Double Think Requires Two Excuses

I find myself sometimes shockingly slow at figuring out stuff. It's taken me for ever to figure out a consistent and coherent way to deal with the mask mandate. However, things are falling into place.

My first mistake was to think that people would be opposed to the mask mandate as such. I keep thinking that people care about their liberties even though it's clear that they don't. People care about conformity. They like to obey authorities. Anyone thinking that this will somehow change is kidding themselves.

My second mistake was to think that I need to be an example for others. By showing everyone how nice it is to go without a mask, they too will want to go without a mask. But that's not true. Given a choice between fresh air and blind obedience, most people prefer obedience.

Finally, I keep making the mistake of thinking that majorities matter, even though I've long since given up on democracy. I keep thinking that we have to somehow create a movement, but that's not true. All that matters is that we have friends and family that we can trust. Everyone else can burn in hell or live in mask mandate nirvana. Who cares?

The point is not to create a movement, but to live free, and the best way to do this at the moment is to dress up like a thug.

Me as a thug

Ever since I started dressing this way, I've been left alone. No-one seems interested in stopping me in the streets to point out that my mask has dropped below my nose. Furthermore, I don't mind the mask as long as my nose is free to breathe fresh air, so I'm not desperate to see the mask mandate being retracted. I can sustain this dress code as long as it takes. As far as I'm concerned, my predicament has been resolved.

The key insight was this: Instead of opposing the rules, we can embrace them, and expand them to their ultimate conclusion.

Wearing a mask used to be a punishable offence in many jurisdictions. It was illegal, and for good reasons. However, policy makers have nevertheless pushed ahead with their mandate, and the natural first reaction to this was for liberty loving people to oppose it. But why not do the opposite? Why not take advantage of this new liberty that has been introduced, namely the all clear to dress up as a thug?

One reason for apprehension is that it looks weird. There's something awkward about suddenly coming out in the streets looking like a thug, especially when we've spent a lifetime making sure we look friendly and approachable. We need to come up with an excuse, just in case someone asks us what the heck we're doing. In fact, we have to come up with two excuses, because the mask mandate relies on a great deal of double think. But luckily for us, that's not so hard to do.

When approached by friends and family, we tell them how this whole situation is a special kind of opportunity. We're exploring the thug in ourselves now that we are allowed to do so. There are also advantages. We're keeping people at a distance. No-one is eager to point out that we're wearing our mask incorrectly. Being a thug is fun. It's well worth trying. People shouldn't miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity.

We can of course be candid and open about our scepticism towards the mask mandate as well. But we don't have to start out by saying this, and if we're addressed by a friend who might believe the official narrative, we're better off not mentioning the virus at all. It's all about laws and regulations, and how we like to experiment and have some fun in life. It's a joke of sorts. It's all fun and games.

In the off chance we're approached by strangers, we have the other story that we can tell. It's all about social distancing. The mask of the beast tells people to stay away. 6 foot away to be precise. The cane we carry is useful as a tool to measure the required 6 foot distance. As such, the stranger is standing too close. We may insist on more distance. Our nose poking out above our mask was a slip up, and it wouldn't have mattered if the stranger wasn't so reckless as to step up close to us. And of course, I wear my sunglasses on rainy days to protect my eyes against the virus.

There's no lack of insanity that can be piled on top of the stranger, and the wonderful thing about it is that the stranger must admit that it's true, no matter how insane it sounds.

Social distancing tool