MIT’s new mask policy forbids requesting or requiring that others wear masks

https://now.mit.edu/policies/updated-face-covering-policy/

by jmeister • 4 years ago

19 5 4 years ago

now.mit.edu

jmeister• 4 years ago

A Twitter thread with some context and responses from free-speech activist orgs:

https://twitter.com/grok_/status/1504104905690259457

version_five• 4 years ago

Interesting, I never thought about it in terms of free speech. Seems to me it's definitely acceptable to make a poster or hold a demonstration suggesting people should keep wearing masks (even if I think it's crazy).

But going up to people and hassling them for not wearing one is clearly inappropriate. If I saw someone wearing a religious symbol and started hassling them to leave the religion, would that be appropriate?

It's too bad it's come to this, but like the Twitter thread implies, there are still crazies around that want to impose their fear on others. That's not appropriate in a free society. Complain about it, protest it, raise awareness, whatever, but you're still not allowed to be a militant jerk about it. Do these mask fanatics think it's ok for people to harass women going for abortions?

Also, we should maybe have a mental health program for the people who have been radicalized by all the fearmongering. A lot of people basically went crazy, and need help getting back to normal

prirun• 4 years ago

Keep in mind there are immunocompromised people roaming the earth (I've read it's about 3%, or 9 million people in the US), and wearing a mask doesn't always mean someone is radicalized, crazy, or needs help "getting back to normal".

An immunocompromised person like myself doesn't know if they have protection or not, even if vaccinated 3 times. So wearing a mask at the grocery store or whatever is not a political statement, I'm not a mask fanatic, I don't insist others wear them around me, and I'm not a militant jerk about it. I don't like wearing them myself.

Having said that, in a doctor's office or hospital setting where the institution has said "Masks are required", it pisses me off when people come in with a mask around their neck, under their nose, etc. It's extremely inconsiderate to flaunt the rules in these settings because there are a lot of sick people nearby and you're basically saying "I don't give a fuck about others' health, I'm not wearing a mask".

mogadsheu• 4 years ago

The mask mandates didn’t age so well.

It’s one thing to implore others based on the best understanding at the time.

It’s another to use authority to force then and be dead wrong about it.

I’m glad the mandates are retreating.

ALittleLight• 4 years ago

I don't see the problem with this. Imagine 5% of the student body starts asking everyone who wears shorts to put on pants instead. This annoys other students and so MIT comes up with a rule to stop annoying people by asking them to wear pants.

MIT’s new mask policy forbids requesting or requiring that others wear masks

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