[Aaron Novick]

Kevin, I am simply taking Reno at his word, and assuming that he knows basic, widely available information. I'm not spinning anything.

He wants people not to wear masks (taking him at his word).
His reason for wanting people not to wear masks is purely aesthetic; he doesn't like the image it conveys (taking him at his word).
He knows that people wearing masks will save lives (assuming he knows basic, widely available information).

He knows that what he wants will substantially increase the death toll of covid-19. He nonetheless thinks his aesthetic preference is more important than people's lives.

[Mark McDonnell]

He called people who wear masks to protect themselves against Covid 19 "cowards". He's a dick.

Then he used the analogy of "soldiers in WW2" not wearing masks. Well, no, a mask isn't much protection against a bullet is it? So he's a stupid dick as well.

A stupid,dangerous dick. Hallelujah.

[Kevin Rainbow]

Get a grip. A lot of people aren't wearing masks. That doesn't make them guilty of some deathwish for humanity. At first we were told masks weren't even helpful, now all the sudden people are murderers if they don't wear them?

In any case, there's a better way to disagree with someone's behaviour. Why don't you amend your own behaviour first and quit treating behaviour you strongly don't agree with as some sort of permission to resort to dehumanizing name-calling and bashing, and ridiculous accusations in response.

[Julie Steiner]

He [Reno] deliberately kicks over hornets' nests because the resulting negative attention makes those who share his views think he's a brave, noble martyr. The more visible and vehement the hatred he's able to provoke, the more his fan club grows in numbers and enthusiasm.

I've seen this movie before, and it did not end well for anyone.

[Aaron Novick]

I can sympathize with someone who is confused about the value of wearing a mask because they were (wrongly) told that it was of no use. Such a person should be gently corrected and guided to more accurate information. Anyone who knows that masks are effective in slowing the spread of disease and yet refuses to wear them in indoor spaces is recklessly endangering the lives of others.

But this is beside the point, because we're not actually talking about the personal decision to wear a mask or not. (Though, let us not forget that Reno has almost certainly killed someone by refusing to wear a mask.) We're talking about Reno using his position of non-trivial influence to try to bring it about that fewer people wear masks, despite his knowing that doing so will increase the death toll. (I can sympathize with the average Joe or Jill who is confused about masks. I hold the editor of a magazine to higher standards, for obvious reasons.) His reasoning is aesthetic: he doesn't like the image wearing a mask conveys. It's not macho. Sorry dude, but it's just straightforwardly true to say that Reno thinks the lives that would be saved by widespread mask-wearing are worth less than his fragile sense of masculinity. Hell, he himself says, in the article Quincy posted, that we overvalue human life.

Your complaints about my tone do, I admit, provide amusing evidence that conservatives are snowflakes who aren't equipped to handle leaving their safe space.

[Orwn Acra]

My favorite paragraph is this one:

"As I got into my car to leave, I thought of the dying. They are alone. The “no visitors” policy requires their solitude in death. I can understand the epidemiological rationale—to prevent hospitals from becoming focal points for the spread of the disease. But it is a deeply inhumane policy. A society that condemns the sick to die alone needs to reexamine its basic principles."

In which he admits to understanding the virus's epidemiology, gestures towards caring about the dying, but then wittingly precedes to spread the virus by refusing to social distance or wear a mask. And yes, it was wittingly, because he then states: "I am positive for the antibodies, which indicates that I have already been infected by the virus. No surprise." And since the antibodies take a few weeks to show, we can reasonably assume he was spreading the virus while walking around the hospital. He gets the test at the beginning of May; his hospital visit was April 7.

So what do you call that, Kevin? Do you think that's humane? Can your argument go anywhere other than how well-behaved we are in this forum, a forum to which you contribute nothing except to occasionally come out from under your rock to tut-tut someone's language?

[Martin Elster]

Observation: He thinks it’s bad to protect “a material good” such as health, yet he takes long bicycle rides. Why? Is it not, at least in part, for health?

[Kevin Rainbow]

So what do you call that, Kevin? Do you think that's humane?

I don't know.

Without knowing specifically what interactions he had, how can we determine if his behaviour actually endangered anyone? Not being afraid of something and not taking out-of-the ordinary precautions don't guarantee the risk turns into an actual harm or death. The risk is higher when there is a new virus going around, but is STILL high when a new virus isn't going around. Thousands and thousands of people suffer and die from influenza every year. Likewise, thousands of people die from car-accidents, guns, alcohol, etc. Some people will be more afraid and try to minimize as much risk as possible from this or that thing, others will not be as afraid and therefore not take as many precautions to minimize the risk or dangers of this or that. Lots of people get vaccinated, lots of people don't. It is normal for different people to act differently depending on their own experiences, circumstances, the amount of risk they pose to themselves or others, their beliefs, how afraid they are, etc. It really is NOT natural to demand uniformity from people and really disturbing when people are condemned for not living up to the uniformity.

Can your argument go anywhere other than how well-behaved we are in this forum, a forum to which you contribute nothing except to occasionally come out from under your rock to tut-tut someone's language?

Thanks a lot for calling my critiques of people's poetry and some of the posts of my work "nothing". Not all of us can be cardcarrying golden elites of the forum like you.

[Max Goodman]

Originally Posted by Kevin Rainbow

Some people will be more afraid and try to minimize as much risk as possible from this or that thing, others will not be as afraid and therefore not take as many precautions to minimize the risk or dangers of this or that.

The dangers of this virus, Kevin, are different. The "risks" most of us take don't endanger ourselves as much as they endanger others. Masks protect others more than they protect the wearers.

Most relatively young healthy people will not die if we contract the virus. We take precautions to prevent spreading it to people in greater danger, and to slow the spread so we can avoid overwhelming healthcare workers. It's about making sacrifices for the good of the community.

[Mark McDonnell]

I suppose most of us are hypocrites deep down. We make easy, selfish decisions that we know might result in death for others -- we are armed with all the facts -- but we bury that knowledge. We rationalise. Anyone who ever buys an indulgent luxury or takes a holiday knows that said money, if used charitably, could save lives, but, despite being armed with this knowledge, they choose to ignore it. The only truly moral way for a person to live, if saving other people's lives were their priority, would be to give the vast majority of their wages away each month, leaving just enough to eat reasonably healthily. (Of course, for many this isn't an option as there's nothing, or less than nothing, at the end of the month). A similar thing could be said for anyone who still chooses to eat meat, knowing the damage it causes the environment and the suffering for sentient creatures.
I will admit I haven't been wearing a mask when I take my thrice weekly scurry around the supermarket down the road. Not because I am deliberately trying to endanger life or appear 'brave': I hold my breath a lot and swerve around people. I don't know why I don't. Denial of reality? (still!) Laziness? I'm not proud, and simply writing this has made me start looking around for suitable big handkerchiefs. But I certainly don't seem to be alone either; I'd say only about 1 in 10 people I see are wearing masks, including amongst the cashiers at said supermarket, and even in the footage of the busy London transport system today since the 'lockdown' was relaxed, it seems to be less than a quarter of people. I suppose I'm waiting for the government to tell me to. I'd be interested to know how many US Spherians wear masks as soon as they step outside, and how much this is influenced by the particular laws in their city/state. I'm not sure how it works over there.

Of course, all these are things to be ashamed of, not proclaimed and made a fetish of. This Reno guy is still a dick.

Just thinking aloud as is my wont.