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@luckytran@med-mastodon.comSome COVID conscious people are worried about mask bans because protestors are wearing them. That's understandable, but (a) they are wearing them to mitigate COVID spread, and (b) even if COVID didn't exist, they should have the right to wear them to protect against surveillance.
There are many valid reasons for wearing a mask. We don't restrict people from wearing glasses or sunglasses based on the reason why they are wearing them. We should be pushing governments to pass laws that protect everyone's right to wear a mask, no matter what the reason.
@luckytran Tbf, if a bunch of people started wearing Reflectacles (https://www.reflectacles.com/) or similar glasses that “dazzle” security cameras, there’d be at least one politician that would be floating the idea of criminalizing them by the end of the week…
@luckytran In 2020 more should have realized that insisting on a mask mandate would be more than a health benefit.
@luckytran in Virginia, masks were banned a century ago to stop the kkk. the legal argument is that free speech is not anonymous
@luckytran there should absolutely be some kind of check against omnipresent surveillance. and covid masks are different than kkk masks. but legally disentangling these issues from freedom of speech and anonymous vandalizing is much more complicated
@luckytran
Whilst new laws criminalized masking in public competing ad-hoc-laws illegalized not-masking in public.
=;)
We won this round ...
and even if COVID didn't exist, many other airborne diseases and pollutants do
I have a challenge immune system*& my Mom who I take care of still wear mask for protection from anything out there. It's important.