It escapes Orrex

That infringes on my right to decide whether or not to stop. Felon47 will fix that,

The dumbing down of America.

I had to quit my hair stylist of over a decade because she was getting close to Going Qanon...I didn't get it at all.

bragged to me that she would never get a covid shot. When masks were mandatory, she wanted to remove hers and tried to persuade me to remove mine.

Last edited Wed Jan 8, 2025, 09:53 AM - Edit history (1)

mine was not quite as aggressive, and the salon mandated mask wearing. That said, she'd become quite defensive and unpleasant about it, so I felt I had to leave..I feel.bad about it to this day.

while at the supermarket recently. I responded with "Mind your own business!".
Of course, the big brave man was out of sight by then. The pharmacist had seen it and told me I should have coughed at him...
I now use the term "maskholes" for people who do this.

I may think it looks funny to see someone driving in a car alone down the highway with a mask, but I dont CARE; its got zero to do with me

Because we live in a country where people like to mind other people's business - and offer their "sage" advice on whether it's appropriate or not.

Free choice? Democracy? Hah!

And they kept their mask on because they know how aerosols work.

I also wondered why drive around in your own car with a mask.

I'd probably roll the windows down, air everything out, then take it off.

Aerosols linger. But a little bit of time and some ventilation will help dissipate them. We also spray Lysol. It says on the bottle it kills Covid virus.

with hearing aids, earrings, and glasses, and you'll understand why some people might not take them off in the car.

I doubt anyone going down the interstate just dropped someone off. But again, doesnt affect me. I'm not gonna point at 'em & laugh

it takes a bit of time to fit properly.

If I put a mask on to go from one place to another (ie: running errands), I don't take my mask off in-between places. It seems kind of foolish to do that, only to have to re-fit it at my next stop.

Therefore, I often have a mask on when driving. And that includes highway driving when my next exit is only 5 miles away.

ragweed and tree pollen seasons. He has terrible allergies that make him miserable.

because of people with attitudes like yours. Humiliating? Like there is something shameful about doing your part to make sure you don't accidentally kill someone?

My daughter (who lives with me) is on immune suppressants which are necessary to keep her alive - but they also mean she is extremely vulnerable both to catch whatever is going around, and to respond with a more severe case of the illness. Those immune suppressants make her response to vaccination less than optimal - so she can't protect herself solely with vaccinations. I frequently visit my 94 year old parents - who are vulnerable because of their age.
My own first bout with COVID left me with long COVID, which included suppression of my own immune system. And, I expect I've had my last COVID vaccine because of the debilitating month-long, medication-resistant headaches I have gotten following 8 of my 9 vaccinations.

So several people in my family are very vulnerable and, for a variety of reasons, cannot rely on vaccinations to keep us from getting severe cases of COVID.

And - many workplaces and schools have stopped granting leave for COVID, have stopped suggesting testing at the first sign of symptoms and have stopped suggesting that people who are sick stay home or wear masks. So COVID is present in many, if not most, indoor locations.

I'm sorry (not sorry) my mask triggers you. But your attitude about masks (which inherently includes a cavalier attitude about the continuing pandemic) threatens my life, that of my daughter, and of my parents - and makes it necessary that I wear my mask - not because I "enjoy" it, but because I can't count on people acting responsibly and staying home when they are sick, or wearing an effective mask when staying home is absolutely not an option.

Since I wear one all the time, I really don't even notice it's on. So I'm often driving along masked up (or walking down the street masked up) until I try to take a sip of coffee, and then I remember to take it off.

I have masks that the straps go over my head because when I have to wear them at work for hours it hurts my ears to have the other type. But I also have to wear a scarf over my hair because I make food. I clip the scarf and the mask straps to my hair to keep anything from slipping. I have learned over the years that everything has to go on in a particular order so that mask fits tight enough to not fog up my glasses, so it's the bottom layer. I'm often too tired to bother to disassemble the whole she-bang until I get home and can throw all of my work things in the wash. So for the time between work and home, I'm in my car, by myself, wearing a mask. I know I look silly, I'm just too tired to care.

If I see someone masking up I figure that they have a reason or they are being considerate and trying not to spread germs.

I live in Seattle and even before the pandemic it was not uncommon to see Asian people masking on the bus. It didn't ever bother me, but at the time I didn't realize that they were actually being very considerate by doing this. Now I get it!

and some of whom actually struggle each time. Tell that to the people with Long Covid.

When someone said something like that to me once, I said tell that to the people who have Long Covid. She said they got Long Covid from getting too many of those shots. And this is someone I thought I was a marginally intelligent and nice person.

The world has been turned upside down.

and they believe it.

It’s hard but worth the effort. You do you!

Winter and holidays everyone is spreading something. People don't stay home when they are sick!
They go out anyway and flood the malls or wherever.

Good for you! Stay healthy!

So, other than getting sick he never gets sick.

Yeesh.

Only had covid once. Flu several times, but not badly.

THAT is the difference between Dems And repubs in a nutshell!

Reichwingers: "How does this benefit me?"

The Left: "How can we benefit everyone?"

Screw the selfish (Trumper?) idiot who bedevils you with his momentous ignorance and selfishness as you’ll live a longer and healthier life and so will your family member. Your coworker on the other hand will likely be getting the Herman Cain award he so richly deserves.

And always in airports and on planes. I’m usually one of just a few wearing a mask, so denial of respiratory illnesses being spread in such places is strong.

I also learned during the pandemic that walking in very cold temperatures is just more comfortable with a mask on. It doesn’t happen enough here to need serious winter gear, but having a mask available when the temperature does plummet is very handy.

😷

Not bothering to put my teeth in when running to the store or going out to do other errands on my days off. Masks for the win!

My wife didnt. She got covid after we got there & I didnt. Now did she get it from the plane? Never know for sure, but that was the only difference.
Now I haven't been 100% on it to be honest, but I have done it. According to my blood work & the Red Cross, I've had covid and never known it. Aug of last yr was the first time I got it & actually knew it.

Can knock 3 points off your IQ.
So six cases of COVID… perhaps 18 IQ points.
Unless your co-worker is a genius, he’s probably in Forest Gump territory now.

Some people never learn.

I stuggle to learn German.... I'm down 6 points from a low level.

Is this real? Got a link to a study or something?

my kid, her husband, and child have never had covid either.

they are also big fans of masking when they go out in public and are around other people.

the damned Global Pandemic is over. Meaning nasal vaccines are made available that actually block a person from getting the virus. Amazes me that my wife and I have been sheltering in place, working at home, going on 5 years, wearing masks in any indoor place with people, and basically feeling at times like prisoners to a world that is too inconvenienced to give a damn about anything that matters like this.

I don't think of following the science to not get sick, or cause sickness in another person, as "making a personal choice." That's for politics, religion, sports teams. COVID-19 does not give a damn who you are, what you are, where you come from, your virtue or vice. It will infect anyone, any time, anywhere. And those who get it are not getting a glorified cold. They are getting an illness to their bodies that will not ever leave, and the harm it could cause may happen now or years down the road. It's a real and living danger to all human beings.

I wear a mask because there is really no alternative, when among others. It makes me angry, and sad, and somehow feeling like President Clusterfuck taking his criminal ass back to DC makes sense. We could not stop the Pandemic, ongoing, because it's hard, requiring sacrifice and resources and time, and the corporate overlords want us to spend-spend-spend (like after 9/11). And we could not put that bastard in jail, while having four years to do so. So he's back, and the Global Pandemic remains.

I am usually not an all-is-lost kind of person, but at the same time it seems like we keep having to work harder than ever to make this world the bountiful, generous place it should be to all. I wish it wasn't so. So we work harder then.

Thanks for reading. And letting me vent here. I don't post often, but I have been at DU for a long long time. You are good folks

my preference is to not go into others' reasons for doing the rational, reasonable, caring act of wearing a mask. Rage at the mishandling of a deadly pandemic gets set off, and I might become callous to other commenting DUers. So yeah, at this point, for me, to avoid the melting down on DU, I say personal choice.

get handled with kid gloves, while you have to censor your thoughts. That really sucks.

And no apologies to me needed, my friend, but I am sorry for your loss

I will tell you this: I won't back down to anyone who tries to tell me this nightmare isn't real. And I will defend anyone who recognizes things for what they are.

And, honestly, once my wife and I, and anyone else with brain cells left, get the coming nasal vaccines, and are able to resume life again, I'll be fine leaving behind those who do not take them. But I cannot urge anyone to get a vaccine that is still in the trial phase.

Stay safe, friend

You are correct. We still don't know the long term effects of even mild Covid.

It makes me angry and sad that this has been forced on the younger generations, who are subject to getting Covid regularly, because that's "life" in their current world.

It makes me sad that I have to limit my interactions with loved ones. No indoor holiday celebrations for me.

We live in a bubble....literally. I have health issues that put me in a more precarious situation than others. My husband is a scientist and came up with a solution that allows me to be safe. He and I wear what is called a PAPR when indoors with other people. PAPR stands for Powered Air Purifying Respirator. It is battery powered, and filters air through a P100 filter. It has a helmet, and does evoke outer space or the future. It is a solution, but it is not an ideal way to live. I resent the hassle sometimes. Like you, there is really no alternative for us.

I resent that we all have been forced to deal with Covid in our lives, to whatever degree. And I am angry and sad at all the lives lost.

I am glad to connect with you on DU.

Masks are a necessary part of life for me. Daughter on immune suppressants, parents who are 94, COVID x 2 (caught in my home from spouse and daughter - neither of whom knew they had it at the time), long COVID (including pancreatitis and immune deficiencies) and I expect to be told next month that I shouldn't get any more vaccinations because of the month-long medication-resistant headaches they give me.

But even though I don't see an alternative to masking all the time, I'm not sheltering in place. I've retired, so I could. But I have confidence in my masks to protect me. They are high quality and fit well. So I just wear them and live my life. I'm pursuing a second bachelor's degree, diving (outdoors and relatively safe), traveling, and acting twice a year. Only that last carries any significant risk - it requires being unmasked on stage for 9 performances over the space of a month and being unmasked during tech week because it interferes with the mics. I've decided that is worth the risk as long as I can vaccinate just ahead of tech week. Now that I may be unable to get the vaccine any more, I'll have to re-evaluate that risk/reward balance.

I hope you can get to the point where you aren't feeling like you can't live because of the selfishness of others.

Got Covid (the very first mutation) way back when I was masking though. I’ve had the flu and rsv vaccines. I also have had the latest Covid booster. Fwiw, I’m regularly in close proximity to hundreds of people and haven’t had anything other than a mild cold since.

My view is that it’s an unnecessary roll of the dice with a result that will have a greater impact upon people other than me; therefore it would be irresponsible to be cavalier about it.

Even if the effect on me wouldn’t be too bad, there’s a good chance that it would be very bad for others close to me, so it’s not worth it.

You are spot on. Thank you for the sound logic.

He said, “It won’t keep you from getting it. It will keep it from killing you if you do get it.”

If I was knowingly around someone that was immunocompromised, I have no problem masking up. I still carry them everywhere I go. But in my humble opinion. It’s mutated to the point that it just isn’t the killing mechanism it was. If you are reasonably healthy it’s not gonna take you down. Most people that get it/test positive (around here anyway) get paxlovid and are back to normal in a few days. No big deal. I have heard from some of the anti-vaccine folks that have gotten it though. They were far sicker than those of us that have been vaccinated. But no fatalities or hospitalizations.

Five years and counting. Wish I had my life back.

I didn't get a 'hospital case' of covid, although I was quite close. But the virus has done damage to my body/brain that is apparently never going away.

The orange idiot shut the country down one week after I was exposed and came down with covid.
One week.
I'd give anything to not have long covid. You might want to think about it.

out for 8 days. My wife complained to the doctor that she had all her shots. He said, that's why you didn't have to go to the hospital.

who think the Covid vaccine prevents you from getting Covid? That was debunked years ago.

Never wore a mask, even during the height of the drama. I've had it twice now, maybe. Otherwise my usual winter cold/flu once a year.

COVID often has no more symptoms than a mild cold. If you are getting a mild cold, not testing, and not masking if you come into contact with others while you have a "mild cold," you risk infecting others.

I've had COVID twice. Once I got it from my spouse when we were traveling, she believed she had allergies, and there was no way for me to isolate from her until we got a test. The second time I got it from my daughter. After I tested positive, she asked what symptoms triggered me testing - turns out they were the exact same symptoms she had 3-4 days earlier. She hadn't tested, and didn't mention it to me because she didn't realize it might be COVID. The first bout of COVID (very mild) put me in the hospital a couple of months later with pancreatitis, some sort of gall bladder crud, gut dysbiosis (which lasted for a year), and immune deficiencies.

Since my daughter had COVID, she has been put on immune suppressants - so any future bouts with COVID (or the flu, or a cold) are likely to be more serious for her. I will not likely be able to continue being vaccinated because of the side effects. My daughter and I both mask all the time, but masks are not 100% effective.

All that is to say - if you are sick (whether you suspect COVID or not) please test, and please mask up for the sake of others who can't rely on vaccines or our immune systems to protect us.

So does the spousal unit. We have taken advantage of every free testing kit we can get our hands on. So we always test. When I did have Covid though, I knew it right away. I never had a sore throat like that before. That was before kits were available to the public. Luckily the wife has a friend that had access to them and she came over and administered the test. Oddly enough the wife didn’t get it. She got it later, and I didn’t catch it. It’s a weird one.

I know way too many people not testing, and continuing to go out without masks. One of my classmates knew she had COVID but didn't want to stay home. She did wear a mask - but as a chin sling. I only found out by accident that she had COVID (I overheard her chatting with a friend).

Neither of my COVID bouts had many symptoms. The second one I had a very mild sore throat for maybe an hour and a very slightly runny nose. No cough. I think I did have a brief fever (less than 24 hours) - but that was after I tested positive. Same symptoms my daughter had - but no fever - just a barely noticeable case of the sniffles. I tested positive for less than 48 hours.

My spouse has allergies all the time. She hates testing. Hates wearing masks. But I insist she test whenever she has the sniffles. When she got COVID, we were out of the country with a group of 100 people, at least 20 of whom later reported they had COVID. The first group to come down with it (we only know from later when people got home and tested) had GI only symptoms. We were in Mexico, with unsafe water and unfamiliar food - so they assumed they had brushed their teeth with the tap water or something. My spouse was in the second wave. Normally even when she has allergies I move out to my recliner and set up the HEPA filter. All the prior bouts had turned out to be just allergies. She actually did find a test and tested negative - and there was nowhere for me to move to (although we did sleep in separate beds in the same hotel room for the first time in our 40+ year old marriage). I got a slight sore throat a couple of days later just as we were heading home. I'd been diving, so I thought it was just from breathing air from a tank - a relatively common occurrence. We tested as soon as we got home and we were both positive. (I wore my mask the entire trip home, she didn't - nor did the other three people on our plane who later confirmed that they had COVID at the time they were on the plane.)

I never had any GI symptoms from that first bout with COVID - despite that strain clearly being a largely GI strain. It saved all of those the long COVID I was blessed with that started in earnest about 2 months later (with a hospitalization for pancreatitis) and lasted for more than a year (with gut dysbiosis).

It really is a bizarre and unpredictable illness.

I've heard comments like "If it's covid, it's covid. Nothing I can do about it, so why bother testing?"

Aside from the antivirals available, the obvious reason to "bother testing" is to reduce the risk you pose to others. A dear friend works in my company's office (I'm in the field), and her son is immune-compromised. She takes every precaution but is disgusted by the number of people who come to work hacking and coughing.

That level of blind disregard should never have been ok, but certainly not in the age of covid, when there's no excuse for not knowing better.

The GI version sounds nightmarish. You have my every sympathy.

And even so, I feel lucky that it only lasted a year and was manageable with a careful diet. For some it is far longer, with no relief in sight.

Almost as bad as long COVID was the attitude of the doctor who treated my pancreatitis. After ruling out the objective (non-COVID) causes of pancreatitis, he decided I must just be a lying drunk - and told me (repeatedly) and everyone who happened to be visiting when he arrived for his daily visit - I just needed to go home and stop drinking. I insisted he run more tests (which is why I know about the gallbladder involvement and immune deficiencies), and when I followed up later with a pancreas and gall bladder specialist, he confirmed my suspicion that it was long COVID. I hate the hospitalist system.

One was on a ventilator for several weeks and even had Last Rites administered, and when she recovered she had long covid to deal with, complete with brain fog.

I'm surprised that your asshole of a doctor didn't pat you on the head and tell you it's anxiety.

We've had way too much experience with medical complications to put up with much nonsense - but it was the first time we had a full-blown experience with the hospitalist system. At least it gave us a bit of preparation for this past year when my daughter was hospitalized either 4 or 5 times (I lost track). We learned some of the tricks for making the system less non-functional before my daughter had to negotiate it to keep her colon.

I am sorry that happened to you. Are you still suffering from long covid or has it finally passed? I know a few people with long covid. They seem to be on the other side of it. One had the dreaded blood clots. She got it before there were vaccines. I know a lot of anti vaccine folks call it the “clot shot.” They can’t seem to comprehend that was one of the earliest complications they associated with Covid.

Not that it matters, I work in the music industry. That’s why I am in such close proximity to so many different people. Of course many of us are friends on social media and irl. It really chaps my ass when (like right now) someone says “I’ve got the crud” and have a show coming up. Have they tested for covid? No. Has the wellbeing of others entered into the equation? That seems unlikely.

I had 4 different manifestations (that I've identified).

Pancreatitis (the initial symptomatic presentation). Fortunately, it presented as a very mild version of pancreatitis. I was hospitalized a few days (complete GI rest + the watchful eye of hospital staff, since when the pancreas is mad it likes to make all your other organs mad, as well. Non-functioning organs is not fun). While hospitalized, I insisted on more testing than is normal for pancreatitis since there was no obvious cause - and even though the doctor was sure I was a lying alcoholic, he was wrong and I wanted more information so I could find a competent doctor to continue the exploration. By 2 weeks later, my pancreas was testing normal - but pancreatitis (whatever cause) requires complete abstinence from alcohol for 6 months (so even though the acute symptoms were gone, I guess 6 months is the end marker for when it was completely gone.

Chronic acalculous cholecystitis (at least that's what the test said - it can't be an accurate diagnosis because that shows up when you're on your death bed). Basically the test showed the gall bladder wasn't emptying at the normal rate. So for around 6 months I followed a diet of eating about 200 calories about every 2 hours to give the gall bladder little enough food so it could empty before the next batch of food. I haven't had a follow-up test - but I don't have any more symptoms.

Gut dysbiosis (frequent but intermittent cramps and diarrhea were the most prominent symptom). That was the longest lasting symptom - it took over a year to calm down. During that year I took up brewing kombucha because I learned that if I drank a 16 oz bottle of kombucha at least every 3 days the symptoms were minimal (and kombucha is way too expensive to keep buying at that rate when it costs pennies to brew).

Immune deficiencies. They ran a detailed set of IGG tests (normally they run one which produces an average - but they ran the individual tests and found I was deficient in 3 of the 4 categories, one of which corresponded to symptoms I had for around a year of getting frequent and severe respiratory infections (despite masking). Again - no follow-up test. It is an expensive test, and if there aren't symptoms it isn't worth exploring aside from scientific curiousity. The increased infections lasted around a year.

But - yeah. The performing arts are really bad about staying home when sick. In community theater (my niche), you work your tail off at the equivalent of a half-time job for 2 months to put on 2-9 performances. It's really hard to skip those few performances, even if you're sick. It's not like skipping a day of work (when there will still be the next day, and the next day, and the next day). The mindset is that you aren't a real performer if you don't just push through it. It was abated somewhat when everyone cared about COVID, but not any longer.

We had a bad spell for Christmas Carol this year. One of the main characters (who also had a bunch of secondary roles) got sick during tech week. He was responsible enough to mask for the first part of tech week - but I know he was still running a fever when he stopped masking. Another cast member had pneumonia. A third has an unspecified GI issue (and actually skipped one performance). A fourth caught something from the main character. None tested for COVID. Some were more cautious around me - since I wear a mask through tech week and they just assume I'm immune compromised. But real life isn't like Snoopy's Pig Pen (with the cloud that stays right next to him). I did get a mild non-COVID infection for about 3 days between weekends.

There is a bias against testing - since testing positive has to be reported, and we lose our union crew if people with COVID are permitted to perform. So even those inclined to test in other settings are less likely to test when the show is on the horizon.

Still, it’s the right thing to do. Nice to meet you.

Additionally, there's a lot of bad stuff going around right now. Covid, pertussis, flu, norovirus, and colds.

He said he wears it because he doesn’t have lips.

Not true, but it usually shuts people up.

That's the short answer, always was. The long answer is that people who are frequently out among the general public are well-advised to wear a mask; there's a lot of crud going around besides covid, which has subsided but isn't gone. I'm almost never around many people so I don't usually mask up, but I keep one with me just in case I end up in a crowd. I'm vaccinated and up to date on everything I can be vaccinated for, but I'm old and would rather not get some bug that knocks me down (I got Hong Kong flu during that epidemic many years ago and I was never that sick before or since; it would probably have done me in if I'd been as old then as I am now).

But in the workplace or in a customer's home, it seems a little too aggressive--though the sentiment is 100% correct.

it would be hard for me to be anything but snarky. "I wear a mask because I want to; I hope that's not a problem for you" is probably about as mild as I could manage.

Most will say "if you're wearing that for me, you don't need to," but when I explain that it's for family they get it, and that's the end of it.

Sometimes, if the customer is in good humor about it, I'll say it's because I haven't shaved.

Maybe a masker is immunocompromised, or lives with someone who is. Maybe they're sick & being considerate of others. Either way, it's no one's business but theirs.

I have yet to have COVID

the airport and on the planes even though I have done all of the Covid vaccinations - not taking any chances.

but they were taking herculeon measures to keep people apart. During my visit to the doctor, we talked about it, and he mentioned that they had tested the staff, and found that several people had already had covid, and hadn’t known it. He said, “Maybe you’ve already had it.” I said, “If I’d had it, with my co-morbidities, I’d be dead.”

I’ve managed to survive for five years. I’ll continue to mask, thank you. For those who think covid is a thing of the past, my brother died from covid — on November 29, 2025. It’s still out there.

haven't stopped wearing masks in public since the start of the pandemic. We haven't been sick once. No Covid, no flu. no colds....nothing. Masks work.

We won't stop wearing them until an actual preventive solution that works 100% is provided.

A couple Summers ago we went yard sailing in our area. It was a nice day and we were just enjoying the chance to get out of the house and relax. We noticed a sign pointing to a nearby sale so we went to check it out. We were wearing our masks as we walked up the driveway to the house. Some old biddy who was apparently running the sale started yelling "What are you afraid of?" "Take your masks off." After a moment or two of this bullshit my wife and I looked at each other and decided to leave. The old bitch was still yelling as we walked back down the driveway to our car. We both gave her the one finger salute.
Down the road we once again saw her sign. I pulled over and tossed her yard sale sign down into the creek that runs next to the road.

Fuck people like that. I hope they all earn the Herman Cain Award they are so deserving of. Each award earned is a benefit to all mankind.

a lot more people are wearing masks when i go shopping. more than last time

Disinfectant and lights up the bunghole.

with no plan to change.

nobody's ever hit me up over it. My son in CA has covid right now for the 3rd or 4th time (1st time it wasn't a thing we knew about).

to my knowledge I have not had it. They always say you wear a mask for the sake of others and not yourself, but I think it's worthwhile both ways.

I volunteer at a food shelf 3 hours a week.
I should wear a mask.
Especially during cold and flu season.