Dying on that maskless hill...

[NNguyenMD]

Does anyone have any thoughts ask to why some people have decided, of all the things to take a stand for until your last dying breath, to pick fights and react so viscerally when confronted about mask wearing?

There are things people are willing to die on their hill for that I can understand, like God, country, the abolishment of slavery and facism. But I really do not understand the dismal state of affairs when it comes to reminding people to wear a mask.

I work in a hospital, and it is not uncommon to remind doctors, nurses, visitors and healthcare providers to wash their hands in and out of the room. The worst reaction maybe an eye roll or a snide comment here and there, but nothing like the kind of meltdowns and violent responses you see on the news. A security guard got shot in the head in Michigan for God sakes. And working in retail is just a complete nightmare for those poor employees or are trying to protect their employees and customers.

Has political tribalism truly driven people to absolute madness? Has the MAGA segment of our country reach the level of fanaticism for Trump on par with what's observed from members of ISIS the Taliban or Al Queda?

Or have the Russians played us for the uninformed and gullible paranoid fools we are with their social media fiddle otherwise known as Facebook?

[Thomas Hurt]

1. They don't think it is real. It is an overblown hoax just like Dear Leader says...

If there is a minimal threat, then they should be able to go about their lives. COVID restrictions, to the magical thinkers are a bigger threat than "just the flu".

Not to mention if they go do their thing and never get sick they have justified their beliefs and owned the libs.

[underpants]

2. They can be told anything.

“Cult” is used a lot but this predates Trump. In fact he took advantage of the situation with his a Fox n Friends calls before he ran.

Anything that’s counter to the omnipresent liberal overlords is fine with them.

[FakeNoose]

3. Why did people in Jonestown drink the Kool-Ade?

It's mass insanity, with true devotion to a flawed leader.

[Yeehah]

8. It's really just stupidity, not insanity

Humans just ain't that bright.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. It's because it's a hoax. All countries conspired to infect the US while shutting down their own

They all colluded and sacrificed their own economies and lives just to infect the US because "orange man bad", as the RW sites put it.

They made the PLANdemic just to steal the election from tRump. Obama planned it. Soros funded it. Gates enabled it.

The endgame is Demonrats (their wording) get elected, the US is made socialist (communist), sharia law is instated, everyone has to get vaccinated (chipped & genetically modified). The Republican elite "GOPe" are in on it too for some unstated reasons. God-fearing Christians will get shipped to re-education camps. It will be the last election ever.

[mnhtnbb]

5. I think the mask/no mask issue represents the issue of community vs individuality

that is at the heart of Democratic vs Republican ideology.

It is about taking a stand for individual rights (no mask) vs concern for community (mask).

[bullwinkle428]

6. There was an incredible interview on CNN this morning. An older gentleman

from Texas was discussing recovery from his SECOND bout with C-19, and said that the symptoms were much worse the second time around. His wife also became sick, and struggled with symptoms as well.

Here's the incredible part - his adult son STILL BELIEVES the entire thing is a hoax, and some kind of effort to bring down Trump. Never mind that it nearly killed both of his parents. As I listened to this, my first thought was, "Dude, you need to re-write your will!"

[Yeehah]

7. Because Fox "News"and Limbaugh tell them to be angry

There are tens of millions of stupid, gullible people in this country.

[LisaL]

9. They have all kind of conspiracy theory going about masks.

One conspiracy theory is that masks accumulate carbon dioxide inside the mask, which they are then breathing in. But cloth masks they are asked to wear do not seal their face and carbon dioxide therefore doesn't accumulate.

[PatSeg]

10. You know

I can even understand some people willing to die for their cause of hatred and racism. I think it is horrible and stupid, but if they believe it to their core, I wouldn't be surprised if they were willing to die for it. But to go to such extremes over wearing a mask, is beyond comprehension. Of all the causes they could take up, real or imagined, why the wearing of masks? And even if they are not required to wear one, why attack people who do?

Actually, it sounds like a bunch of weak minded people looking for something to rebel against. Perhaps if it wasn't masks, it would be something else. Apparently, they just need to be angry and outraged and any old issue will do.

[RockRaven]

11. Trumpism is a self-immolation suicide pact for all involved.

If it weren't coronavirus and masks, it would be something else.

[redstatebluegirl]

12. The ones I saw last night in our virtual city council meeting were mainly white men in their 40's

and 50's. A few crazy white women in the group with their husbands. They were just really angry people, many quoted things from limpballs and hannity, some had Qnon patches on their clothes. It is clearly a very radical right wing group who are made even more angry by right wing media and online chat rooms that validate their crazy ideas.

Then there is Trump, who just keeps saying that he is "strong" and that "weak" is bad which makes a testosterone filled man all the more angry by validating his anger.

Just the beginning of explaining the psychosis of this group.

[lagomorph777]

13. I believe that Falsebook and Twit have radicalized the MAGATS, fueled by Putin's money and bot army

[RGTIndy]

14. It's easy to convince people that they are being played

It is a nagging fear that a lot of people are predisposed to have. Everything is rigged, the outcomes are predetermined, the illuminati or the masons run the show. The union is stealing from you, not bargaining for you; people on "welfare" are getting rich and laughing at you while you have to work; etc. etc. etc. It's a pretty easy sell.
Masks are visible. You're either in or out and there is no faking it. So when Trump and others downplay masks or says the ONLY reason someone wears one is to be "politically correct" or to disrespect Trump, those people see wearing a mask as simply wearing a big sign that says "I'm a sucker".

It's insane, yes, but predictable.

[LeftInTX]

15. This is not uncommon:

I work in a hospital, and it is not uncommon to remind doctors, nurses, visitors and healthcare providers to wash their hands in and out of the room. The worst reaction maybe an eye roll or a snide comment here and there, but nothing like the kind of meltdowns and violent responses you see on the news. A security guard got shot in the head in Michigan for God sakes. And working in retail is just a complete nightmare for those poor employees or are trying to protect their employees and customers.

The handwashing stuff is not political, nor does it come from the Russians. It's always been this way. Depending on the unit, doctors, nurses etc get super busy. In ER's there is sometimes blood splatter and then the staff moves to another patient, it gets real crazy with life or death. Sometimes there is blood on scrubs/uniforms as they go from one patient to another. (No time to change either, no PPE gowns..this was in the 80s) In the nursery, we had to change clothes if we got any bodily fluid on them, but this was the nursery, not the ER.

It's good that you remind them. Don't worry about the eyerolls.

One problem I got from all the handwashing was open sores on my hands. It was a bit of a dilemma. Back then, we didn't have enough gloves for every patient, every time, but once I got an open sore, I was stuck with bandaids on my fingers, which aren't very sanitary. (This was in the 90s)

I don't know what type of handcleaners they use now, but we washed with Hibiclens between each patient.


https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0230573