by William Skink
Last week I had a negative, mask-related retail experience that highlights the stupidity of the mask mandate.
Did I try to enter a business without a mask, you ask?
No, I didn’t.
Did I remove my mask once getting past frontline gatekeepers?
No, I didn’t.
My big transgression was trying to enter the Good Food Store with this thing velcro’d to my face:
The woman stationed at the entrance with bandannas informed me I couldn’t enter the store with my mask on because it has those vent things (which were closed).
So, to be in compliance with the Good Food Store’s interpretation of what constitutes an acceptable mask, I took my mask off, removing the fabric barrier that provides psychological protection to those with diminished brain functioning, thus freely spraying spittle as I said “sure, whatever.”
The woman, who got no argument from me because she’s just doing her job, handed me a bandana, which I promptly tied around my face. Why is a flimsy bandana considered more protective than the mask I was wearing? Is there any science backing up this madness?
The customer service guy, who had moved into a support position in case I made a big problem, said “you understand the philosophy behind this, right?”
I looked at him and said “I understand many things” which was a nice way of saying I am doing what you asked so please just shut the fuck up now.
For anyone who hasn’t uncritically accepted the mask orthodoxy, Ryan Christian interviewed Ben Swann recently and it’s definitely worth checking out.
As a thought experiment, what if this ridiculous request to abandon my mask for their face bandana had been the straw that pushed me over the edge and I started acting aggressively, refusing to leave? Would this woke, liberally-loved, overpriced organic food store have called…THE POLICE?
If our enlightened braintrust have their way, 911 dispatch might one day have the tools to assess this kind of call as a person (me, losing my shit over mask idiocy) suffering a mental health crisis, and instead of police responding, social workers would appear to deescalate me and offer crisis stabilization services.
By this point, let’s assume the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has successfully conflated not wearing masks with being a psychopath. If you think I’m being hyperbolic, then you aren’t familiar with this research:
Two recent studies looked at the relationship between personality traits and reactions to restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19. Researchers found that people possessing so-called “Dark Triad” traits—narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism—were less likely to comply with restrictions or engage in preventative measures against the pandemic. However, researchers also emphasized the small role personality traits have in the overall response to pandemic restrictions, like face-mask mandates and social-distancing requirements.
So, in this fictional scenario where I don’t comply, the social workers show up first, assess I’m a danger to myself and others, and if I don’t calm down, the police are called in to whisk me away for a 72 involuntary hold at St. Pats where I’m diagnosed with Anti-Mask Syndrome and forcibly medicated.
If you think this scenario sounds implausible in America, you clearly are not paying attention. This is where we are headed, aided and abetted by the kinds of good intentions paving paths to a totalitarian hell.