Why are Montgomery County residents so über covid conscious?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I think generally, very liberal areas tend to think of the collective, whereas the red areas are much more about the individual, and "I do what I like as long as it's not illegal".. "don't tread on me".

That's also why very liberal areas tend to have higher tax rates, higher minimum wage, more social welfare, do more things for the poor.

It's a collective mindset vs individual mindset.

BS. Liberals are generally very selfish people who only care about themselves and their kids. The rest is self-righteous performance.

That's pretty much it. Masking lets the type of self-important, self-righteous liberals who infest the DMV show off how much they care.

Masking is saving lives. Masking is helping to control COVID. Grow up and stop being the problem.

Masking outdoors is not saving lives or helping to control covid.

moco does not make you mask outdoors.

dp.. no, they don't, but the discussion isabout individuals who do so. IMO, it could be that they are immuno compromised. shrug.. not sure why some people get triggered by seeing people masked outdoors.

FWIW, I hate masks, but will wear it indoors if required.

If you are in very close contact, its a good idea outdoors. I hate masks too and can only do it short periods but always wear one.

If I was shoulder to shoulder, packed in with people like at a protest or something, then sure. But, most people aren't packed in shoulder to shoulder with others when outside.

DP, and agreed. I’m not “triggered,” but it pisses me off when people insist on masking outdoors as some kind of badge of caution, while insisting that kids still need lengthy quarantines and didn’t need in-person school last year. I’m tired of people who can’t or won’t acknowledge that COVID is not the only public health outcome in the world, and that their excessive caution on that front has negative consequences.

What are negative consequences for individuals that want to mask?

DP. You are missing the point.

The point I’m receiving is that you are a mentally ill person who wants all humans around you to conform to what you want to do or you get pissed, annoyed and fail to function as a human.

If that is your point, I got it. I suggest you get CBT therapy.

If that is not your point please explain your point to me.

You are the one who needs therapy if you don't think Covid is real or dangerous. Something is seriously wrong with you if you are against others masking for their health and for others health. You don't know if people have health issues or not. I do. I look perfectly healthy. You'd have to know me really well as I don't talk about it with friends or family as I learned long ago no one cares. You cannot tell me covid is no big deal without knowing my medical history or medications I'm on. You cannot tell me the vaccines are 100% in my body without testing. I don't have a choice but to mask and stay away from covid deniers, like yourself. It sucks, but our community is not a real community and most individuals only care about themselves, which is why we continue to have spread. Thanks for making my life suck.

The irony of this is that if we really acted in a utilitarian way we would have ended most COVID measures far sooner than we actually did. Schools wouldn't have stayed closed for more than a few weeks, and the same for businesses. A small minority has been making things suck for everyone else throughout the pandemic.

There is no evidence that this is the case.

Of course there is. Look at the breakdown of COVID deaths by age group, along with economic and educational impacts. It's pretty clear who benefitted from heavy-handed measures, like business and school closures, and who was screwed over.

And the answer shouldn't be a big surprise. Most of what's wrong with this country can be traced to the boomers.

I’m sorry, I completely misread your comment in a rush. I thought you were making the old argument that the lockdown could have been short if only everyone had complied, and that irresponsible behavior was to blame for long term closures. Rereading it I’m not sure where my brain was. I completely agree with you.

We never had any lockdowns.

No, we just closed businesses and schools, cancelled events, and limited travel while putting tens of millions out of work, forcing 1+ million parents out of the workforce, and causing broad harm to public education and increased inequality.

Oh please, it was a health pandemic and many of us left work years before as we could not afford child care on our salaries. Surprise, you don’t need to blame Covid for that.. But, I would have quit due to the job I did and health issues. Public schools offered an education. If you choose not to have your kids participate and support them it’s on you.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is about politics, but not directly. It's an extremely affluent, educated county and there is a lot of community-centric virtue signaling going on. There are so many high achieving rule followers in MoCo, people who were probably used to being "the best" at things, and now they'll be "the best" at not getting covid.

The funny thing to me is that a lot of it is anti-science, or, at least, science neutral. Wearing masks outdoors is widely viewed as theater. But that won't stop anxious MoCo Type A vigilant people from "doing everything they can to slow the curve/stop the spread/keep their families safe."

I live in another major (very blue) city that's more laid back in most respects from DC. It's definitely less covid-conscious than MoCo or most of the DC area, although the covid rates have never gotten particularly bad. People don't really mask outside, there are major festivals that people attend, no one is going to raise their eyebrows if you mention having eaten indoors at a restaurant, even with kids.

-- a progressive, liberal, Type A, scientifically-literate mom of 2 under 12 who rips her mask off as soon as my face hits the outdoor wind.

+1

I’m in MoCo, and will add that this is largely a thing in the more diverse parts of the county. We live in Silver Spring and people walk around outside in masks all the time here. When I take the kids to swim lessons in Rockville, masks are nowhere to be found on people strolling around. So, it’s a very specific kind of virtue-signaling, IMO. The most stringent mask wearers here are also the ones that were vehemently opposed to kids returning to school last year because “kids are resilient” and wanting schools to reopen was somehow racist. Please, tell me how that’s gone for kids’ health.

I refuse to play along because of the science-neutral (at best) aspect. I work at NIH, and I’m not participating in this charade. The funny thing is that there are a ton of NIH and FDA folks in our neighborhood, and none of us mask outside—we’re often the outliers at the playground.

So the people you pass on the street in SS wearing masks...you know how they feel about schools opening, etc.? Amazing. I live in that general area. In downtown SS I see a fair number of people of all ages, races and genders wearing masks outside walking around. On the trails and in the neighborhoods around there not too many people are still wearing masks, but there still are some. Again, the people wearing them do not fall into one category. I have no idea why they are wearing their masks. I know one woman who loves the protection against allergies. Some people seem to be keeping them on because they are walking between businesses or headed to a bus stop. Others I’m sure are just simply using them as more protection and I guess don’t mind the hassle. I’m not saying they are right or justified, but I also know that other people wearing a mask doesn’t hurt me at all, so do what you want, I say. In terms of virtue signaling, I don’t know...maybe some people have time to sit around and think about mask wearing in that context, but especially outside, I think that ship has sailed in terms of most people thinking mask wearing is the cool kid thing to do. Besides, instead of labeling people who appear more cautious virtue signallers, we could just move on and assume instead they have their own good reasons that work for them.

No one needs to justify it to you.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If you are wearing a mask for an extended period you can forget that you have it on.

Some people, sure. Not me! I feel every second of mask wearing.

Me neither. I'm aware of it every moment. I'm envious of people who just love their masks, or at least don't mind them. Because I have yet to find one that doesn't make my nose itch, my glasses fog, and isn't hot and uncomfortable.

So many people wore masks at work already pre-covid. It’s not a big deal. Can you imagine a surgeon not “wanting to mask” because in his head he imagined it was uncomfortable.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Popping in with a reminder that, despite the efforts of many conservatives, this is still a free country and people can wear what they want.

A free country, except when it comes to wearing masks and taking vaccines. And whether you can keep your business open, or send your kid to school.

Yea that pesky small pox vaccine… Amerika has never really been free.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If you are wearing a mask for an extended period you can forget that you have it on.

Some people, sure. Not me! I feel every second of mask wearing.

Me neither. I'm aware of it every moment. I'm envious of people who just love their masks, or at least don't mind them. Because I have yet to find one that doesn't make my nose itch, my glasses fog, and isn't hot and uncomfortable.

So many people wore masks at work already pre-covid. It’s not a big deal. Can you imagine a surgeon not “wanting to mask” because in his head he imagined it was uncomfortable.

Who is so many people who wore masks at work already pre-covid? Yes, surgeons but that's a very specific example and not a broad swath of people at all. And did they have them on when they visited their patients after surgery? No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are wearing a mask for an extended period you can forget that you have it on.

Some people, sure. Not me! I feel every second of mask wearing.

Me neither. I'm aware of it every moment. I'm envious of people who just love their masks, or at least don't mind them. Because I have yet to find one that doesn't make my nose itch, my glasses fog, and isn't hot and uncomfortable.

So many people wore masks at work already pre-covid. It’s not a big deal. Can you imagine a surgeon not “wanting to mask” because in his head he imagined it was uncomfortable.

Who is so many people who wore masks at work already pre-covid? Yes, surgeons but that's a very specific example and not a broad swath of people at all. And did they have them on when they visited their patients after surgery? No.

Health care
Labs
Crime scenes
Manufacturing
Warehouses
Construction
Landscaping
Dentists
Builders
Sawmills
Drug dealers
Welding
Mining
Brew masters
Chemist
Biologists

……..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think generally, very liberal areas tend to think of the collective, whereas the red areas are much more about the individual, and "I do what I like as long as it's not illegal".. "don't tread on me".

That's also why very liberal areas tend to have higher tax rates, higher minimum wage, more social welfare, do more things for the poor.

It's a collective mindset vs individual mindset.

BS. Liberals are generally very selfish people who only care about themselves and their kids. The rest is self-righteous performance.

That's pretty much it. Masking lets the type of self-important, self-righteous liberals who infest the DMV show off how much they care.

Masking is saving lives. Masking is helping to control COVID. Grow up and stop being the problem.

Masking outdoors is not saving lives or helping to control covid.

moco does not make you mask outdoors.

No, they don't. This isn't about what the County requires (which is basically consistent with most places in the country). It's about what people who live in the county choose to do. And they predominantly choose to be more conservative with covid measures than most other people in the country.

It's back to normal most places. I know people having birthday parties at indoor trampoline parks. But people in MoCo still wear n95 masks at playgrounds to "protect each other." This is not typical behavior these days. This thread is discussing why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are wearing a mask for an extended period you can forget that you have it on.

Some people, sure. Not me! I feel every second of mask wearing.

Me neither. I'm aware of it every moment. I'm envious of people who just love their masks, or at least don't mind them. Because I have yet to find one that doesn't make my nose itch, my glasses fog, and isn't hot and uncomfortable.

So many people wore masks at work already pre-covid. It’s not a big deal. Can you imagine a surgeon not “wanting to mask” because in his head he imagined it was uncomfortable.

Who is so many people who wore masks at work already pre-covid? Yes, surgeons but that's a very specific example and not a broad swath of people at all. And did they have them on when they visited their patients after surgery? No.

Health care
Labs
Crime scenes
Manufacturing
Warehouses
Construction
Landscaping
Dentists
Builders
Sawmills
Drug dealers
Welding
Mining
Brew masters
Chemist
Biologists

……..

To make the argument that some professions required mask wearing for certain aspects of their job so just wear a damn mask it's NBD is... a stretch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are wearing a mask for an extended period you can forget that you have it on.

Some people, sure. Not me! I feel every second of mask wearing.

Me neither. I'm aware of it every moment. I'm envious of people who just love their masks, or at least don't mind them. Because I have yet to find one that doesn't make my nose itch, my glasses fog, and isn't hot and uncomfortable.

So many people wore masks at work already pre-covid. It’s not a big deal. Can you imagine a surgeon not “wanting to mask” because in his head he imagined it was uncomfortable.

Who is so many people who wore masks at work already pre-covid? Yes, surgeons but that's a very specific example and not a broad swath of people at all. And did they have them on when they visited their patients after surgery? No.

Health care
Labs
Crime scenes
Manufacturing
Warehouses
Construction
Landscaping
Dentists
Builders
Sawmills
Drug dealers
Welding
Mining
Brew masters
Chemist
Biologists

……..

To make the argument that some professions required mask wearing for certain aspects of their job so just wear a damn mask it's NBD is... a stretch.

This list is a stretch. I was a bench scientist and didn’t wear a mask all day long pre-COVID. Only in very specific circumstances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are wearing a mask for an extended period you can forget that you have it on.

Some people, sure. Not me! I feel every second of mask wearing.

Me neither. I'm aware of it every moment. I'm envious of people who just love their masks, or at least don't mind them. Because I have yet to find one that doesn't make my nose itch, my glasses fog, and isn't hot and uncomfortable.

So many people wore masks at work already pre-covid. It’s not a big deal. Can you imagine a surgeon not “wanting to mask” because in his head he imagined it was uncomfortable.

Who is so many people who wore masks at work already pre-covid? Yes, surgeons but that's a very specific example and not a broad swath of people at all. And did they have them on when they visited their patients after surgery? No.

Health care
Labs
Crime scenes
Manufacturing
Warehouses
Construction
Landscaping
Dentists
Builders
Sawmills
Drug dealers
Welding
Mining
Brew masters
Chemist
Biologists

……..

To make the argument that some professions required mask wearing for certain aspects of their job so just wear a damn mask it's NBD is... a stretch.

Construction workers wear hard hats ALL DAY LONG and they don't complain.

We should require hard hats in school

[Anonymous]

Why do anti maskers love to fight, and love to start threads just to fight?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think generally, very liberal areas tend to think of the collective, whereas the red areas are much more about the individual, and "I do what I like as long as it's not illegal".. "don't tread on me".

That's also why very liberal areas tend to have higher tax rates, higher minimum wage, more social welfare, do more things for the poor.

It's a collective mindset vs individual mindset.

BS. Liberals are generally very selfish people who only care about themselves and their kids. The rest is self-righteous performance.

That's pretty much it. Masking lets the type of self-important, self-righteous liberals who infest the DMV show off how much they care.

Masking is saving lives. Masking is helping to control COVID. Grow up and stop being the problem.

Masking outdoors is not saving lives or helping to control covid.

moco does not make you mask outdoors.

No, they don't. This isn't about what the County requires (which is basically consistent with most places in the country). It's about what people who live in the county choose to do. And they predominantly choose to be more conservative with covid measures than most other people in the country.

It's back to normal most places. I know people having birthday parties at indoor trampoline parks. But people in MoCo still wear n95 masks at playgrounds to "protect each other." This is not typical behavior these days. This thread is discussing why.

And moco has some of the lowest covid rates in the country. But if you want us to be more like Colorado, maybe you should just move there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do anti maskers love to fight, and love to start threads just to fight?

In the DC area, the hostility has been one way- from pro-maskers towards people who don’t want to wear masks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think generally, very liberal areas tend to think of the collective, whereas the red areas are much more about the individual, and "I do what I like as long as it's not illegal".. "don't tread on me".

That's also why very liberal areas tend to have higher tax rates, higher minimum wage, more social welfare, do more things for the poor.

It's a collective mindset vs individual mindset.

BS. Liberals are generally very selfish people who only care about themselves and their kids. The rest is self-righteous performance.

That's pretty much it. Masking lets the type of self-important, self-righteous liberals who infest the DMV show off how much they care.

Masking is saving lives. Masking is helping to control COVID. Grow up and stop being the problem.

Masking outdoors is not saving lives or helping to control covid.

moco does not make you mask outdoors.

No, they don't. This isn't about what the County requires (which is basically consistent with most places in the country). It's about what people who live in the county choose to do. And they predominantly choose to be more conservative with covid measures than most other people in the country.

It's back to normal most places. I know people having birthday parties at indoor trampoline parks. But people in MoCo still wear n95 masks at playgrounds to "protect each other." This is not typical behavior these days. This thread is discussing why.

And moco has some of the lowest covid rates in the country. But if you want us to be more like Colorado, maybe you should just move there.

DP.. which is even more weird that so many people are still masking.

I just went to TJ. There were a few people without masks. Rolling day average went down below 50. We are doing great here, and with the vaxx for kids approved, hopefully, cases will go down even more, and we can ditch the masks. I have zero problems if some people want to continue wearing them, but we don't need a mandate to have everyone wear them, especially outdoors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think generally, very liberal areas tend to think of the collective, whereas the red areas are much more about the individual, and "I do what I like as long as it's not illegal".. "don't tread on me".

That's also why very liberal areas tend to have higher tax rates, higher minimum wage, more social welfare, do more things for the poor.

It's a collective mindset vs individual mindset.

BS. Liberals are generally very selfish people who only care about themselves and their kids. The rest is self-righteous performance.

That's pretty much it. Masking lets the type of self-important, self-righteous liberals who infest the DMV show off how much they care.

Masking is saving lives. Masking is helping to control COVID. Grow up and stop being the problem.

Masking outdoors is not saving lives or helping to control covid.

moco does not make you mask outdoors.

No, they don't. This isn't about what the County requires (which is basically consistent with most places in the country). It's about what people who live in the county choose to do. And they predominantly choose to be more conservative with covid measures than most other people in the country.

It's back to normal most places. I know people having birthday parties at indoor trampoline parks. But people in MoCo still wear n95 masks at playgrounds to "protect each other." This is not typical behavior these days. This thread is discussing why.

And moco has some of the lowest covid rates in the country. But if you want us to be more like Colorado, maybe you should just move there.

See this is the thing. MoCos rates are low. But... so are rates in a lot of other places (Colorado... not sure where that came from... is not one of them so I'm ignoring that). But rates are low in NYC. And Chicago. And many other places. NYC's positivity rate = 1.9%. Chicago's = 1.8%. MoCos = 1.4%.

So, yay? MoCo is the best? We win?

But lets be serious. The difference between percentage points in a sub 2% positivity rate is basically rounding error. It's certainly not "special" enough to justify some of the more extreme measures I've seen people in MoCo take.

Again, there's a certain type of Type-A-We're-the-Best-and-most-community-focused-of-them-all competitiveness in MoCo that seems a little unique and addresses OP's original question.