Thread by @swillsm

Our real test of strength?

Wearing masks in the West has always been physically easy for most people but psychologically much harder.
#COVID19 #CovidIsNotOver #MaskUp #COVID19Aus
1/16

Like wearing clothes, seat belts, bicycle helmets etc mask wearing can initially be a bit uncomfortable and inconvenient, requiring extra costs and efforts.

As a practice over time, with public health education and government support, mask wearing becomes habitual.
2/16

Mask wearing is hardest psychologically because Western media, primarily Murdoch and big business, have politicised and weaponised masks, exploiting millions of years of mammalian conditioning that makes non-conformity with the herd, dangerous.
3/16

In the West, unlike Asia, instead of amplifying the image of mask wearers as smart, kind, respectful and brave, MSM has labelled mask wearers as ‘anxious’ and ‘weak’, called us ‘bedwetters’, describing masks, as ‘face nappies’.
4/16

Covid is still a real and ongoing threat, has killed in excess of 6.5 million worldwide, with estimates it’s more than triple this.

Anxiety is fear in the absence of threat. Mask wearing is therefore not a sign of anxiety but a pragmatic risk management strategy.
5/16

In Australia, the death toll from Covid in 2022 is more than double that of 2020 and 2021.

Despite this, with lack of government leadership, support and messaging, mask wearing has fallen to its lowest levels.
6/16

Many Australians are now experiencing repeat COVID infections, increasing the the likelihood of cumulative harm, death and suffering from Long COVID. 7/16

The anti-mask propaganda campaign in the West has been aided and abetted with copious amounts of misinformation from prominent medico and scientific ‘Covid minimisers’. 8/16

‘Covid minimisers’ know their job is to only plant seeds of doubt and human behaviour does the rest. The giveaway is that they never discredit Covid protections such as masks, entirely but their double-speak and contradictions are confusing.
9/16

Business lobby groups have pushed for the removal of masks as they are a reminder and symbol of the ongoing pandemic, based on misguided concerns they would impact consumer habits and spending. 10/16

Ironically, consumer habits in Asian countries with a mask culture are unaffected. In Asian countries those who don’t mask are considered stupid, rude, and selfish and there’s ongoing evidence that mask wearing has reduced the spread of COVID, increased collective freedom. 11/16

Observing mask wearers in the West, it seems non-conformists find wearing masks easiest, as they reflect on their thinking and behaviour, demonstrate psychological flexibility. They therefore have no problem owning their vulnerability and accepting the unknown. 12/16

Anecdotally, it appears that males in general and alpha males particularly, are the least likely to wear masks and engage in Covid conscious behaviours. This aligns with male health behaviours and outcomes. 13/16

Like much of the pandemic propaganda and messaging, the opposite is true.

Wearing masks is:
1.A sign of personal leadership, psychological strength and flexibility
2.Increases collective freedom
3.Reduces the economic costs of the pandemic
14/16

4.Reduces the burden of the pandemic overall and on the healthcare system
5.Reduces the social and psychological burden of isolation for all, especially the clinically vulnerable. 15/16

So, the next time you leave the house or socialise with those outside your household, wear a mask and remember you’re a strong, assertive leader.

“Our real test of strength is caring”-Stars and Stripes of Corruption, Dead Kennedys. 16/16

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