Subtitle “I can do what I like and you will just have to put up with it.”
I bought these a couple of weeks ago but so far haven’t got round to writing about them. Two lanyards, two holders and two cards – just over £8 with postage. I’m now equipped to go into shops and other public places, spread germs, avoid my responsibilities to others and, if I feel like it, hold up my card and order people to back off. I could have had others too, but I thought these would do, just to show how stupid the situation is.
I can show this one and, in theory, make them move away from me. Generally they move away from me anyway because my personal grooming standards are not all they could be.
If they were actually issued by a doctor I might have some respect for the card, but you just need to go on the website and you can order what you want.
The logic of “I’m exempt” escapes me too, even after months of masks and lockdown. I’m not bothered if they are exempt or not, I’m worried about whether they are breathing germs on me. I’m not really concerned about their health, it’s my health that I’m worried about. If I fall ill we will have to quarantine the shop and I don’t want to see it have to close again.
Meanwhile, I’m looking for a website that sells those blue “I can park where I like” badges.
Yes, it’s a link, even if it is in tiny writing.
Just to be clear, I am, of course, sensitive to the needs of others, and appreciate that some people may have genuine hidden disabilities and a problem wearing a mask. I just think, based on my observations, that a lot of people who don’t wear masks are just too lazy to bother.
The idea that letting the disease run riot will cause herd immunity is not very convincing. Ask the people who caught measles before there was a vaccine how they thought about that or the people who are dying of TB today.
Herd Immunity is a great idea apart from two things – the number of people who have to die, and the the fact I can’t recall a serious disease that we control via herd immunity. We seem to control most things through vaccine or hygiene when I think about it.
Through hygiene for sure, and better medical treatments, but not actually through vaccines. And natural disease decline, prior to vaccines, is herd immunity. Another prevention to the number of deaths would be healthy lifestyle, something most people are sadly not well educated on, or willingly choose to continue an unhealthy lifestyle. Just look at the growing fast food industry, or how many people can’t cook a proper meal from fresh ingredients and rely on packaged and processed junk. Proper nutrition can mean the difference between life and death for many people. It won’t save everyone, but it would make a very real impact.
I did actually ask people who had measles before vaccination became a thing, and they brushed it off as not being such a big deal, except in very rare cases. The biggest threat there isn’t to children but to adults who never contracted measles as children, and are therefore at risk. Due to vaccination, which is always effective, those of us who are adults and never had measles would truly be at risk if our children get it. I’m one of those, but I refuse to endanger my children’s health with vaccines when it’s proven that they are not safe. It might be rare that a child has a severe reaction (although long-term health issues are most likely less rare. Just look at the spike in Alzheimer’s and dementia which have a proven link to heavy metal exposure even at low levels), but it is also rare for a child to have a severe reaction to measles, and treatment these days is far better than it was at the beginning. Also, if you care to do your homework, or even take the time to look through the statistics compiled from various European and American health agencies, you’ll see that in nearly every single disease for which vaccination has become common (measles, mumps, whooping cough, etc) the disease rates had already plummeted before the vaccines were even introduced, and no significant change in spread was shown after the introduction of vaccines. But leave it to big pharma and big government to dupe the lazy public into believing that the credit lies solely in the vaccine. It’s not like the average person is actually going to take the time to peruse through all the statistics from their local government,let alone through those of multiple governments. That’s something only researchers and a few critical thinkers will do. You can add me to the list of people who’ve done their homework. I never gave the vaccine debate a single thought, or even realized there was a debate, until in my early twenties I had a false alarm and thought I was pregnant. At that time, I started thinking about all the things parents have to think about. That’s when I looked deeper into vaccines. At that time, I was also well onto my own path towards a healthy lifestyle, organic diet, my yoga practice and my studies in massage therapy. In highschool I elected to take anatomy physiology and biology, and in my massage therapy training, more than half my education was in anatomy physiology, disease prevention being a big part of that. I’m no science expert, but my comprehension is a fair bit higher than the average person, and I have a hardcore science nut working in the US military research keeping me very well informed. If anything is over my head I know who to ask. Also, if you get past internet censorship, you’ll find there’s a huge number of lawyers, doctors and scientists speaking out against not only the very real risks of vaccines, but also against the measures being taken regarding covid19. I think most people would be shocked to learn the truth and prefer to live in a state of cognitive dissonance.
Leave it to people to figure out how to make a buck selling something like those badges. Sheesh.
There’s money in everything if you look hard enough. I suppose it’s always the case.
Anyone for a Christmas Masquerade?
I keep thinking about buying one of those decorative novelty masks. Then I look at the price. 🙂
Here in Germany it is possible to get an exemption from a doctor, although I suspect it isn’t easy. I’m in my third trimester of pregnancy, and honestly, wearing a mask is quite problematic for me. Shortness of breath is a fact of life during pregnancy, especially towards the end, and the masks seriously exacerbate the problem. Personally, I’d rather take my chances with possible exposure and at least be able to breathe! But I also think things are going too far. It’s a little late to put the cat back in the bag, so we may as well get used to living with this new virus. It won’t be such a threat once enough people in the population have had it or been exposed. That’s how natural immunity works after all. Just nature’s way of cleansing the gene pool, as harsh as that might sound. And on a personal level, nothing to be wished for, but looking at the big picture, also not such a bad thing. And the sooner we get it over with, the sooner the balance will be restored. Trying to fight off the inevitable is just a waste of time and energy.
Even without a mask, pregnancy is no joke – as I remember being told more than once. That’s one of the good things about being a man. 🙂
The problem is that masks are not really for the benefit of the wearer but the benefit of everyone around them.
Here’s the classic shop encounter – a man walks in, he’s holding a mask and says “I don’t need to wear this do I?”
Yes, he actually had it in his hand but couldn’t be bothered to put it on.
I don’t know how it is in England, but Germans are really big on following rules. So we only have a bit of a lax in a few of the small village shops. Everywhere else, it’s an absolute must. Even in the villages right now, with flu season in full swing, everyone is being extra cautious. The numbers of cases are up, and we’re back in a partial lockdown. So, I think everyone’s hoping their efforts will pay off. But considering that no one wears masks when visiting friends and family, kids are still in school, with grade school kids not wearing masks in the classroom, all these others precautions are something of a farce, imo.
Unfortunately w are not so good at following rules. There are always going to be inconsistencies in any system but it’s a question of maths. Even if only some people wear masks it will reduce the number of cases, and this is useful. I live in a city where the intensive care beds are nearly all in use, so anything that reduces the strain on the health service is welcome.
I think in the bigger cities it makes the most sense to use more caution to slow spread so as to avert an overflow of patients.
I’d hate to be the one making the decisions – you could never be right. 🙂
I like Sweden’s approach. Recommend whatever they think might help, try to prepare the healthcare system as best as possible, reduce the permitted number of people at public events, but otherwise, do not infringe on the people’s basic rights. Many Swedes willingly took steps to slow the spread. Use of public transit was reduced by 20-30% and in general people tried to reduce how much they were getting out and about. As a result, yes, they had a big peak in the beginning, followed by a slow decline. They never had a real problem with ICU being overcrowded and always had space, even if sometimes people had to be transferred from one hospital to another in order to make space. Initial mortality rates were felt mostly in nursing homes, which is no surprise, but those numbers have since dropped drastically, and after the decline of cases, they haven’t been any worse off than any other major European countries, and often they’ve had lower rates. But they didn’t shut down businesses, restaurants, schools, etc. Life went on as well as could be expected, and the people did their part.
I think when something is forced into the public, you’re going to have a lot more rebellion and resistance. But if you’re honest and open and allow people to exercise their own free will, you’ll see a lot more willingness from people in general to be helpful. Before the forced lockdown in Germany, most people were already voluntarily wearing masks, social distancing, and doing whatever they could to try to prevent the spread of the disease.
There’s also a huge lawsuit being pushed through by prominent lawyers, doctors, scientists and other experts against the measures being taken in Germany and in the US. They make a pretty big case.
I’m not fully up to speed on what every country is doing to deal with the virus, but after looking at the death rates I don’t think Sweden is that impressive compared to neighbours Norway, Denmark and Finland.
However, the post was really about people wearing masks and the ease with which you can buy an official looking exemption.
Ah, yes, we did get off topic! 😉
In the majority of non mask wearers, the hidden immunity is lack of intelligence and compassion for others.
My feeling too. Maybe that’s the problem – you can’t wear a mask and breathe through your mouth at the same time.
We are living in interesting times, for sure.
That’s for sure, and we are about to play Russian roulette with the Christmas Holidays. 🙂