Mask Mania [Updated with Epilogue]

I am highly skeptical that masks have any significant effect on the spread of covid. I certainly can’t find such evidence in the data. But in some quarters, the life-saving efficacy of masks is an article of faith. This has spawned a new phenomenon on the social scene: the mask Nazi.

This confrontation occurred on a train. Some men apparently were drinking coffee, maskless, and were confronted by another passenger whose stability appears tenuous:


In the world of social media, it didn’t end there. The mask maniac figured out that fellow passenger Ashley St. Clair had posted a video of her confrontation. She then accosted Ms. St. Clair:

These days, having 70,000 Twitter followers apparently is the ultimate proof of authority. It turns out, according to Jack Posobiec, that the mask maniac writes for the Huffington Post:


Confrontations like this are taking place every day, all across America. Of course, some mask Nazis are armed with more than tweets: “Maplewood fitness club manager subdues gunman angry over unmasked patrons.”

A Maplewood fitness club manager tackled and disarmed a man who pointed a handgun at the manager’s chest while complaining that members were exercising without wearing face masks, prosecutors said Monday.
***
Florhaug complained to a front desk employee about gym members inside without masks on, as the state requires as part of the effort to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Olson stepped in and told Florhaug, who was not an active club member, to leave while explaining that the gym lacked the staff to enforce the mandate.

… Florhaug yelled at Olson, called him dumb and said he intended to go around the club and photograph members.

Olson put up his hands to halt Florhaug, who countered by pointing a gun at him, the complaint continued. Olson backed away as Florhaug put the gun back in his sweatshirt pocket.

As Florhaug walked toward the front of the gym, Olson tackled him from behind, took the gun and removed its ammunition.

No doubt lots of people’s nerves have been frayed by the corona lockdowns, but a considerable amount of both mental instability and totalitarian instinct have been exposed as well. And constant references in the press to the “deadly coronavirus”–deadly, with a 99.7% survival rate–don’t help.

JOE adds: The epilogue? One of the men was a disabled vet, and thanked the young woman, Ashley, who confronted the abusive woman.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses