It’s amazing how just a few weeks of fearmongering has increased the amount of masking by the public. In trips to the supermarket and other public places over the past month I have witnessed the rate of people masking go from roughly 1 out of 20 to about 1 out of 5. People choosing to mask up are of all ages, though I’ve noticed there are definitely adults who don’t mask, but have their not-of-vaccination-age children mask up.
I guess from their perspective, they’re just following the rules. Most places say it’s okay to not wear a mask if you’re vaccinated, and most kids can’t be vaccinated because they haven’t been approved yet.
Of course, my kid isn’t vaccinated, is obviously not old enough to be vaccinated, and yet, I’ve never had trouble taking him anywhere with him not wearing a mask. But, I suspect that may be changing soon.
As I’ve said before, I’ve taken the position that I will not patronize any store that insists I mask up. I didn’t get vaccinated to wear a mask. Period.
Sadly, some situations have arisen where I’ve had no choice. One such incident happened on Saturday, which was supposed to be the start of a short summer trip. The trip ended up not happening because of Hurricane Henri, but before that happened, I took the family to see Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.
I actually didn’t even know about the traveling exhibit until my PJ Media colleague Megan Fox told me about it—that’s a fun story you should ask her about—and I bought the tickets a few months ago and anxiously awaited the exhibit. I hadn’t followed up on the exhibit’s website and only found out while waiting in line that masks would be required to enter.
PREVIOUSLY: Adventures in Maskless-ness: Billy Joel Edition
But, just to show you how ridiculous things are with these renewed COVID restrictions when I put my useless mask on, I intentionally left my nose uncovered, and was eventually told by someone involved in the exhibit to make sure I was wearing it correctly. That never happened before during any of the months of wearing a mask in 2020. Clearly, these people mean business now.
So, fine. I wore the stupid, useless mask. There was also a sign that recommended social distancing, but I can tell you that people weren’t being socially distant. I understand that when you’re told by “The Authorities” that you need to comply with new restrictions you feel compelled to do so, but having just been to the Billy Joel concert, where the mask mandate for indoor areas was basically ignored, I expected that the Van Gogh immersive exhibit wouldn’t be much different. I guess I was wrong.
I did take a maskless selfie, of course, because, well, I could. No one shamed me if they even noticed.
Took an "illegal" maskless selfie at the Van Gogh @immersiveyork exhibit because I hate useless COVID restrictions and useless masks that don't protect you. pic.twitter.com/HX3rVF28hC
— Matt Margolis (@mattmargolis) August 22, 2021
As for the exhibit itself, it was amazingly good. I highly recommend going if it’s coming to a city near you. Hopefully, where you are, they won’t make you wear a mask.
