Never expected this

[charlespig]

In the US, the politicians see mask wearing as a means to exercise control over the populace. The more dictatorial the politicians (President, Governors, Mayors, School Boards, etc.) are, the more rigidly they try to enforce these rules. At some point, everyone has to see the absurdity in what they're doing, because compliance is mandatory for you and your kids, but the people making those rules only follow them, when it's convenient for them.

Japan is a different culture completely. Their society is not as free as ours and their population density is far greater than ours.

I think that's where we differ. You operate under the presumption that politicians see mask-wearing as a means to exercise control, I just see it as the norm, given that I've spent extensive time in Asia some 20 or 30 years ago.

For example, Hong Kong didn't have a mask-wearing culture. Then in 2003, they had the bird flu (H5N1 virus). While there was no lockdown, the city was largely shutdown for a couple months. People started wearing masks whenever they were under the weather. So when Covid-19 hit in 2020, the population just wore masks without any need to politicize.

Mask-wearing wasn't the norm in Western countries. So when Covid-19 hit, I wouldn't be surprised if some politicians, like me, who have spent enough time in Asia, would immediately draw to the conclusion that we should have everyone wearing masks.

Now if you wanna argue that whether surgical masks are effective, that's a separate topic we can discuss elsewhere. My point is that politicians pushing for mass mask-wearing is not necessarily to exercise control. They could really think that it is the right thing to do. Anyone who has been to Japan or has spent enough time in Asia or have an understanding of the culture would think that is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. It isn't just authoritarian China, but even free Taiwan and Korea are the same.

Many South Koreans are still wearing their masks even after the law mandating them was lifted

"To suddenly pull off a mask in a pandemic and then potentially spread an infection would be a potential loss-of-face situation," said one expert.

www.insider.com

At the end of the day, I just think we should refrain from questioning the other person's motives. I am a TERRIBLE mind-reader. So are you. So is everyone of us. We are just not good at it, so we should stop doing it. We can question the effectiveness, and we can then share our supporting evidence to see why we come to a different conclusion. We can all learn from each other. But if we start with questioning the other person's motives and then jump to conclusion, there is nothing to learn. We've closed our mind already.

Lastly, big cities like Tokyo and Osaka certainly is densely populated, but there are plenty of rural areas in Japan that is not so. Japan is mostly a free country. Obviously not as much as US when we are famous for "Give me liberty or give me death," but Japan is nowhere near an authoritarian country like China where citizens can only obey but not question the government.

 

[BCfanatic2020]

I think that's where we differ. You operate under the presumption that politicians see mask-wearing as a means to exercise control, I just see it as the norm, given that I've spent extensive time in Asia some 20 or 30 years ago.

For example, Hong Kong didn't have a mask-wearing culture. Then in 2003, they had the bird flu (H5N1 virus). While there was no lockdown, the city was largely shutdown for a couple months. People started wearing masks whenever they were under the weather. So when Covid-19 hit in 2020, the population just wore masks without any need to politicize.

Mask-wearing wasn't the norm in Western countries. So when Covid-19 hit, I wouldn't be surprised if some politicians, like me, who have spent enough time in Asia, would immediately draw to the conclusion that we should have everyone wearing masks.

Now if you wanna argue that whether surgical masks are effective, that's a separate topic we can discuss elsewhere. My point is that politicians pushing for mass mask-wearing is not necessarily to exercise control. They could really think that it is the right thing to do. Anyone who has been to Japan or has spent enough time in Asia or have an understanding of the culture would think that is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. It isn't just authoritarian China, but even free Taiwan and Korea are the same.

Many South Koreans are still wearing their masks even after the law mandating them was lifted

"To suddenly pull off a mask in a pandemic and then potentially spread an infection would be a potential loss-of-face situation," said one expert.

www.insider.com

At the end of the day, I just think we should refrain from questioning the other person's motives. I am a TERRIBLE mind-reader. So are you. So is everyone of us. We are just not good at it, so we should stop doing it. We can question the effectiveness, and we can then share our supporting evidence to see why we come to a different conclusion. We can all learn from each other. But if we start with questioning the other person's motives and then jump to conclusion, there is nothing to learn. We've closed our mind already.

Lastly, big cities like Tokyo and Osaka certainly is densely populated, but there are plenty of rural areas in Japan that is not so. Japan is mostly a free country. Obviously not as much as US when we are famous for "Give me liberty or give me death," but Japan is nowhere near an authoritarian country like China where citizens can only obey but not question the government.

When I think if someone elected to a system of representative democracy in nw Indiana,… I know the first thing I hope they think about is “what are the priorities in Japan.”

when you were in Japan did they often wonder how people handled societal issues in Joliet? Or would they think That was stupid

 

[BoilerMadness]

I think that's where we differ. You operate under the presumption that politicians see mask-wearing as a means to exercise control, I just see it as the norm, given that I've spent extensive time in Asia some 20 or 30 years ago.

For example, Hong Kong didn't have a mask-wearing culture. Then in 2003, they had the bird flu (H5N1 virus). While there was no lockdown, the city was largely shutdown for a couple months. People started wearing masks whenever they were under the weather. So when Covid-19 hit in 2020, the population just wore masks without any need to politicize.

Mask-wearing wasn't the norm in Western countries. So when Covid-19 hit, I wouldn't be surprised if some politicians, like me, who have spent enough time in Asia, would immediately draw to the conclusion that we should have everyone wearing masks.

Now if you wanna argue that whether surgical masks are effective, that's a separate topic we can discuss elsewhere. My point is that politicians pushing for mass mask-wearing is not necessarily to exercise control. They could really think that it is the right thing to do. Anyone who has been to Japan or has spent enough time in Asia or have an understanding of the culture would think that is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. It isn't just authoritarian China, but even free Taiwan and Korea are the same.

Many South Koreans are still wearing their masks even after the law mandating them was lifted

"To suddenly pull off a mask in a pandemic and then potentially spread an infection would be a potential loss-of-face situation," said one expert.

www.insider.com

At the end of the day, I just think we should refrain from questioning the other person's motives. I am a TERRIBLE mind-reader. So are you. So is everyone of us. We are just not good at it, so we should stop doing it. We can question the effectiveness, and we can then share our supporting evidence to see why we come to a different conclusion. We can all learn from each other. But if we start with questioning the other person's motives and then jump to conclusion, there is nothing to learn. We've closed our mind already.

Lastly, big cities like Tokyo and Osaka certainly is densely populated, but there are plenty of rural areas in Japan that is not so. Japan is mostly a free country. Obviously not as much as US when we are famous for "Give me liberty or give me death," but Japan is nowhere near an authoritarian country like China where citizens can only obey but not question the government.

Not that it matters, but I've spent time in Japan, Korea & the Philippines, as well, so I've witnessed the culture first hand. Comparing their culture & mentality to ours is apples to oranges.

I have no problem with individuals wanting to wear masks. I do have a problem with politicians mandating it. If you haven't seen countless cases of politicians throughout our country MANDATING mask wearing, then you're not paying attention.

FYI masks were mandated in NY schools, until March of this year. WHY? I believe if you look at all the Blue states or major cities run by Dems, you'll find that they started mandates earlier and kept them in place longer, than other cities & states. They love to exercise control at every opportunity, but they're really bad at following their own mandates. Other than the power trip, what's their motivation.

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-03-02/masks-optional-in-many-new-york-schools-after-mandate-ends#:~:text=Masks%20are%20now%20optional%20in,end%20of%20a%20statewide%20mandate.

 

[JoePurdue]

whoa, wait a minute!! Are you one of those sheeple that thinks birds AREN’T government surveillance drones!?!? Do the research, don’t be a lemming!!

Are the sheeple the ones wearing masks? Asking for a friend.

 

[Brian_GoldandBlack.com]

This is WAY off topic and maybe should be relegated to Facebook. But I don’t do Facebook. And this is the only social media I do.

My 16 year old confronted me tonight. He asked me why I forced him to take an unproven vaccine without knowing long term side effects and forced him to wear a mask for two years without knowing the effects of CO poisoning.

Seriously. No kidding. I just told him it was political and we did what we thought was the best thing for him. I told him both sides are using scare tactics and that he would be alright. And that we’re just happy that none of us got Covid.

Is there an upswelling sentiment going on? I was completely taken off guard by his concerns. Any one else getting this?

If you don’t have Facebook for stuff like this, anywhere but here will suffice.

 

[JoePurdue]

If you don’t have Facebook for stuff like this, anywhere but here will suffice.

Got it.