A FRIGHTENED MAN is much more dispiriting than a frightened woman.

Peggy Hall talks about men in masks.

— Comments —

Loyal writes:

Another fabulous video from Peggy Hall!  I, too, just returned from a shopping trip, and although the mask requirements (OOPS, “recommendations”, “guidelines,” I can’t remember!) are getting stricter and more codified, I have successfully been in several stores today with signs on the windows, and no one has said one word to me about my lack of a mask.  At the grocery store, a woman was in front of me with her pre-teen and teen daughters waiting 6 feet apart in 90 degrees to go inside a nearly empty store.  I had my sunglasses on, but I looked ahead and saw the younger daughter say something to her mom and point back at me.  The mom, who had masks for all, but not wearing them yet, turned and looked at me with a smile (or a smirk, I wasn’t sure).  I couldn’t tell if she saw me looking directly back at her, but I remember thinking, “Please don’t say anything to me, unless you want to be embarrassed in front of your kids!”

I should note that before I venture into these stores, I pray for God’s help and protection.  Also, where possible, and because I don’t want a spirit of rebellion to grow in my heart, I have tried to take what I call the “Daniel approach”, based on the Biblical account in Daniel chapter 1, where Daniel and his friends asked the king politely to have food that was different from (healthier than) the king’s rich foods.  They asked and it was granted to them. It is my practice to call in advance, whether it is for my dentist, car repairs, or as I have mentioned, buying a car and selling a house, and explain that I don’t wear a mask.  If I receive resistance, I take my business elsewhere.  If the person is accommodating, I emphasize that I will continue to give them my business and refer others to them.  Therefore, it is possible, as Peggy states, to develop a community of individuals who want to “live their best lives” and not allow the government to continue to infringe on our rights to assemble, worship, and conduct commerce as free citizens, not subjects under tyranny.

Katherine writes:

I have noticed the same thing where I live.  It’s the few women like me who are not wearing masks.  Hardly any men are not wearing a mask.  In their defense, I think a lot of them are under pressure from their jobs (i.e., they are not to be seen in public without a mask – there are snitches out there).

But . . . I recently went to Home Depot to buy touch-up paint for my apartment.  It was a Saturday morning, early, 7:30, and already about a dozen people were waiting in line, dutifully standing on their X spots 6 feet apart.  A man gets out of his beefy Toyota Tundra pick-up, walks to an X spot; he’s tall, well-built, about 45 years old, wearing a T-shirt with the stars and stripes, cowboy boots, nice cowboy hat – he could have been the Marlboro Man, and he was wearing a mask!!!

Essentially, the men are gone.

The mask issue is getting complicated.  I have moved from Virginia, and I now live in North Carolina.  The executive order of the NC governor is insidious (and I expect the VA governor’s EO is similar) – it puts the screws to the business, especially the small business.  Yes, I can refuse to wear a mask, and it’s currently no big deal in Walmart, Home Depot, etc.  But if the small business lets me in without a mask, and some snitch is around who doesn’t like that, the business can be reported to law enforcement, and the business can be penalized (lose the business license?).  The sheriff has said that he won’t enforce the mask mandate on individuals, but it can be enforced on the business that is letting in unmasked customers.  So I see signs in small businesses (book shops, art stores, hair salons) that plead with customers to wear a mask so the business can stay in business.

Now, I’m predicting the next step in Masked Madness:  If I want to go to Walmart or Food Lion, and I say that I have a medical condition that prevents me from wearing a mask, then I will be told to call in my order and use curb-side (contactless) pickup.  That way the big box store can’t be accused of discriminating against persons with disabilities.  I really see that coming due to the big push everywhere toward curb-side pickup.

Lately, all the stores selling food have put up signs that you can call in your order, use curb-side pickup, and pay with your EBT card (food stamps).

So, for now I won’t wear a mask to the big stores.  But to small establishments, like my hair salon, I do.  I can’t fight their battles for them, and I do need their services from time to time.  (Sure, I could order some art supplies from Amazon and not have to wear a mask, but who wants to make Bezos any richer???  And isn’t that precisely part of the “Plan”?)

I am old and weary.  If the men won’t fight, and the small business owners won’t fight, what can one little, old, gray-haired widow woman on Social Security do?

Laura, it looks grim.

As always, my thanks to you for your superb website.

Laura writes:

Thanks for your comments.

You make a good point about men needing to protect their jobs.

Things are grim, and it’s going to take a lot of time for this to work its way through the legal system. I don’t think businesses can be legally penalized because health orders all make exceptions for medical conditions. But businesses are clearly being threatened with penalties.

Ultimately, this is running on the willing compliance of the public. If more people resisted, the business owners would feel better and not so worried.

A town in Pennsylvania Amish country not too far from where I live has many little stores and they have taken to putting signs on their doors saying, “Masks Required: Except for Medical Exemptions.” They are signaling to the mask-less, in an entirely legal manner, that they are welcome.

They are more accommodating and the owners not so worried, I believe, because the Amish and Mennonites in the area don’t wear masks, except when absolutely forced to because of their jobs.

Katherine writes:

The NC governor’s EO 147 is a mess of mixed messages:

“D.  Application of Exceptions:  all North Carolinians will be on the honor system about whether or not there is a reason why they cannot wear a Face Covering.  Everyone in this state is asked to tell the truth and – if they are healthy and able to wear a mask – to wear a Face Covering so that they do not put other people at risk of serious illness and death.”

                So, if you are healthy and don’t wear a mask, you put people at risk of illness and death????  This makes no sense.

Part F, paragraph 3, says that if a business won’t allow entry to a person who refuses to wear a Face Covering, and that person enters or refuses to leave, then the business can call law enforcement and charge that person with trespassing.

                So, what about the medical exemption?  Businesses can disregard the medical exemption, and charge the customer with trespassing, right?

Part E actually sets the stage for my “prediction” :  If a customer claims a medical exemption, the business may choose to offer curbside service, home delivery, etc.

                So, the governor’s EO provides this loophole.

Small business owners here seemed scared, very scared.  They all have huge signs that masks are required, absolutely required. Some keep their doors locked, and won’t unlock if you are not wearing a mask.  Some of the well-established restaurants are more lenient, but all the wait staff wear masks.

Laura writes:

Twisted manipulation. We are living in a horror film.

P. writes:

Katherine wrote:

“Now, I’m predicting the next step in Masked Madness:  If I want to go to Walmart or Food Lion, and I say that I have a medical condition that prevents me from wearing a mask, then I will be told to call in my order and use curb-side (contactless) pickup.  That way the big box store can’t be accused of discriminating against persons with disabilities.  I really see that coming due to the big push everywhere toward curb-side pickup.”

The Burger King in my town, under orders from their corporate owners, has been told to tell customers who come in without masks due to medical reasons to go back outside and go through the drive-thru. In another bit of strangeness, a person is REQUIRED to wear a mask while ordering inside (to the point of being handed one if they don’t have one with them), but may move down six inches and pick up their order without a mask on. The virus only likes the ordering station?

We are living in a horror movie and I don’t like them. I hope it ends soon.

Laura writes:

I’ve never so strongly envied the Amish way of life as I do now. They don’t need corporate retail and could care less what the government tells them to do. For years, they’ve watched mainstream Americans grow ever more corpulent, slovenly and androgynous. And now they see us all wearing face panties. Their horses and buggies never looked so good.

Face masks are just one more step in the progressive collapse of American dress and manners. I think rubber gloves for all are coming soon and then maybe mandatory paper booties like my plumber wears over his shoes. All of it will make millions for the makers of masks, gloves and booties. There’s always profit behind these government edicts. The government works for big business and big business works for the government. That’s why it’s so important that small businesses get out of the way.

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