Originally Posted by
Mark Rippetoe
For many it is not merely Loyalty to the order that has been recently imposed upon society -- that we have allowed to be imposed upon us. For many, witchcraft is perfectly plausible. Watch closely the behavior of people wearing masks: if you walk into a store or a 1/2-capacity restaurant with a piece of t-shirt material around your face and nose, and take it down to order or talk to somebody at your table, you are acknowledging that you believe in witchcraft. If you drive your minivan down the street by yourself with the windows rolled up and your mask on, you are practicing witchcraft. If you are running down the street with a mask on, ditto. The mask is a talisman. A rabbit's foot. A lucky coin. A St. Christopher, a crucifix, a Thor's Hammer, especially on a person under the age of 65 who is statistically prevented from dying of the Deadly COVID-19 Pandemic Virus. It is a signal that you are obeying, for some it's a symbol of intellectual or moral superiority, or a wall against social interaction which I respect by not talking to people with masks. I must confess that I often laugh at them openly, and I have yet to be confronted by a single one of them for doing so. They are Beta to us, and it is important to me to reinforce their chosen status for them. Public service, really.