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The squirrel's role model? Squirrel the Hutt:

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This photograph was taken in 1918 during the Spanish flu outbreak. I think the ambulance is in St Louis. Looking at the pic it’s obvious that the Red Cross ladies are doing their best to avoid infection by wearing masks and gloves. The bloke (driver?) in the photo isn’t and I did wonder if that’s because he thought it a bit sissy to do so. At the same time in Japan the general population did wear masks. It became part of their culture to put on a mask if they feared infecting somebody with a cold or whatever and is a tradition that has been maintained ever since. For some reason their pandemic death rate is negligible compared to Britain and the US.

Without wishing to start an argument my question is this. Can anybody give me a logical reason why some people are vehemently against wearing a face mask?
 
Without wishing to start an argument my question is this. Can anybody give me a logical reason why some people are vehemently against wearing a face mask?
I'm not American, but as I see it, it seems to have certain similarities with the debate involving the gun control. What I mean is, it is also advocated by many different types of people for many different reasons - like the "it's-my-gun-god-damn-it!" types, or the "God-gave-us-right-to-guns" types, but also by those who can cite the Second Amendment to raise a legitimate concern of infringing the constitutional freedom.

The thing is, they all belong to one political camp and have a common stance in the matter. As such, even those ignorant "hands-off-my-gun!" types, or rather those "nobody-tells-me-what-to-do-with-my-body!" in this case can borrow the arguments from more intelligent members of the same side and babble about constituional freedom and all, if they are pressed to give a reason for what they are doing.

I'm not saying that it's a problem specific to the Republicans. Rather, I see it as an inherent problem with our political system, especially in such countries where there are only two valid choices (the Reps or Dems) in every political question. And in such a time as politically polarized as this, everything involves politics, or rather choosing a side.

So it doesn't really matter if it's a matter of keeping a gun or wearing a mask. If you already chose a side, and for whatever reason your side decides if it's good or bad to do certain things, you just adopt that stance, and someone more intelligent and eloquent will provide the reason why you 'believe' so.

Probably the real reason why they don't want to wear mask would be trivial ones - some may have found it's too much of a hassle while some others probably think it's an 'unmanly' thing to do. But whatever the actual reason each individual may have, it becomes a matter of principle, and of utmost importance once a political camp adopts it as their agenda.
 
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I turn 64 in a few days and have never worn a mask all my life. Its just not a "natural" thing to do for me...
I can understand the sentiment and people shouldn’t be forced into doing things they feel unnatural under normal circumstances. Unfortunately though, I think a pandemic like this is neither natural nor normal, so I think it’s inevitable to sacrifice such freedom to a certain extent, especially when it can determine the life or death of more vulnerable people.

How much freedom we should be willing to give up can be a matter for a debate, however.
 
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This photograph was taken in 1918 during the Spanish flu outbreak. I think the ambulance is in St Louis. Looking at the pic it’s obvious that the Red Cross ladies are doing their best to avoid infection by wearing masks and gloves. The bloke (driver?) in the photo isn’t and I did wonder if that’s because he thought it a bit sissy to do so. At the same time in Japan the general population did wear masks. It became part of their culture to put on a mask if they feared infecting somebody with a cold or whatever and is a tradition that has been maintained ever since. For some reason their pandemic death rate is negligible compared to Britain and the US.

Without wishing to start an argument my question is this. Can anybody give me a logical reason why some people are vehemently against wearing a face mask?

Melissa, yours is a question that puzzles many of us in the US who are wearing masks.

They're a nuisance and sometimes uncomfortable (I wore one for over an hour in 90 degree heat at a friend's funeral yesterday, and it got damp and itchy). But the same can be said for seat belts in cars.

Many Americans are stridently independent, perhaps a legacy from the first non-native settlers here who had to be physically tough survivalists. Everything is weighed against what is best for me, not what is best for the society as a whole. The most common reason I hear for not wearing a mask is that it offers little protection for me, never mind the possibility that I could be an asymptomatic carrier who may be spreading the virus.

Of course (and please pardon me for touching on politics), our president won't wear one. Millions of his believers blindly follow suit.

Mask wearing seems to be regional in the US. Here where I live in the South, less than half of the folks I see in public wear or even carry one. I used to live in Maryland (near Washington, DC), and my friends there tell me that it is rare to see anyone in public without a mask.

So, there's no simple answer. I think we will get through this, but it may take years and a change in administration.
 
I wear a mask. My county just made them mandatory in indoor public places. So come on down and enjoy the beautiful ocean in Myrtle Beach.
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The 1918 influenza pandemic killed 50-100 million around the world. My father's old cousin was a teenager then and told us how he worked in Philadelphia for undertakers, who had great problems keeping up with the corpses. The pandemic killed mostly young adults, the demographically most expensive members of society to lose.

This pandemic is much less virulent. It seems to have passed the peak in most European countries and coming close to that in the US. So far there are 530,000 deaths around the world. Mainly the elderly. The demographically least expensive members (and I and my friends are these) to lose. The last two flu seasons have been unusually mild, leaving several hundred thousand elderly who would have died in a normal flu season still alive only to succumb to covid-19. One death is always a tragedy, but the scale of this is is not that great yet. To match 1918-20, with a larger population, we would need 45 times the deaths that have already occurred. Think about that for a moment

As to why some people don't trust "authority." Note that on Thursday, the World Health Organization released a statement explaining why they had done such a piss-poor job to date with the pandemic. It began thus:
"Six months ago, none of us could have imagined how our world - and our lives - would be thrown into turmoil by this new virus."
Read that carefully, several times. This is the international organization charged with anticipating and planning for just such an event, admitting that they had never imagined such an event!!!! What have they been doing?????????? And now they are the font of all wisdom.

Or the US CDC advising in March that face masks were useless for ordinary people. It is clear they knew at the time that that was a lie. They said it to avoid a run on masks. But when you are the "authority" the "scientists" and you openly lie, are you surprised when three months later some people don't believe you?????????
 
So it doesn't really matter if it's a matter of keeping a gun or wearing a mask. If you already chose a side, and for whatever reason your side decides if it's good or bad to do certain things, you just adopt that stance, and someone more intelligent and eloquent will provide the reason why you 'believe' so.

Probably the real reason why they don't want to wear mask would be trivial ones - some may have found it's too much of a hassle while some others probably think it's an 'unmanly' thing to do. But whatever the actual reason each individual may have, it becomes a matter of principle, and of utmost importance once a political camp adopts it as their agenda.

I have claustrophobia, Your Honour!

Serious now!

I only wear them where mandatory. It feels ridiculous; it feels choking, and, honestly, I do not believe it will ultimately protect me! If these nasty little creatures will want to get me, they'll get me anyway. Some healthy fatalism is the most comforting way to come through these abnormal times. Après moi, le déluge!

There is something theological in it. It is all about the so called 'Deadly Sins', and how some act is perceived like that. What signs people wearing a mask show is : 1) distrust to others 2) aggression, they look angry, because they see those without a mask as a dangerous threat, 3) defensive ; they hide their face, 4) ulitmately they make clear, they only care about themselves. That's how others can perceive it, and fundamentally, it is perceived as an expression of the Deadly Sin of Vanity!

Now I think, this pandemia is not a coincidence! God is punishing us for that other foul act of Vanity : the world wide climate protests of the previous year. Can you imagine, mortals turned to an idol, veneered a young Scandivavian female, who preached worldwide action to stop climate changed! And she got millions of followers! Vanity! Only God Allmighty has power over climate! If He wants ice age, then comes ice age. If He wants warming, then, there shall be warming! A Vanity, thinking mortals could change or influence just a mere bit of it! Such a vain, outrageous defying of God's power is unheard. So God sent a virus to the mortals, a virus so cuuningly designed, that it spreads best in cold conditions, and is strongly restrained, once weather becomes warmer! Take that, Scandinavian idol!

The same vain fear of contamination that drove millions into following the idolatry of a false climate prophet, drives people to wear masks, and to request that others do the same! Wearing a mask would be the Deadly Sin of Vanity and would be defying the will of God Allmighty, in which we all should entrust humbly our fate.

Fortunately, I am an atheist. Hence the comforting fatalism as a philosophy. Après moi le déluge.
 
The Lancet: Wearing face masks in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic: altruism and solidarity


 
I only wear them where mandatory. It feels ridiculous; it feels choking, and, honestly, I do not believe it will ultimately protect me!

My dear friend Loxuru, at the risk of repeating myself (actually, no risk involved--I AM repeating myself!), the mask is not for YOU. It is for others with whom you come in contact, in case you are carrying the nuevo coronovirus (which is entirely possible even if you have no symptoms).

I say this not to cast aspersions on your motives, but only because a goodly number of well-intentioned folks such as you may not have all the facts about the need for masks.

If you doubt me, here is an article from Forbes magazine, a conservative publication not given to wild or liberal postures.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/willia...-is-the-sanest-thing-you-can-do/#57dda433fa95

And here is one from the prestigious Mayo Clinic.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449
 
Without wishing to start an argument my question is this. Can anybody give me a logical reason why some people are vehemently against wearing a face mask?

I can't think of a single reason why anyone would be vehemently against such a common sense thing.
 
I have claustrophobia, Your Honour!

Serious now!

I only wear them where mandatory. It feels ridiculous; it feels choking, and, honestly, I do not believe it will ultimately protect me! If these nasty little creatures will want to get me, they'll get me anyway. Some healthy fatalism is the most comforting way to come through these abnormal times. Après moi, le déluge!

There is something theological in it. It is all about the so called 'Deadly Sins', and how some act is perceived like that. What signs people wearing a mask show is : 1) distrust to others 2) aggression, they look angry, because they see those without a mask as a dangerous threat, 3) defensive ; they hide their face, 4) ulitmately they make clear, they only care about themselves. That's how others can perceive it, and fundamentally, it is perceived as an expression of the Deadly Sin of Vanity!

Now I think, this pandemia is not a coincidence! God is punishing us for that other foul act of Vanity : the world wide climate protests of the previous year. Can you imagine, mortals turned to an idol, veneered a young Scandivavian female, who preached worldwide action to stop climate changed! And she got millions of followers! Vanity! Only God Allmighty has power over climate! If He wants ice age, then comes ice age. If He wants warming, then, there shall be warming! A Vanity, thinking mortals could change or influence just a mere bit of it! Such a vain, outrageous defying of God's power is unheard. So God sent a virus to the mortals, a virus so cuuningly designed, that it spreads best in cold conditions, and is strongly restrained, once weather becomes warmer! Take that, Scandinavian idol!

The same vain fear of contamination that drove millions into following the idolatry of a false climate prophet, drives people to wear masks, and to request that others do the same! Wearing a mask would be the Deadly Sin of Vanity and would be defying the will of God Allmighty, in which we all should entrust humbly our fate.

Fortunately, I am an atheist. Hence the comforting fatalism as a philosophy. Après moi le déluge.
me was saw in shop one old boy almost spanky other old boy becuse not wear mask oho meow :oops: :cat: :conejo: :mouse:
 
Just a little reading suggestion: Lewis Thomas, biologist, essayist, and generally wise person, said this:
"We live in a dancing matrix of viruses; they dart, rather like bees, from organism to organism, from plant to insect to mammal to me and back again, and into the sea, tugging along pieces of this genome, strings of genes from that, transplanting grafts of DNA, passing around heredity as though at a great party."
from A Long Line of Cells: Collected Essays
 
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