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.
Yes, we all are Anti-fa now!
The day is coming where Trump will step to the microphones and declare the mask era to be over. Then the general insurrection will be on.
Most of us only went along with any of this in the first place because he asked us to.
Democrats will. Thieves wear masks.
No.
If that’s what turns your crank or quells your irrational fears then sure, go right ahead, wear that mask forever. As for normal people with adult reasoning skills, nope.
The Minneapolis looters weren’t social distancing or wearing masks.
No. I don’t wear one now.
I do not know, but I am now on my fifth month of daily mask wearing.
Every single day. Currently wearing one to teach.
No problem, as far as I am concerned.
“The Mask” mandates take full affect in Virginia tomorrow. Watch as some of us refuse to play the game. I have stopped shopping at Costco, where I spent a large amount of money in the past. We shall see who is next.
Well, ya know … a good mask would provide eye protection too. Maybe we need full masks that completely disguise us. Then, of course, 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.
I sure hope not. Those who are masked are already starting to gang up and bully the unmasked. That is worryingly quite similar to the Muslims. We don’t want to start treating the mask as a health-fetish.
LOL..the anti-mask propaganda just get nuttier and nuttier.
No, just until the election apparently.
Right now you only need wear one in a private enterprise that requires one and on government property that require use.
“Most of us only went along with any of this in the first place because he asked us to.”
Exactly! He ASKED us to — and we AGREED. No command. Now we’re hearing commands.
An hour ago I had my first haircut since January. The sign on the door said masks are required, but I went in without one. My stylist had hers hanging from her ear and I thanked her for not wearing a mask. She thanked ME for not asking her to. The people in the shop have had enough of this crap.
Unintended consequence — in a good way: She, some others there, and friends of theirs, have decided to home school their kids from now on. (They’ve hears rumors of schools probably requiring them on kids when schools open again.) She’s the shop owner, and they’re all working together to make hours work for all of them to keep their jobs plus home school.
The ONLY upside of this whole thing..
the IRONY..
1. You HAVE TO WEAR A MASK.
2. WE NEED TO TRACK/ TRACE EVERYONE (for your safety).
3. If you wear a mask, our facial recognition stuff does not work. And, You would need to Remove your mask for them to verify your identity.
So, when they ask you to “sign in” to provide contact tracing.. John or Jane Doe should suffice. As removing the mask would put all in danger so...??
To be certain, you are doing the proper thing. That is your thought and your right as an American. I too have rights, and will not be playing the game.
You will note that VA’s governor does not even follow his own “mandated rules”. You see, those that rule are not like the citizens.
Nope, no mask.
Even if there is no legal requirement to wear masks, many will continue to wear their slave badges proudly (virtue signalling is a powerful urge). Many businesses will require them for a long time either because their CEO’s are virtue signalling Nazis or paralyzing fear of rabid trial lawyers.
No. I never did wear one. I refuse to go into a store looking like I’m going to rob the place. By the way, most people who wear PPE have no idea how to wear it. In most cases, it does NOTHING.
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