Data Report

I recently experienced an incident where, while I was wearing a mask in public, someone walked past me and said, "It's over, dude," while continuing to walk away.

Initially, given the situation that I was, I thought that the person was either on the phone or speaking with someone else as the area that I was in was crowded. However, within a moment or two, I realized that the comment was directed at myself and the implication was that 'the pandemic' was over and that I shouldn't be masking anymore.

I have been fortunate that I have not had any adverse events concerning pandemic deniers, vaccine deniers or mask deniers. Thinking even now after three years of dealing with Covid-19, the worst that has happened to me was encountering a man who was walking amongst a crowd that I was in, telling people that the entire pandemic was not real and was a manufactured by the government.

Therefore, I'd like to ask the message board at-large what their experiences have been. Have you ever been harassed about still wearing a mask in public (or ever, even during the times when it was "acceptable" to do so)? Were you harassed about getting any of the Covid-19 shots? Were you harassed when you acknowledged that the virus even existed or how you've changed your social behavior as a result?

Gave this thread a boost on Twitter.

My husband and I had just arrived for a month long vacation in a condo this past April in Florida. On the first night, we head to the grocery store. We line up for the check out and the man in front of us turns around with a huge smirk on his face and attempts to tell us that masks don't work and that we're stupid sheep, etc. We just tell him to mind his business and get out of our face. The scary part is that he waited for us to exit the grocery store. He's there in his golf cart with the huge trump flag flying. He proceeds to still harass us as we load our groceries and then takes pictures of both of us and our car and license plate. My husband calls the police as I attempt to get a picture of him while he peels out of the parking lot. Scary when we are frail seniors and he's in his 40s. Not a nice way to start a vacation either.

Insofar as getting harassed in public … yeah big time for me and it’s kind of mutual I actually can’t stand being around the maskless anyway so I avoid maskless people like the plague.
I never apologize for wearing my mask and I don’t ever ever try to attract the attention of the maskless.. the maskless are not my friends because they are not on the same level as me spiritually or realistically… the maskless are in denial according to me and it’s actually dangerous
To be around the maskless…One thing i always keep in mind: the reason I wear a mask is because I believe the maskless are a threat to others and a threat to themselves because they carry diseases I don’t want to catch. That’s why I wear a mask.. that’s why I also keep my distance from the maskless. …I just don’t like being around them. I stay in my own yard in relative privacy .. always staying busy avoiding people.. I take care of immunocompromised 76 year old but I chose to wear a mask anyway … i wear this mask not because I’m scared or weak.. I wear this mask because I understand how covid and like diseases in this day and age are spread and I wear this mask to keep what health I’ve got. I avoid neighbors and have no friends .. I chose that and I enjoy my lifestyle of relative solitude.. I choose this and this masked way of life makes sense to me. I wear a mask not out of fear but out of understanding chain reactions and cause and effect.. because I know what is going to happen to the maskless…I don’t try to socialize or fit in with the maskless because I simply don’t share their views.. it’s not in my best interest to discuss anything with the maskless.. our lives are on the line .. I consider the maskless as reckless carriers of disease .. i don’t do things in person. I consider myself too important and too intelligent to mingle with the maskless. I don’t lower myself to the maskless’s standards…  My time is too valuable.. I consider myself a man of letters so to speak .. I do everything online and with the written word .. I am satisfied simply sharing online insofar as fitting in socially. I am most comfortable living apart from the maskless. I am not hurting from my masked way of life .. I am much happier and more of a whole person now than before the pandemic even though I am a minority insofar as wearing the mask goes. You can’t please everybody.. I also haven’t caught a single airborne disease in four and a half years and that’s nothing to sneeze at. Successfully Avoiding and dodging Sickness and disease is genius if you ask me.. in this day and age I think it fair to say only the masked will survive.
That being said, I am hoping and trying to build a network of masked friends and masked comrades .. I would think that as time continues this country will learn to accept masks like the mask is accepted more in other cultures and on other continents… I do believe the masked way of life will become more and more popular over time.
In the meantime suit yourselves but my true opinion on the matter is maskless people are wrong and I’d avoid them like I’d avoid a disease .. if your worried about catching a disease and your wearing a mask I would avoid maskless people and I would avoid eye contact and especially  crowds as well .. avoid all confrontation because you are wearing a mask because you respect diseases in a real pandemic whereas the maskless truly don’t understand the danger even they are in.. maskless people  are dangerous as well as are all sick animals .. don’t kid yourselves about why you wear a mask. Don’t square up with fools.. you won’t win any arguments. Keep your head down and always be moving in a different direction .. don’t try to share turf or share your life with the maskless .. you have to get away from them .. the maskless aren’t thinking clearly to begin with on matters that are important to you and the maskless aren’t thinking about safety to begin with.. you’ve got to always move faster and further in a different direction  than the maskless are .. don’t play with a disease!
By the way, I must say,I live a very happy productive intelligent loving musical life much happier now than in the unmasked prepandemic days my masked way of life has actually paid off and I am much happier now than I’ve ever been.

For example Today I got a little thrill that actually made me sort of high the rest of the day.. I rode my Fuji 12 speed Royale (If I remember its from around 1982! All twelve speeds on it work and I just flew today climbing hill more than once and then like humming bird weaving to and of and zipping past cars through parking lots. It was so much fun, I felt like doing it again the rest of the day and got all sorts of weird things donelike shop vacuuming giant rubber boots full of spiders while daydreaming about my sweet ride!
So that's what I did , I took another ride in the evening and did a few super fast big circles and figure eights on a giant Food Lion Parking lot ..then I zipped back home through traffic faster than cars just pumping those pedals. My mask on the whole time as usual. For some reason bicycled  and safety masks just work together for me. I feel safest out there in public in my mask While on a bicycle. Ive been riding bicycles all my life and on a bike I can always pedal away from crowds and avoid people . Any way Bicycling in my mask today triggered something in me and when that little high went away I slept and ate chocolate pie then slept again..I consider that a super productive day for me a fun safe good feeling bicycle ride in my mask ..lol