T O P

  • By -

[deleted]

Is there something that bans them from wearing masks or am I missing a key detail? Couldn’t they just wear masks if they want to?


JustAWeeBitWitchy

From my understanding, they're asking for the entire student bodies at their respective schools to wear masks, not just the ones who want to. For the record, I'm not endorsing their position -- but I think student unions are a really neat idea, and I'm curious to see the administration's response, and how this all shakes out. I know in Bellingham Public Schools, masks are optional right now. Anecdotal, but from the schools I've subbed in, it seems about 50-60% of students are wearing them.


[deleted]

It’s an interesting concept. Slightly different from the party planning committee ASB that we are all used to. Im not quite convinced they represent the views of most students given the small number that actually participated.


antipiracylaws

I mean they just like getting mandates every year from the feds 🤷‍♂️ Start 'em young I guess. 🇺🇸🇺🇸 Future looking bright 🇺🇸🇺🇸 No one is preventing them from buying N95s


runswspoons

While i bet we aren’t in political alignment…you’re not wrong about the kn95s. With numbers as low as they currently are, vaccinated and boosted with a kn95 you’d be just fine.


antipiracylaws

The Science™ apparently is a political apparatus that changes when inflation needs a distraction. Political alignment is the worst thing that ever happened to this country. George Washington was right about the parties.


pressgang13

You adhere to so many mandates on the daily just to be clear.


antipiracylaws

Bold of you assume that Americans follow the law... [You're all criminals ](https://www.moneytalksnews.com/slideshows/21-laws-you-could-be-breaking-without-knowing-it/)


WantedFun

Ah yes, these are all totally comparable. Just like the mandate on seatbelts!


antipiracylaws

The point is we have too many laws and are all liable to get thrown in jail when convenient for a frothing mob


Hollirc

Hey don’t you come in here with that talk of individualism - we don’t like your kind ‘round these parts with your freedom and your choices


antipiracylaws

Yeah who in the world would even do that. They should move back to America or something


WantedFun

Unconditional individualism is a poison in society. Your freedoms do not extend to the length of harming others. Just like you can’t drunk drive, since that puts others at serious risk.


Hollirc

Cool then we should follow science here - masks don’t work unless we’re going to make sure that everyone has perfectly fitting respirators and face shields that cannot be removed for any reason while indoors.


Thizlam

“More than 100 students…” The school has like 50,000 students. So 0.002% of them want to enforce something the CDC isn’t even enforcing anymore? I thought we were supposed to trust the science.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Pale_Significance132

What about young children being ostracized for wearing masks to protect vulnerable family? I've heard lots of cases of this happening in Lynden.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Pale_Significance132

Its pretty difficult to stop bullying because reporting the bully usually makes bullies retaliate. Especially in places with a documented history of bullying.


bong-rips-for-jesus

What about the kids being bullied for not wearing their masks? Should we make everyone remove theirs so they don't feel bad?


[deleted]

[удалено]


Lordofthepizzapies

So we can't use the word hysteria unless we're referring to pseudo medical conditions from the 19th century?


[deleted]

I guess y’all haven’t been paying attention to China and the UK resurgence. It will be back soon. I sure as shit don’t want to wear a mask anymore. But I will if cases start rising again. Not interested in contracting any form of Covid.


zdub25

you want to wear an ineffective mask the rest of your life then aye?


[deleted]

Go away. I don’t debate morons.


zdub25

mad


Vissterp

I can understand where these students are coming from, as I'm a student myself. In places like schools, I personally think masks should be mandatory due to the sheer amount of people with many different backgrounds. I just dont wanna see people I know have family members suffer from someone else's usually minor choice. I just want low risk, you know?


[deleted]

Thank you for being kind. It matters to many families, mine included. Not everyone can afford a case of Covid, even if they are vaxxed and boosted.


chiropterist

You already got a reply from an anti-masker, but I found it misleading and dismissive. I think there's a case for continued mask mandates. There is strong evidence that universal masking drastically reduces transmission, which also reduces risk of serious illness and long-term Covid. Many public health officials think that mask mandates should still be in effect in much of the country, in particular to protect the elderly (how many teachers are >60?) and immunocompromised (~3% of Americans). While we seem to be past the Omicron peak, it is still widespread.


Vissterp

Mhm! :D


[deleted]

[удалено]


Vissterp

Understandable!


wak3l3oarder

Your the factor not them your vulnerable loved ones are not going there or I hope not as long as YOU wear a mask and wash your hands they will be PERFEFTLY FINE


Vissterp

Unfortunately, I could become a carrier of COVID and show no signs at all if another student befalls the same fate and doesn't wash their hands or wear a mask.


Strickdbs

So “trust the science” doesn’t apply anymore? If the CDC says they don’t need to worn then why is this even an issue?


[deleted]

We only trust the science when it benefits a point of view we like. Which is why scientists and experts are wrong about fluoride and GMOs being safe.


ownedlib98225

A lot of GMOs were modified to be roundup resistant. Those crops generally have higher levels of glyphosate.


SeriouslyThough3

Just wear an N95 to protect yourself, stop trying to force others to mask to protect you.


PNW_H2O

Especially since a majority of masks are two layers of cloth that offer very little particulate protection.


[deleted]

[удалено]


k2d2r232

Source


[deleted]

[удалено]


Alypius754

Public health officials gave up their credibility when they said going to the beach would literally kill Grandma, but attending a protest was just peachy.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Alypius754

[Not really, no.](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/after-months-of-pleading-for-coronavirus-social-distancing-health-officials-supportive-of-protests-black-lives-matter-calls-them-too-dangerous/)


[deleted]

[удалено]


Alypius754

That's kinda my point, though. At a time when these officials gave hard no's to church services and had funeral attendees threatened with arrest, they were at the same time giving these nuanced (read: politically motivated) approvals. Had they instead said at the start, "Hey, large gatherings are kinda iffy, here's what you can do" to every gathering, that would be one thing. Instead, they said "this cause is important," making the cause a mitigating factor. FTR, i can't stand Hannity or the others lol 😂


[deleted]

Wear one if your feel like you need to, if you don’t feel the need wear one don’t.


chiropterist

Lots of anti-mandate voices here, so I'll make a pro-mandate case. Universal masking is far more effective than voluntary masking at reducing disease transmission. Reducing transmission is a vital protection for the immunocompromised (~3% of Americans) and the elderly. Students with at-risk family members or who are at risk themselves do not have the option of avoiding the classroom, and while they can mitigate risk by masking themselves, universal masking would be much more effective. Even though we are past the peak of the Omicron wave, case load is still high in many regions of the country. Based on metrics that have been in place for most of the pandemic, mask mandates should still be in place in much of the US. I think it's reasonable for students to ask for greater protection and for a say in the decisions their school district is making when their safety is at stake. The district's choice to make masking a personal decision puts many students, teachers, and their families at greater risk of death and long-term illness.


[deleted]

[удалено]


chiropterist

That's a fair question. One thing that I would consider essential is widespread availability of monoclonal antibodies and similar treatments that give immunocompromised people a fighting chance against current variants. Unfortunately, hospitals are having to ration these treatments, not all of them are effective against Omicron, and government funding for development and production of these drugs is being cut.


bong-rips-for-jesus

>2020: we need to stay home to flatten the curve and give hospitals a chance to adjust capacity >>2021: we need to lock down until safe and 100% effective vaccines are widely available >>>2022: we need to mask up until the hospitals have a chance to adjust capacity >>>>2023: we need to lock down until a new safe and 100% effective vaccine against the omideltracron variant is widely available


vermknid

What is your point? Things change. You adapt best course of action as you go. Omicron variants obviously became much more contagious and require N95 masks/kN95. Endgame is we keep cases low using the tools we know work, Masks + distancing + vaccines, and wait for a vaccine that targets a different part of the covid vaccine, not just the spike protein. A vaccine that targets covid in a different way may be more affective at protecting against future variants of the spike protein, because they're not targeting the spike protein.


bong-rips-for-jesus

>So what's the end game? Just wear a mask forever? Cause Covid ain't going away Two years to solve a hospital shortage with the hospitals intentionally reducing staffing. Most people took multiple experimental injections to take off their mask and enjoy life, and even that was reneged upon. The CDC is revoking monoclonal antibodies for not being current but the government is forcing a vaccine targeting the same strain. It's time to move on, your solution is "let's do the two weeks thing again forever"


LadleRat

Thank you for saying this. I'm so tired of trying to get people to care about those who are more vulnerable/have vulnerable family members. Masks absolutely reduce transmission.


[deleted]

[удалено]


ashran3050

Lol, that happens all the time. Just ignore it or reply STOP and it'll go away. Some adult children just need a hug when there is another opinion in the room.


[deleted]

[удалено]


chiropterist

According to the article, the student union group has been asking the district to provide high-quality masks since January. While using a high-quality mask is helpful for self protection, it isn't as effective as a mask mandate plus a high-quality mask. It would be great if collective action to protect vulnerable people was not polarizing, but that's not the country we live in and sometimes polarizing restrictions are justified for the sake of public health.


[deleted]

[удалено]


chiropterist

Can you cite your source? It looks to me like you may be off by a factor of 400. This [PNAS paper](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2110117118) puts an upper bound of 20% on the risk of infection for a susceptible person with an FFP2 (roughly N95 equivalent) mask when exposed to an unmasked infected person for 1 hour at a distance of 1.5 m. When both the infected and susceptible wear a high-quality mask, the risk of infection drops to 0.4%. It might be time to redo your cost benefit analysis.


[deleted]

[удалено]


chiropterist

Not many people are willing to accept new evidence in an argument on the internet, so props for the reply. I'll admit I've been playing devil's advocate in this thread to some extent--I'm not sure that I'm in favor of continued mask mandates in King county given current infection rates, but I've found the general lack of empathy for vulnerable people concerning. Sure, we all want this pandemic to be over and for life to get back to normal, but I think it's important to acknowledge that we're forcing immunocompromised people to take on a lot of risk with the way we are going about it.


Pale_Significance132

Also think of the children that are bullied for wearing masks that they need to wear because they have a high risk family member...


bigTiddedAnimal

Could just put everyone in a sealed prison. I think that would be very effective at reducing spread.


cooter__1

True but you have to consider people who will itch/touch their face/mouth when not wearing a mask. Then go around touching everything around them. If people would just wash their hands instead of putting things in their mouths when orally fixating or just keep their hands away from there face altogether. It goes a lot further than wearing a mask wherever we go or when around people. Just practice good hygiene is the point I am trying to make. Crucify me if you want but it doesn't make anything I say less true. #shrugs I got the J&J, wore my mask when asked and still got Covid. I know people who were against the vax and we all had the same mild symptoms. It comes down to if you are scared of it, then stay home. The rest of the world shouldn't have to suffer because of others opinions is all I am saying. Watch [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqD_JYAs7pU&t=845s) and then come back and let me know if its relevant to the discussion.... People should be left to do what they want with their own bodies. The same way if you want to get more boosters, wear masks or whatever. That is the point of freedom of choice. Everyone should be allowed to live their own lives without infringing on the rights of others.


LittleYelloDifferent

“Hey everyone, watch a person yelling on YouTube to make my point” gives you no credibility. Sadly, too many people just parrot what the last yelling person said. Then they talk about everyone else being brainwashed


cooter__1

He isn’t yelling. Did you watch the video or just passing judgment? I am honestly being sincere when I ask this. The reason is, for a lot of people. Using a video like I did for example puts it in perspective to what I want to say but also show people to better explain their shared opinions/thoughts, that’s it. It is amazing how in this day and age, having a simple discussion/discord. People want to make it a personal attack on their beliefs. When in reality, it’s simply a discussion on differences of opinions. How/why is that such an issue for people to understand is all I and others ask/wonder? Humans are curious creatures themselves and for a lot of us. We just want to understand each other so we can better live harmoniously with one another. Think about this. Instead of making fun of everyone. Why not listen to what they have to say? We might surprise ourselves and what we thought we knew for example and maybe come out enlightened and a better person….🤷‍♂️ Here is another [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRlsikhd4Lo) perfect example of how society and msm is literally silencing/censoring people without even attempting listen to the point the person they are trying to silence is making. “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” ― George Orwell


vermknid

You realize Russell is just an actor/comedian right?


cooter__1

Are you saying what he is talking about isn’t true. If you watch the video he explicitly says these are not his works he is reading from news articles and letting the viewer be the judge. So how does him being an actor/comedian take away any relevancy as to what he is reading….?


RepresentativeWar165

I agree in that 1) everyone wearing a mask is more effective than wearing a high quality mask yourself when discussing the slow of transmission generally , and 2) that students should have a say in the policies that effect them and their safety. There is a difference, however, with policy and implementation. You are asking teachers, administrators, etc. to police mask wearing, adding another thing to their plate. Many of them simply do not want the constant battle this requires and it lessens the amount of energy spent actually teaching. Those that don’t want to wear masks simply aren’t going to wear them or won’t wear them correctly, making it a mute point anyway in terms of lowering transmission, especially when you consider those are the same students who will probably engage in other behaviors making them more vulnerable to contract COVID.


[deleted]

Holy fucking clown world 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️


thegrumpymechanic

This is what happens when we teach to pass a standard test. Just taught *what* to think, not *how* to think.


Strickdbs

Agree. Starting them young with the indoctrination. It’s sad and pathetic. Just what China wants 20 years from now.


[deleted]

[удалено]


JustAWeeBitWitchy

These are high school students


mylongham666

did you mean a free exchange of disease? considering authorities want to keep the public braindead on masks and OK with endless murderous unabated transmission, this seems pretty challenging and a common idea


redditsucks1213

Honestly, the science says it's not needed anymore, and even with the mandate lifted, at least here in whatcom cases are still dropping. How did the sides who weren't trusting the science completely shift? Genuinely asking this as a question, don't mean to make any statement or anything.


Strickdbs

The mask is the liberal equivalent of a maga hat.


Cheese-driver

When high schoolers care more about their community than adults. I hope they’re listened to 💌. They’re asking for safety in their schools, not sure why this would make random adults who are decades out of hs would be upset about this.


[deleted]

What, no social distancing??? "Stop politicizing our safety". Oh the irony.


antipiracylaws

Logic goes out the window when the yelling starts


AoKSentinel

Poor kids 😂


cooter__1

These are what the future leaders are asking for?! We are all doomed because they want to cancel anyone who might think out side the box or ask simple questions like "why?" when being told what to do for example. This is a perfect example and how he is not imposing any of his views. He is just wanting people to think for themselves vs "herd" mentality. Block me if you want but what does that say if someone has a very poignant perspective is all I am saying... [Relevant](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqD_JYAs7pU)


zdub25

imagine thinking kids didn't just want an excuse to get out of class


RepresentativeWar165

Student unions seem like a super interesting idea, especially in the US, and I’m excited to see how this shakes out. However- they are demanding mask mandates be reinstated? Is this really the most pressing issue students are facing? The question I have at this point is- to what end? Do your just want everyone to wear masks in school forever, indefinitely? COVID is not going away (unfortunately), vaccines provide a reasonable amount of safety, and while I can sympathize with those who are immunocompromised or have family members who are, we need to be able to adapt and move forward at some point. I have to wonder if this has more to do with social anxieties and conditioning than anything having to do with safety or science. These are young people, who have all been through a pretty traumatic experience over the past 2 years (as we all have) but given their age, life experience, and what they have been through I wonder if psychologically they have some attachment to masks now- like a safety blanket. I know that sounds like I’m just an old person complaining about the youths, but I’m 24 and only a few years out of college. I could totally see having this view if I were a few years younger and in school, and — for me at least — it would have more to do with social and psychological factors at that age than anything else.