even considered it, but that also means they better run and go read the OSHA rules! They should also have a designated OSHA officer that ensures the masks and limits are meeting OSHA rules. They also cannot have you wear them for several hours of a day. They have very specific rules on this, and these places forcing employees to wear masks should all be written up for OSHA violations. Just be polite, and tell them that you will await their response on OSHA requirements and document them in a formal letter addressed to yourself. Always have evidence of what they claim is allowed by OSHA. If they do their job, they will come back and say just forget the mask, or tell you it’s optional. If they don’t care, then file an OSHA dispute.
Well Donna you should be pleased that when you or someone you love is on a Ventilator from COVID19 or rioters that OSHA rules are well enforced.
What part of THINK it’s not illegal yet do you misunderstand?
Folks have been wearing masks for decades at work, often for 12 hour shifts, seems they are doing well enough. When did you decide that the Government Regulations are a voice from God?
If you don’t want to wear a mask to protect OTHERS from your exposures to how many folks per day? Fine, make your choices and live with the real world results.
So far the death toll from COVID19 seems real enough, the estimated infection rate is real enough, the potential for a Spanish Flu 2.0 is real enough. Just because the CDC is full of Obama appointed partisan idiots intent on making EVERYTHING somehow Trumps fault doesn’t mean you can shut off that grey matter between your ears.
THINK, it’s not illegal Yet.
BTW do you wear seat belts? I hear reports that folks die BECAUSE they were “Not thrown Clear” of their burning car wreck….. Technically correct in about .00002% of all accidents in America. Actually solid real world stats show that seat belts do help protect folks in almost every possible accident. As a EMS I’ve NEVER cut a seat belt off a dead person. I HAVE searched the bushes for those “Thrown Clear” and recovered dead and injured from them.
A BIG part why I moved onward to the Operating Room, it’s hurts my heart to see some seat belted kid crying for the UN-Seat Belted Mommy splattered all over the steering wheel and face splatted into the window.
And there I’ve been wearing apparently UN-approved by OSHA OR masks often for my whole 12 hour shift for decades. Maybe I’m brain damaged eh? My Nero Surgeons will chuckle at that this shift when I show them your posting.
THINK, it’s not illegal yet….
First off, it’s OBVIOUS you are a democrat. How can I tell? Because you believe everyone must obey this unconstitutional Mask Recommendations from their King of the State. This scamdemic was a democrat agenda, and Phase 2 was the race war riots. I also know you’re a democrat because you spew the exact same propaganda the libtards spew when they want everyone to know it’s ok to look like you’re a bank robber or pledge member of an occult church. I’m not ok with either one.
You car and driving on the road can kill my grandma or elderly neighbors, but I don’t see you proposing to lock up every vehicle you own until all grandma’s are safe. See how this works? We can go around all day but arguing with a libtard is like teaching a pig to sing.
A mask could protect your privacy to those snooping cameras with facial recognition. Ha, lets see you wear a mask into a bank, not. However, to enhance your privacy you would have to wear a mask with no identifying features. After all you could easily be identified as “Ms paisley mask” or “Mr green and white checked mask”. Then when you use your credit card they will have your real name and matching your mask to your name would be easier than facial recognition.
I wear a mask. I’m a cancer survivor and my 92yo mom lives with me. I know that the mask doesn’t fully protect us, but I feel it’s better than not having one. My bf works at a hospital and is required to wear one at work, and he says it feels hypocritical for him not to wear one out. In my area, our confirmed cases are one tenth of one percent of the population. I don’t feel particularly at risk for exposure. But I wear a mask anyway. About half the people I see in the stores are wearing them- maybe 25% are wearing them properly. I see this as my right to free choice to protect myself and my family, not some sort of limitations on my civil rights. That comes in other areas.
Nope. Maby 15% of population here has drank the kool aid. We follow the rules but vote with our dollars and our actions. We avoid the folks with masks on. They’re more likely to be unstable due to the fear and/or confusion they’re experiencing. Or they’re actually sick?? It is definitely a line in the sand for me. But I respect their rights and their feelings, just as I expect them to respect mine. Their fear does not constitute the loss of my freedom.
Stop being an idiot. Wearing a mask at certain times makes a lot of sense. It has nothing to do with drinking the kool aid. Their fear is justified. Your stupidity is not.
Bet your kicking yourself for falling for the fearmongering propaganda now Paul
We can see in the end that you were the idiot all along.
Why can’t people just do what they feel is the right thing for them and leave everyone else alone? Why has that gotten so hard for our society? I don’t wear a mask, I know if Someone had advocated for the wearing of a cloth mask ,made at home by Suzy Homemaker , a year ago during flu season the medical profession would have blown a gasket in outrage. Also I am not one to that follows any directive that has no scientific or at least common sense to back it up. That being said, if someone else feels better breathing their own exhaust then go for it . Why would that matter to me, or to anyone else?
I follow a prepping forum that has a Saturday discussion group that Is very fun and informative and has always been very close knit and respectful. The other day one of the long time members decided to make a statement that she just felt everyone should know that she thought “if you didn’t wear a mask you were selfish. “ It was a shocking statement in a group that is diverse but respectful and in a group of Preppers she drew a bit of outrage.
I guess I don’t understand how we went from “ if you are elderly or immune compromised then you take precautions to guard your own health and if you are young and healthy with little chance of contracting much less dying from this disease then you keep yourself, your life, your job or business going on as normal.
I just gave up on all of the ‘brick and mortar’ retail. I only order online, even groceries now. It is ‘absolutely precious’ how there is little to no evidence that wear a mask, outside of a medical situation like hospital or rest home, is doing anything, but it is being required anyways.
Or the careful study showing between 5% to 80% are carriers with no symptoms; seems like there is a problem with the study if there is such a wide range. I also find it hard to believe or expect that someone with other health conditions would or even could be an asymptomatic spreader; i.e. I would expect they would be deathly ill if they got COVID-19 but we still require people into their 80s or 90s to wear masks, even if they have been isolated for weeks and most probably can’t be an asymptomatic spreader.
And the best part is that we crashed the entire worldwide economy for this, probably killing more people from the economic damage with the results of the shutdown than COVID-19 itself.
But the best is yet to come, since COVID-19 will probably have a second wave in the fall, that will be about 3 or 4 times worse than the first wave (it will still be lower than the first wave of the Spanish Flu of 1918 or the smaller pandemic in 1957) but the ‘Karens’ will come completely unglued and for some reason, everyone will fall all over themselves to placate them and their insane demands; instead of telling them to stay inside, taking away their smartphone and to shut the hell up.
I wish at times that I was so incompetent, so I could have everyone running around and following my wishes to ‘make me feel safe’.
Is the online buying the best way to go? Are you buying from Big Box or Mom & Pop? Cashless society is what the powers to be want. This way they can track everything you buy. Once cash is gone, then they can decide for you what you can or cannot buy. What is created by a key stroke can be taken with a key stroke.
I figure if enduring a few minutes of discomfort can reduce the likelihood of me unknowingly spreading what can be an awful disease, I’m absolutely going to do it. No koolaid drinking here, just wanting to love my neighbor.
My husband and I feel exactly the same…it is about love, not coercion or anything else. Can we as a species be big-hearted enough to truly care about one another, and to act accordingly? Maybe the virus is serving as a mirror, a test of exactly where we are in our evolution.
If it will save just one life, I am willing to give up all my rights… because of love.
The Infection Fatality Rate of COVID 19 is 0.26 percent. Over 80% of the fatalities have occurred with people with underlying serious health issues. On the flip-side, tens of thousands of cancer and heart patients have been forced to go without proper healthcare during this Pandemic. Elective surgeries have been cancelled, i.e. hip and knee replacements, back surgeries, eye surgeries. The prescription for psychotropic drugs has increased over 80%! Don’t get me started on the suicides where many hospitals are seeing a year’s worth in two months. All that is called “collateral damage” from this asinine overreaction pumped up by national media and the Democrat Party. Go ahead. Where your mask and feel good about yourself.
I love you Daisy…you tell the truth!
I am 73 years old, and compromised. I haven’t been out of the house in months! My husband wears a mask to grocery shop, and delivers food for a living, with no contact (leaving it on the porch.) When I do decide to go out, I will wear a mask.
Thank you so much for your information. I have been reading your blogs for a long time, and will continue.
I wish you had addressed the health concerns….
https://www.technocracy.news/blaylock-face-masks-pose-serious-risks-to-the-healthy/
As a Surgical Team member I’ve been wearing masks for well over 40 years often for the vast majority of a 12 hour shift. I am also a trained member of the Bio-hazard team and after reading “Dr. Blaylock” essay I want to find him as to find out WHAT does he have as a Doctorate in? It BETTER NOT be Medicine. He is proof that education is often wasted on idiots.
Viruses with in the body HAVE no problems moving about the host’s body via the blood system so this mask “allows” it to get into the… Is SO BS. Viruses have no problem multiplying in the human body THAT’S WHY they are dangerous IF your Immune System doesn’t recognize them as a threat and destroys them.
This nonsense is just like the “Internet so it’s gotta be true BS” that re breathing your own air because of the evil mask is dangerous. Thousands of Surgical Members wear the all day long for more decades that you’ve been alive.
Any mask (cloth bandana to N95) properly worn reduces the spray from YOU to others, THAT’S GOOD BTW if you have ANY Concern about other people. It also reduces the amount of spray from OTHER People gets into your respiratory tract. The VAST amount of contamination is from Large spray Particles that carry the virus to you. Actually to be totally honest 90% of infections come from you touching your UNWASHED hands in your mouth, eyes, nose and other mucus membranes. Wearing the same pair of gloves all day touching everything with that nasty dirty gloves IS NO PROTECTION. A Mask and some personal hygiene is a GOOD Thing. You Immune System is CONSTANTLY fighting infections every moment you are alive. You ONLY Notice it is when it’s Losing the Fight.
For those who complain that “Masks are Hot and so on”…. How uncomfortable do you think you will be IF your behavior sickens someone you care for or YOU are incubated in ICU (At over 10K a DAY) over this VERY REAL Virus. Yes the CDC and other Political idiots have given conflicting idiot answers. Get OVER IT. USE YOUR BRAIN and ask yourself if there is anybody in your life you like to protect from COVID19.
So when someone asks me why I’m wearing a mask I ask them IF they wear seat belts. It’s for both of our safety.
Thank you!
“So when someone asks me why I’m wearing a mask I ask them IF they wear seat belts. It’s for both of our safety.”
the general public is required to wear seat belts because it is law. wearing masks in public is neo political correctness.
I HAVE to wear a mask at work. I hate it. I do not wear one anywhere else. That is because I don’t consider this virus to be much more dangerous than the flu. It was planned to control the populous, and I refuse to allow ‘the elite’ to control me. Like you, I would wear one in certain instances. But I will NOT cower in fear of this thing and will not quit living because of it.
I have a hard time breathing with a mask. It is optional where I live and I choose not to wear one. I do not shop where they are required. I feel that as soon as you breathe with one on you suck the germs onto the mask and then continue to breathe them in. Gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about having the germs sitting on my face.
I feel this way too, I completely understand how masks will not let me spray people with droplets. So I wear the mask if more than 50% of people are wearing them. If less than, then I don’t (I am healthy and have no sneezing or coughing). It really gives me the creeps to wear a wet thing on my face made of cloth. I feel like I will pick up pathogens from the air and they will stick to the wetness and multiply? The H20 by product of breathing keeps my mask wet ALL DAY. Is this crazy? I can’t tell, but I just want people to be happy and healthy, I don’t want to get sick, or give sickness to anyone, but I feel like I could maybe more likely get sick if I am wearing it. And I have a very weird phobia with wet surfaces. I cannot stand to wear a wet article of clothing. I take it off right away if something I am wearing gets wet. I make sure everything in my home is dry. I wipe up counters and keep everything disinfected and dry, always. Mold and bacteria like moist environments. The govt website instructions on how to wear a cloth mask said to remove it from my face by the ear loops and not touch the middle of it, and then immediately wash the mask. Doesn’t this mean I need to disinfect my face as well? If the mask is that contaminated then won’t I be covered in germs? I feel so confused, if someone could let me know why it is perfectly safe I would really be grateful. Thank you so much to everyone for all of your thoughts and opinions. <3
Violence over masks that may not even do anything to sop the spread (considering few actually wear that mask proven effective) is ridiculous. It shows the danger under the surface of civil unrest.
I choose not to wear here there is virtually no threat, one case in weeks (outside area there is more concern so I watch that to decide). They are uncomfortable and stress out my kids so I choose not to wear for show.
I have no issue wearing if asked or advisable for some reason.
Early April, as the pandemic orders and protocols were hardening in place, I went to a local gun store and most of the early crowd was gone. It was maybe 45 minutes before closing when I got there. Many of the store’s salesmen had gloves on and a few had a bandana but some were without face covers. I saw maybe a total of seven customers and five salesmen (all guys) inside as I waited at the entrance to move to the marked off spots. Suddenly, a fat Asian-looking guy without a mask sneezed loudly and he was nearly 30 feet from where I was standing. Everyone looked at him most in disgust, dude then ran for a paper towel and blew his nose loudly. There were over four men all ex-military with pistols in holsters that were there, but NO ONE actually said anything to the guy. I was surprised, how calm guys remained. Dude Mr. sneeze kept on shopping yes touching the glass cases and even drifting into other guy’s social spaces. I gave my order for ammo and paid for it and left, a lil’ shaken but glad I had both gloves and masks on. The next week the place was closed for a day for deep cleaning according to their web page.
I live in a chemical free home due to my husbands health. He is chemical sensitive. However if I go into stores that are heavily using cleaning chemicals then I sneeze and my eyes water. I am no longer use to that type of environment. Does that mean I have the virus? No. The question is did he have the virus or was he reacting to the chemicals everyone uses. Even the hand sanitizers stripe the hands of the natural bacteria that protects your skin. Now is it allergy season? I think everyone is over reacting.
Fear much? Sneezing is not a direct symptom. If Dude Mr. Sneeze was coughing up a lung, visibly wheezing from shortness of breath, complaining of a migraine and/or delirious with a fever then maybe. Of course since folks can be positive and asymptomatic perhaps any of the other customers and salesmen were/are the ones actually contagious…
This is why there is a toilet paper shortage. One guy sneezes and a dozen people crap!
After reading what other (unappointed) Epidemiologists, scientists and other medical professionals from all over the world have written about the wearing of masks, I have determined that it is really not good to wear one. Breathing those germs through a mask all day cannot be healthy. I do wear one if a store requires it but it comes off the minute I get outside; and the fact that no opposing views are given a voice tells me very clearly that an agenda is at play here. We are the ones that decide what we need to do with our own health. They should only be giving suggestions. If you are sick or afraid and feel like you must stay home, then stay home. Your choice. Never in the history of flu, and bird flue and swine flu, ebola, SARS have we quarantined healthy people.
My state doesn’t require masks and I have only worn one once. Most people don’t wear any. Staff in stores and fast food do wear masks. We have had only a few corona cases and none have died or even needed hospialized so I think everyone around here feels the risk is minimal. Being libertarian, I think it should be a personal choice to wear or not and respect given for either. Also a place of business can decide either way, not forced by government. I do have a question, though, for those who say it’s selfish not to wear a mask: if you’re confient that they work and you’re wearing one why are you concerned if another person doesn’t? You won’t catch anything from them unless you think the mask only works one way? The virus can go in through, but not come back out? Explain that to me, please!
It’s that extra layer of protection from both sources
You can go with prepper mentality of one is none
Two is one…
Or if we can visualize it as two boy toddlers trying to pee on each other
Picture them in 3 ways
Both without diapers- both getting wet with another’s pee (double eww)
One with diaper- the naked kid’s getting wet with someone else’s pee ( eww)
Both with diapers- they are not getting much foreign pee on them!
EXCELLENT parable Fireswamp and pretty accurate!
Reminds me of the furor over the “Rights” to Smoke where ever you go.
A Mexican restaurant had a sign that said “Please do not smoke, smoking is YOUR Pleasure but your smoke gets on me. MY Pleasure is Beer, How would you fell if I got on a chair and Peed all over you”.
if i am incubating the virus and don’t know it, breathing, coughing or sneezing expels it. if i have wiped my face with my hand, i may have it on my hand. i then touch surfaces in line at the grocery store. you have the bad luck to be behind me and touch the same surfaces. then you touch your face–eyes, nose or mouth. now you may get it. probably not lethal, but may make you very sick for a couple weeks or more. me wearing a mask protects you. you wearing a mask protects me. you wearing gloves protects you and me wearing gloves protects me. lets protect each other and both wear gloves and masks ’til this is over.
Please don’t take offense, just a comment about gloves.
The only problem with gloves is you “wiped my face with my hand”. With gloves on you just transferred it to your gloves. Now you touch something and you have the same problem – transferring it to a surface and potentially someone else.
Gloves will help if you are the second person in line. They will also help because they tend to be a deterrent to touching your face with gloved hands. Many (?) people don’t like to touch their faces with protective gloves or they are about to and realize they have gloves on and stop.
Good point Deb–same argument could also be made for vaccinations.
Hi deb~
I live in Sonoma County, and we are under a very heavy handed lockdown that I fear is never going to be loosened, let alone lifted. I’m desperately looking for another state to move to. You say that your state does not require masks, which sounds like freedom to me. What state is that?
Thank you.
Great article. It was perfect, actually because you took no sides and reminded me of a time when news reporting wasn’t biased. Recently, new reports by scientists, MD’s, and nurses have come out declaring that masks can do more harm than good. One of these scientists reported in Forbes magazine. Let’s face it, we’ve all landed in crazy land and we are doing our best to maneuver our “Mr. Toad” ride.
I’m a Masker. But “elderly” in years only, but 5 risk factors that puts me at high risk.
I wear a mask to family gatherings (The only one).
I was a certified EMT For 6 years and bought some N95’s. They’re pretty old, but will provide some more protection than a cloth mask.
Interesting Article.
But it does not really apply, except in certain areas.
Where I live, out in the West, in a big city, most people are Not wearing masks.
We put them on, if required by the bank or other business, but only grudgingly. Personally, I only do so out of extreme necessity to deal with that business.
I think it is more related to a political thinking than any thing else.
Most of those wearing masks out here are probably Democrats or Liberals. Although I have not done any polling, they seemingly are from certain minority groups, and certain whites that seem to generally fit that kind of Liberal demographic profile. Like old Hippies, Youth, etc.
There is a anti Business reopening/ remaining on lock down type movement in our state, that has its adherents listed on the website and most hail from the Liberal parts of our state.
So in my research, it is more related to one’s political alignment and thus one’s overall mindset.
So any Tribalism, goes Much deeper than just the mask issue. It is a mental one.
So I think it would be easier to classify it in political terms, Liberals and Conservatives.
I wear a mask for several reasons, not that I particularly like it because it is hot and I feel like I am muzzled. One, we are fined and/or put in jail if outside a business or inside one without a mask. My family does not have the money for a fine, so therefore it is not worth it on that….There also seems to be an anti Business reopening/remaining on lockdown in my state as well, so therefore, to respect businesses, especially small ones and their need to make a living, I will wear one so they won’t be fined as well. Restaurants had to apply to reopen for their type of seating and protocols and are opening today to a certain percentage depending on their county.
I do think a mask being mandated strips us of our liberties as do many items that are being mandated and done be “executive order” because the governor keeps extending the emergency declaration when the data doesn’t back it up…. I do think the mask unfortunately has a lot to do with political alignment. Shaming people and snitching on them because they aren’t wearing a mask or social distancing is behaving like children. When our governor encourages that it becomes a slippery slope.
In Texas, the governor came out and said the mask was recommended, but several cities made it mandatory. The AG recently sent out a letter on 12 May but mostly it addressed San Antonio mayor and county judge saying they did not have the authority to change the governors executive order. City and county officials do not make law or have executive order authority nor can they change the EO. This opens up all the county judges and mayors to lawsuits.
Wouldn’t it be fun to create a webpage entitled Government Snitch and name the names and addresses of the Snitch? Lets have fun shamming them for their Nazi Informant Status! I am just kidding, but it made me laugh.
I think your assessment of the situation is absolutely right. I live in east central Florida. From what I have observed the 60+ crowd wear a mask, or face covering of some sort. Not all, but most. African American women seem more inclined to make their children wear masks. I don’t see a big difference between men and women who do or don’t wear masks.
I have also seen the young ,13-25, openly mock or laugh at people who are wearing masks. Snide comments and pointing fingers. That is the worst. The total lack of respect of today’s youth. The supposed “future of our society”.
As the shopper for the entire household , I wear a mask. Yeah it’s hard to breath. “Breathing my own exhaust” is not fun. Plus we never had a winter down here so it is extremely hot to wear one. However, should my 81 yr old mother in law or my 80 yr old father in law get sick, I know that I did everything in my power to prevent sickness of any kind to come into the house.
My mother taught me to live my life in such a way that if something awful happens to some one you know, you won’t suffer the guilt that others will if they treated that person badly.
Guilt can and will eat you alive.
So I put on one of my “Suzy Homemaker” masks and head to the store.
It doesn’t ‘spread’. The people that got sick with COVID-19, all had the FLU SHOT. Surprise!
This, from Eric Peters in his article, ‘Paine, Jefferson and the Fear Mask’ sums up things quite well:
I’d lose respect for myself if I ever don a Fear Mask. Thus, I will not. If it means they Hut! Hut! Hut! me, so be it. I regard the Fear Mask as the Rubicon of our times – or the Lexington and Concord of our times. If this line is crossed – if we do not resist, now – then there will be no resistance when “authoritative voices” demand we submit to being vaccinated or denied the right to live (via denial of the right to engage in commerce, to leave our homes).
Understand that we are already at war.
It is not always necessary for shots to be fired for a people to be subjugated. Are we not in the process of subjugation? To deny this is to deny reality.
Which is why I will fight – by refusing to wear a Fear Mask.
Because I am not afraid of catching a cold.
Because I know I am not sick and refuse to pretend I am for the sake of the anxieties of neurotics and because I understand that submitting to this is submitting in advance to everything that will come. That if we submit, there will be more demands for submission to even more loathsome things.
To endless things.
These are the times that try men’s souls. If you’re not willing to risk the consequences of refusing to wear a Fear Mask – to not play your part in Sickness Kabuki – because you’re worried you might not be able to go shopping or because you might get a fine or even arrested, then by god what will you do when worse comes along and the populace, by dint of already accepting the former now demands your submission to the latter?
Blood spilling can be avoided – if we resist, now.
We have a moment, right now, to put a stop to all of this. If we have the heart. And in the strength of the knowledge that we are not alone.
And that we can win.
That we must win.
That was great!! KUDOS!!!!!
That makes no sense whatsoever.
Makes perfect sense. Read it again with an open mind, think about it, and you’ll understand.
maybe she landed here from huffington post?
A Perfect example of the Tribalism mentioned in this article.
Maybe when I do YOUR Surgery I should not bother with a mask because I support your Resistance Movement? Oh wait that would be endangering your health in the medical system.
Not much different in the public buddy, your endangering other people pretending to be a patriot. Where the *ell were you when the Patriot Act was enabled? What DID YOU Do when Congress reinstated it just recently with Unlimited 3 letter agency powers… I seem to have missed your brave comments then….
No it’s SAFER to Protest about a token mask issue than really do the Patric Henry thing, in case you slept through that part of history “Give me Liberty OR Give me death”.
I BET you wear your seat belts because it’s safer for you? Look a few posts above about two little boys in diapers trying to pee on each other. And Patric Henry THAT buddy.
Your fear does not mean he has to adjust your behaviour. You should adjust yours, as Matt Walsh on the Daily Wire says. The latest figures show quite clearly this is a disease which has differing outcomes for different people. So different people need to take different measures. It is selfish to insist everybody changes their behavior For you. How are You even on a prepper site if you believe that? The very essence of prepping is survival of you and your loved ones, not the survival of everybody else’s loved ones. And in fact, if there is a second wave which mutates into something worse as the Spanish flu, people will wish they had got this version of the mutation so he might be doing you a favour if he does infect ya, The second one might not just kill grandma, but baby sally and John boy and the whole of his barracks buddies. I had 3 members of my family I’ll with it in the U.K. – and they all wore masks all in lockdown and they still got ill. And all survived So perhaps we should stop the blame game. And stop adding to the panic especially since it appears this disease has cured heart disease and cancer!
I will be happy to wear a mask if I’m standing only inches over someone with their open incisions sir.
You & I both know that me standing 12 feet away from you in the soda aisle is nothing even close to that however 😉
Excellent reply. You know what this is all about. Thank you.
I might be legally in the right to not wear a mask in a public place, but it might not be smart. Why not be courteous to others until we have a better fix on COVID-19? Look at the numbers from Philadelphia…
https://www.bing.com/search?q=spanish+flu+philadelphia&qs=LS&pq=spanish+flu+phil&sk=LS1&sc=8-16&cvid=51EC7BACB3BA43C2BAF74FE568948ECC&FORM=QBRE&sp=2
Until you start reading that hospitals get paid for claiming covid 19 deaths. Being exposed doesn’t mean you have the virus. Now states are starting to lower the numbers of people who died with different diseases and were never tested, but were classified that they had died from covid rather than the disease they were dying from. Remember the NYT just recently listed a guy who was murdered as dying from the covid virus. Anything to try and increase the numbers. What about the man who died of acute alcohol poisoning, but was classified as dying from covid 19 or even the man who had an accident hitting his head that killed him, but was classified as covid death. The numbers are a lot less than they claimed was going to happen and now what?
SERIOUSLY?! – CDC Admits Virus Is Almost IMPOSSIBLE To Die From! – This Is INSANE!
https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/seriously-cdc-admits-virus-is-almost-impossible-to-die-from-this-is-insane/
Right. Explain that again to the 100,000+ who have died in the last 3 months.
Daisy, your article focuses on the seemingly political and psychological reasons that people do not wear a mask; “rebellion, weakness, and don’t tell me what to do”. However, you total side step the very scientific and medical reasons for the healthy NOT to wear a mask as elucidated in a recent article by Dr. Gary Kohls on the Lew Rockwell web site. (here is the link; https://www.lewrockwell.com/2020/05/gary-g-kohls/the-plandemic-facial-mask-issue/) Dr. Kohls extensively quotes Dr. Russell Blaylock, a nationally know neuro surgeon, as to the very real medical dangers and risks of continually wearing a mask; hypoxia, hypercapnia, lowering of the immune system, headaches and many others.
I just had my hair cut, (after two months!) and my barber, a lady, said that by the end of the day she has a terrible headache, and is so “stopped up” she can hardly breath. Wow! When asked why, she said the state will take away her license if she doesn’t wear the stupid thing. So, I don’t wear a mask, not just for political reasons, but for medical reasons.
Back when I realized we had a pandemic coming our way, I decided that wearing a mask made sense to me. When we were being told to not wear one, I did. Now that we are being told to, I still do. The information has been so conflicting that I’ve decided to just go with what I thought was right for me in my age group.
So funny…back in March & April when they told us not to wear masks, I did anyway (N95). In May when they told everyone to wear a mask, I stopped. Now we find out the peak was April 5th. I do what’s best for me, as should everyone. Business owners should do what is best for them & I will choose to shop accordingly. This situation has given a huge government mandated advantage to big box stores and Amazon. I shop small & local.
I choose not to wear a mask unless forced to. The virus is less than 0.5 microns in size, but the common mask typically has a weave density larger than the largest virus particles. The mask is efficient at blocking cough and sneeze particles carrying the virus, but far less efficient at trapping the virus particles alone. Besides, if a person is sick enough to be coughing and sneezing, they should be staying home. Wearing a mask is also problematic in that if you wear it for long periods of time, you are essentially trapping the CO2 you are exhaling and then rebreathing it. Finally, those that do have the virus are essentially concentrating the virus particles behind the mask, rebreathing the particles and essentially making a bad situation worse for them.
If healthy people essentially don’t contract the illness or get a mild case at worse, why aren’t people being taught how to maximize their health in order to avoid contracting the disease? Immunologists have already demonstrated that vitamin and mineral deficiencies in the general population make them susceptible to contracting diseases. Vitamin D has been shown to enhance immune response as does Vitamin C and Zinc. The majority of the people admitted to the hospital for the Covid virus have been shown to be deficient in these and other vitamins. Do your research, people, and don’t take anything from the “authorities” as gospel. Get out in the sun and expose your skin to create Vitamin D, take vitamin D supplements, take several grams of Vitamin C throughout the day. Supplement with Zinc.
Teaching people self-care does’t work with their agenda. They don’t want independent, self-sufficient people. They’re creating subjects.
@Deborah,
I would agree with that.
Some of the findings in all of this, when young people do get bad cases of COVID19 (requiring hospitalization), they are usually unhealthy in the first place.
Obesity. Diabetes. High blood pressure.
Why is there not more talk in MSM about the importance of being in good physical (and mental) health?
Well, if everyone were to do that (within their individual capability), then how would the pharmaceutical companies make their money?
As Dr Rashid Buttar says, “wearing a mask is like erecting a chain link fence to keep out the mice”. Checking in with many doctors and epidemiologists, virologists, they are all in agreement on this. I refer you to the works of Dr. Shiva, Dr Mikovitz, Sayer Gi and Dr Brogan, Dr Delores Cahill. I could give many more highly qualified names to add to this debate/debacle.
Wearing a mask and social distancing serves an agenda prescribed by the WHO which is not an organization that is concerrned for global health. Check out Event 201. This is a plandemic and we are being forced into totalinarianistic policies set by people in power who have become mini Hitlers. It is dehumanizing, as your story indicates. We need herd immunity and these practices only serve to divide and control. Sweden being a country that did not follow the global lockdown is doing just fine.
I’m of the belligerent libertarian ilk that doesn’t fear the virus and doesn’t succumb to mask shaming. After the first week or two of mask mandates (I’m in CA), I determined I was done with that nonsense, and started finding places that weren’t enforcing, and determined they would be the only ones to receive money from me. I narrowed down the places where I had to mask to one – my mom’s bank when she needed me to do a deposit. Now the mandate is lifted, and most “essential” stores that have been open these months have a “masks encouraged, but not enforced” policy. Phase two opening establishments are strict across the board, and I’m not sure if that’s because they’re mandated to, or if they’re just paranoid. They don’t get my money. I’m also not spending at places that were particularly obnoxious during the mandates – like the Walmart, where my asthmatic daughter was trying to get air, and was harassed by an employee who followed her around to make sure she didn’t lower her mask. Some stores also went so far as to mark their floors with arrows to tell you what direction you were allowed to walk in their aisles. I avoid those stores now. They embraced that b.s. on a level beyond the mandates. The positive take-away from this has been that I’ve networked a lot in my community to find alternative sources for things I need. I’m now buying dairy and eggs from one friend, avocados from another friend, shopping at farmer’s markets, trading clothes and other items in a community group, etc. Our next challenge in CA, besides pushing to get everything open again ASAP, is figuring out how to thwart the tracking and tracing. Well, that and recalling our son-of-the-devil governor, Gavin Newsom.
Good for you (finding alt-markets for food)!
A mask does NOT protect one from a virus. A nanosized particle, a virus, is not restrained by a macro size piece of cloth. A mask is only a ‘compliance’ issue NOT a health issue. Once the facts (of truth NOT of the law) are clearly seen … then and only then can one direct their Life in the Way toward the Truth!
The law has never saved someone from the truth , i.e., the truth of a viral(fungal,bacterial, etc) infection being able to make one sick is NOT A QUESTION OF THE PATHOGEN, BUT IS AN ISSUE OF HOW COMPROMISED A MAN’S IMMUNE SYSTEM HAS BECOME!
For those who may be reading this and wondering how their immune system can be strengthened? Think GMO! Any genetically altered food will compromise a man’s immune system. Period! And, of course, pay particular attention to this saying, ‘Garbage In, Garbage Out’ whenever you feel tempted to eat fast food, and what Dr Weston A Price called refined, processed western foods.
PS a great scientific (truthful !) website. http://www.westonaprice.org
This whole mask thing is out of control. I’m in the Conservative-Liberty camp, yet I wear the mask into stores or if required. I’d say the majority here in N.CA are wearing masks. I’ve argued w/many of my fellow conservatives on this issue. I refuse to wear a mask outdoors or while cycling/exercising. I see the issue like this: I’ll GLADLY wear a mask, just don’t try & vaccinate me, contact-trace me, track me on the apps, no tracking devices or gps bracelets either. Too many of us here in the states get caught up in petty details while missing the Big Fish!
I’m in 100% agreement with Anthony and I’m in New York.
If you want to wear a mask, do so…if you are sick…stay home…if you are afraid to get sick…stay home! This virus has a proven 98%+ survival rate! I chose NOT to live in fear or live by the fear of someone else!
I am 71 years + old and in good health and good physical shape. I have helped my friend in his small gun shop in an old barn since January, through this virus and gun gun buying craze. NO mask, NO gloves, NO washing my hands and I have no idea how many times I touched my face in the past 5 months! The 1000+ customers we served were of all nationalities, and ethnicity…including some Chinese, and guess what? I’m NOT sick, my daughter is NOT sick, nor is my friend! Not even a sniffle!
Now, I come back to my original argument…”How many flu and virus seasons have you been through in YOUR lifetime?
With that in mind and In spite of the fact that tens of thousands of people die EVERY year, JUST FROM THE FLU, (Google it)
Did you EVER wear a mask during those times? Were you even concerned about how many died from the flu? Did we shut schools and businesses? Were we confined to our homes? Did we play little distancing games? The answer OF COURSE, is a resounding NO!
WHY DO WE DO IT NOW???
This is NOT about the stupid virus! It IS about CONTROL of the masses by Socialist/Communist traitorous politicians in our own government!
STOP being a part of the left or right or Democrat or Republican and STOP BEING PROGRAMMED AND START STANDING UP TO THOSE WHO WANT TO TAKE YOUR FREEDOM FOR THEIR OWN AGENDA…AND START BEING AN AMERICAN AGAIN!
So I have to agree with you Mike.
I will add that you can follow any number of rabbit holes on this subject. The existence of this particular virus has not ever been proven. It has not been isolated and purified in patients as per standard scientific protocol so is it real? Please see John Rappoport at No More Fake News on this subject. You can look at David Crowe on this subject for specifics of conventional medical research. You can also explore the many factors that can lead to an illness like we have seen in Wuhan, Italy and the States. It is not as simple as a single virus.
You may also want to investigate the fact that this “vaccine” for coronavirus will really be gene therapy. It will be an RNA/DNA type of injection. Nasty business and should scare the stuffing out of you!
Back to the masks-I do not wear one unless forced to because I choose to do so. I hate how wearing/not wearing masks is dividing up this country. It’s not even the real issue here.
How about the civil liberties that are violated every time we are forced to give up our incomes? Giving up our privacy with Rona contact tracking? How about closing down small businesses while the big box stores get to stay open? How about denying medical treatment for anything “they” consider non-essential (which was anything other than Rona)? How about restricting access to family through denying visitors everywhere? How about closing up the churches? How about telling folks that they can’t even gather for a funeral or a wedding? At least not in a group of more than 10! The list goes on and on!
What absolute Anti-Constitutional, Anti-American hogwash! The very basis for this complete situation is flawed and most of we the people are allowing our focus to be drawn away from that which matters. That which makes America free! We are NOT Red China. What the heck does our military fight for and defend if not our freedoms?
Government is always about power and control. They will take more and more if we the people allow it. And boy are we allowing it currently! The US Constitution as well as every State Constitution was written to protect against this very thing. Go read your own states Bill of Rights and see for yourself. Better yet, check out Kriss Ann Hall on YouTube. She is an amazing constitutional lawyer who educates about this very thing.
We all need to stop fussing about stupid stuff like masks when our very freedoms are at stake. This will only get worse and I’m sure every reader here can see how people are being pitted against one another over a little thing like a mask. This entire article is really about this very issue! Someone even called themselves a “masker” for heavens sake! Great, another label. Ugh!
Indeed, start growing some backbone and start standing up and telling those who are violating our civil liberties that you will not comply any longer! Need to stop giving this petty stuff so much time and energy. Put it into the real issue instead which I have already mentioned.
I think there are many folks who have drank the Kool-aid and they feel that mask will protect them, like it has magical abilities. Now, I don’t begrudge them wearing that mask, it makes them feel better. But it does show me who is easily gullible and controllable. Fear is a powerful motivator. And many, many people have been terrified. But I tell you what is outrageous and makes me fearful. It’s those who tattle and try to tell the rest of us how to live our life. Are you so afraid you have to call the cops to come and try to make us behave like you? If you want to wear a mask, fine. But don’t try to enforce YOUR RULES OR YOUR FEARS on me. I will fight it every time. Are you going to make me wear a gold star and send me to the shower? Beware people. That is where we are heading.
As one of those people that would be at risk for serious health risks from this virus, or any other Respiratory pathogen for that matter, due to COPD and Cardiac issues, I’ve been wearing a mask since January. I also wear a mask during the Cold and Influenza seasons, and have done so for years. Some years it has helped and some years it hasn’t. Do I get upset seeing people not wearing a mask? No, it’s their choice.
When the CDC made it’s infamous “masks won’t help” comments, and then gave a complete b*llsh*t list of false information why reasons, I paid no attention. Their claim that the general public wouldn’t know how to use a mask right, was an outright elitist lie. There’s simple to follow instructions on the package for one, and two this is low tech PPE. Just like the Health Department false claims that the Flu shot will give you partial immunity to whichever Influenza virus is making the rounds. That’s not how immunity works for one. You either have antibodies to fight the pathogen, or you don’t. Antigen/antibody interaction is like a lock and key. It either opens/locks the door or the key doesn’t fit the lock. There’s no partial locking/opening of the door.
So, when the CDC or Public Health Departments make a proclamation (especially one that goes against common sense), I make my own judgement (40 years in Health Care Jade’s one’s opinion of “experts”).
As far as I’m concerned, it’s up to the individual to decide whether using PPE as a precaution against infection is applicable in their general health.
Mask Nazis are in the wrong!
The masks are generally useless unless everyone wears them and the same kind.
I have seen people wearing surgical masks, N95, a few construction style N95 (probably the most effective with out going full on respirator or NBC mask), bandanas, and some just pull up their tee-shirts.
I generally take my business to small, locally owned businesses. If they have a requirement, I am not about to disrespect them and their wishes, just like they would not do to me if they were to come into my home and I asked them to remove their shoes.
As for the big box stores, I dont want to put that employee into that position. Or behave like a horses arse ranting and raving about loss liberty or freedoms. I live in a very red county, and everyone wears a mask of some sort, more out of respect for others than some perceived government over reach.
As some others have pointed out, if masks can make the mass surveillance some big tech-companies, or politicians want to embrace, difficult or impossible, I see that as a win!
Make them more comfortable, and at the same time concealing more of your face to thwart the software.
Learn how to tie a shemagh, add some sunglasses.
Some states have laws against wearing masks while carrying a firearm. For those who do both, a felony violation is just the beginning of their troubles. Concealed carry is always recommended, yet I would go with a deeper concealment than a jacket over the OWB holster or shoulder rig. Switching to a pocket carry or a IWB holster might be a better choice.
I believe that your own health should be the first choice. Freedom isn’t very fun if you haven’t the health to enjoy it. Make the best choices for yourself in regards to keeping healthy and safe. You are responsible for taking care of you.
The deaf can’t communicate with people who are wearing masks. That is an ADA violation.
People with asthma can’t wear masks. A business does not have the right to endanger one’s health.
People with mental health issues are covered under the ADA.
Children with ADHD, autism, and many others are covered.
Victims of assault have problems with face coverings.
There are many other ADA violations.
All these people have the legal right to enter businesses without barriers.
Surgeons can have problems – after age 35 it increases
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18500410/?fbclid=IwAR1aGx9TjHITo3AmwwO15r8U3jdjV0LjTTXaqCR-EoEPVIywJBzscZZo50A
This clearly shows that masks can impair oxygen enough to cause people to pass out during normal activities that do not require massive oxygen intake.
https://6abc.com/n95-mask-car-crash-medical-ask-coronavirus-news/6129475/
Cloth masks are not helpful.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340570735_Masks_Don't_Work_A_review_of_science_relevant_to_COVID-19_social_policy?fbclid=IwAR0-kHRp9voGDgY-vDWt2ulyzAAJzHYhQqNdBM13qnwQ8K_tCDfOUZVvHQw
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150422121724.htm?fbclid=IwAR2Bm1Y-bMZqgjpIC9ytGfFB7Qp4gJ5VFkfY2kx4E2gbcJ2QVEjU776dM1k
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/coronavirus-wearing-cloth-face-mask-095121104.html
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-1342?fbclid=IwAR1ufTk8S9nk7kgGQ2XLU7P1OF5iyOX50loonBOdes9TCc4P-R4m8m5VgBs&
Don’t filter virus when coughing.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/85814?fbclid=IwAR0QkINgIKGrp83WGFxkVvv1_N74z6gU83vhHcGkhYuFXwnYvs7RR02jwRA
Masks pose a danger
https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/25713/20200518/wearing-face-masks-potentially-harmful-trap-exhaled-viruses-well-individuals.htm?fbclid=IwAR3ILUOZthd8BEUXWKU9DuxOSQJCQkSgKftzfpQf7m757SGbmkJtqhUbzsk
https://www.globalresearch.ca/face-masks-pose-serious-risks-healthy/5712649?fbclid=IwAR29ad6ZNcFS8SjwMIymxk_aQ3s8q8CC7RlvDtNRne3wfhudHdYa4m_T5Vg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9ti6isM-NY&fbclid=IwAR0UcUEfswwOqxD4YOlnR58_XidYxOzrTlNVIuTSlnXFFuqN9qS-LM88Yeg
Masks help viruses enter the brain.
https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/25713/20200518/wearing-face-masks-potentially-harmful-trap-exhaled-viruses-well-individuals.htm?fbclid=IwAR3ILUOZthd8BEUXWKU9DuxOSQJCQkSgKftzfpQf7m757SGbmkJtqhUbzsk
Cloth masks are dangerous
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150422121724.htm?fbclid=IwAR2Bm1Y-bMZqgjpIC9ytGfFB7Qp4gJ5VFkfY2kx4E2gbcJ2QVEjU776dM1k
https://www.globalresearch.ca/face-masks-pose-serious-risks-healthy/5712649?fbclid=IwAR29ad6ZNcFS8SjwMIymxk_aQ3s8q8CC7RlvDtNRne3wfhudHdYa4m_T5Vg
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4420971/?fbclid=IwAR1gT-3U8t9FeHP0cjEhs78E7hDCgQEONvK-HpdV93rDk2UphPMeMjjGo9E#__ffn_sectitle
Masks fail to filter coronavirus
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/85814?fbclid=IwAR0QkINgIKGrp83WGFxkVvv1_N74z6gU83vhHcGkhYuFXwnYvs7RR02jwRA
US Surgeon General warned against them
https://www.businessinsider.com/americans-dont-need-masks-pence-says-as-demand-increases-2020-2?fbclid=IwAR3BJ8WNQUuuq9xvJXi6Vru8FgitKhXq44SmsPoNNaZ09GkiJNRRQRFNfFc
Rational use during pandemic
https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanres/PIIS2213-2600(20)30134-X.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1fIRZVZeSu00y9SygfSVD2kXebdIfcVvNBCDG2uflSPPukleScvS9fZCo
Effectiveness
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20497389/?from_term=Face%20mask%20&from_pos=9&fbclid=IwAR3OUVg0Q7t7bU5ZSzNeZZXJZJU6hV4JiAiP-DUU9xblb1lWc6Vs9cLZZqs
Here’s even more:
A better name for the COVID-19 masks — face diaper
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/05/a_better_name_for_the_covid19_masks.html
plus 250 comments
AND
MASKS ARE A JOKE
in this 4:36 minute video, from The HighWire with Del Bigtree on 22 May 2020:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=ZSbpUeOT1jI&feature=emb_logo
PLUS the many comments!!
AND
May 27, 2020: In the end, it is the face mask that is the clearest symbol of America’s divide, By Patricia McCarthy
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/05/in_the_end_it_is_the_face_mask_that_is_the_clearest_symbol_of_americas_divide.html
Plus 188 comments….
–Lewis
Surgeons wear masks during surgery to protect their patients. Droplets from speaking, sneezing, coughing are dramatically reduced by the use of a mask. This protects the PATIENT. It does NOTHING AT ALL for the surgeon.
Mask wearers during a pandemic are not “living in fear,” they are trying to protect OTHERS.
Anyone who passed 9th grade biology should be able to grasp the science involved.
Does “NO SHOES/NO SHIRT/NO SERVICE” violate your rights? Or do you still go to bars, stores & restaurants that require you to wear shoes and a shirt without complaining about it?
I don’t hear many people screaming that being asked to wear a seatbelt violates their rights. Why? It seems that people are willing to be mildly inconvenienced to protect THEMSELVES but not to protect someone ELSE.
All of the violence and 99% of the bad behavior seems to be coming from deranged individuals who are enraged by the idea of being asked to wearing a mask to save the lives of vulnerable individuals.
My friend, a nurse working with Covid patients in a Georgia hospital, was attacked by a deranged individual at a gas station for wearing a mask. That worthless individual was screaming and swearing at him, and came up to him and spat in his face simply because he chose to wear a mask to protect others.
Do you have any idea what it is like to be a nurse in a Covid unit working all day under horrible conditions trying to save others, and then be attacked on your way home when you are physically and emotionally exhausted?!
Do your Bibles not have the part where Jesus said to do onto others as you would have others do onto you? We are now being put to the test and many people are failing.
Johnny says you can run on for a long time, but sooner or later, God will cut you down. Johnny is right.
Daisy, Nice article and clearly explained. Yet, there is no solution – because in this country of individual freedoms there is no clear cut answer. There are facts, then there are opinions and personal freedoms. If you don’t want to wear a mask – fine. I choose to. Wearing a mask does not make us gullible and we are far from being controlled.
Personally, we wear masks. Period!
This is an unseen enemy that does not care about age, income, race, or political party. It just wants to survive and you look just as good as any other entity. We both have biology degrees. My husband has a PhD in Microbiology. He understands viruses: their size, the ability to spread, to mutate, their lack of concern for their host. For him the statistics are black and white. Protect yourself. You don’t know who or when.
A family friend is a hospital Pharmacist. (For those of you who may not know: that is a PhD in chemistry; plus she has a Master’s degree in hospital pharmacy management.) For her it is black and white: wear a mask. [As soon as that hospital heard about the push for hydroxychloraquine, they locked up their stock as they shook their heads knowing it would not be effective as a stand alone. She, and her colleagues do believe in Remdesavir.]
There is no Kool-Aid people – just facts and chemistry. It is not “just a cold”, it is not “just the flu”.
The best examples come from the articles about the 1918 Spanish Flu, when people thought the epidemic was other and stopped wearing masks it came back with a vengeance. Do you really want to put your own life in jeopardy? That’s ok, but you do not realize that you are also jeopardizing everyone elses, too.
Why does there need to be a division? Is it “my” rights above all and to hell with “yours” because you are not me? You have the right to do what you want with your body but it stops where my body starts. I can see that someone is smoking and stay away from them, my choice. I cannot see if you have a virus, or TB, or any other illness that might kill me. I expect “you” to be respectful of others. It is only polite. Did your parents not raise you to be polite to others? To me the mask is a sign of respect not of fear. It is a sign of accepting the facts and not a political stance. You live in your house and do what you want. If you go into someone else’s house, you respect their rights. If you are out in public, you should respect the rights of others because none of us own the air. If you don’t want to wear a mask, fine, just stay away from me. I believe the science. If you are already sick, please just stay home.
Think of the example of people “peeing” on each other. That is how masks work – both people need to be wearing masks, or diapers, or clothing, to be the most effective. BOTH PEOPLE should be covered!
We are both elderly, but healthy. (Although I have trouble accepting that an active 70-year old is elderly.) We have no doubt that we would be more susceptible than our children or grandchildren to the severity and intensity of this virus.
Why take chances? Wear a mask. Yes, they can be a bit of a challenge to breathe through, but you get used to it. My glasses get fogged, and I don’t like that, but that is minor. We also wear gloves and sanitize products that come into our home. That is our preference and our right.
To me, stores are private property where the owners allow us to enter and participate. If any establishment requires their customers to wear a mask, it is their right to refuse service to you if you do not. If you don’t want to wear a mask, then respect the right of that company to refuse you service. After all, it is THEIR company not yours; it is private property. I reserve my right to wear masks, or even gloves to protect my health.
I made masks for my entire family, actually several for each so they do not need to wash the masks every day, and clearly identified as to the owner, and they wear them when in stores. Some of us wear gloves, too, probably because we think we are old and want to be more careful.
We went to Costco. If you did not have a mask upon entering, they gave you one. I saw people wearing those stretchy neck things and thought to myself, those are worthless because they are too thin. I saw some N-95s, paper surgical masks, and many, MANY homemade masks.
The local JoAnn Fabric store required all of its employees to wear masks, most of them were handmade, and the store limited customer numbers. At that store most of the customers also wore masks and were respectful of distance. A different JoAnn store in another city, did not require their employees to wear masks; there was little social distancing and fewer customers were wearing masks in this store, also. The difference between the two? 200 miles, plus proximity to a large metropolitan area in one store and a more conservative bent in the other smaller community that thinks it is safe.
Will we get the vaccine? We have never gotten the flu vaccines in any year; vaccine developers are guessing which flu strain will be prominent in any given year and do not know which mutation will present itself. We have gotten the pneumonia vaccine. I doubt, based on knowledge of how vaccines are developed and the time it takes, that one will be available within the year. It will probably be two years – if we are lucky. We will get the vaccine when it has been proven to be effective, just as we get out other vaccines to prevent other contagions when we travel and purchase car insurance.
We will continue to wear masks in public, probably for the next year, until this pandemic has washed through. We value our lives and want to respect the lives of other people.
Cinnamon Grammy
You’re not old. There’s just an issue with the date on your birth certificate : )
First off, I’m a republican and a strong supporter of our President. I wear a mask when I go out, not because I’m afraid for myself, because I’m afraid of the guilt I would have if I unknowingly passed the virus on. If you have the virus and don’t know it, you’re not just passing it to the person you came in contact with in public, you’re taking a chance that that person could pass it to a parent, grandparent or God forbid a child. I don’t look at it as a violation of my rights or freedom. I look at it as my choice to let God see that I care about other people and don’t want to be even remotely responsible for someone’s death. Wearing the mask dogs my glasses, makes me hyperventilate and sometimes sends me into a panic attack. But in the end, if wearing a mask keeps a child from dying, it’s worth the price.
I WILL NOT WEAR A MASK!! I WILL NOT SOCIAL DISTANCE!! I WILL NOT BE A SHEEP FOR THIS NONSENSE!!
ALL STATES SHOULD OPEN!! ASAP!!! ENOUGH OF THIS!!!
THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE VIRUS BUT A WAY TO BRING IN COMMUNIST REVOLUTION IN AMERICA AND ALL ABOUT VOTER FRAUD!!! MAIL IN BALLOTS!!
IT IS ABOUT BLUE STATE DICTATORS EVIL #DEMONIC-RATS CONTROL OF AMERICA – THEY ARE BOUGHT AND PAID FOR BY THE CHINESE COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT!!
It is hypocritical as Sex Offenders Roam Free in CA, while our Gov Proposes Permanently Slashing Prison Population while we are subjected to illegal laws by our cities and counties for not wearing mask or have to still stay locked down.
US CONSTITUTION AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS
My Freedoms under the US CONSTITUTION and the BILL OF RIGHTS are all ESSENTIAL including the Private Sector to open their businesses and get back to living with NO MASK, NO SOCIAL DISTANCING! I say enough is enough. No government will tell me to stay at home while the Public Workers are still working making salaries between 100K-400K tax payers money per year, plus pensions!! This has nothing to do with safety and health it hypocritical as Sex Offenders Roam Free in CA, Gov Proposes Permanently Slashing Prison Population while we are subjected to illegal laws by our cities and counties for not wearing mask.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE VIRUS, IT NEVER WAS!!!
➤ Quarantine should only be for people who are sick!
➤ Tyranny is stopping the freedom of movement for people who are not sick!
What about the people who carry the virus and don’t know it? I understand the right to work and don’t get me started on the mail in votes bs. But this virus really makes me think social distancing should be done and mask should be worn. Maybe it’s because I have grandchildren that I pray everyday won’t catch it. But if everyone would submit to the social distancing maybe everyone could go back to work and our health workers could catch a break. I’ll be the first to stand up for all our rights but the standards set for this virus could help all of our citizens, not just a select few.
The Texas Supreme Court recently reminded everyone that the “Constitution is not suspended when the government declares a state of disaster.”
https://www.texaspolicy.com/texas-supreme-court-reminds-cities-there-is-no-pandemic-exception-to-the-constitution/
Dawn with rights come responsibilities. Your right to swing your fists around ends when it intersects my nose. Civil discourse resolves problems not inflexible I am RIGHT and your WRONG thinking.
In case folks are not noticing with all this Bluff and Bluster about a Mask (sort of like arguing about smoking in public places and wearing seat belts in your car) Milwaukee is calling out the National Guard over that Black Gentleman getting killed by the police. Antifa is there stirring things up along with our favorite Black Lives Matter.
Tribalism in action here folks, violence to those NOT in their tribe.
So what will you “I have RIGHTS” crowd going to do when the Grid Fails, the Internet and all the communications thereof stops and a Mob is running amok in your neighborhood beating and burning out folks that are NOT IN THEIR TRIBE? Grid Failure is EASY. Mobs or Patriots doing it does it matter? Repairing the damage AND the ongoing further Damages that event causes is ever so much harder if at all possible BEFORE some 90% are dead from bad water, no water,violence (as the leadership hides in their Taxpayer paid for bunkers waiting until the smoke clears) and starvation.
Our whole American lifestyle REQUIRES Electricity. Even trucking Requires electricity and NO Trucks NO NOTHING gets to you to “Buy”.
This whole Mask and such nonsense is simply part and parcel of the Left’s Divide and Conquer plans. It’s SO Easy to get us so busy fighting each other over something that SHOULD BE as Common Sense as Seat belts and not smoking in someone else’s home with out asking permission.
The Tyranny of the State IS to keep us fighting each other as the Deep State continues to close the noose around our necks.
Wake up and take a look around, take a sniff, smell. It’s NOT Morning Fog you see it’s the SMOKE of our Republic aflame from Us vs. Them Tribalism and total lack of responsibilities for the rights we are demanding.
I’m 67, and have many of the health boogums that are said to make me prime to this Wuhan Chinese Communist American killing Disease.
I checked science literature and the size of the virus particle is so tiny a Facemask is all but hopeless to filter out but it does ride along on larger particles like sputum. The kind of Covid 19 laden sputum that is set free into the air I’m breathing by jerks not wearing a mask.
Get this straight. Don’t Tread on Me has become Don’t Breathe on Me! In this Pandemic era.
Wear a mask near me. I don’t care what rights are being manipulated.This disease is not political. It just spreads and kills.
ok karen
I see it as another means of division in an already divided country. Unfortunately.
I have a 3M N100 mask I bought just before the plandemic.
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/843185F/3m-half-facepiece-reusable-respirator-6200-07025aad.jpg
It uses detachable filters. It fits over my head and face.
I wear it with no filters, and nobody’s the wiser.
I think this mask division is absolutely ridiculous. If a business requires one and you want to go in there, then respect the business and put one on. It’s their right to do so. Wearing a mask is not infringing upon anyone’s liberties unless they follow you home and force you to wear one which of course isn’t happening. My son’s girlfriend has to wear one because she’s immunocomprimised. She was threatened at a stop light and at her work. For WEARING A MASK. She eventually quit her job because she feared for her safety. This has gone way too far. Wear a mask if you want to, don’t if you don’t want to, but respect business guidelines and respect other’s decisions regardless of your opinions. It’s called being a good human.
I don’t wear a mask unless absolutely necessary. They are hard to breathe through and uncomfortable. I try not to shop at those stores that require them. When I go into a store where the majority of those are wearing them I have a look on my face that suggests I will not be harassed. I avoid eye contact and give people plenty of space. I try to be polite and considerate. So far, nobody has said anything to me. If they do, I’ll ask them if they work for the store or law enforcement otherwise MYOB. I would also tell them that they need to be wearing goggles because the virus can be contracted through the eyes. I keep a bandana in my pocket for those places where it is absolutely required and have been avoiding shopping there until this BS is over. So far, so good.
Those at most risk are over 60 years old. The underlying conditions that make survival unlikely are heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and liver problems.
I am 72, and have all these conditions except liver problems, so if I catch the Corona virus I figure my chances of survival are about the same as jumping out of a plane without a parachute. Because of that fact when I go shopping I wear full protective gear including a P100 respirator. It is my parachute. At night when I go out to get the mail or whatever, and no one is around, I skip the protective gear.
If I was under 40 with no underlying conditions, I wouldn’t take it so seriously. Would wear a face mask where it was required, but do without as long as I had sufficient spacing.
People who would call the police on other people on this matter would make them ideal minions of a police state.
Where was all of this mask craziness with the SARS-CoV(-1) in 2003? Where was it with the MERS virus, which is also a coronavirus? Where was this mask craziness with the N1H1 swine flu? Where is all of this mask craziness with the yearly flu?
The masks make us “feel better”, but don’t do much to actually STOP the virus from spreading…. including N95 masks (check under “N95” in the Mayo Clinic article, where it states that “UNFILTERED AIR” is being exhaled. IF that is the case…. anyone wearing an N95 mask that has been infected with the coronavirus is SPREADING the virus without knowing it and thinking that everyone around them is “safe”.
I have NEVER been able to deal with ANYTHING over my face without going into a panic or anxiety attack…. including anesthesia/O2 masks. My first episode was in 1970 when I had my wisdom teeth surgically removed, then again in 1974 when I had my appendix removed. Didn’t improve any when I had c-sections with both of my sons (’80 & ’81), and 3 surgeries after that over the years since then. I don’t deal well with something over my face.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449
How about not being an Eager Tool of the Elite
How about not supporting this false fuckin’ paradigm at all.
How about supporting Freedom which means freedom to choose.
How about affirming the Christian reason for even being here in the first place – the sacred call to exercise Free Will.
How about not judging others, and turning everything anyone does into a neo-Puritan hypocritical Scarlet Letter.
How about not jumping on to Team SATAN THE ACCUSER.
Why would Satan even be referred to as “The Accuser”?
Think about it.
If what someone else is wearing during the freakin apocalypse is what your big concern then dig your own plot now, jump in and wait for your inevitable and early demise. You are an idiot.
Let’s get clarification on our terms here in comments
RESPIRATOR – certified NIOSH N95 or P100, CE FFP1 or FFP2, or Chinese KN95 filtration devices protect the HEALTHY USER from the infected if used in conjunction with eye pro, over garments and gloves/hands hygiene in conjunction with rigorous personal and environmental nonpharmaceutical interventions.
MASK: cloth or paper face covering either homemade or produced surgical mask (tied) or procedure mask (ear loops) designed to minimize large droplet transmission from the INFECTED USER to the environment or others in the droplet travel zone, felt to be~6-10 feet depending on how forceful the exhale of the infected is. May provide benefit by creating barrier to inadvertently self touching of the face. Also can be used to protect a RESPIRATOR from gross contamination/soiling.
I am stacked deep with US made N95 and P100 respirators as part of preparation. My family only goes out with respirators and the above associated PPE. I am less concerned about going out no matter what others do because I am protected. I only wear a mask when I am within ten feet of family that I know are not infected and I don’t want to infect them. Otherwise, it is respirators when out and about. Similar to carrying CCW.
For you folks who talk about this limiting your freedom by wearing a mask or respirator think of it like riding a motorbike without a helmet. Calculate your risk and take your choice.
For those that wear masks because that is all they have access to (didn’t get respirators when they were available), thank you for doing your part to minimize transmission and prevent running out of hospital resources. Italy and NYC showed us that it is when our hospitals are overfilled with COVID-19 patients that people will die in high numbers because there will be no room for heart attacks, strokes, emergency surgery, or fools who ride motorcycles without helmets.
Daisy, I think you’ll find this paper interesting. Personally, I’m doing what you’re doing. I mask if the store requires it, etc.
tl;dr Universal masking must be adopted by Day 50 of a regional outbreak to be effective, we’re well past that.
We present two models for the COVID-19 pandemic predicting the impact of universal face mask wearing upon the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus one employing a stochastic dynamic network based compartmental SEIR (susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered) approach, and the other employing individual ABM (agent-based modelling) Monte Carlo simulation indicating (1) significant impact under (near) universal masking when at least 80% of a population is wearing masks, versus minimal impact when only 50% or less of the population is wearing masks, and (2) significant impact when universal masking is adopted early, by Day 50 of a regional outbreak, versus minimal impact when universal masking is adopted late. These effects hold even at the lower filtering rates of homemade masks. To validate these theoretical models, we compare their predictions against a new empirical data set we have collected that includes whether regions have universal masking cultures or policies, their daily case growth rates, and their percentage reduction from peak daily case growth rates. Results show a near perfect correlation between early universal masking and successful suppression of daily case growth rates and/or reduction from peak daily case growth rates, as predicted by our theoretical simulations.
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2004.13553.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3rbuErAKAqtSWDm2jR2oP6gTF1WMBalD4KKjXjU_dlRbutUP0oZNAkSVY
Thank you for this topic, and for your perspective on it.
I wear a mask when I leave my home. I know that the virus is too small to be completely contained by even N95 masks, but the droplets that we expel when speaking, coughing or simply breathing are contained by a mask, and if the virus is present, masks make it much less likely to travel far enough to reach another person, especially if we are maintaining an appropriate distance. It’s not perfect, but it is indeed much better than nothing.
I am concerned about the political division that has developed around masks, and about how people treat each other around the issue.
While businesses have a right and responsibility to keep their employees and patrons safe, it’s unfair to expect retail employees to enforce mask rules. People with certain disabilities, for example, are exempt from policies or laws requiring masks, and low-paid, overstressed retail workers are not equipped to navigate those sorts of situations. You can’t tell by looking who has health issues that make wearing masks potentially dangerous to them. And as we have seen, people can become belligerent and even violent over the issue.
I’m also concerned about what happens when people who refuse to wear masks find themselves in close quarters with people whose health status means they CAN’T wear masks, or with workers serving the public who cannot choose to just “stay home if they’re scared.” We ALL have need to venture out on occasion, so who’s preferences or rights should take precedence? Not everyone has the luxury of staying home if they want to.
So I wear a mask because I can. It’s a small, temporary inconvenience that, even if it doesn’t actually help as much as I think, isn’t hurting me or anyone else. And it demonstrates that I value other people’s health more than my personal comfort, which is true for me.
As for blending in, I’ve been fortunate to not have to worry about that too much, because this is one of the reasons I got into prepping in the first place! We’re stocked up and hunkered down, where we don’t need to worry ourselves about masks!
I’ve made a practice, every cold and flu season, to add a little distance between myself and others when standing in line, and especially if there are others around me hacking up lung cheese. I’m not afraid of getting a cold, or the ‘normal’ flu, but it’s just easier to avoid the hassle and downtime. Same goes for increasing hand-washing, and being aware of surfaces touched. Not paranoia, just awareness.
I’d prefer not to wear a face covering, despite several health co-morbidities, but it is still mandated by the .gov here in CA, esp. Los Angeles county. I find it silly to wear a mask outdoors, in breezy conditions (dilution/diffusion of particles), and where my proximity to others is limited in duration and distance. The larger number of cases is being revealed as more related to the institutionalized (i.e. jailed, housed, skilled nursing facilities) or high-density families.
This new flu and the response to it is, in my view, similar to the mid-80’s with the HIV outbreak; clinical information evolved slowly, and the response to it was modified in kind. There is a lot that we don’t know about this virus, about its infectious tendencies and disease course, susceptibilities, etc.
Exactly Daisy. What’s the use of offending people? The gray man approach makes sense to me. Being a certifiable claustrophobe, I will faint if there isn’t any fresh air — very embarrassing. The first time I went to get groceries in my favorite place, I wore an N95 because I had a few tucked away. I had to keep making adjustments to get some air because I felt light-headed and was sweating way too much. As soon as I got in the car I ripped it off and thought, “I’ll save this thing for really bad times.” After seeing a number of construction workers in the store with merely a bandana, I figured my turquoise bandana would work just fine. No one gives any guff for that here in SoCal.
It goes along with what you have said previously about how much wiser it is thatindividuals levels of “feeling safe” be respected. You don’t know the person’s story. There’s a lot of genuine fear and there may be underlying issues.
The whole thing just smacks of more breakdown in our civility. One more thing to come between us. My life vs. your life. I want to stand up and be counted free just like the next American, but not at the expense of social trust. The CCP is all about keeping their people suspicious of each other. Some parties gain a lot of traction by keeping The People at odds with each other. No one should die over Mask/No Mask. But at the same time, it makes no sense to keep wearing a mask in your car or walking in the out-of-doors. Contracting the virus almost always comes from closed in situations where the air is “conditioned”.
Spot on, Daisy! I live in Massachusetts, and my community and all stores require masks or you will be fined. Nearly every person is wearing masks…those who don’t are glared at and often refused service.
Under these circumstances, I wear masks in stores or around others…once I’m alone in the open air I remove it. So far, no problems. Grey!
Big similarities between wearing a mask and wearing a seat belt in a car or a helmet on a bike. People ignore the risk/reward nature of preventative measures, assume low hazard probability (which is somewhat true in both cases for most people), and demonstrate once more that reason is a rare and generally unactivated attribute among Homo Unsapiens.
I have to wonder how folks feel when they kill an elderly neighbor through their social lassitude. And how they rationalize their self-righteous behavior if they kill someone in their family…
The mask has become the new symbol of the great division in what used to be the UNITED States of America. Reading some of the comments on here made me sad.
Don’t know how many of you have been given the same very strongly worded orders from a Special Ops Major every day for a week even though you obeyed after the first day. The orders came from a family member and he’s definitely no sissy but I now stay away from people as much as possible and if I do get around them I wear a mask. Because of his current posting he knows more than I even want to think about.
But whether I do or don’t wear a mask does not mean the person who disagrees with me can call me names or treat me like I’m an idiot.
I live in a rural area with very few cases but it’s only 80-100 miles to the city and they come here and lots of us go there, so who knows who’s “carrying” something potentially deadly.
For those who ”carry“ things that weigh quite a bit more than a mask, is it because you’re afraid? Then why label someone else that way?
Am I fearful? No, I don’t think so.
Am I being prepared? Probably.
Does it make me a fearful wimp? Not at all.
Am I obeying orders from someone who is not a scientist? Yep
Try to have a good day. We are going to need all we can get.
Perhaps “strongly worded suggestion” would be a better description than orders because I’m not in the military under his command and I am over the age of 18.
I just keep thinking about when this all started happening..and they told us masks weren’t effective and not to buy them..Remember how people(without masks) were crowding stores to stock up ? Yet there were no overwhelming out breaks of this virus( none in our area) . It leads me to conclude that they aren’t necessary and only a tool for the government to remind people of this lurking virus ; that we need to be living in fear….Control and fear. I agree it is harmful to the elderly etc..and they need to take precautions..But forcing this on everyone is ridiculous..
(((They))) want us divided. Personally, everyone should do what they think is best for them. The problem always is people who want to force their views on others, including the officials who make up “rules”. I vote with my wallet. Yesterday I went to get my haircut after waiting for 2 months. They had a sign on the locked door telling me to call to get in, and I must wear a mask. I carry a mask if I need one, in fact I saw this coming in February and bought a dozen N95 masks while they were still available. However, I did not get my haircut, choosing to wait until this plandemic goes away. I don’t like being told what to do by a business that needs my money. I am beginning to like my long hair too ????
What has concerned me the most through this whole situation is how incompetent our government agencies are, what a mess our hospital system is, what a mess the CDC is, and in general this country is wrecked. Don’t call me a Trump hater. I voted for him and I believe this would have all gone down the same no matter who was President. Our government is in disarray and instead of being upset and doing something about that, we are fighting and radicalizing over masks. They have us just where they want us.
I wear jason or anonymous masks or neck gaiters screened with scary toothy faces…..and say trick or treat a lot…..
https://tinyurl.com/yah2c6ju shows the neck gaiters
Starting tomorrow our leftist, blackface wearing, infanticide supporting Democrat governor has mandated masks be worn in all public and retail buildings. He does not wear one himself during his daily press conferences.
If I am to go into a business that asks customers to wear a mask, I wear one. If there is no such request I don’t wear one. Why? We haven’t been given any accurate information on this virus from the beginning. The testing is not dependable. Homemade masks are pretty much a joke and you can’t buy the N95s should you feel you want to wear a suitable mask, which I don’t. I also have a problem with being told what I have to do. The Governor isn’t the boss of me!
If someone is wearing a mask and I’m not, what threat am I to them? And, if they are wearing a mask they should be no threat to me. Who decided that 6′ is an acceptable “social distancing” measurement? Anyone know? Why not 2′ or ten feet? Is social distancing even a partial solution? Those “experts” don’t know! Fact is, you can’t believe anything we’ve been told.
The only thing the mask does is help us keep from getting the common cold from each other. Far less common colds since March, eh? lol
Those getting COVID-19, and also those who died from it, is because they got the FLU SHOT. COVID-19 is one of the many deadly contagions in the FLU SHOT, people.
SHUT DOWN THE FLU SHOTS. THEN SHUT DOWN ANY AND ALL ‘VACCINES’ THEY COME UP WITH.
The President and all the politicians and our governors have been given a vaccine that protects them from all these contagions and the ones to come. They are protected. That particular vaccine is not meant for the general public. It is called VACCINE ‘A’. Got that?
Now, they named the MANDATORY, forced ‘vaccination’ of all the rest of humanity, VACCINE ‘B’. VACCINE ‘B’ is meant to kill all of humanity (except those privileged elite globalists who got Vaccine A).
VACCINE ‘B’ is NOT a vaccine at all. That shot, meant for us, is loaded with contagions. Combined, it is known as the PLAGUE. The final Plague.
They will PRETEND to vaccinate us all FROM COVID, but, in reality, they will be giving us, what has always been told to us, the final DEADLY PLAGUE, by INJECTION.
This plague doesn’t spread either. Why people will be dropping dead, all over the place, is because they have been given VACCINE ‘B’ (the plague). The kill shot, directly into their blood stream. Whether stupid people line up for it willingly, or whether it is FORCED VACCINATION to the resistors, it will be Vaccine ‘B’. They will lie to you, of course, if you ask. However, it will be what the elite globalists call, VACCINE ‘B’. It is NOT a vaccine at all, NOR is it being given in the fight AGAINST what they call the COVID virus (a manmade, in the lab, contagion).
Remember, they deliberately put COVID-19/COVID-20 (2019-2020) in the FLU SHOT, so why would they come up with a vaccine to protect you against “Covid-19” or what they want you to think is the coming stronger strain of it (COVID-20 = 2020). Again, IT IS IN THE FLU SHOT.
HOW MANY OF YOU READING THIS, HAVE HAD THE FLU VACCINE (a.k.a. the FLU SHOT)? HOW MANY? This is why “GET THE FLU SHOT” is up on store billboards and advertised constantly. TV too?
You’ve got to use your head. THINK IT OUT!
They will say, save yourself and your loved ones…..get the MANDATORY VACCINE (remember, it’s vaccine ‘B’ kill shot). Whether they take people by their last names, according to the alphabet, or by street, remains to be seen. If you don’t come to them, they come to you with gun support. Either way, we die. It’s the alleged ‘vaccine’ itself that will kill you and yours. In short, it’s THE death shot in your arm. No chance of survival. For anyone. You’ll drop dead on the spot, or as soon as you get out the door. Some may make it home, but that’s it.
They will say, “We’re here to help you”. “We’ll save you”. YEAH, RIGHT! THIS IS REALITY. WAKE UP.
Prepare your soul with God. Make up with him right this minute. Tell Him you are very sorry for your sins. Have your children do it too. I mean it. It’s within months. THIS year, or rather, what’s left of this year. It’s almost 1/2 over. This deadly “vaccine” is straight from the bowels of hell. Don’t let them lie to you. The ‘vaccine’ is ready to go.
I didn’t get the flu shot and I had COVID.
Asia? Wouldn’t any thinking analysis include at least a PASSING review of the experience of the other HALF of the world?
Why do people continue to mis-state the executive orders ? Just like in NY, the order in Illinois is you have to wear a mask IF you cannot maintain social distancing. Which almost never is the case.
Furthermore, I guarantee you the single greatest factor in people’s decisions to not wear a mask is in reaction to the army of Karen’s virtue signalling that they’re superior and trying to shame people into wearing them. I’ve worn them the few times I’ve gone to the store, in a very small “city” in a county with only 100 total cases. But when I see people shit posting about how I’m a disrespectful toddler if I don’t wear one, it’s time for me to STOP wearing them.
Calculate your personal risk, and act accordingly. It takes one person coughing or sneezing to fill an enclosed space with possibly infectious particles. People in the “high risk” category should wear a mask in public spaces to reduce the risk, regardless of what others choose to do.
Hi there –
No mask for me & I refuse to shop where one is required. Where I live, there is no mandate (which is NOT law – none of this garbage is law) to wear masks, yet businesses are taking on more draconian measures as cases are leveling off or decreasing.
I forced Costco to return my membership fee in full & the funny thing is to get my fee back, I was in the store without a mask. My upscale, family owned grocery store that I have shopped at for 18 years started requiring them 6 weeks ago & I told them in the store & wrote to the CEO that I would NEVER be back & won’t.
There is MORE than sufficient evidence that the masks will do nothing to keep you from getting sick, it has become a filthy security blanket, as folks continually touch all over it, their nose & eye area, when we are told we shouldn’t be touching those areas & you should be washing hands.
I’m having a difficult time at work since 2 weeks ago, we took on so many restrictions it’s unbelievable & yes, we are required to wear a mask. I refused & said the best I would do is a face shield, which is also pathetic.
What’s difficult is the fact that I am ABSOLUTELY opposed to it & with 40 million people out of work, I have no choice at this point but to stay. Had I had a choice, I would have walked out the door after 7+ years. Next week, we are forcing customers to wear masks, which I have personal relationships with some of our more prominent customers & I know without a shadow of a doubt, they will walk, so we will be losing business over this stupidity.
On April 17th, the CDC provided a chart to the White House on the death numbers. This chart took data (even though the Covid numbers have been inflated) from December 2019 thru April 12th 2020 into account. Covid 19 deaths were less than Influenza A & Influenza B.
I don’t see all of us with our panties in a bunch over Influenza.
Folks with known exposure to Covid 19 were brought back into the US & quarantined for only 2 weeks & let go, while we were being told it could take 27 days before symptoms appeared.
We were told shutdown for 2 weeks so hospitals weren’t overwhelmed & as New York claimed their hospitals were “war zones”, citizen journalists were documenting the so called “war zones” – THERE WAS VIRTUALLY NO ONE AT THE HOSPITALS. All the video proof has been purged from the internet unless it’s archived on someone’s website.
Folks were quarantined that had known exposure, but HEALTHY people (the majority of the nation) have been quarantined for nearly 10 weeks now.
Yes, there are sheeple, even when you present the mask wearers with undeniable truth, they will still argue with you. I personally think that they feel important, like heros, as I’ve been told repeatedly, “I’m saving lives”.
Lives aren’t being saved if cancer testing isn’t going on, if folks are afraid to go to the hospital for heart attacks & suicide is at an all time high…………then of course there is the fact that it is expected that more than 2 million people are going to die from starvation due to the havoc all this has caused to the food supply chain all over the world.
We were initially told that in 30 days there would be 2 million dead in the US……………..
I could go on for hours about all the reported discrepancies related to all that is Covid 19.
If you can’t see that this is about FAR more than a virus, you’ve got to be completely blind.
As a retired hospital administrator, I know masks are supposed to be used for relatively short durations, then removed and discarded. They are not meant to wear all day, everyday. They harbor exhaled fluids, microbes, and bacteria after a period of time. Definitely unhealthy to wear all the time, not to mention rebreathing your exhaled carbon dioxide. Terrible terrible idea to have them on constantly!
I am in the group where my husband and I are at risk. We wear both a mask and gloves. However we recognize that others have the right to choose so we limit exposure by staying home most of the time. We also boat, or go 4 wheeling, garden, or hike. None of these bring us into contact with others. We chose to go into quarantine before it was ordered and our life has changed a bit but we’ve adapted. We’ve only shopped twice and haven’t eaten out at all.
This doesn’t have to be an us or them thing, most of us use common sense and let others live their lives the way they see fit.
I’d add something to that: if wearing or not wearing a mask is a tribal issue where you live, do you really want to be there? I wouldn’t really like to live in a place where tribalism runs so deep that public health issues are something people draw battle lines on.
Also, I don’t like framing masks about the risks you are willing to take, when it’s actually mostly about the risks you are willing to impose on other people. Masks protect others more than they protect you, unless you have a high quality mask. I’m actually suprised that preppers that used to say they would store extra food so they would have for others, now are saying that they won’t wear masks unless it’s required, when those same people got hold of masks before everyone else and had spare masks to give.
Selco always says that you don’t know how people will react in a crisis, till the crisis comes. How true!
I don’t mask due to infecting myself with my microbes that are breathed into the mask. It can be breathed back in and also travel into your eusctation tunes then go directly into your brain.
All those people who have had the flu shot are the ones getting COVID-19. That’s it!
The mask isn’t going to help them. THE CONTAGION IS IN THE FLU SHOT. That’s why evil doctors and stores were told to push the flu shot and, some were told to up their numbers, by offering free flu shots. Wake up, people.
I have yet to wear a mask even at peak paranoia. A part of me still felt like the whole thing was a charade. Then after reading about Event 201, and watching it for myself I realized it was, in fact, a engineered event. As time went on and more info came out (globally) I decided I would take the bare minimum precautions, which was stuff I did anyway; wash hands after touching stuff in public and don’t touch my face. Simple. The final KO blow to this scamdemic came recently when internal declassified documents were accidentally leaked in Germany that basically said the whole thing was a global hoax. Now, I openly mock any media outlet that is still pushing this BS narrative and roll my eyes at the mask wearers and don’t even come @me with any of the new jargon like “new normal” because I’ll be the first one to tell you that you can take your new normal and shove it up your ass along with all the other buzz words. I realize everyone hasn’t been red pilled yet but they need to open their eyes, DYOR, and turn off the TV and the charlatans telling us what to think.
I very begrudgingly wear a mask most of the time I’m in a store because it’s mandated on our state & city levels. However, it’s more a courtesy for business owners who are forced to comply with said mandates, and as a courtesy to those in fear. But, it comes off the minute I step out the door – as well as if I need to read something & am far away enough from others since my glasses fog up if I don’t (proof that they are likely virtually useless).
My opinion on the matter, is that sick or compromised people should be the ones wearing masks (or staying home), not healthy people. This a power grab if I ever saw one, but I still do it to be diplomatic. I have no issue with someone wearing or not wearing one, and would never confront or snitch on someone either way.
I don’t understand the logic in people breathing their possible covid into an ill-fitted, pourous, moisture collecting contraption they’re constantly touching to re-adjust. We may as well be licking everything we touch is the way I see it. I’m more concerned with sanitizing my hands, phone & groceries because of THAT reason than covid.
The only thing worse than having all these illogical draconian measures in place is becoming divided over it and judging each other over this crap. That’s exactly what the psychopaths instituting it WANT.
Be grateful they’re scrambling for more ways to divide us. It means we’re winning. Most people wearing masks are only doing it because they have to, IMO. Or at least that’s what I like to assume – Don’t assume we’re all sheep. Some of us even like not having facial recognition cams recording our every facial expression 😉
I rarely go out much anyway, and NEVER do I wear one outside anywhere. I absolutely draw the line there.
Bottom line, I refuse to fight my fellow human over their perceived need for a face diaper. If it were not mandated and the psychological tactics being used by govts and media, I suspect far fewer of us would be wearing them. I look forward to that day more than anything because these things are a b*tch to breathe in.\@
It depends on the situation, trying to be the grey man here in life , like at Petsmart, which I’ll NEVER go to AGAIN, because it says “where a mask if you’re not vaxed. all vaxxed persons are welcome to shop here with no mask”. I shit you not I saw this on the door and walked in WITHOUT a mask because I identified as a ” vaxed vegan non binary unicorn” that day. But all BS aside, I live in Texas, it’s friggin HOT here, I wear glasses, I get irate when I’m wearing that NP95 mask and am not a happy person when I am hot, sweaty and can’t see from steamed up glasses. I think this “virtue signaling” and “othering” over the masks and death shot are complete and utter BS. Wear a fucking mask if YOU want to but don’t fuck w/ me because I can’t breathe in them and choose not to. Also our governor said we don’t have to wear masks, and I honestly don’t think that the masks help with stopping the transmission of this virus anyway, from all the research I’ve read on them. I also read a report out of Florida that some parents of school kids sent the kids used masks to a lab to be tested and they found pneumonia, and other germs on the masks that these kids been wearing all day. Here’s the link:
https://drrichswier.com/2021/06/17/a-group-of-florida-parents-sent-their-kids-face-masks-to-a-lab-for-analysis-here-are-all-the-diseases-they-found/
Sorry to cuss and sound unhinged today but I am really angry about the mask hypocrisy. I live in rural central Texas and only go to the “city” once a month to shop and never wear masks up here in area I live. Although I did see a lady riding a golf cart, outside, with a mask on. Had a belly laugh over that one.
If I trusted the health authorities in charge, I suppose it would be a different matter for me. However; I do not. I have been reading/studying non-stop since April of 2020 & I don’t mean the corporate-sponsored media which censors anything that butts up against their profit margins. The connection between the ABC agencies, the politicians, Big Pharma & Big Tech is absolutely corrupt yet still, they get away with all of what they are doing, even though some is factually illegal. This whole pandemic was planned, starting a very long time ago. Whether the release was intentional or not, at the time, the opportunity it afforded those in charge did not go to waste. It is well documented that people can be overcome more easily if they are afraid. So, those who wish to rule the world create problems so they can come in as saviors, with the solution. If masks work, then those who wear them shouldn’t care about those who don’t, since they are “protected.” The fact that viruses are small enough to pass through cloth masks is just a bothersome bit of science. To each their own….but keep your laws off my body & that of my children! Freedom of medical choice/bodily autonomy is being stripped from us & sadly, far too many seem complacent as to its demise.
I stopped wearing masks this spring. Guess What! Somewhere, somehow, I picked up Covid! My grandson, home from college, was exposed to someone who was exposed to Covid. Guess What! He got it and passed it on to the other four family members. Two of which had been sick before! I wore a mask at Walmart. A woman came around the corner and looked at me with disdain. Guess what? I was just getting over Covid – I could have still been contagious. While I tested negative, I did still have a sore throat. Stop judging people who wear masks. We do it for personal health reasons. Perhaps we have an older family member with underlying issues, or we are going to visit a friend that is sick. Stop judging. If you want to wear a mask – go for it. Stop fighting about it and respect someone’s decision – you have no idea why they made it.
I will respect the right of private enterprise to decide what is best for them and their customers. And, BTW, We were all vaccinated!