Repost from September 2020 with new video link.
This is really the last straw and it’s clear I must find a way to demonstrate the resolute firmness of my stance. I will not comply, cooperate, collaborate, conform, or negotiate.
To that end, I’m going to coin a new mental disorder for myself and all the other poor dear souls seriously suffering for the idiocy of this current madness sweeping global civilization.
All those with Authoritarian Defiance Syndrome please step forward. Let’s join together in our victimhood, in that, at least, we can feel a part of the in-crowd again.
The scenario that did me in was serious indeed. In hindsight, with my 2020 goggles on, breathing freely without a suffocating face diaper, I’ve rewritten this conversation in a more sincere way, closer to the way I really feel. Authenticity is so important these days, or so they keep saying. How that fits in with covering the most expressive part of the face and the fine nuances of the voice, I’ve not a clue, but that doesn’t really matter now.
I gifted myself a birthday present and I was really excited about it. I’m not a big shopper at all, but I do love learning and adventure. So I invited Hubby and a friend to join me for a plant walk at the Caddo Mounds with a well-known naturalist in our region.
I was very excited, because I already tried to go on this plant walk last year, right before a manufactured tornado in the middle of the day during one of their spiritual ceremonies leveled the place, along with miles of the surrounding forest. Needless to say, the event was canceled.
Having already paid the $50 each for the afternoon walk, I received a courtesy call for the current event: Masks required.
Of course, I cancelled, despite my intense desire to learn from this expert on the flora and fauna in fall in our region and waiting patiently already a year and a half.
Why do I refuse? ADS. That’s right: Authoritarian Defiance Syndrome. I find it absolutely impossible to bow to tyranny. It’s not just that it’s even more ridiculous to walk around the forest in a mask than it is in the city. It’s the principle. Many will have no idea what that word means and even less what it looks like in action.
Another friend suggested I write to this expert and ask for special permission to remain free of required face diaper. I considered this option, and thought, what appeal might I make for such an undeserved privilege? Why should I be able to breath and speak freely while everyone else in the group is muzzled? How selfish. After all, I know folks who’ve got infections and rashes from wearing these awful things, yet still they comply. Is my suffering on par with theirs before making such a bold gesture as expecting special privileges from the expert?
What makes me so special? I haven’t worn one yet and it’s my goal to keep it that way. But, how? My concern is accelerating. It looks like this charade is not going to let up and in fact, the tyrants look to me like they are doubling down, with great pleasure.
ADS. The harder they push, the worse my condition becomes, it’s extraordinary. The more illogical they get, the more stubborn I get. Clearly this is an adverse condition that should make it into the DSM15, or whatever number the expert psychologist collaborators of tyranny are on now.
If my condition were severe claustrophobia (in fact my case is fairly mild, relatively speaking) would I be required by the social rulers to ride in a crowded elevator everyday? Would that not seem to be a cruel punishment of a mentally handicapped individual?
Obviously it’s ridiculous on its face that masks should be required in an outdoor setting. And to pour a little salt on the wound of my ruined birthday plans, my friend is going anyway. Nice.
In the meantime, I’m practicing my routine, for the next time I have to sacrifice to the many tyrants and the hordes of worshippers who love them.
Clerk: Ma’am, you’ll need to wear a mask.
Ma’am (me): You mean a face diaper? I’m so sorry, I can’t wear one of those. I suffer from ADS.
Clerk: It’s required, ma’am.
Me: No, you see, I have an exemption from my therapist, it’s right here, Dr. Freeman, psychological condition, you see it marked right there, ADS.
Clerk: It’s not a face diaper, it’s a mask. Doctors wear them all the time, they never have any problems.
Me: Oh, but you see, that’s exactly why I didn’t become a brain surgeon. The first time I had to wear one in medical school I had an attack, that’s when I was diagnosed with claustrophobia. They didn’t know about ADS back then.
Clerk: What’s ADS? I’ve never heard of it before.
Me: Don’t worry, you will, they are popularizing new syndromes all the time. This one’s going to be really huge, my astrologer told me.
Clerk: Well I find it offensive when you call a surgical mask a face diaper.
Me: That’s because you’re not performing surgery.
Clerk: But diapers are for babies.
Me: Potato-PoTAto. Where you see a mask, I see a diaper. Can’t you see now what a serious mental condition this is?
I’m so sorry you missed your birthday treat, Mishelle. It’s troubling to see how many people still wear masks these days. And it’s sad that those you would think should know better require it of others. I can understand why it’s important for you to live according to truth and reason rather than lies.
Recently, I’ve been thinking about the “conformity enforcers” I endured when I taught in academia. I reviewed an old post about the shift in research methodologies from studies led by the women of Hull House in Chicago at the turn of the century. They observed and listened and transformed the lives of impoverished women, children, workers, and immigrants to name a few populations who benefitted at a local, state, and national level. The men from the university of Chicago took control then and turned research into an elite-controlled deficit-focused victim-blaming (maiming) endeavor that benefitted those in power. Needless to say, after prepping the classes I taught in research, there was no way anyone could convince me that the “science” behind jabs and masks was trustworthy.
Sadly, I watched my family, neighbors, colleagues, and friends make the choice to vaccinate out of fear and/or the need to stay employed. I understand although it still breaks my heart. I did wear a mask in public places to reduce others’ fear, just as I unconsciously make space to avoid colliding with others who are clueless. I could still teach during the covid scare because we shifted online. These days, the lies and cruelty are brutally enforced. I’m perplexed why someone would insist on masks outside, though, unless they have been threatened somehow…
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thank you Carol for your thoughtful reply! There is still so much to learn about social conformity and conscientiousness and how that is exploited by the tyrannical powers. I know I don’t have those answers, but I can at least model a particular and authentic boldness for those who can understand it.
Your perspective is appreciated, especially because it is unique, as someone with your background and that you still even allow yourself to feel, heartbroken or otherwise, that in itself is becoming more rare by the decade. The heartless automaton has replaced the humane human, and I really wonder if that state is reversible at all.
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I often wonder if it’s possible to create a more humane world as well, Mishelle, but it’s worth trying anyway given the alternatives. 🪶
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