Beneath the Surface

Taki's ^ | December 10, 2021 | Theodore Dalrymple

[Salman]

On two successive days, I traveled on the London Underground and the Paris Métro. One contrast between the passengers struck me very forcibly.

On the London Underground, not more than 5 percent of the passengers wore face masks. On the Paris Métro, not more than 1 percent did not.

The contrast was all the more startling because the wearing of masks was equally obligatory on both systems. On the London Underground there were many notices saying so, and occasional public address announcements to that effect. On the Parisian Métro, there were likewise public address announcements, though pronounced much more clearly than on the London Underground. The managers of the London Underground specially select people with impenetrable accents or speech impediments to make public address announcements, as part of their social-engineering works.

...

[Mr. K]

the cheese-eating surrender monkeys are doing what they do. submitting

[Migraine]

Funny stuff; Mark Twain, Will Rogers, PG Wodehouse funny.

[asinclair]

What is missing from the article (it may have been too soon to make comparisons) is the net effect of the two transit systems on COVID-19 hospital load. In a sane scientific environment, there would have been more Brits in hospital than French.

Interesting practical experiment on the effectiveness of mask-wearing, I would think.

[imardmd1]

Woyld the writer be startled to find that the statistics of C19 virus transmission were not noticeably different distinguishing either of the contexts?

[faucetman]

I can’t say if I would wear a mask if I were to ride a subway because I WOULD NEVER RIDE A SUBWAY, Just like I will NEVER go on an airplane again.

I will never be in large crowds again.

All you people can, its your choice, but as for me and my house, we will not.