Nah, all these examples are very different and involve
very different levels of personal responsibility. For example: Some folks really cannot lose weight due to metabolic problems-- a few of my friends (one of them a former roommate who I worked with at home, so I was with the guy 24/7 for weeks at a time), I watch what they eat, I see how they exercise, they still can't lose weight. It's absolutely outside their control.
We have two dogs, one 16-pounds, the other 14 pounds. The 14 pound dog eats at least 20% more and never gains weight. The 16 pound dog eats almost nothing, and it's hell keeping him at a good weight.
I disagree with
many of your opinions, VM, but as you probably know, agree with many others-- and we might agree about this: I would support a vaccine mandate
only for people who refuse to wear high-quality, properly fitted N95/P100 masks or reusable respirators in indoor spaces or crowded outdoor ones.
I'm actually on the fence about the mandates as they are currently conceived-- I don't have a clear opinion at this point. With an N95 mask exemption, though, I'd support them wholeheartedly.
Let's consider what's actually safer: Two unvaccinated people wearing high-grade masks properly vs. two vaccinated people not wearing masks, assuming people are indoors, about 6-10 feet of distance, and reasonable ventilation.
My opinion is not a popular one: I think the unvaccinated people wearing masks are safer. At the start of the pandemic, some unvaccinated doctors with good PPE had contact with COVID patients all day long without getting infected.
I don't think it's a big deal to wear masks in public... but of course, that's what I would think because that's the reality I thought I would be facing, and what I was mentally preparing myself for. On paper, at least, I'm high risk for both the virus and the vaccine due to an autoimmune disorder. And I expected to see more adverse events from the vaccine in folks with Lupus and RA-- and a lot of rheumatologists expected to see more AEs in this population as well, so I had every expectation I would be abstaining from the fax and branded as a 'vaccine-hesitant.' I was pleasantly surprised by the results of the studies I read, and I've had no AE's from the vax myself. (Just got boosted today. A little sleepy, that's about it so far.)
If we'd all worn high-quality masks, and if we were as careful with masks as skydivers are with parachutes, scuba divers are with regulators? I'm not sure there would have been a pandemic. I think we could have stopped it. It's a shame that we need the vaccine at all-- and the fact that we do is probably more avoidable than some folks being overweight.
I've never understood why wearing a mask is quite such a big deal for some people-- that it symbolizes social control or something. It has a practical purpose!
You mentioned the Real ID, I think, in another post or someone else did. THAT is something I'll never submit to; it's completely Orwellian, and the worst kind of security measure, because it gives an illusory sense of security: I have no doubt the "Real ID" will eventually be as easy to forge as a driver's license. I'll just bring my passport to the airport. I also won't put up with substituting an app for my medical ID card and a lot of other crap.
But not wearing a mask because it somehow infringes on personal freedom? That just seems batsh!t crazy to me.
Come on, people wear masks and respirators at the target range while exercising their second amendment rights! And I admit, that surprised me the first time I went to an indoor target range. "Wow, these guys are hard-core, this is totally Mad Max."
Lead particles in the air are no joke! <-- HA! See? Back to air pollution! It took me a while, but I got back to a Green Room topic!
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