2020 election, Science

The Daily Poke, Oct 7, 2020: The Covid Mask and Laziness

(OK, I missed a day.)

By now everyone knows where the Covid-19 vulnerabilities lay; the aged and infirm, especially when both apply to the same person. Something like 80%+ of America’s deaths belong to that one group…that number even soaring closer to 95% if a person belonging to that demographic was unfortunate enough to be in a New York nursing facility.

In fact, it’s rumored that New York and other blue state governors have intentionally dragged this Covid affair out, not so much to deny Trump an electoral victory (after all, those states are pretty safe Democratic states) as to lessen their public’s memory of the underlying indifference and mendacity of those deaths by time, knowing that the average attention span of most New Yorkers rarely extends past three months. And we are now in Month 7.

I think the geriatric scare is over, and when I am out and about I notice every older person wearing a mask with dignity, good sense, and respect for others, not fear…even in public places where they are not legally required.

In the places I frequent, the grocery store (in a black neighborhood), the gas station and lunch-ateria in the same neighborhood, the YMCA, Target Store (where I pick-up our meds) and various restaurants where we still have unused gift cards dating from 2012, all have signage at the door saying “Masks Required”. Then noting no state gestapo are lurking about, the enforcement of those mask rules are virtually non-existent.

At the “Y”, I have to wear a mask at sign-in, and then that 75-foot walk back to the locker room, but once in the weight rooms and cycle/treadmill areas, masks are not required. Considering the normal distancing of a gym, except for intermittent chats, I never liked the mask rule even to clock in, and show my rebellion by merely holding the mask to my face rather than strapping it on my ears. Raised eyebrows by some staff, (they have their “officious-Karens, known to all. You know the type.) But at my other frequent stops I don’t even bother, although I carry a mask in my pocket, should some staff newbie ask me.

But I do notice how many wear masks when they don’t seem to need to. Especially good looking, clearly healthy young people. I honestly think some of those people like that “mask look”. It looks good on them. A few have even gotten around to have matching masks for their dress or shirts. Solid black is very popular, coordinates well with everything. Many also seem to be the type to not even have the least bit of concern for being in the breathing space of others, that indifferent look, although I do believe if I were to put my hand on many of them, I’d draw back a stub.

There maybe something else at play here. People really do look silly wearing a mask alone in a vehicle. But consider how many times a day a worker, say an Amazon delivery driver, could, if he/ she wanted, to take off and put on that mask. And they never come within 30 feet of another human. It really is an inconvenience, off-and-on, off-and-on twenty, thirty, forty times a day. And some people really hate look where, as some people do, hang that mask off the ear.

Truth be told laziness also has a role to play here, and there is a fine invisible line between convenience and laziness.

Consider Junior Samples. You may not remember Junior from “Hee Haw” (in the 70s), but I can’t imagine him putting that mask on more than once, after breakfast at 8, then taking it off 3-4 times; brunch at 11, lunch at 2, 1st dinner at 5, and maybe Late dinner at 8, before he goes straight to bed.

Junior was never inclined to do anything that required too much repetitive movements with his hands, or heavy thinking.

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