The larger socio-political problem is that there exist people who benefit directly and indirectly, long-term, from "plague hysteria," and not only are in a position to impose it as long as possible, no matter the consequences to our economies, our vocations, our museums, etc., but have a motivation--financially and otherwise--to do so.

It may become incumbent upon our institutions to draw the proverbial line in the sand, and fight back against any extended or egregious attempts to prolong the "hysteria" and make it the "new normal."

The level of willful ignorance at play across the world (it's not just here in the US) staggers even my own imagination. I have never had much faith in people but even I was shocked to see how little sanity there is out there in the world, once this thing hit.
If I hear one more person say or write something like, "I can't live my life in fear forever," I'm going to try to find someone with COVID to plant a big wet kiss on them!
Yeah, folks, you ARE supposed to suspend the fun parts of your life for now. All that will be put aside for the duration, and we all should have come to terms with that over six months ago!
Yeah, they're walking into the stores then immediately ripping them off or making sure they cover their chins. I see it everywhere I go.
And after people in stores have been killed for pointing this out, nobody is doing so anymore. Getting shivved for minimum wage isn't worth it and I can't blame the store employees for that.
At a Wal-Mart not long ago, I saw a guy hacking and coughing, open-mouthed, while his mask was properly protecting his chin (seriously, why do so many people fear their chins are gonna catch this thing?). People sneered at him and nobody said a thing.
We've all seen or heard of public events in the midst of this where masks came off and nobody said a thing. I've personally seen it several times.
People are still wanting to shake hands as well. I'm a brakeman at the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and at the height of transmissions in WA state, we operated within state guidelines, and passengers wanted to shake hands. I started declining and that really ticked these people off.
People either:

1. Don't understand what's happening
2. Don't think it'll happen to them
3. Are the type who think the rules apply to everyone else in the world but them
4. Refuse to acknowledge the reality and choose to think it isn't happening
5. Are nuts
6. So badly want thing to be back to normal, are simply acting like it is no longer happening, thinking we can just ignore it and things will just go away

In any of the above cases, I'm just tired of it. I think numbers 2 and 6 are the most common these days.
Once the vaccine is common and easy to get, I fully expect a flood of people claiming 'exemptions' as they did with masks earlier on.
This thing will sadly go on for much longer that it had to, propelled by comical levels of denial.
I've already counted out anything this summer and am not counting on anything I want to do for the remainder of 2021 as well. Clearly, I wanna be wrong as I'm just as tired of all this as the rest of you.

You've really gotta give up this paranoia about "those people". It's not doing anyone any favors.

Who are those people who benefit from the current situation, and how do they benefit?

Is it supposed to be us "coastal elites" who have been stuck inside for 9 months now who are somehow ok with it because our jobs are able to carry on? Or do you think it's some "global cabal" of lizard people who need to be shown a lesson about how "Real Americans" won't be told what to do to keep themselves alive? Or are you really just taking unnecessary pot shots at politicians who you already didn't like because they're telling you things you don't want to hear?

Nobody likes this. Nobody.

Some of us have realized that sometimes you have to be adults about it and actually make unpleasant changes to deal with it so that things can get better. Too bad we seem to be outnumbered by people who, for some poor reason or another, don't seem to take it seriously and thereby make the whole situation worse.

Ah, the hypocrisy is getting deep. Rules for thee but not for me, eh? So, everyone else should stay home, cancel vacations, work from home and go broke, but it's fine for you to play trains on the Chehalis-Centralia? You've got to be kidding me, Lee! Thanks for the laugh; I needed it today.

I don't often agree with Mr. Bishop, but I think he's hit the nail on the head regarding the public's attitude towards these masks. I see the chin strappers frequently too. And, as most others have realized, it's not worth risking the 50/50 chance that you'll be assaulted for saying anything.

I work in public transit. I run light rail trains. Every day, my train is loaded with people who wear those masks under their chins, and then pull it up if they see me coming out of the cab or if they see the police get on the train for whatever reason. As soon as the cops are gone or they think I can't see them anymore, the masks come down again.

One weekend a few months ago, I decided to try something. Due to construction, my trips were cut down to half an hour each direction. At each end of the line, I'd walk through my one car and remind unmasked passengers, or passengers not wearing masks properly, that they need a mask covering their mouth AND nose using a polite, yet firm tone. The vast majority of the people who I spoke to would get off of the train at their stop without a mask. I can see them in the mirrors, and on a day like that where ridership was relatively low, it wasn't hard to keep track of who was who.

Throughout the earlier days of the pandemic, I'd see passengers chiding others for not wearing a mask, doing so completely of their own volition. Now I don't see it at all. I can't blame them; after being assaulted a few months ago but a passenger (which, as far as the local District Attorney and I can figure, wasn't about mask wearing... but we're still not quite sure why it happened), I'm not exactly eager to put myself in a position to possibly speak up to the wrong individual and be assaulted again. Once was plenty for me.

The societal apathy and sense of entitlement are combining to create this dangerous situation we're in now. I try to do my part, being a high risk individual myself, but I do hate being in such a position that my life depends on so many others doing the right thing. I don't have that kind of faith in others.

This has, unfortunately, put all of us in a precarious situation. If I were on the board of directors at a museum, I wouldn't want to put my volunteers/employees in the situation of having to enforce mask rules, but I wouldn't want to lose income that could be gained as safely as we could reasonably get with distancing between passengers and crews wherever possible. It's sticky, and I don't envy anyone in that spot right now.

I've stayed out of this recent discussion, but I'm reminded by above comments of some of the things I've seen that may be reasons things aren't getting better. As much as Europe was applauded for their response this Summer, I've watched videos of some tourist railroads, and even from a couple of professional travel bloggers riding common carrier passenger trains all over Europe, showing the public not wearing masks consistently, even in close social situations. As for stores here, one of our local supermarket chains has made one-way aisles, and very often I'm one of the few shoppers observing them, and it's pointless to try and remind someone they are going the wrong way, like "who made you hall monitor?".

Here's how it's done:

https://www.vox.com/2020/12/4/22151242/ ... s-lockdown

I have never seen that in all the times I have been in stores. It must be a regional thing. Every store here is full of people all wearing masks perfectly.

But here is a question (if Chris Webster doesn’t mind): Say you intend to go into a store full of people all wearing masks. Say you happen to know for fact that one particular person in that store is positive with Covid. Normally you would not know that, but just say you do. It is possible that you would know somehow. Would you go into that store? I think we all agree that all precautions are helpful to some extent, but are not infallible. So I am curious as to whether you would enter that store. It is not a trick question.

I would not enter said store in that hypothetical situation.

I would avoid that theoretical store as well.
In fact, I avoid places where I see people refusing to take due precautions.
No, we got shut down in 2020 as well.
It was sad, we've lost a lot of revenue, but in the end I understood how it happened and accepted it.
I also accepted missing not only my parents 60th anniversary celebration, but also not celebrating my own 20th annivwrsart with my wife as well in the same year and cancelling the plans we'd made.
Been working from home since March with no end in sight.

For this moment I am locking this thread and offer this suggestion.

If there is a Covid-19 related issue specifically related to preservation that you want to discuss, please start a new thread with that specific title. For example:

Finding grants to make up for lost operating funds due to Covid-19
Ideas for managing flow through the museum
Coach seating and Covid-19


Tom Gears
Moderator