Rebellious wolves are conforming sheep

Basic conversation has gone through the metamorphosis of connection to an exasperated battle of conformity versus amaurotic rebellion. Conformity as per the dictionary is an action in accord with prevailing social standards, attitudes, practices, etc. It is the correspondence in form, nature, or character, agreement, congruity or accordance. It was used to relation to being compliant and obedient but this was more used in an established church especially the Church of England. A rebel is a person who refuses allegiance to, resists, or rises in arms against the government or ruler of his or her country. A person who resists any authority, control or tradition. I find the battle between the two is a failing battle that expects both sides to be either black or white, and the solutions are to follow as well; when it is grey.

It seems there are less discussions which require speaking, listening, comprehension of the material and responses, respect, acceptance and finally resolution. It is ok to be offended. It is ok to dislike. It is ok to disagree. It is the utilization of excuses to do something one desires against another is where the problem lies.

For example, in a place of work an employee arguing with everyone that they have to wear a mask while on the premise. They begin blindly quoting it’s not legal and they can not legally force them because it is a free country! No one is legally stating they are obligated but they are saying they reserve the right to request for your absence because of your choice to not follow policy.

A business in (New York State) may lawfully refuse to provide service to a particular individual for any reason or no reason, as long as the business does not refuse service because the individual belongs to a member of a class protected by statute. A class protected by a statute would be religious freedoms, racial discrimination or the American Disability Act; being an ass is not a disability. Screaming at the barista, a fellow employee will not solve the problem; it only exacerbates your situation and increases the chances of you not getting what you want. Usually this person will yell at the other individuals that they are sheep because they do not even know why they are wearing masks. They advertise they are rebelling against the system instead of choosing productive tasks that could change things; because yelling at someone whose there to take your order…changes things. When in reality they simply do not like the policy. Without conversation a tantrum is thrown and the “conversation” or/and “comparison” is that they are so rebellious starring in their own James Dean self inflicted thriller; that everything gets missed.

The attitude you give. The choice to snatch something out of someone’s hand to be obnoxious places you into a category you promise you do not belong in; by your own accord. These meltdowns affect the body. The moments of “rebellion” you feel justified in are perfect demonstrations of a hyperactive amygdala that continues to grow, the prefrontal cortex shrinks and the hypothalamus goes into hyperdrive because they feel threatened. Sure you get to release your emotions but that helps toddlers whose prefrontal cortex has not fully developed (until around 25); what’s your excuse?

Where is that energy when people should come together and rebel against the position of power where it matters? Or does the energy only apply when it is something they dislike? If the rage against the machine is only prevalent when one person disagrees about something, then they are not a rebel. Ask a question calmly when you do not understand something and learn as much as you can. Researching information to only feed your narrative is not research.

This is not a rant about wearing a mask but this was rather a recent meaningless conversation I was dragged into; and it happens a lot. However, first of all, it is not a discrimination against the person. Discrimination is the treatment in favor of or against a person or thing based on a group, class that person or thing belongs to like being discriminated against for a person’s religion, LGBTQ community, racial, misogyny; not wanting to wear a mask is not a class of people. There were no deaths or persecution for not wearing a mask. There was no war. No one was hunted for not wearing a mask. No one turned you into the government out of blind compliance or revenge. No one pinned you down to wear a mask. No died for not wearing a mask, unless there were unfortunate circumstances.

The air we breathe is not all oxygen. Earth’s atmosphere holds 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and leaving the rest to be water molecules and other gases. We breathe water molecules. The average adult when resting inhales 20% oxygen of what’s in the atmosphere and exhales 15% totaling breathing at 11,000 litters of air a day; air as in the balance of nitrogen and oxygen (think about people who come up too fast for air & getting the bends) and the water molecules too. Airborne contagions include influenza, whooping cough, TB, or the measles; (psst chickenpox is mostly from touching the blisters but being around the sneezes it can be passed airborne).

The measles is a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus and loves inside the mucus of the nose and throat and spreads through coughing and sneezing. Mostly eradicated from vaccinations but it can still be carried by those who catch and do not have a vaccination. I’m not saying there’s a guarantee death but there are a lot of complications without the vaccination starting with basic diarrhea (which excessively can lead to dehydration), premature births in pregnant people, pneumonia, encephalitis (inflammation in the brain), brain disabilities in babies and young children; this is probably because it is attacking the respiratory tract. We all need blood and oxygen.

Pertussis/whooping cough spreads through coughing an sneezing and it’s very contagious. It usually starts off like a basic cold. Adults can get pertussis and although the symptoms may vary with adults it is more dangerous to a child whose airway is swelling up and filling up with mucus. It is more than just your protection to get vaccinated and not spread it; but most importantly the little baby or child you’re fond of doesn’t get it. Kids compensate a lot in the body until it is too late.

Tuberculosis, or TB, is a bacterial disease of the lungs and throat, so when they are talking, coughing, laughing; they are sharing the bacteria with the air that you’re breathing. N95 and other disposable particulate respirators aim to protect against there respiratory opportunities by decreasing the chances of the body inhaling those molecules roaming in the air. An individual and/or business have the right to make the request or deny you based on the policies of their house; it’s not yours. It is not a definition of conformity. Does everyone do the research on both sides? No, because someone has denied you something; it does not mean you are owed.

“But I was here and they didn’t make me wear a mask!”

That’s great, perhaps you could return there if we are not going to have a conversation about this establishment’s policies. Arguing to seem like a rebel against a machine you drew on paper is not being a rebel. It is not preventing you from being a sheep, it makes you look like a sheep trying to be a wolf; amongst a sea of sheepish wolves. Raising your heart rate and blood pressure to throw a tantrum and being obnoxious causes you to burn your own bridges; it’s not the world against you. But I guess if you never learned to recognize, comprehend and cope with your emotions I presume this is what is produced.

“IT’S ILLEGAL WHOSE GONNA MAKE ME!?”

No one will make you but you are not forced to stay here either. It is the same regurgitated inconsequential conversation that no one wants to join because it is not a conversation.

Why does the rage only exist for self gratification? Screaming or a boorish attitude towards someone politely talking to you is not what Rage Against the Machine rocked about. “Take the power back” is about how the American government desires their citizens to conform to the "ideal" American dream; wearing a mask is too small on a scale of grandiose concepts. There’s no power to take back from a place of business whose policies are for you to wear the mask. It is no longer a conversation; it is a tantrum.

If your values are different from another and you disagree that is ok, but it is not okay to CHOOSE to be nasty to someone else and make grotesque accusations about an individual you’ve made clear you’re incapable of having a conversation with. It is not an owed ideology of what you want, it is consent. The place of business does not consent to it and the people of the establishment as well; it’s their home. It is like parading around saying “FREEDOM OF SPEECH” (because you deserve the right to say unprovoked hateful commentary) while forgetting that protects you from the government; not from other people or the consequences of those actions. This is not about the mask. This is not about any of the glittering generalities that are spewed; this is about the expectation of other people to conform to your requests without question. Without conforming to your requests, it is not a conversation, they are being sheep and you the lone rebels are standing against a machine you created.

Learn to communicate, listen, give yourself time to comprehend your perspective and others, accept and find resolution. Be more self aware and aware of others and learn to communicate; and if you end up agreeing to disagree. Then it is what it is; without violent, negative, nefarious intent.

References

https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/default.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/index.html

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=90&contentid=P02533

https://www.hhs.gov/immunization/diseases/pertussis/index.html

https://cpp-hov.netlify.app//diseases/pertussis-whooping-cough

https://healthservices.appstate.edu/pagesmith/175

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/flu-and-older-adults

https://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2020/pertussis010820.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234368/

https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/why-do-measles-survivors-get-sicker

https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2019/11/12/how-measles-leaves-the-body-prone-to-future-infections/

https://www.chop.edu/news/news-and-views-measles-virus-disease-vaccine

https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2491/10-interesting-things-about-air/