Human to human is a virus: there is every reason to believe that masks will remain forever

The popular American blogger Boris Lokshin drew in his publication a truly dystopian picture, which has every chance of becoming real in the near future:

“Three years ago I watched a pretty interesting TV show. It was called Counterpart (English - Copy). He was about the fact that in 1987, as a result of a failed scientific experiment in East Germany, the world split into two. Two completely identical worlds were formed: Prime and Alpha. And, accordingly, every person in the Prime world had a double in the Alpha world. And then each of this world began to develop in its own way. In 1996, a terrible flu epidemic occurred in the world of Alpha, from which 10% of its population died. And from that moment on, the paths of development of these worlds began to diverge. People from the Alpha world began to wear masks. There, in this series, only the first few episodes were good. Then the authors got completely confused and it became impossible to watch.

So, by the way, about the masks ... What is the use of them and what is their highest meaning? First of all, the mask on the face of another person serves as a signal and at the same time a reminder that this person is dangerous. You instinctively recoil from him, without even having time to think why. Therefore, the general wearing of masks guarantees the observance of social distance and reduces the likelihood of the spread of infection.

Further, if a person, for one reason or another, is seriously afraid of getting sick, the mask gives him some sense of control. And if everyone is wearing masks, then this helps to reduce panic in this particular person.

And, finally, it is possible, but not at all proven, (and this is strange, in eight months they could have proved, but something does not grow together), so it is possible that the universal wearing of masks reduces the likelihood of infection in enclosed spaces, in public transport, maybe in a street crowd, although in light of the massive demonstrations in the United States, and even more so the weekly protests in Belarus, which did not affect the epidemiological situation in these countries, the latter does not seem at least somewhat useful.

In theory, this should be enough, and then the compelling argument comes into force: “Well, you will dress her, after all. It’s hard if asked. The benefits of it are obvious, but there is not much harm. " So in this place I have some trouble. It seems to me all the time that the consequences of this phenomenon are somehow not fully thought out, or something. Here's the thing. Unfortunately, I am sure that the masks will stay with us forever. They are not for a month, not for six months, not for a year. They are for the rest of their lives.

Yes, I know, it seems absurd, paranoia, of course, soon we will have a vaccine, the epidemic will end, everyone will take off their masks and we will heal as with our grandmother. Only for a year or two we still have to be like them, right? After all, the authorities tell us this in almost plain text. And during this time we, perhaps, will finally get used to it. Moreover, lately we have learned for sure: those who are without masks are stupid uneducated animals, the dark Trumpist kingdom, moral monsters who do not care about the lives of others.

By the way, an interesting story happened in Denmark, where the epidemic is much better than in most European countries. Masks are practically not worn there, and top medical experts only recommend wearing them in certain situations. And from the point of view of the spread of the infection, their official position was that the requirement for constant and widespread wearing of masks rather intensifies the epidemic.

So, a couple of months ago, a centrist newspaper published an article there, which says that we, of course, understand everything, and from the point of view of the fight against the virus, our authorities are probably doing everything right, but how is it that all the civilized world wears masks, but we Danes do not wear them, like some Trumpists? It's a shame somehow. So here they hit the spot. Either you are wearing a mask or for Trump. And this is much more important than anything else.

But this is aside. Note that the most advanced urban youth adapted the fastest and most enthusiastic about masks. Those who set the trend for the future. They even put them on with some kind of relief. For them, wearing a mask is not just natural, it does not even occur to them that a normal person can somehow think about this topic. To be in public with a naked face is, in essence, much more indecent than with a bare bottom.

By the way, it is clear why this happened. They, these guys, before any epidemic, learned very well how toxic another person can be. For them, a mask is a kind of safe space, which they wear on their own face, and which protects them from the toxicity of the world around them. This generation will never take off their masks.

And what then can we say about those who will come for them, about today's children, and those who, from the most tender, from the most susceptible age, are taught that they will die without a mask, without a mask for grandfather a skiff and grandmother a skiff, without a dad's mask. there will be mothers too. Do you think they can take them off when they grow up?

Well, well, everyone will wear masks, business ... They used to wear hats, and before that they wore wigs, and before pants were invented ... Only, it seems to me that a mask is not a toilet object, it is something another, much more serious. In my opinion, a real civilizational revolution is taking place now. The twentieth year is a watershed.

We used to live in a society in which people walked with open faces, but now we will live among people with closed faces. And it would be good to think about what all this means. First of all, this means what I said at the very beginning: “First of all, the mask on the face of another person serves as a signal and at the same time a reminder that this person is dangerous. You instinctively recoil from him, without even having time to think why. " What a society will look like, in which everyone is a potential threat to everyone, can only be assumed. Although what is there to assume. As if this had not happened before.

When I go out into the streets of my beloved city and look around, it seems to me that I am in a movie. As if as a result of some idiotic experiment, two parallel New York were created: New York Prime and New York Alpha. I, the one who is now writing all this, ended up in New York Alpha. Everyone here is wearing masks. Somewhere in New York Prime, my double came out on the street. I hardly ever meet with him..."