I think of mask-wearing like I think of turn signals. Just as with masks, people are really bad at using their turn signals.
When you’re driving and you signal that you’re about to turn you do that for other drivers (and bicyclists, and pedestrians). It doesn’t usually do much for you in any obvious way.
I have a theory that many people honestly don’t understand what a turn signal is for or what benefit it could have so they don’t see any reason to do so.
I think you are spot on. These people are called “selfish assholes”, and I bet there is a large overlap with the anti-mask crowd.
I dunno. I use my turn signal in my own self interest. I’m signalling my intentions so the butt-head tailgating me doesn’t smack into the back of me when I slow down to make my turn - or smack into me while passing on the left while I’m making my left turn.
So maybe if we tell the maskholes that wearing a mask will protect them as well it’ll have more success? Nah, they’ll just declare themselves immune because of vibrations or something.
Nope - these are “I refuse to live in fear” folks. Wearing a mask to keep yourself safe is the mark of a coward. I think the only way to reach them is to couch it in terms of protecting someone they care for. If they were the Christians many of them claim to be, a personal connection wouldn’t matter - but we know that isn’t the case.
I wonder if it would help to describe things in terms of environmental lethality? Unmasked people increase the lethality of the air. It’s similar to the way poison gas can kill. One molecule of the gas is relatively harmless, but millions will kill you. Simple face protection can be used when there is low-levels of poison gas, but a full-face gas mask is needed for high concentrations. So is the same with an infected person and the virus. If everyone is wearing masks, the environmental lethality is low and everyone can be relatively safe with simple masks. When people go maskless, the lethality is higher and people who want to be protected need higher quality masks. Describing the situation like might make it easier to get more mask compliance. It wouldn’t be just about protecting yourself, but also to reduce the “poison” you might be releasing.
Along these lines, a huge part of the problem is that the messaging during the pandemic has been terrible at all levels. There are too many mixed messages, confusing messages, jargony messages, and scientific messages to get widespread mask usage. The general public needs simple, easily understood slogans to rally behind. Pandemic messaging needs to be handled like war propaganda with strong images and short slogans. “Mask up or kill off!”, “Raise up your mask to raise up the economy!”, “We can save Granny!”. Of course, the current anti-scientific political situation is a big part of the problem, but even rational organizations have not created easy-to-digest messaging around these issues.
I posted a new New Yorker article about the King of Maskholes, Ahole Bundy, over in the Bundy pit thread:
Looks like that Maskhole Movement is spreading:
Fuck these fucking mouthbreathing asshole dipshits!
I saw some science saying what worked for conservatives was painting COVID-19 as a a threat with agency. When you phrase it as the virus being an evil that’s out to get you and your loved ones, it works better than saying stuff like anyone can catch the virus, even your loved ones.
It fits with how right wing media will claim other things are scary: “the caravan,” for example, was pushed as being criminals who would attack you, and that worked in nob-border states like Iowa, where they’d never even see the refugees.
Describing the threat as some sort of monster that is out to get them didn’t change how liberals responded: the impersonal still worked. But, for conservatives, describing it like a force of nature actually made them rank it as much less of a threat.l
After weeks without a mask complaint at work, yesterday broke the streak. Someone came in without a mask. She was told being masked wasn’t optional. She countered with “sorry, I forgot it”. My receptionist offered her one. She countered with “medical condition” and was told to go elsewhere.
Once she was masked I came out to talk with her, but she had some sort of emotional break, just blubbering about masks. I explained I couldn’t understand her unless she stopped crying. Eventually I gave up and suggested she find a more compassionate person to interact with.
These maskholes are facing life in prison:
Given that Anaheim has a population of ~350K, one would hope an AK-47 rampage is the worst mask incident in that one suburban town over the ~9 months we’ve been doing this mask stuff.
People be crazy and shit. But not so crazy that repeat machine gun rampages are common events in towns across the land. At least not yet; the pandemic is still young.
Atta boys, Houston Rockets - second day of NBA season, and a bunch of you selfish fuck-nugs go to clubs and barbers when you weren’t supposed to, and then test positive. SEVEN* of you. An NBA team requires a minimum eight players for a game.
Anyway, thanks to your selfishness, tonight’s game against OKC is postponed.
Like I say - day fucking two of the season.
*well, technically, 3 positive, four held back for further observation - still seven players less in the line-up.
Maybe they’re not being paid enough. Should probably be paying them more…
There’s also just plain stupid and ignorant – case in point:
Today in the grocery store there was a guy holding his hand over his mouth. A worker told him there were masks available at the entrance to the store, literally only 20 steps away. His reply was “I’m only getting a few things, won’t be here long.” Fuuuuck you, asshole. First time I’ve seen that.
No I didn’t get any produce today. That’s where he was.
The only good reply would be “That’s right, you won’t be long, because you’re not getting in. Beat it.”
Now, having a bit of esprit d’escalier, I should have said, “That’s right, you won’t be here long, you’ll be dead.”
The maskholes I complained of upthread are having a Merry Superspreader-mas. Several strange cars out front, many guests, no masks, much yelling and loud guffawing. We’re still keeping our windows tightly shut towards that side of the house.
Well, there’ll probably be several less of these asswipes to need a vaccine in a few months - more jabs for the rest of us.
Yep, the maskless numbers at work are escalating. Yesterday the lady working the door commented she had 7 people refuse to wear masks. She hasn’t seen that many in one day since she’s been covering the door, since the start of the mask restrictions.
She was asking me why. I speculated that a combination of the vaccine rolling out and pandemic-exhaustion is increasing the frustration with compliance. I also did a quick scan of my line of sight at the number of noses in view. 
DAMN DAMN DAMN I wish I could do that.
I had one customer approach me the other day to ask if we were not enforcing the mask rule, and point to another customer feet away not wearing a mask. When I sighed a bit and paused to frame my response, she cut in with, “Nevermind, I understand,” in a tone that said “No I don’t understand, how can there be an effective rule without enforcement?” and “The Governor has given a mask order, why can’t you enforce it?” and “That sigh was all the answer I needed.” I can’t blame her.
Here, I’d say mask usage has dropped to 5%, 10% tops. Fucking Wyoming.
I’m actually seeing more masks here in Arizona. Of course, that isn’t saying much. It used to be 1 in 10-15 people would be wearing a mask, now its closer to 2 in 10.
Once again, Arizona is number 1 in record number of cases and reached 10,000 deaths yesterday. Go us.