And just like that, the CDC is "wrong" now in the eyes of some folks...

Sketcher

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For months we heard about the importance of sticking to CDC guidelines, and following the advice of experts...

Now that they've relaxed their guidelines through a couple of iterations for those of us who are vaccinated, some folks have changed their tune.

Nurses' union president criticizes new CDC mask guidance - CNN

US coronavirus: The CDC was too cautious about what vaccinated people can do, doctors say. Now pendulum has swung in the opposite direction - CNN

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...9c1080-b673-11eb-96b9-e949d5397de9_story.html

Thanks, but I’m Going to Keep My Mask on Outdoors



For quite a while, I had my suspicions that some folks were using a mask as a virtue signal rather than for it's practical purpose.

I agreed with masking during the time where the vaccine wasn't widely available to everyone...but now that it's available to practically anyone who wants it (places are offering walk-in appointments), and everyone who wants to protect themselves, can do so.

I think that people may expose themselves a bit based on whether or not they opt to still wear a mask after being fully vaccinated.

If people who are fully vaccinated ditch the mask when given the freedom to do so, then they were using it for the pragmatic and functional purpose. If they come up with reasons for why they still want to wear them despite being vaccinated or now start questioning the institutional experts they've claimed to revere for the last 12 months, I think it's safe to assume that for them, the mask is basically the left-wing equivalent of a MAGA hat.
Yeah, pretty much.
There was always a political virtue signaling element to this. This explains their support of mass gatherings (better known as "mostly peaceful protests") in the middle of a pandemic, when no lives matter to this virus. They shamelessly switched from Karen mode to riot mode and back. When you have belief that allows this level of cognitive dissonance, naturally you will not welcome any news from a science-based authority (which they insisted the CDC was) that relaxes previous recommendations.

And if anyone on the left is reading this, and this doesn't describe you, good. I know people personally that this does describe.
 
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Michie

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I can’t believe people hijacked a name like Karen or whatever to use it to oppose their opposition. Imagine if someone politically brainwashed used names associated with the black community. It would not go over well and accusations of bigotry and racism would be flying about. Why is Karen okay? It’s so hypocritical.
 
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Sketcher

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I can’t believe people hijacked a name like Karen or whatever to use it to oppose their opposition. Imagine if someone politically brainwashed used names associated with the black community. It would not go over well and accusations of bigotry and racism would be flying about. Why is Karen okay? It’s so hypocritical.
I feel bad for the decent females named Karen out there, it must be hard for them. IIRC, that originated on the left and was embraced by the left.
 
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Michie

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I feel bad for the decent females named Karen out there, it must be hard for them. IIRC, that originated on the left and was embraced by the left.
It’s sad. Tribalism is making a huge comeback.
 
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trunks2k

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There's a practical/behavioral vs scientific issue here.

I trust the CDC in that if you are fully vaccinated you are at minimal risk to yourself and others and in a perfect world, vaccinated people don't need to wear a mask.

However, what I don't trust is other people. I don't trust unvaccinated people to continue to wear masks and keep social distancing. I don't trust them to not just claim to be vaccinated so they don't have to deal with the restrictions.
 
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com7fy8

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If people who are fully vaccinated ditch the mask when given the freedom to do so, then they were using it for the pragmatic and functional purpose. If they come up with reasons for why they still want to wear them despite being vaccinated or now start questioning the institutional experts they've claimed to revere for the last 12 months, I think it's safe to assume that for them, the mask is basically the left-wing equivalent of a MAGA hat.
There are ones who can make a big show of claiming a mask is a left-wing MAGA statement. If two or three people scream this loud enough, so the media puts them on the air, then it doesn't matter if they are the only two or three in the United States > still, ones seeing them can assume they speak for any and all maskers who have been vaccinated :)

But my opinion is > I have seen how each person can be so unique; so one screaming in-your-facer on TV or the Net does not speak for anyone but one's own self. But there can be a lot of people who will hear that screamer and suppose he or she speaks for even any and all vaccinated ones who are wearing a mask.

I myself have some medical and scientific experience and education. So, it is not hard for me to consider this > if I am vaccinated, still I could get the COVID, plus the vaccine might make me more likely to be asymptomatic so I could unknowingly spread it. Even so, I suppose the vaccine can help so that if I'm asymptomatic, I will have less virus concentration to put out, than if I was not vaccinated.

And another side of it . . . maybe . . . is that now a lot of unvaccinated people have chosen that way. So, I might not feel so obligated to wear a mask in order to protect them. But I think it can still help.

And I suppose the CDC might be using some psychology to encourage people to get vaccinated . . . dangling that freedom from masks as a reward in front of them. And this might help, more or less, if more people get motivated to get vaccinated. They could be using psychology, versus scientific reason :) but with a scientific motive.

There are ones wearing masks because they still are concerned. So, by wearing mine and keeping it six, maybe I am showing them I care about them, so they know there are people who care about how they feel. People might need the encouragement of this.

But I don't control what others think and feel about what I do . . . :) . . . d:idea:o I?
 
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tall73

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I wear a mask and I’m fully vaccinated. My concern is regardless of the ever changing narrative, I’m still concerned about the vulnerable. My mom, my mil, etc. At this point, I just feel it’s better to be safe than sorry. It has nothing to do with maga hats or virtue signaling at all. People are cautious and reasonably so imo.

Given that some are not going to, however, wouldn't it be better to get them fitted with an N95 if they are vulnerable, so that they would have better protection?

At some point, now that all except those who have medical reasons not to are eligible to get the vaccine, things have to open up.

Those who are vulnerable can use the more effective equipment, now that production is ramped up.
 
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Michie

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Given that some are not going to, however, wouldn't it be better to get them fitted with an N95 if they are vulnerable, so that they would have better protection?

At some point, now that all except those who have medical reasons not to are eligible to get the vaccine, things have to open up.

Those who are vulnerable can use the more effective equipment, now that production is ramped up.
Not if they can’t breathe well as is and have severe lung problems along with immune disorders.
 
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Michie

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I meant could you get an n95 as it would protect them more?
I’m fully vaccinated now. I’ve been helping them for years now. I see no reason to go any further than I am at this point. The doctor thinks I’m taking all the precautions.
 
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ThatRobGuy

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And I suppose the CDC might be using some psychology to encourage people to get vaccinated . . . dangling that freedom from masks as a reward in front of them. And this might help, more or less, if more people get motivated to get vaccinated. They could be using psychology, versus scientific reason :) but with a scientific motive.

If it was just the psychological aspect of encouraging vaccinations, then that's one thing.

However, if the people (who are fully vaccinated) are continuing to mask due to the fact that they're claiming there's still some imminent threat, and it's being saddled with sentiments like this one

States are turning away unemployment aid. Workers fear choice between health and a paycheck.

Then it seems like it could be potentially be a case where some folks are basically saying "we haven't accomplished all of the policy initiatives we wanted in the name of covid, so we have to keep things locked down"

Infections are down, overall, as are hospitalizations and deaths... the vaccines are working and they're working well.

Vaccine supply outpaces demand at this point, so with the exception of very young people (which sounds like it'll be approved for them very soon, and the tiny number of people with a legitimate reason for why they can't be vaccinated, the only thing stopping someone from being protected is themselves at this point.

The anti-vaxxers are going to be the ones, if anyone, to spread covid to someone who's vulnerable, the chance of that happening from someone who's fully vaccinated is extremely low in comparison.

Even with the example person in the NBC article...

JACKSON, Miss. — For Kelvin Wade, 34, the pandemic is far from over.

He recently marked the anniversary of his mother's death from Covid-19, a loss that still feels fresh. He and his wife, D'Anna, 23, who live in Ridgeland, Mississippi, fear for the safety of their 15-month-old daughter, so Wade goes out on errands alone, hoping to reduce the family's exposure.


Despite evidence that the vaccines are extremely safe, the couple is hesitant to get vaccinated, worried that the shots could bring additional risks.

And more than a year after the coronavirus first began shuttering businesses and displacing people from their jobs, both are still out of work.

Kelvin Wade worked as a forklift operator at a warehouse until he lost his job as production slowed in March 2020. D'Anna Wade sensed that layoffs at the department store where she worked would follow, so after her maternity leave, she decided not to return. It didn't make sense, she thought, to expose herself to the virus while waiting on the inevitable.

Kelvin Wade has been reluctant to venture back out into the workforce. The $2,000 in monthly unemployment benefits he receives is less than he made at the warehouse, but he hasn't been able to find another job that pays as much and feels safe. While fast food restaurants are hiring, they pay less and involve more interaction with the public. He'd like to work from home, but he hasn't found any prospects.

"Right now, I don't have a solution," he said.

They're depicting it as if this Kelvin Wade guy is some sort of victim. He and his wife are hesitant to get vaccinated, but then claim "it's not fair they're cutting off my aid because I'm afraid to go back to work.

To the guy in the article, I say... Sorry, Kelvin, there's a simple solution to that problem, and it's not the government continuing to pay you $2000/month to stay home for a second year in a row... go get the shot(s), and get back to work.
 
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ThatRobGuy

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I get that the masks became a political issue when they shouldn't have.

I get that people were being morally judged for not wearing them when they shouldn't have been.

I get that now people are judged for vaccines or masks and stuff.

Does anyone really feel that way though? I honestly never felt any animosity or resentment towards those who did or didn't wear a mask.

I don't think of the vaccinated as virtuous or unvaccinated as immoral.

And now that it's come around full circle....I don't feel any different. I don't resent the masked vaccinated, I don't judge.

We all began this thing without a living experience of such a pandemic. It's no surprise that we saw so many people making so many different choices. None of it was really shocking...there were no flagellants scouring their backs in the public square.

I don't see why this need to judge and condemn seems to grip the minds of so many.

I don't resent masked vaccinated people if they're doing it for personal paranoia/fear, whatever you want to call it... (same way I wouldn't resent a person who had some OCD and opted to wash their hands 100 times a day)

The aspect I would resent, is if they're doing that to push a narrative that the situation is still just as dangerous as it was 8 months ago, "and that's why we still need things locked down, and still need things like indefinite unemployment, and more rounds of stimulus".

And based on the NBC article I linked earlier, that seems to be the angle some are pursuing...

States are turning away unemployment aid. Workers fear choice between health and a paycheck.

It's almost as if there's two sets of rules with how vaccine-hesitancy is being treated in the eyes of certain media outlets based on narratives.

If it's "Florida-Man" rejecting the vaccine, and wanting all restrictions lifted because he wants "freedom over fear" (or whatever talking point they tend to use), then his vaccine-hesitancy is demonized as selfish and not doing his part to contribute to herd immunity and get back to normalcy.

If it's Kelvin Wade (in the NBC article), who doesn't want to go back to work because he claims to be afraid, doesn't want to take the vaccine, but keeps wanting the government to shell out monthly payments to him. It's being portrayed as him being the victim, and "Kelvin's being forced to choose be his health and putting food on the table" and "Kelvin doesn't have a solution", etc...

My stance is that both positions are selfish... one shouldn't be treated "awe that poor guy, we all need to keep these covid measures going to protect him", just because he's wanting a public policy that lines up with a particular partisan initiative.
 
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com7fy8

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The anti-vaxxers are going to be the ones, if anyone, to spread covid to someone who's vulnerable,
But the vulnerable can get vaccinated so they do not suffer because of anti-vaxxers. So, at this point I would say ones not vaccinated can be making their choice; and I enjoy being nice to anyone, whatever he or she is choosing. I'm being less cautious, now, but there are times I have my double-mask on . . . as was recommended at one point because of the new strains . . . and I feel a little like the dodo birdie :) lolololololololol as I note in some situations how no one else is wearing one mask, never mind two!

But my senior lady friend and her friends have been vaccinated. And one who was apparently violating regulations openly is now dead after having had COVID. But the vaxxed ones are still with her. So, now I do relax my precautions more. One day I got into the grocery store some way, and I was beaming with a smile at someone, then realized someone saw my smile. Plus, I had forgotten to keep a mask with me; so I scurried with my tail between my legs to customer service, pointing at my face. The lady was very nice and got me a mask.

So-o-o > we're not all alike, in our real lives, in dealing with this.
 
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ThatRobGuy

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But the vulnerable can get vaccinated so they do not suffer because of anti-vaxxers. So, at this point I would say ones not vaccinated can be making their choice; and I enjoy being nice to anyone, whatever he or she is choosing.

When I refer to the vulnerable in that context, I'm referring to the small percentage of people who can't be vaccinated due to legitimate medical issues.

I don't consider the people with co-morbidities to be particularly vulnerable anymore since they can, as you said, get the vaccine.
 
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com7fy8

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I'm referring to the small percentage of people who can't be vaccinated due to legitimate medical issues.
Oh-h-h . . . thank you for the clarification. Yeah, I guess certain ones have allergic reaction risks.

So, you never know. If I keep a mask on, it could help one of the people who can't get a vaccine. And I don't think I need to be self-righteous about it, but helping someone less fortunate than I am is not a major sacrifice to make.

I have scientific and medical background, with already some developed discipline so the mask stuff and hand washing is more natural for me. But others have just been free of this stuff; so it can be much harder for them to deal with it. And any of us might be able to just make up reasons and justification so we can look good and/or avoid making sacrifices we don't want to make. But I still can find ways to self-righteous criticize and look down on other people.

So, in my case, since I already am fairly accustomed to medical precautions, it's not really a sacrifice. Plus, I suppose the statistical likelihood of exposing with a dangerously allergic person might be not so much. But there still are people getting pick-up at the grocery store and ones have masks on the bike path, stuff like this. So, I am ok with keeping one on to possibly encourage the ones who are still worried. But I enjoy "smiling" at and greeting ones who don't wear one, too.

One time I went into a bar area and the guys did not have masks. One guy said I looked like I was wearing my underwear. It was my self-made face wrap made from an old shirt. It seemed that might have been intended as an insult. But I just talked with him, then he claimed he had a medical condition so he could not wear one. Yeah . . . maybe he was trying to cover up what had been meant to criticize me.

But Jesus wants us to love people. Enjoy loving, and make sure we aren't wearing masks to cover up our selfish ways > a number of us have been putting on masks for church and other things, for quite some time before the pandemic. Ones can feel even obligated to put on their show, socially. But now when you get told to wear a mask that others can see, for people's good . . . not just to hide hypocrisy . . . all of a sudden a mask is such a horrible thing :doh:
 
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