I just got back from Whole Foods. I have political objections to their being owned by Amazon, although their founder seems like he was and is a solid guy (I know someone who knew him quite well). I have objections to the people who shop there. But basically I hate everyone sometimes, and I really am a Granola sort at heart. A Barry Goldwater hippie. There are not many of us.
I sometimes describe myself as a tribe of one, in fact, and have probably done so here at some point.
Be all that as it may, I was the only one not wearing a mask. They have a sign basically saying that if you have been vaccinated you don’t have to wear a mask, but probably should anyway, especially if you are still scared. That’s more or less the gist of it.
And I KNOW that a good chunk of the people in there HAVE to have been vaccinated. At this point, if you want it you can get it, and without stereotyping more than absolutely necessary and absolutely 100% accurately across all times and places with respect to everyone, these people are the scared people. They have been vaccinated. Trust me.
So why are they still wearing masks? And it hit me: there is a psychological secondary gain to masks. Normally, when we are talking secondary gains we are discussing dysfunctional behavior patterns, but in important respects, is not wearing a medically useless piece of cloth over your face dysfunctional? Like sleeping in every morning, or sabotaging your diet?
Masks are NOT useless: they are identifiers. They allow you to say “I care” and allow you to identify people who think like you do. It is literally a Tribe of the Masks.
And think about this: as a head covering the Yarmulke is absolutely pointless. It might prevent sunburn on the top of the head of a balding man, but it won’t keep you warm, or keep rain off of you. What it DOES do is identify Jews of a specific sort. When they all put one on and go to the synagogue on the 7th day of their week, it reassures them. They know they are not alone, that many share their faith and customs and habits.
Tocqueville spoke some time ago about the importance of what he termed “voluntary associations”
What I would suggest is that this is a sort of ersatz tribalism,. and as one not anchored in war and history and involuntary association, one that can satisfy our emotional needs, without leading down the path to all the terrible things men in masses (it is usually men) tend to do when their culture is their life.
So this Mask Tribe is not culturally harmful, even if from a scientific perspective it is, was, and will remain ludicrous.
I think that’s what I had to say. I’m not fully sure.
OK, I think this is what I wanted to add: this Mask Tribe IS dangerous in the sense that they are pushing vaccinations which MAY be dangerous for some of us, and are almost certainly in my view much more dangerous that the disease itself, at least for anyone who is nutritionally sufficient. They have also attacked many of us pointlessly and angrily. I’ve been yelled at quite a few times, probably in the 15-20 range.
So none of that is OK. But as long as they leave me alone–I will note no Jew has ever asked me to wear a Yarmulke–I am fine with all of it. Their lives, their choices. My life, my choices. Simple.