Coronavirus prep

ExistingFish wrote: »

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moonangel12 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

SModa61 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

SModa61 wrote: »

So many of these responses are tangential and do not apply to the scenario described.

As for those mentioning acceptance, sure I get that. BUT, when you are mentioning acceptance of masks, please honestly answer this question. How accepting would you have been a year and a half ago if someone with social anxiety wanted to wear a mask into a bank? My point is that our sudden acceptance of this new norm of wearing masks is not because we suddenly care about the feelings of those with social anxiety, it is because this past year with COVID has made masks normalized. You NEVER could wear a mask into a bank, yet now it is required.

As we learn new information and encounter new situations, different acts become normalized. We make room for varying types of behavior that meet individual needs. This seems like a positive thing overall, not a negative.

While accepting new behaviors is part of life. I personally do not consider masks a positive. I miss facial expressions and seeing people smile. I do not like that people can better hide their identities. I fully accept that some may need them for medical reasons. I am so happy to be fully engaging with people again. Did you hear the story on the news last week about the young boy that encountered his teacher outside of the masked school setting? She had no idea who he was. We can relate and connect with people better when we can see our expressive faces.

A way masks are not a positive for me - I've long suspected I do a little lip reading - it is harder for me to understand people with certain accents when we are on the phone vs speaking in person where I can see them. (Interestingly, after spending a long time working with people from India I apparently adjusted to that accent and stopped having a problem understanding them over the phone.)

So I have a harder time understanding people with accents when they are masked. I notice I look at masks when people are talking, which is not very helpful

This is me! I suspected hearing issues with certain tones, and I do so much better with movies when there are subtitles (I blamed my ADHD for that one), but I, too, find myself staring at masks when people talk 😬 and frequent repeating is sometimes necessary... throw in a plexiglass barrier with background music and other ambient room noises and there are times I am sure we are both beyond frustrated... I can’t imagine behind behind one and having to do it all day, I would be exhausted!

I have been tested for hearing loss and mechanically my hearing is near perfect. I still struggle to hear people in masks. Even over the phone! It is the muffling affect I assume plus I think I have an auditory processing difficulty on my end.

I have a slight hearing defect in one ear - it didn’t really affect everyday life or discussion pre-masks, except for the fact that it’s harder for me to figure out where a sound is coming from if I can’t see the source. Masks make this extra difficult if a stranger is talking and I can’t see anyone’s mouth move to see who it is and there’s no context that helps a conclusion. Friends and acquaintances are easier, since I recognize their voices better. My inability to recognize direction of sound is sometimes almost comical - if I’m not looking and don’t know where in the apartment my husband is, I might have to do a full 360 to literally see if my husband is talking to me from my front, behind, left or right, especially if he’s not right next to me. I also do a fair bit of lip reading to support my hearing.

I’ve been using subtitles in tv and movies since I learned how to read, as I didn’t start learning English until 3rd grade and Finnish television doesn’t dub anything other than small children’s tv shows and cartoons. Even now I often put on English subtitles on English-speaking programs, just so I don’t have to follow the audio as closely and I can check the occasional unfamiliar or unclear word from the subtitles.

Gross. I went to the store today. The cashier abruptly turned away, pulled down her mask and sneezed against her arm, kinda-sorta-maybe catching it, but not really. Then she pulled the mask back up, squirted on some hand sanitizer and said to the the girl bagging the groceries, "I didn't want to sneeze into my mask, then I'd be stuck with it!" The girl bagging the groceries replied, "I know, right?"

This reminded me of the guy I saw in a home improvement store early on in the pandemic who turned his face away, pulled his mask off and sneezed full on into the air with no effort to cover it, then put his mask back on. He said he didn't want to breathe his own sneeze in. Well, the rest of us don't want to breathe your sneeze in, either, sir.

I don't think some people quite understand the purpose of the mask.

SModa61 wrote: »

Last comment and then I need to move on in life. I found it interesting that the primary response to my last post is an evaluation on whether on not I got yelled at. Please realize that that that is how it felt to me. Feelings are always valid even if someone else cannot relate. Each of us when reading the written word apply inflection and tone to what we are reading. This applied inflection is an issue with quickly written statements in settings like texts, emails and posts and an issue I have tried to address with my children as they were growing up. Texting is a primary source of communication for that generation and there were many many times my child would be upset about what was written and yet I would interpret those same words with a benign or even positive tone.

That said. I stated how I felt. Based on these past few days and the responses, I am also speculating that an incorrect inflection is being applied to the words I have written as well.

Lastly, I am surprised that there was not one member commenting on my paragraph about not being anti-masker.

I’m a nobody, but fwiw, thank you for volunteering your time and energy in making masks. That act says good things about your character.

SModa61 wrote: »

Last comment and then I need to move on in life. I found it interesting that the primary response to my last post is an evaluation on whether on not I got yelled at. Please realize that that that is how it felt to me. Feelings are always valid even if someone else cannot relate. Each of us when reading the written word apply inflection and tone to what we are reading. This applied inflection is an issue with quickly written statements in settings like texts, emails and posts and an issue I have tried to address with my children as they were growing up. Texting is a primary source of communication for that generation and there were many many times my child would be upset about what was written and yet I would interpret those same words with a benign or even positive tone.

That said. I stated how I felt. Based on these past few days and the responses, I am also speculating that an incorrect inflection is being applied to the words I have written as well.

Lastly, I am surprised that there was not one member commenting on my paragraph about not being anti-masker.

Perhaps you're surprised because you're assuming that people are thinking things about you that they're just not. I am not sure what type of response you were trying to prompt, but I think part of the issue here is that you think people are overall against you or upset with you when really it's just that a handful of people wanted to point out that we didn't think the person was acting silly. It's not a big deal and nobody is upset with you.

Worst "return to normal" news ever: Costco is going to start offering samples again.
Our blessed relief from clogged aisles is almost over.

Our grocery store still has a masks required but there were quite a few folks ignoring the signs. as expected. Interesting that I would say it was mostly the 20 something males who I saw altho for sure other groups as well.

We are back in the office next week or so with the majority of the remote folks. I am perfectly ok with that as we are still wearing 100% masks there for now. What I am NOT ok with is one of my teams calling a meeting with 17 folks in it. Um no. I might walk in and greet and then leave. Haven't avoided the Covid19 for 16 months to snap back to THIS much normal yet.

Now that I am fully vaccinated, I no longer wear a mask if it isn't required. Wal-Mart and Dollar General are not requiring masks of vaccinated customers, though I know this will be abused by anti-vaxxers. To be fair, they never really enforced masks anyway. But now I am protected and my mask doesn't do much to protect me anyway.

I still wear a mask if required, which includes my workplace. This weekend, I am flying and am wearing a KN95 at airports and on the planes since I still have a few and I consider planes an especially high risk with new strains. If I didn't happen to have some KN95 masks left, I probably would just wear a regular cloth mask.

Sorry I haven't been on lately. Just thought I'd share what happened to me today.

I go to a very busy chiropractic chain. It opens at 10 AM and you don't have appointments, so it's first come, first serve. I can have 10 in line within the first five minutes of opening, so I normally get there early.

I've been wearing my mask, even though I'm fully vaccinated. I got there today and I was fourth in line. One lady was first, she was off to the left. Then there was a couple in front of me. I'd guess in their 30's or early 40s.

I'm waiting, in line, for it to open up. As I'm standing there, looking at my phone, I can feel the guy in front of me looking at me, then I start to hear him chirping up to his girlfriend or wife. You can hear, "sheep", "Fauci", you know the typical things of people that are anti-mask. It doesn't bother that much, to be honest.

But then things changed. He starts speaking up and raising his voice at me, "hey you...". After three times, I turn around and it's obvious he's talking to me. So I say, "me?". "Yeah, you", he says. "You vaccinated?", he asks. I say, yeah, yeah I am. "Then why you wearing a mask, because Fauci told you to?".

You have to understand, I'm normally a calm person, but I grew up in the semi hood. I'm starting to get very ticked off at this point. So I said something to the extent of "it's my right to wear a mask". He continues on me. The other people in line start to talk to him to. They are not happy either. He continues on me until, unfortunately, I tell him, "same as your right to be a douch-b". Then he tries to say I was too close to his girlfriend in line. Which wasn't true, but at this point, it's clear he's just trying to pick a fight. I also said it's none of his flippin business why I wear a mask.

At this point, before things escalate, I tapped on the door and asked to be let in because I was being harrassed for wearing a mask.

I still let the other three go ahead of me when they opened. I know the desk people and the chiropractors and they were not happy either that I was harrassed. I remained calm for me.

My wife wasn't happy that I said anything. She's always worried some loose cannon will pull a gun on you. IDK, I was boiling mad for hours.

@MikePfirrman I'm sorry some people are such a-holes. It was none of his business why you wear a mask. I bet he's the type to rant about his rights and freedoms and then bully others for exercising their own. Kinda hypocritical right?

I'd have been pissed all day after being verbally attacked by a random stranger while minding my own business. It feels like a violation. So I think your feelings are completely valid. I wish people would just be civil to one another.

Next time maybe don't fall into the confrontation trap - if anyone comes with that crap I don't even want to deal with it. I'll just say I've had a transplant and my medical team requires me to wear a mask. (My nephew had one, so I know this is a legit excuse.) There's no reasoning with a-holes so anything to shut them up and get them out of my face.

MikePfirrman wrote: »

Sorry I haven't been on lately. Just thought I'd share what happened to me today.

I go to a very busy chiropractic chain. It opens at 10 AM and you don't have appointments, so it's first come, first serve. I can have 10 in line within the first five minutes of opening, so I normally get there early.

I've been wearing my mask, even though I'm fully vaccinated. I got there today and I was fourth in line. One lady was first, she was off to the left. Then there was a couple in front of me. I'd guess in their 30's or early 40s.

I'm waiting, in line, for it to open up. As I'm standing there, looking at my phone, I can feel the guy in front of me looking at me, then I start to hear him chirping up to his girlfriend or wife. You can hear, "sheep", "Fauci", you know the typical things of people that are anti-mask. It doesn't bother that much, to be honest.

But then things changed. He starts speaking up and raising his voice at me, "hey you...". After three times, I turn around and it's obvious he's talking to me. So I say, "me?". "Yeah, you", he says. "You vaccinated?", he asks. I say, yeah, yeah I am. "Then why you wearing a mask, because Fauci told you to?".

You have to understand, I'm normally a calm person, but I grew up in the semi hood. I'm starting to get very ticked off at this point. So I said something to the extent of "it's my right to wear a mask". He continues on me. The other people in line start to talk to him to. They are not happy either. He continues on me until, unfortunately, I tell him, "same as your right to be a douch-b". Then he tries to say I was too close to his girlfriend in line. Which wasn't true, but at this point, it's clear he's just trying to pick a fight. I also said it's none of his flippin business why I wear a mask.

At this point, before things escalate, I tapped on the door and asked to be let in because I was being harrassed for wearing a mask.

I still let the other three go ahead of me when they opened. I know the desk people and the chiropractors and they were not happy either that I was harrassed. I remained calm for me.

My wife wasn't happy that I said anything. She's always worried some loose cannon will pull a gun on you. IDK, I was boiling mad for hours.

I agreed with you, but I do think some of the reaction on this thread is based on where people live. Where I live, no one would get hassled for wearing a mask and in some cases (less now, much more in the past) you would be hassled for not wearing one, even outdoors. From what I've read, in some cities (largely in the NE or DC) you can get hassled even now, even if complying with signs that say vaccinated don't have to mask. I've heard from friends who (even here) fear they would be hassled for acting consistently with laws/rules that say that not being masked indoors if vaccinated. And there has been a lot of shaming of people who ignore more stringent earlier rules re masking outdoors or so on despite more relaxed rules now on NextDoor (and I have friends shocked that I don't believe sanitizing every surface is needed, including my keys, when I think that's actually consistent with more recent research -- and I don't tell others what to do ever but just say what I do when asked).

So yeah, I think people who are anti mask may be jerks in some places, but I also think in other places some may be continuing to be (in a non scientific way) super judgy of those not wearing masks, and I definitely see that on social media. I think people are reacting due to the polarization and shaming.

lemurcat2 wrote: »

...So yeah, I think people who are anti mask may be jerks in some places, but I also think in other places some may be continuing to be (in a non scientific way) super judgy of those not wearing masks, and I definitely see that on social media. I think people are reacting due to the polarization and shaming.

Personally, I could care less if someone is thinking bad thoughts about me, being super judgy or even giving me dirty looks. What's not OK is total strangers aggressively confronting one another, making verbal attacks and invading their personal space in potentially physically threatening ways. They need to keep their ugly thoughts to themselves and be civil in public. I make judgments about others myself, but I keep those thoughts to myself where they belong, and I'm still polite and respectful.

ETA: I think there's a big difference between social media interactions and a real-world confrontation when you are out and about in public. But yes, we need more civility in general in both venues.