My preciousssssssssss.......

[Nanohedron]

We get a little bit of stink-eye from some people when we are wearing masks, but so far no active hostility. I'm pretty sure if we spent enough time farther out we'd get some of what you got.

Well, this was at a gas station in the middle of the city, so location doesn't necessarily make for likelihood; then again, gas stations - especially those with convenience stores - do seem to attract more than a fair share of dubious characters for some reason, and particularly late at night. But I'll agree that in general, here there's usually a live-and-let-live climate about the mask thing. On this particular occasion I was the only one around wearing one, which probably emboldened the guy to focus on me. He was a conspiracy theorist, gloating on and on about how I'd drunk the propaganda kool-aid. Next time I get that line of argument from someone I'll laugh and say, "Funny; as it happens, I'm thinking the same thing about you. So which of us is right?" Or I could really mess with his head - maybe I'll start barking, or stand silently, ominously pointing at him; when I'm inspired, I can do crazy with the best of 'em. It's actually all for my entertainment, even on the rare occasion when I'm angered, because choice words and actions are like gold to me, and when the time is right I can gladly spend them like a sailor, whatever mood I'm in. It's how I take the gloves off, because I don't take kindly to malignant sorts. And in case you're wondering, it's true: I really don't give a $#!+. Haven't for a long, long, time.

But I do draw the line at going right up and coughing on them, or the like. Tempting as hell, though; it would be most gratifying to watch their phony bravado fly out the window as they go pale, and then pointedly quip, "You were saying...?"

Sorry you had to deal with that

Meh. As I said, it was only a matter of time. FWIW, he's the one who went scurrying away, not I. They usually do.

[Nanohedron]

Saw him again last night. He kept well away, but he also kept looking furtively at me from the corner of his eye, and that tells me I must've given him something to think about.

Mission accomplished.

[busterbill]

Saw him again last night. He kept well away, but he also kept looking furtively at me from the corner of his eye, and that tells me I must've given him something to think about.

Mission accomplished.

Gas stations have never been my favorite place to make political points with strangers. HaHa.

[Nanohedron]

Saw him again last night. He kept well away, but he also kept looking furtively at me from the corner of his eye, and that tells me I must've given him something to think about.

Mission accomplished.

Gas stations have never been my favorite place to make political points with strangers. HaHa.

No kidding. I tried to keep it reasonable, but he just kept talking over me, making polite discourse impossible. So unfortunately, plan B had to be to tear him a new one, and without quarter. He seemed a bit surprised, too; maybe he expected confrontation avoidance - it's quite Minnesotan - but I'll be damned if I'm going to simply wave and slip away meekly when someone gets in my business like that, and so rudely on top of it. I have my self-respect to consider. He sure found out that I don't fit the yah-sure-you-betcha mold, at least in that way.

Maybe the wolverine or honey badger are my spirit guides. Call me Nanobadger.

[an seanduine]

Call me Nanobadger.

I like it!

You could have suggested he go home and chug some bleach!

Bob

[Mr.Gumby]

Interesting observation around the facemask issue here, article in the Guardian. Probably over the line in its take (feel free to remove this post). It's an issue that is not at play here, at all, in fact guidance is expected soon to wear them in shops, public transport etc. So it comes as a (slight) surprise this has become a partisan issue, over there.

[Nanohedron]

So it comes as a (slight) surprise this has become a partisan issue, over there.

It's hard to say how much of a partisan issue it is overall, because economic concerns for business in the private sector are very real, and I must in spirit sympathize with their desires to try to keep things running somehow, even with risk; with the shutdown, many small businesses may already be ended forever, and with them local traditions. I want to see businesses and schools running as soon as possible. Employers and employees are on very hard times, and this is true regardless of your politics. So likewise I don't take wearing or not wearing masks as an indicator of one's leanings; I think it's misguided, because when it comes to strangers, in the final analysis you never know who you're talking to. Some don't wear masks simply because they can't get one, or maybe they have a genuine claustrophobic response. Most of my family are conservatives, and they're all wearing masks. I'll sometimes remove mine when I'm conversing at a distance, so long as it's clear that the other is comfortable with it. They usually are. But it's no surprise at all that some will latch onto masks as just another symbol to be rabid about in a political way. Such are the times, n'est-ce pas?

But there are those for whom I'd say the pushback is entirely frivolous - your aforementioned lot lizard, for example - and partisanship is more likely among that sector. And too, there's the issue of how it gets done: When the Florida beaches opened up, I was aghast at how many flooded them and abandoned social distancing, for that led to another spike in the virus. Should anyone be surprised? More to the point, I wonder how many affected beachgoers have taken responsibility for their condition.

It comes down to our having to make choices about whether to be self-serving, or civic-minded. Neither is a free ride. A cashier and I had a brief discussion about my mask; she was less convinced about the whole thing. I told her, "I don't do this for me. I do it for you."

[PB+J]

It gets very political here. Where we live most everybody wears a mask. But on neighborhood discussion boards (I'm a moderator for one), people wearing masks are accused of being frightened dupes of "the media."

The economic harm is serious and will get worse, and the US has no coherent plan, no apparent regime of testing, and no source of reliable information. Partisan politics fills the void where effective administration would be.

It's a big country, and there are lots of rural places where the virus has been virtually invisible. Understandably, people in those areas are less convinced of danger

[Nanohedron]

... people wearing masks are accused of being frightened dupes of "the media."

Same thing as what happened with me. And it is politically motivated. There's no way of getting around that.

It's important to never forget that they're distorting the issue. I have no illusions that a mask will be of much help in keeping me virus-free, but there's a lot of merit to the contention that its best use is in curbing airborne spread to others. THAT is why I wear it, and for no other reason; it's been proven that you can have the virus and not even know it, and I have no wish to play fast and loose with others' health and safety just because I feel fine. I'll repeat what I've said before: I don't do it for myself - I do it for others. And if nothing else, it's a courtesy. And I happen to believe that at least where I live, that attitude is the most widespread one among mask-wearers, because I've seen it play out that way; it's common to see drivers with their masks around their necks, who then put them on their faces when they're getting out to do whatever they're going to do. I do it that way myself. Need I repeat it? It's a courtesy. So if the naysayers don't appreciate such considerate measures meant for their benefit, why, then they are brutish, aren't they. And what makes an otherwise-civilized person brutish? Fear. That they can only conceive of mask-wearing from a fear standpoint should be confirmation enough of that. So if the shoe fits...

So wear your mask, or don't. Either way, just don't kid yourself about it.

[fatmac]

What we are being asked of by our governments is to help in preventing the spread of the virus, as said above, you could be carrying it without knowing, so keeping your distance, & wearing a mask, are our two ways of helping to that end. Stay safe.

[Mr.Gumby]

And if nothing else, it's a courtesy. And I happen to believe that at least where I live, that attitude is the most widespread one among mask-wearers, because I've seen it play out that way; it's common to see drivers with their masks around their necks, who then put them on their faces when they're getting out to do whatever they're going to do.

It works both ways, doesn't it? It's a courtesy and a measure of self protection, which in turn is a measure to prevent the virus from spreading. I don't wear a mask outdoors (I don't get to crowded places) or in the car but that is because there's no chance of transmission there. In shops, I do wear it.

I don't believe we have an allotted time, we'll go at some point but our behaviour has some influence on when that's going to be. A bit of caution can keep us safe.

My wife went to work today, conference calls and our internet connection was playing up (and it's slow at the best of times). There were a few people in, all with stories that could well indicate the virus was working away already around christmas time. Without retrospective testing we'll never know who had it but didn't get to the late stages of the disease. I had a bad turn myself around mid March, had a particularly intense and untypical spell on the Friday night, was miserable on Saturday, all achy and flue like. Spent the day lying on the sofa with one of the cats sleeping on top of me. Called the out of hours GP service in the morning, spoke to a triage nurse and was promised a visit from a swabbing team but never heard back as criteria for testing changed and I never had the cough or fever that would have made me eligible for testing. On sunday I was feeling better (and quietly relieved) and a few days later I was back to my usual self. Then the cat had a sick day and one of my toes developed angry looking purple streaks that we dismissed as chilblains, even if that was totally untypical. That went again after less than a week. It left me wondering if had had the virus or not. I self isolated for a week or two and moved on, not too bothered. Until last week I started reading about 'covid toe' and now I am back to thinking, well, all things taken together, yes, probably.

[Nanohedron]

Without retrospective testing we'll never know who had it but didn't get to the late stages of the disease. I had a bad turn myself around mid March, had a particularly intense and untypical spell on the Friday night, was miserable on Saturday, all achy and flue like. Spent the day lying on the sofa with one of the cats sleeping on top of me. Called the out of hours GP service in the morning, spoke to a triage nurse and was promised a visit from a swabbing team but never heard back as criteria for testing changed and I never had the cough or fever that would have made me eligible for testing. On sunday I was feeling better (and quietly relieved) and a few days later I was back to my usual self. Then the cat had a sick day and one of my toes developed angry looking purple streaks that we dismissed as chilblains, even if that was totally untypical. That went again after less than a week. It left me wondering if had had the virus or not. I self isolated for a week or two and moved on, not too bothered. Until last week I started reading about 'covid toe' and now I am back to thinking, well, all things taken together, yes, probably.

It does sound like it, doesn't it.

I had a spell a couple of weeks before the virus was officially confirmed in Minnesota, and while it was semi-tough on me, it didn't match up with the usual symptom descriptions, and I hadn't been in direct contact with anyone from out of state. So with all that against it, I'm not so sure I was infected by COVID-19. Still, once we have antibody testing readily available, I'll be doing that just to make sure.

I don't believe we have an allotted time ...

Well, that was just a poetic metaphor to be taken in an after-the-fact sense, not as a statement of belief that some outside force decrees our fate beforehand (I deleted the section this refers to because it was too far over the top even for me ): It was meant to convey the idea that you go when you go, and when you do, then that's your portion. Like that.

[chas]

So it comes as a (slight) surprise this has become a partisan issue, over there.

Twenty years ago it would have been a bit of a surprise, but I for one expected it to be a bit worse than it is now. The polarization is really that bad. Einstein once said, "The universe isn't stranger than we imagine, it's stranger than we're capable of imagining." You could apply that to the US right now, from the point of view of someone in a civilised country.

I have a friend who, along the lines of your experience, had something in February, before the virus was officially here, who didn't make the connection. His wife and kid had something too. Although they didn't all three present the same, each had some of the classic symptoms. We're now all convinced that they had CoVid.

[Nanohedron]

So it comes as a (slight) surprise this has become a partisan issue, over there.

Twenty years ago it would have been a bit of a surprise, but I for one expected it to be a bit worse than it is now. The polarization is really that bad.

Yep. And now they're really scraping the the bottom of the barrel to keep it going, too. Have you heard the latest? Wearing masks is unmanly and emasculating. How primitive.

You could apply that to the US right now, from the point of view of someone in a civilised country.

I almost laughed, but sadly there's something to be said for that comment these days.

Here's an example:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/armed ... ocid=prime

[chas]

So it comes as a (slight) surprise this has become a partisan issue, over there.

Twenty years ago it would have been a bit of a surprise, but I for one expected it to be a bit worse than it is now. The polarization is really that bad.

Yep. And now they're really scraping the the bottom of the barrel to keep it going, too. Have you heard the latest? Wearing masks is unmanly and emasculating. How primitive.

I guess I'm wearing my androgyny proudly. My wife has made me two masks (so far, it'll be more when I go back to work on campus): one is kind of a pink plad, the other musical notes.

Seriously, I hadn't heard that one, Nano. When I go out running, I see a LOT of lawn-service workers, some construction workers, roofers, and such, all with masks around their necks. They put them on when they approach their coworkers.

Only tangentially related, my neighbor has been having some work done to the exterior of his house. I went to the orthopedist this morning, and when I pulled into my driveway, the first thing I notices was three cases of beer behind the workers' van. Two guys up ladders working on the slate roof. My first thought was, "Three cases at 10 AM, two guys on ladders, this ain't gonna end well." But then I realized that they'd probably found some beer on sale the night before, and loaded it into the van after they'd loaded in all their gear. They have also been wearing masks talking to each other or my neighbor. The combination of beer drinking and physical labor kind of indicates to me that they're not girlie men.

I do live in an extremely liberal county, and also that I've also never gotten any dirty looks when running without a mask.