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Team Mask? Lol. It's a personal choice, this one among many other choices, some selfless and some selfish. If we really want a multicultural United States, then we're going to have to NOT be so easily offended. Intolerance is censorship, it has no social value other than to shutdown interaction.
I sincerely hope that you're right. Whenever making a pessimistic prediction, I'd far rather come to look foolish and be proven wrong, but to enjoy the resulting better life, than to be only too correct, at the price of suffering precisely the privation that was aptly predicted.
So, hyperbole aside, it's my belief that some critical mass of the public, or at least of decision-makers, are reaching a conclusion that the inconvenience of masks, is outweighed by the benefits of curbing communicable diseases, be they Covid or the flu or some other yet-unobserved potential breath-borne virus.
Since you find the analogy of TSA security-inspections to be a sophomoric mockery, I will instead trot-out the other stand-by: seat belts. Not even 50 years ago, seat-belts were not only optional, but generally viewed askance, as some weird hobby or fashion for the timid. Then, between the mid-80s and early-90s, nearly every state came to mandate them. Today, when passengers enter a car, to not click their seat-belts is regarded as not merely being illegal, but a crass boorishness and the sign of a particularly warped and stupid insistence on some caricature of libertarianism... the sort pursued by teenagers dabbling in their first attempt to read a philosophy book, but abandoned maybe 3-4 years after reaching puberty.
The passage between grudgingly acceding to some minor inconvenience - at first odd and uncomfortable - and coming to regard it as necessary and proper for civilization itself - is unfortunately only too straightforward.
Thank you for that. It was a joy to read. Thank you for your patience with our community, young and old. Interaction is the key to our continuous opportunities. Lots of things go away because they make no sense in a healthy community, all ignorant human behaviors. I can't wait until we can live together sustainably. It would make me sleep better at night. I know it's trending that way, so just saying.
Since you find the analogy of TSA security-inspections to be a sophomoric mockery, I will instead trot-out the other stand-by: seat belts. Not even 50 years ago, seat-belts were not only optional, but generally viewed askance, as some weird hobby or fashion for the timid. Then, between the mid-80s and early-90s, nearly every state came to mandate them. Today, when passengers enter a car, to not click their seat-belts is regarded as not merely being illegal, but a crass boorishness and the sign of a particularly warped and stupid insistence on some caricature of libertarianism... the sort pursued by teenagers dabbling in their first attempt to read a philosophy book, but abandoned maybe 3-4 years after reaching puberty.
The passage between grudgingly acceding to some minor inconvenience - at first odd and uncomfortable - and coming to regard it as necessary and proper for civilization itself - is unfortunately only too straightforward.
Yet another poor comparison.
As time passed there was still risk of auto accidents which seat belts greatly mitigate injury and death.
As time passed there are still terrorists that want to blow up planes.
If time passes and society reaches herd and everyone who wants to be vaccinated can have on, the risk from covid might have reduced considerably. Thus the change in mask policy.
For the third time since this started I was out running errands and ran into a store without my mask because I was thinking about other things, not covid. Nobody was there except me and the cashiers and they didn't say anything and I only realized it when I went to pay and saw their masks and realized I didn't have one. I said "opps" and fished it out of my purse but they didn't seem concerned and probably wouldn't have said anything if I hadn't. The panic isn't there for most people, especially since there are still so many other thing in place like plastic panels between the cashiers and customer, limited people inside at any given time, etc.
As time passed there was still risk of auto accidents which seat belts greatly mitigate injury and death.
As time passed there are still terrorists that want to blow up planes.
If time passes and society reaches herd and everyone who wants to be vaccinated can have on, the risk from covid might have reduced considerably. Thus the change in mask policy.
How's that a poor comparison? Vaccinations are an obvious benefit, so are seatbelts.
How's that a poor comparison? Vaccinations are an obvious benefit, so are seatbelts.
The argument that masks usage will go away based on the assumption we will reach herd immunity and covid cases will drop to extremely low levels where it isn't considered a major threat.
Seat belt usage continued but the issue it's trying to address, death or injury from automobile accidents, has not gone away nor does anyone think it disappear as a risk in the future.
There has to be spread in order for it to mutate into a new strain. If we can shut it down with widespread vaccine adoption there won’t be endless future variants.
Likely much will depend on the percentage of the global population that become vaccinated and subsequent booster shots.
Rand Paul, an ophthalmologist, took on Fauci this week, claiming prior infection or vaccination = immunity thus no need for masks. Rand Paul in 2014 claimed Ebola transmission was airborne and the Obama WH was hiding the facts. This is what happens when MDs dont stay in their lanes of specialties or perhaps just say stuff for political gain.
Seems Rand Paul either ignored the potential risks of variants or he was playing politics- maybe both.
SARS CoV-2 did not come with a book of warnings and instructions. Not a day goes by that some new is not learned about this virus and future variants.
While anecdotal, seems to me those who believe Covid is nothing more than a cold or seasonal flu are more likely to be both anti mask and vaccine and crosses political lines.
It did not help that Trump was anti mask and distancing given he and his immediate family were infected and probably infected others. Had Trump been just an ordinary guy, no one would have been monitoring his vitals and oxygen, 24/7. An ordinary guy would not have been admitted to the hospital out of and abundance of caution. And ordinary guy would not have been given a “ compassionate care” experimental cocktail the way Trump was. And if/ when ordinary guy survived and was discharged, not likely he would have announced “ don’t worry about Covid”.
The fact covid can be spread even if you don't have symptoms is the case for masks.
No, that's just what they have said.
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