Tuesday 12 May 2020

Mask Chatter

Years ago....1978....I arrived at my first Air Force base, and they handed me the gas-mask for the first time.

After suiting up and putting the stupid mask on....I remarked to the instructor, that breathing through this was going to be awful hard.  Then he spoke to the necessity that I might be wearing one for a full 12-hour shift, and doing fairly strenuous work.  I sat there and thought, this was going to be fairly impossible to breath and actually do work.

Almost yearly, we did the three-hour class, and occasionally would attempt to do an hour or two of work....to reinforce the idea that you could do something while wearing the mask.

My general perception, after 22 years of service was that you might need that stupid mask, but in any type of physical labor....you'd probably have some anxiety attack, or huff yourself into a fainting spell.

Around eight weeks ago....I bought one of those N95-masks, because of the stupid virus stuff. After trying to wear it one day at a grocery (for about an hour of pushing the cart around).....I was shaking my head.  You couldn't get enough oxygen, and I could tell....if I'd continued on for three or four hours....I'd be having some type of huff/faint spell.

So what's this mask deal about?  It's mostly a mind-game to convince you that you can wear it and avoid getting the virus.  I understand this part of the game.  Oddly, these German experts back in early February made it very clear....the mask has marginal pay-back.  It makes you, your associates, your boss, and the folks on the bus or plane....think....at least in the marginal sense, that you are saving yourself.

The problem I see....about four hours into this wearing of the mask, as you collapse in the office hallway and some freaked out administrative lady will go running down the hall yelling about Covid-fainting or Covid-attack.....it just makes things worse off.  Some ambulance crew will come and tote you off, with folks talking of a dire Covid situation for you, and Bob (the part-time Baptist minister) offering to do office prayer over your anticipated demise, while you sit in the ambulance and try to recover from just a fainting spell. 

2 comments:

bob searcy said...

im a bit skeptical of the whole covid 19 thing myself . in my state ( indiana ) a person isnt nursing home eligible ( generally ) unless they have a diagnosis of 6 months left to live . if theres a ' society changing ' agenda , i cant fathom how such a ruse could be sold so effectively .

it has ' consumerism ' on its face , i rather welcome that . normally americans are known for beating the roads to death and throwing cheeseburger wrappers out the window -- and -- still woefully unhappy .

priorities are being rethought .

Schnitzel_Republic said...

I live in Europe and had a chance to observe the Italy and Germany situation develop. About five weeks into the Italy virus deal....some journalist got a spreadsheet of the particular region hardest hit (NW of Italy). It listed ages, so at the bottom was the 'average'....the bulk of those on the list, averaged out at 81 years old. So you go and figure at that point, around 2,000 dead....and the average of 81? In Germany, I saw the same trend....added to it....those with COPD, diabetes, etc (all ailments that you would definitely see at ages above 65). Germans are careful about saying this, but they admit a huge number of the dead folks....had secondary conditions....way more than 80 percent. If you lived an unhealthy lifestyle....this was the game-changer to reset the numbers.

If we know this...then making folks who are under the age of 60 stay home....makes no sense. Same with those with secondary ailments being forced to work. But common sense seems to have been 'dumped', if you asked me.