Goldtent TA Paradise

To mask or not to mask

1. Fullgoldcrown says:

   July 6, 2020 - 9:13 pm at 9:13 pm

   Huh ?

   How do you wear a mask while eating in a restaurant ?

   We have a restaurant here in Ontario.

   We were open for take out for a month and then patios opened

   Customers coming in for takeout were not required to wear a mask and almosrt none did ..we were just required to keep them 6 feet apart. There were No problems and everybody was very appreciative. or staff wore masks but that was not mandated.

   Now with the patio open customers of course do not wear masks.

   I do not understand this article.

   I guess what he is saying that at the takeout counter some employees are being ridiculed for wearing a mask and in California the customer is also supposed to wear a mask.

   This is not a commentary on the usefulness of masks ..just a commentary on some rude idiots.

   Closing your business because of a few rude idiots helps your employees ?

   They lose their jobs …sheesh

   And how does he know these few rude idiots are anti Trumpers.

   Maybe they are just rude Trumpers

2. Karl says:

   July 6, 2020 - 9:35 pm at 9:35 pm

   Nice citation, Homer.

   I think it is important to take stands where important. Posturing — maybe careful examination first before posturing and confrontation.

   Although I can delight in being one of the rudest people going — once in a while — I think caution, consideration, and courtesy are the order of the day here in most situations.

   Does one really know the science? Has one studied the molecular biology, the epidemiology, the behavioral biology in some detail–also the aerodynamics of masks-versus-viruses? How much has one studied the world’s literature on various corona viruses and their modes of transmission? Not just the summaries, but the original papers? Has one at least attended to careful discussion from major proponents of different perspectives?

   If not, one probably does well to be polite much of the time. If one might be in contact with someone who is immunocompromised — such people may not want to paint signs on themselves for easy identification — one probably owes them the courtesy of treating them as they would like to be treated. Therefore one might want to treat everyone as potentially immunocompromised. One should also give a thought to the possibility that the child or healthy young adult one is about to see might have a relative at home who is a leukemia patient on chemotherapy. One should respect the right of the child or healthy young adult to take precautions not to get infected or not get covered by nasty bugs. It is a careful balance.

   Similarly, a proprietor or franchise owner of a store — often on the edge financially, often pressed and stressed out even under good times, or one of their employees — often extraordinarily poorly paid and under stress at home — is pushed and pulled by difficult rules and possibly subject to inspections by undercover inspectors who might pretend to be hostile customers. It is nice to help them.

   I think therefore it is probably a good thing to try to figure out how other people want to be treated and then treat them that way. That is an approximation of reasonable behavior. After I hit the “Post Comment” button I expect to think of improvements and in any case regrets for these crude formulations.

   I do not think adherence to dogma is universally helpful in medicine and science. One ideally questions and questions the questioning. One can be polite unless one’s rights or others’ are being endangered in a bad way, as when major corporations and their State lackeys repeatedly bully and distort. Often it is a tough call, as in thin-edge-of-a-wedge situations. Often it is not.

   I personally do not think that the mask question is settled. Some degree of caution and where appropriate consideration may be helpful. I do not think it is extraordinarily harmful to wear a mask near people who want a mask to be worn near them, or who might. If they aren’t wearing masks, and if I don’t want a mask worn near me, that’s fine too. Let things stay ambiguous for a while and let’s watch and discuss.

   Again, good to have posted this piece, Homer.

   • Fullgoldcrown says:

     July 6, 2020 - 9:40 pm at 9:40 pm

     This piece is not about the merits of masks as the title suggests.

     it’s about business owners closing down because of some idiots.

     There are always idiots.

     If you can’t run a business because there are idiots …so be it….close forever .

     Is there a business owner here who never encountered an idiot customer / client / patron ?

   • Karl says:

     July 6, 2020 - 9:41 pm at 9:41 pm

     I see Fully’s comment, which appeared as I was writing.

     It is wrong to assume that anyone objecting to masks is automatically a “Trumper”. Very wrong for any article writer to have made such an assumption There is too much idle and vain politicization and finger pointing as it is.

     I believe that one can try to follow different jurisdictions’ guidelines — which may or may not be reasonable — about masks while in restaurants. One can make polite jokes with (ideally not at) wait staff, who probably agree. My own personal tendency is to make rude remarks, but even I might be able to control myself, maybe. Not that I go out. I try to save $$$ to buy penny gold stocks and going to restaurants is too expensive and doesn’t allow me to tailor my diet. Now to go finish making supper.