pgh234

Yawn. Lol. So why am I wrong?

pinniped

We're all already paying for each other's healthcare, plus we're paying for the additional 60% of bloat placed on top by the insurance industry itself.

m907

I'm just following the science, because every randomized controlled trial has shown that they do nothing to stop the spread of the virus. Pre-2019 studies showed the same thing with other respiratory viruses.

There are also concerns about the effect of inhaling microplastics from masks, especially since many service workers have been wearing them 8+ hours a day for two years.

nsx

I feel as if I’m ahead of the curve on masks. In my travel today I wore a mask everywhere EXCEPT on the plane at altitude, which I regard as quite safe. Now I learn that Los Angeles County today mandated this policy for everyone. In airports, on buses, on trains. Other localities are likely to require masks on buses and trains for a while. I’m not a big fan of mandates but if they are imposed locally by a vote of elected officials I completely support them. That’s the right way to make policy because it promotes compromise and consensus. Just my opinion.

m907

Nobody has a problem with people choosing to wear masks. If the placebo effect helps you feel better, go for it. The problem has always been heavy-handed mandates and the near-impossible to obtain exemptions for people with medical conditions.

beachmouse

Actually lots people do have problems with people wearing masks. It was all the big joke here among the covidiot set back in 2020 to walk up and cough in the faces of people who were wearing masks in the grocery store.

m907

One or two videos online capture the sentiments of 150 million Americans? I don't think so.

beachmouse

Try dozens of reports of that in my local NextDoor feed for my small metro area of Florida back then.

But then I live in an awful place in many ways. (Alas it makes financial sense to grind it out here a few more years)

pinniped

I'm with you on this. I was (and still am) uneasy with governors making excessive executive mandates. But our city council has had lots of discussions on local covid rules for the past two years, with open public hearings and debate, and then on-the-record votes. Our city has been a little more covid-cautious than some other surrounding cities, but that's okay - it's how government is supposed to work, and represents our local population fairly well.

I don't personally have any issue with a city keeping its public transit mask mandate in place. That's one thing a vulnerable population often can't avoid using. They may be able to avoid crowded indoor spaces elsewhere, but they gotta get into a crowded train or bus to get where they need to go. I have no problem requiring everyone to mask up for them, even though I'm happy to not wear a mask now in most other places.

kennycrudup

Again, no matter how much the PG crowd here likes to f-tishize Covid being this total, deathly killer, the reality is it is not*, sorry, and therefore, most of us- the 95+ -odd percent of us who are healthy (i.e., those of us smart enough to keep two things out of our mouths- cancer sticks and forks) have stopped worrying about it; it's like "oh damn, I have a cold". Again, if you're vulnerable, stay home and leave the overwhelming rest of us the F alone- for two years the world has gone to isht keeping you vulnerables from being culled off alive, but it's long past time for the world to get back to taking care of the rest of us.




* - read that in a "Dr. Cox" voice

screeton

I would enjoy watching the reaction if someone tried that with most of the mask wearing people I know. They probably would quickly decide that it was not optimum behavior on their part.

kennycrudup

<snort>

Yeah, OK. Most Mask Nazis are the kind of people who'd have a heart attack if you "Boo!"'d'em from behind. 🙄

storewanderer

Sick of mask talk. I must be an idiot as I wore inside the plane last week (but was happy to not wear one inside the airport). But I don't care what anyone else does. And if I was in a plane that wasn't very full I'd take the mask off in the plane too. It is nice to have a choice what to do. I wish folks who were sick would wear masks but that is not going to happen in the US ever.

Bottom line is mask mandates are gone, hopefully forever, and hopefully such mandates will be deemed illegal. These accomplished nothing but to pit people against each other and cause tension and discomfort. But if you want to wear a mask... go ahead and wear one. Your choice. My choice. And I will make that choice in situations where I feel it is a good idea. But I expect soon trying to walk into a bank, jewelry store, or convenience store with a mask on will be disallowed for safety reasons as many are using masks to hide their identity and steal/rob businesses.

Back to more trivial topics. How about when you get a C boarding position even when you check in exactly 24 hours before scheduled flight time?

dansachs

Just give a pre-boarder $20 to hold a seat for you.

Cledaybuck

Bump of a 14 year old thread. Impressive.