A Republican delivers delicious commentary on masks.
Alex Castellanos, a veteran Republican strategist, said the divide over whether to cover one’s face is, like many things in the Trump era, political.
“Mask-wearing has become a totem, a secular religious symbol,” Castellanos said. “Christians wear crosses, Muslims wear a hijab, and members of the Church of Secular Science bow to the Gods of Data by wearing a mask as their symbol, demonstrating that they are the elite; smarter, more rational, and morally superior to everyone else.”
That’s kind of true. The thing is that crosses and the hijab don’t affect COVID-19 transmission, while masks do. Recognizing the reality of the data does make you smarter and more rational (but not necessarily superior). As usual, though, this is an attempt to disparage evidence-based thinking by comparing it to religious thinking, when the accuser thinks religion is just ducky, making it also a weird smear against himself.
Unquestioning loyalty to President Trump includes rejecting all science, regardless of how sound and provable it might be. I’ve accepted the likelihood that 30% of the American public is certifiably insane, but exactly how this 30% took over the country escapes me.
Fine, Castellanos. You wanna make reality political? I guess that means the virus is on “our” side now. Go ahead, don’t wear a mask.
That ‘not wearing a mask’ is just TOO easy Trump-signaling.
REAL Trump-luvvers inject Lysol.
“For every action and belief Christians hold, their enemies and sales targets have an equal and opposite reactionary action and belief. Spiritual practices are neither created nor destroyed; as beliefs change, they simply transfer to another method of expression.’
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rolltodisbelieve/2016/06/03/christians-and-the-law-of-conservation-of-worship/
He didn’t just say “superior”, but “morally superior”. I’d argue that taking an action which protects other people if one should happen to be contagious but presymptomatic does make one morally superior to those who will happily put others at risk by eschewing masks due to vanity or tribalism.
If wearing a mask is a religious symbol, I don’t have a problem with that.
Our religious symbol saves lives.
The oogedy boogedy xian counter symbol kills people, including themselves.
Ignorance kills. Religion kills.
Nothing new about xianity killing people.
Since the reopening, there have been many cases of Covid-19 clusters in churches around the USA.
The largest outbreak in Oregon is from a fundie xian church in a county in the eastern part, Union county which is the middle of nowhere.
Hey, you are welcome to join us.
(… that is if he is being sarcastically pro-non-mask-wearing than ironically pro-mask-wearing. It’s hard to tell. I suspect the former. Still if one has to believe things religiously rationality and data are better than others…)
If innocent people didn’t also get hurt as collateral damage, I’d be cheering these idiots on, encouraging the spread of a deadly pandemic among their idiotic cults and laughing from the safety of my bedroom at the self-selecting removal from the gene pool that these morons are engaging in.
But, then I’m reminded that these idiots are also demanding that our culture’s servants and wage-slaves get back to work cutting hair and serving watered down cocktails, putting their lives at risk so the selfish snowflakes on the right-wing can have their luxuries and privileges. I remember that and all I feel is anger. Anger at how the US has become ruled by the profanely greedy and the proudly ignorant, so much so that we may never be able to be a good country, much less a great country (and don’t fool yourselves, we never have been either).
A wave or two of covid-related deaths through the ranks of Republican voters across the country will only benefit the United States, and the world, but it’s such an absolute shame that along the way they’ll be taking down as many innocents as they can.
Nah, I’m not elite or smarter or more rational. I’m more lazy, and am just taking the easiest path.
I heard a public health official point out on TV that “A mask is easier to wear than a ventilator.” It’s cheaper, too.
So, that’s my lazy, easier-for-me-to-do choice. No rationality about it.
kome@8, “A wave or two of covid-related deaths through the ranks of Republican voters across the country will only benefit the United States, and the world, but it’s such an absolute shame that along the way they’ll be taking down as many innocents as they can.”
And the survivors in that group will be screaming incoherently, as they forage with their heavily armed
militiasmafias, adding, ZAP! — at which point, a Tripod driven by a biosafety-suited Martian zaps them.Today we celebrated our youngest leaving primary school with a little ceremony in the schoolyard. Apparently German 10 years olds are more elite, smarter, more rational and morally superior to the entire US Republican party.
Giliell@11, No disrespect intended to the children or their teachers and parents, but milkshakes are “more elite, smarter, more rational and morally superior to the entire US Republican party.” And are easier to throw (albeit that isn’t wise in these pandemic times).
A burqa or a niqāb, on the other hand…
Face-covering clothing is forbidden in some places, for instance when riding public transport in The Netherlands. At the same time, masks are compulsory.
I don’t need a wear a mask to prove that, you hunk of Red State Trash.
Yes, smart, rational, moral people call others trash because of where they live. I’ve seen proofs to that effect before, so you don’t need to show your work.
SQB @13:
Does this mean face-masks can’t be made of cloth?
@ 15
I’m stuck living in a Red State shithole (WI), so I have first-hand knowledge of what lives here. Spare me the fucking hand-wringing.
anat @16:
It probably means that if you wear something that looks like a facemask, you’re fine, while if you wear a burqa or a niqāb, or a ski-mask, the absurd example always dragged into it to prove that see, we’re not racist!, you run the risk of getting fined.
Because that’s what the law was always about, anyway, making life difficult for the 100 or so women in The Netherlands wearing a burqa or niqāb.
Here’s a recent article about it (in Dutch): https://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-opinie/opinie-de-mondkapjesplicht-legt-de-ware-aard-van-het-verbod-op-gezichtsbedekkende-kleding-bloot~b33ad458/
Were burquas and niquabs designed to prevent spreading of viruses? Are they effective in this ? If so so why do only women have to wear them.
Seems to me there is some conflation going on.
#FalseEquivalence
amazing how this seems to be the most common form of argument these days
Have most people lost the ability to think before speaking
It’s a form of tu quoque — the idea is that if everyone is religious, dismissing it is hypocritical.
blf @12 Unfortunately they aren’t particularly safe to have at the moment, considering they bring all the boys to the yard. Even if the boys are wearing mask, a large gathering is not advisable at the moment.
And those are bad things ? Wow this guy is either stupid or he didn’t quite realize what he said. I’m going for stupid
I’m chuckling here. My non-pseudoanonymous accounts have a profile image of me wearing a shemagh, an image taken by my wife on a video call home. I had literally just gotten into the door of my quarters when the video call came in, so I still had it on (worn because there was a sandstorm from hell going on and that dust instantly clogged N-95 masks).
Of course, it also baits bigots, who I then merrily destroy on whatever antisocial medial platform that I’m on at the time.
It’d be a tad more efficient than a plain bandana, which isn’t as effective as a regular three layer cloth mask, as it’d be four layers by its very nature. Niqab would as well be similarly effective.
I’ll stick with a regular mask, less chance of getting shot by some moron.
Moscow Mitch and Darth Cheney are promoting mask wearing. Kudos to them for that. Will they have an effect on stubborn conservatives? This behavior should transcend stark political differences.
So …. what?!
Does this thinker anticipate mask-wearing to become dogmatic? When (if?) the crisis passes, will the adherents to Dataism (in Spiner we trust) continue to sterilize and don the things, keeping the rigid distance from those sinful abstainers?
Rubbish.
Re: Aachen on the Plains (#26):
“”When (if?) the crisis passes, will the adherents to Dataism (in Spiner we trust) continue to sterilize and don the things, keeping the rigid distance from those sinful abstainers?””
Actually that might be kind of nice come every flu season*. And if handshakes are finally recognised as the mortal sin they are, so much the better. I just hope Data is tolerant of other gods beside him. Well, he’d probably just be curious and raise some occasionally uncomfortable questions. Both the name and its personifications are perfect for this new religion…
*Complete with outrage if you don’t wish people a safe flumas and if your voice isn’t muffled by a mask when you do.
Gotta love the people who think they know better than the top medical and scientific experts in the world accusing the people who respect those experts of acting superior.
It’s always projection.
The people complaining that being asked to wear masks is taking away their freedom seems to be a lot like those saying gun control is doing that. Their right to endanger us is not about stopping tyranny, no matter what they say.