In “Rebel Without a Cause” the memorable scene was the chicken run at the end of the movie.
Fate played a part in that scene because as he was about to jump before his car went over the cliff Buzz (played by Corey Allen) discovered the wrist-strap of his jackets looped around the door handle. It preventing him from bailing out of the car.
Is it possible that some men are now playing chicken with Covid-19? Jim (Dean’s character) jumped at the last minute.
Buzz died as his car crashed on the rocks below the cliff.
A fate would have it, in real life James Dean was killed in a car crash months later, in September 1955, racing to a car rally in his beloved Porsche which he named “The Outlaw.”.
We all have heard about the protest in Lansing Michigan:
This didn’t surprise me:
(Gov. Gretchen) Whitmer said Wednesday she respects the right to protest but believes many of the protesters put themselves and others at risk of contracting COVID-19.
"I was really disappointed to see people congregating and not wearing masks," Whitmer said.
She said she saw one person "handing out candy with bare hands."
“We know that this demonstration is going to come at a cost to people’s health," Whitmer said. "When people gather that way without masks ... that’s how COVID-19 spreads.
"The sad irony here is that ... they don’t like being in this stay-at-home order and they may have just created the need to lengthen it, which is something we’re trying to avoid at all costs.”
In a karma bites Trump respect I am tempted to say that this behavior may have a salutary effect since it could reduce the number of Trump voters in a electoral key state. However the children do not deserve to get sick and possibly die for the reckless behavior of their parents.
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In the community where I live in progressive Portland, Oregon the majority of people I observe congregating outside are are wearing masks.
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However a disturbing minority are not wearing masks.
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I have given up walking my dogs as I have been doing at 7 AM and 7 PM because invariably I pass at least one or two, of sometimes more people who are not wearing mask. This makes me both angry and anxious. I am angry because they are disrespecting me and my health and sensibilities, and it makes me anxious because I have been self-isolating except for my dog walking excursions. I am ordering all my food delivered and cooking meals at home.
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But I digress. Back to my point:
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It may see like a no brainer and a cliche to suggest that this may be some kind of machismo thing.
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Are these men who are just rebellious types who have always been this way?
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Perhaps they rebel essentially without a cause just for the sake of rebellion.
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Maybe they are anti-authority types who are rebelling against the guidance coming from articles like this USA Today article:
Excerpt: But people should get out and exercise, as long as they socially distance while they're outside said Asaf Bitton, a primary care physician and executive director of Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. That means staying at least 6 feet away from people who aren't in your immediate household.
People venturing outside should also wear masks in public places to help blunt the spread of the virus, Bitton added citing the CDC recommendation.
This protects others if you have coronavirus but aren't showing symptoms, and "is a signal to others that they should be wearing those masks," Bitton said.
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I'd have to interview a representative sample to find out the various reasons people people don’t wear masks outside and to compare the reasons of the men and women.
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Perhaps not wearing a mask just makes them feel less vulnerable during a time when everyone is at risk of contracting a virulent highly contagious virus that can kill them?
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What do you think?
My other stories about wearing masks:
Commercial masks are available on Etsy and Amazon. There are many YouTube tutorials on making a face mask either by sewing one, or simply cutting a t-shirt, or folding a bandana.
In the poll I mean any sort of face covering from an improvised one to a commercially manufactured one.