From Greenfield Village, to which Henry Ford moved the Wright Brothers’ bicycle shop:
The sign:
“Thousands of pages had been written on the so-called science of flying, but for the most part, the ideas set forth, like the designs for the machines, were mere speculations and probably ninety percent were false.” — Wilbur Wright
As with coronaplague, there was a credentialed elite to which those interested in heavier-than-air flying were supposed to defer. Professor Samuel Langley, for example. As with coronaplague, the only things that these scientists couldn’t do were make accurate predictions or design systems that functioned as they desired.
Aside from the Wienermobile, my favorite part of the Henry Ford Museum visit was seeing family groups in which one or two members were unmasked while the rest were following science by wearing simple non-N95 paper or cloth masks. Despite fine science-guided leadership from the White House and nearly 70 percent of folks in Wayne County being Democrats, only 1 in 50 of the visitors wore a mask indoors. How could a saliva-soaked cloth or paper mask protect the handful of wearers from contagion? And, if that was the goal, what was the point? In the group below, for example, Adult 1 and Teenager would be protected, but Adult 2 would spread whatever germs acquired during the museum visit once back in the car or home (unless they also use masks within the car/house?).
Here’s another example. The older couple in the back of the Model T walked around Greenfield Village, one masked and one not masked:
Readers: What is the rationale of family groups in which one person regularly uses a mask in public while the others do not? How does the masked person hope to escape coronaplague under those circumstances? (Or maybe the answer is “he/she/ze/they doesn’t, but wishes to protect others” but, in that case, why does he/she/ze/they stay in the family? Why not take advantage of Michigan’s no-fault divorce system and move away from the thoughtless science-deniers?)
What is the rationale of family groups in which one person regularly uses a mask in public while the others do not? There is none!
This seems like people exercising freedom of choice and should be commended. Maybe silly, but it’s “Pet Rock” silly, which is refreshing at a time when government, corporations, and universities openly violate the first point of the Nuremberg Code.
30 years ago when antibiotic resistant bacteria was big news, we would have said the delta variant was created by vaccination. Scientists predicted that accurately, but it’s not politically correct to say it.
At least the variant we created doesn’t cause symptoms yet.
If I tried to find rationale I would have to assume that masked family member coughs and does not want to be a cause of too much alarm for others, or has going maskless mental disorder.
On the other hand I know at least 2 families where one of spouses got sick and the other living in the same house never tested positive for or experience any effects of coronavirus infection, including one octogenarian who was exposed for weeks to a sick family member without realizing it. or catching the disease.
Liberal logic: liberals don’t like conservatives, and conservatives don’t like masks, therefore liberals like masks. Q.E.D.
See also: liberals don’t like Trump, and liberals don’t like Hitler, therefore liberals think Trump is Hitler.
Social pressure/inability to stand up to the herd. They won’t stand up to the Swedish inspired family member either. I’ve only worn a mask a half dozen times through all the nonsense, while my wife and teenage daughter were mask compliant. My daughter wouldn’t go to the store with me peak nonsense out of social fear. Neither was ever afraid of catching something from me, it was always about being conformist. History shows people don’t have to be forced into camps just told to get on the train, everyone else is.
Probably no surprise that studies prove that women, especially White women, are more conformist than men.
> Why not take advantage of Michigan’s no-fault divorce system and move away from the thoughtless science-deniers?
I have to believe that the older lady in the back of the Model T is probably as far from reality as most people will ever get. First of all, depending on how fast they were going and the prevailing traffic, the likelihood of mechanical failure, etc., her chance of dying in an accident with that Model T driven on public roads is probably several orders of magnitude greater than her chance of contracting COVID while riding in that car. I think it’s a silent protest against her husband. Her chances of dying from “Husband” or vice-versa are also probably orders of magnitude greater than dying from aerosolized Chinese virus out there in the Great Wide Open. You would think she’d take off the mask and live a little enjoying the rustic splendor of turn-of-the-(last)-century automotive engineering (check out that bald left front “tire” !), but Noooooo. Afflictions of the mind are notoriously difficult to diagnose or cure.
Is Johnny Depp turning gay at the end of the video or just MGTOW?
Speaking of taking calculated risks in moments of passion and exuberance, check out the full timed shootout runs from Goodwood Festival of Speed 2021.
Beginning with a 60 horsepower Mercedes from 1903. The pilots were wearing full nomex suits and helmets, but sneakers and no masks as far as I can tell.
FANTASTIC! And some really awesome driving with some truly iconic and valuable cars.
Check out Alexander Boswell in the Delage Bequet and then Ben Collings going sideways and drifting like a Japanese teenager in a Skyline GTR whilst pushing the 200 horsepower Mercedes Blitzen Benz! (4:27) Lunatics, these people!
I think these mask-wearers were just trying to be polite, according to what they believe polite means these days, by trying to filter their breath outwardly for the potential benefit of others on the off chance they’re infected. Note that the demographics of the three exemplars compared to the older men who dgaf.
I don’t think they were trying to filter inwardly and avoid catching something, unless they’re operating on the notion that basic non-sealing non-N95 face coverings offer much inward protection.
This is actually one thing were a good rationale exists. Perhaps that person just recently had delta, and hence is immune to it.
There are no medical tests which can discriminate between delta and other strains.
The medical authoritah are just presuming it’s the dreaded “delta”. Rather than, say, adimtting that what we see could be the vaccine-induced ADE in action.
“What is the rationale of family groups in which one person regularly uses a mask in public while the others do not? ”
Its this….some of my family members are considerate of other people’s fears and phobias and wear masks.( not everyone can read or think rationally and they may be very fearful) . I myself am not so considerate and stopped wearing them 16 months ago. Haven’t been arrested yet, although some of the fearful have been rude. Also havent been sick. Neither mask wearers nor non-wearers in the family are fearful of COVID, since we have no comorbidities. Also, we can all read and know that masks dont help.
Old white men in your photos: 100% unmasked.
Non-old white men: 100% science believers.
We’ve found the trend!
I still wish I could be reincarnated as a tens- or hundreds-millionaire, then I would have plenty of idle time to author hundreds of blog posts where I cared about the masking status of strangers. Wouldn’t that be a great, productive way to spend my limited time on earth with nothing better to do? Hopefully you are at least sipping a pina colada on the beach while typing.
Phil: Since, according to you, we are supposed to care about the mask status of strangers, are you sending your kids to school in Ground-Zero-for-Delta Florida with or without masks? Are you pulling the FoxNews tactic of railing against vaccines/vaccine passports publicly while requiring them internally/behind the scenes?
Mike, do you want to be re-incarnated as @philg kid?
Before that, are you willing consider entrepreneurship as a suitable occupation?