@freemo Eh, you obviously haven't been in Europe lately. ;)

Europeans can be rather moronic as well. The difference is that we have less guns, so it tends to not be that destructive in general. But we still have plenty of village idiots we'd like to export! Do you have some free space over there? ;)

@louiscouture

@trinsec

Guns play almost no role in the problems of the USA in the sense we are talking about (propensity to extremism and stupidity).

While i agree europeans have certainly dumbed down a few notches it doesnt even compare to where americans are at right now.

@louiscouture

@freemo this is an interesting point ngl. I think Europeans, especially in Nordic countries are more prone to respect health measures because they are better educated than in America

@louiscouture I agree, but they are also less likely to take it to the same extreme as some americans too. They take it exactly as far as is reasonable.

Consider for example that half of ameicans during the pandemic were so extreme about it some wore double masks, I even saw some in full face shields. They would also harass, sometimes (rarely) to the point of violence anyone not wearing a mask. They would even deny non mask wearers access to stores. So this kind of represents the whole "some americans follow it but take it to an extreme"

On the flip side you have people who think the whole thing is some big conspiracy. No masks of course, but they also wont even social distance, or wash their hands, or take any precaution at all. And while I would say this falls under "lack of education" it isnt that simple. Many of these people were taught about viruses and washing your hands and what the peer reviewed research is... they just deny it and beleive its a conspiracy. Thats more of a paranoid delusion than education in some ways.

Meanwhile middle of the road people who take reasonable precautions and dont exaggerate the situation (like the nords) are a minority in america.

@freemo well, for the mask part, I think it’s reasonable to not let someone enter your shop if you don’t wear a mask. Mask are effective to protect you and others and I see it as completely normal to want a safe shopping environnement for everyone involved, that is, of course, unless someone has a condition preventing them from wearing masks, but this is a rare occurrence.

Ive heard something about double masking, in that you should use a disposable mask and a reusable one on top, but from what I hear about local authorities, it’s that it’s best to use a disposable mask. Triple masking is a big no no as this can actually cause respiratory problems.

@freemo where I live anyway, masks are mandatory in inside public spaces, and now also outdoor if you do activities with someone else not from your bubble.

@louiscouture I am kind of neutral to a store owner asking people to wear a mask inside.. His store his rules and in my mind he is making the rules he feels will get him the most customers, so its whatever.

But in principle the way I see it, each person should be worrying about their own protection. If you think masks are effective at protecting you wear a mask. If you think their only effective at protecting others, wear a face shield.. you have the means to cover up however you wish, thats on you, and not something you have a right to put a burden on others when you have the means to take care of yourself.

Generally I feel masks are overkill and idiotic outside of a few situations (for example if your going to interact with the elderly for an extended period of time, face to face, and interact directly a face mask makes sense. I also tend to feel that because of the unique situation of the general public in a epidemic where they wear a mask all day long that it in fact is likely to cause (indirectly mostly) the spread of the disease to be faster, rather than hinder it. There are several reason for this that I covered before but it basically revolves around the fact that while masks can be effective when used properly under strict rules (like never touching it, never pulling it down to your chin to drink, etc) these rules arent practiced by the public and thus increase disease spread. Moreover people wearing masks seem to feel more comfortable not abiding by social distancing which is more effective than the masks themselves.