Posted on 05/28/2020 8:36:24 AM PDT by Kaslin
Are facemasks a temporary way to fight a specific virus, or will they become part of our "new normal?"
“I don’t care about philosophy, just tell me how it ends.” That line is repeated on the final page of Len Jenkin’s play ‘Dark Ride.’ I’ve been thinking about Len, whom I had the great pleasure of working with a few times, a lot of late. His work always creates a world a bit out whack, dusty and dim, characters engaged in slow motion chaos. Today’s creepy streets of masked New Yorkers feel like a Len Jenkin play, and all anybody wants to know is how it ends.
When can we take off the masks? It’s a simple enough question. Three months ago pretty much nobody outside of recent Asian immigrants in urban Chinatowns donned the face protectors, but now they are ubiquitous. As with so many changes the Chinese virus has wrought on our lives, the emerging question is whether the changes are temporary and specific to this one threat, or if they will become permanent.
After all, even if the virus disappeared tomorrow through some force of magic, facemasks would still be an effective tool to slow the spread of other deadly diseases like the flu. If the philosophy is that changing our ways is worth it if it “saves one life,” then the end of this will be everyone wearing masks at baseball games and plays, in airplanes and shopping malls.
And mask wearing is, as its proponents point out, a small thing. Just like keeping six feet apart is a small thing, just like not attending church is a small thing, just like being contact traced is a small thing. But the thing about small things is that when you stack them up they can get pretty big. The “new normal” like a pointillist painting will be constructed of small dots that together create an entire vision of reality.
The whole coronavirus crisis has been a long exercise in cost benefit analysis. But as deaths decline and states reopen the crisis may be abating, but its social after-effects could be with us for a long time to come. Is there a metric that can be reached which would mean we could take off the masks? If so what is it? It is my very real fear that for many Americans the answer is no, and they will wear the mask until something other than a virus takes them to their graves.
This is a discussion that we need to be having. Because if we are to become a nation of faceless mask wearers it ought to be an active choice, not a jaundice we creep into by being peevish. We must be in control of the lifestyle changes that come from this experience, not controlled by it. Nor should we acquiesce to medical experts in making these decisions. They have a role to play, of course, but it is not dispositive, nor are they always right anyway.
In emergencies people and societies react fast, often in inefficient and ineffective ways. Life becomes about getting through the moment, not about creating a future. We are now two months into this unprecedented season of death and economic devastation. It is time to look forward.
For my part I reject the idea that the facemask should become a permanent mark of American life. I want to smile at people; I want to see facial expressions and a pretty woman’s lipstick. These are not minor aspects of life; they are deeply ingrained in the experience of being human.
The final line of ‘Dark Ride’ is delivered by a disembodied voice, Len loves a good disembodied voice, it says, “Those who wish to ride again stay in your seats. A man’ll be around to take your tickets. Those getting off, step lively. Exit to your left or your right.” I’m ready to step lively; unlike Len’s play this dark ride is no amusement.
Will we wear the masks forever? Will some of us? Will that mark some division in our society? Is that the mark we want to leave on the world? Do we want to explain to our kids that there used to be a world where faces abounded and fear was not the coin of the realm but we destroyed it? These are the questions we have to answer and we have to answer them now.
You actually don’t know who is vulnerable. I suspect many here have no idea if they have the Alzheimer gene which MAY make you more susceptible...even before dementia actually sets in.
How many blacks here know if they have Gp6d issue which MAY cause you more problems with Covid 19.
There are definitely genetics at play. Too much is unknown.
STILL
And the biggest issue of all..besides death...is the unknown short term and long term problems.
I see a lot of Drs talking about what they are seeing.
So please please please dont pretend like you know who is susceptible. You know SOME of the people that are susceptible.
If you dont want to wear a mask - don’t.
But I can tell you that my neighbor and her family who are dealing with this sure wish they had taken more precautions.
She is in her 40s and no known prior health problems. She is not in the hospital..but is going through hell.
She will probably survive but I can tell you that she really wishes she wasnt going through it.
I haven't worn one yet. I don't feel so strongly about it that I'd give up an income to stand on principle. I'm not going to refuse at the point of a gun either.
There's no denying though that it's increasingly become symbolic, like Dr. Fauci said is the reason he wears one. To a larger extent each day, it's being viewed as symbolic of the statement "I love Big Brother".
Face masks appear to be the ultimate tool in Virtue Signalling.
No they will never completely go away and will divide us even further..
Anybody with half a brain realizes this mask thing is totally stupid - and is a 100% Democrat virtue signaling nonsense
Doubt me? Look at all the Karen’s driving around in their freaking vehicles with the mascon please explain that to me
Look at all the Karen’s on a hiking trail wearing a mask
Look at all the Karen’s who have the mask off and they see me coming up the hill on my bike and then they quickly put on their masks
First of all the only reason why you should ever wear a mask is because of pollution I wore a mask during the terrible fires here in 2017 and 2018 because the air quality was so freaking poor I didn’t want to destroy my lungs
When it comes to viruses masks are almost completely worthless unless you’re on a subway or in an airplane and even then it’s marginal at best
I’ve been telling everybody in my town upside down backwards and inside out just wear a bandanna and I noticed in all my favorite stores everybody’s followed my lead and it’s just wearing a bandanna bandanna does not restrict your breathing actually looks pretty cool makes you look like a cowboy and you can just leave it around your neck for the most part nobody gives a crap
And again this is only because the directors of our health departments are making us do this to walk into a store
So here’s my advice unsolicited just tie a bandanna around your neck in areas where you have to comply with the mask rule and don’t do anything else
We will do whatever the democrats tell us to do. /s?
Some of these will eventually be washed into the ocean via storm drains.
= = =
And they will spread the COVID to the Dolphins, Whales, and Sea Turtles.
Oh No!
“we will need ID chips in our hand so that the government will know who we are and if we deserve to buy or sell.”
“Government” = anti-Christ ???
“I will wear a mask as long as the virus is circulating in my community.” ... “I don’t know how long that will be.”
Danny, Danny Danny. Honey, we know you will be a forever mask wearer. But it’s cute that you chimed in.
Have fun then...
And one thing will lead to another. Next we’ll be required to wear our underwear on the outside so the under wear police can see if it’s clean or not.
Except that they “do” work. The “masks don’t work” is just a different meme in the anti-mask propaganda.
I’m almost gasping for air just looking at that picture.
Masks = virtue signalling for socialists
Only if you are stupid.
“Think of all the money we’d save on dental work!”
And lipstick.
btw, here is one more thing people walk around with and have no idea.
Von Willebrand issue
I had never heard the term.
But now I recognize that I may have a mild issue with it given various things in my past.
I am going to get tested for it later even if insurance won’t pay for it. I think I saw a test for at least one indicator on Directlabs website.
And yes, if you ever listen to Mecram lectures on Covid 19 you will often hear the term Von Willebrand
Also going to get the Alzheimer gene test.
... (masks) in democrat big cities. I could care less what they do.”
I hope they do. I think all RATs and Karens should wear masks all the blessed time. Eventually, that crap collecting in their masks will kill ‘em — and I’m OK with that.
Nope. Canceled my doctors appointment for today because they told me it was mandatory that I wear one. Guess I’m looking for a new doctor!
No joke. Stupid Covid-nazis.
“the Alzheimer gene which MAY make you more susceptible.”
MAY.
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