Empirical Theater: When Precaution Merges With Empiricism

Let's cut to the chase.

Masks - along with social distancing - are nothing more than a non-pharmaceutical response rooted in the precautionary principle.

In the absence of hard science during a health crisis, the prevailing UNICEF motto is 'better safe than sorry' ergo the precautionary principle must prevail.

Unintended consequences be damned.

However, masks are being sold to the public as a measure that can stop the spread and whatever else they claim to the point - and this is where the crux of contention lies - of mandating them under punitive measures.

Masks can only provide potential benefits if it has a high compliance. That is, upwards of 80% of the population. There was already a fair bit of voluntary usage but for some reason governments - as they're apt to do - decided to side with specious studies and force a mandate through.

Masks on their own are just about useless. We have 100 years of data on this and it's telling until April of 2020 the WHO, CDC and other medical practitioners never suggested they be used for a reason.

The empirical science doesn't support it. Simple as that.

Moreover, a lot of things have to go  right to achieve some level of success including proper mask handling is essential (it's absurd the Quebec government thinks kids in schools will learn this and quite frankly it's not a habit they should be forming based on the available data and limited benefits).

We've somehow conflated arbitrary measures (which is precisely what these are) with being actual empirical science. This is what hysteria does. It pulls everything and anything out of context making an incoherent mess of how to approach a health crisis with the power of deduction and critical thinking.

If you want to wear a mask and think it's essential by all means go ahead. You can justify it all you want. Engage in faux-virtue pretending you're doing it for your nation or some other nonsensical reason.

Just do not claim it's science.

It's not.

I've examined just about every major paper cited in favor of masks. I'm not sure how they've come to be seen as evidence. But I suspect politicians and some in the media (the more honest ones anyway) know this. Usually, I see 'growing body of evidence' and 'may support' as the key phrases supporting mask usage. The former has half the sentence right. There are more studies but at best the limitations in the studies condemn them to conclusions of 'may suggest' they work.

Whereas the body of evidence against masks stipulate clearly through stern methodology they're effectiveness are inconclusive.

Again. I argue the government should downgrade back to voluntary use. We should not be engaging in social engineering based on the evidence.

But be happy. Superstition is now mandated.

You're now being socially engineered by Mother Bull Shit.

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Quick word on people buying into the government propaganda of masks being a symbol of virtue.

We're in a situation now where people are assaulting others for not wearing masks. We've seen cities encourage neighbours to snitch on one another.

The basic broken logic employed is: People who don't wear masks threaten my life.

Governments then sic cops on people who don't comply.

If you were to conduct a survey with people who believe in masks as a virtue about how'd they behave under Nazi rule the vast majority would likely think they'd be saving Jews.

Except they wouldn't. A precious minority of people risked their lives to save Jews. The statistical probability is most people would likely either remain silent or be collaborators.

So if you snitched on a neighbour during the pandemic, chances are you'd snitch on the Jews.

The ones who don't go that far (and perhaps think it's wrong) but still consent are the ones who thought 'Yeh the Jews are bad but'. You're no better. You likely accept the use of force against people for the greater good.

So get off your high horses. Your so-called virtue are acts of submission.

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I did an informal test today with medical masks.

Medical masks are thin tissue and fibres. So I wanted to see if I could smell Febreeze through the mask. I did. So imagine how easy it is for a virus to get through.

The other thing I did was grab my ultra-violet flashlight (I wore the mask outside in 33c heat with high humidity. It was a horrific experience. I can't believe people aren't outraged that they're being forced into such a cruel habit) and examined if stains were present. Yup.

Now imagine millions of people using them (and you can almost bet your house that a huge number of people are not using them as single-use or handling them properly - in order to conduct proper mask handling you essentially need to be a robot).

Shadow boxing with a virus.