Life in the Red Zone

**jsingerphd** · October 8, 2020, 6:59pm

Making an effort to acknowledge that we have a serious problem by flouting masks; I need help in understanding why wearing masks is such a problem?

**jbrilliantphd** · October 8, 2020, 8:19pm

i can’t answer that because i don’t really understand it either- other than it being a political statement, which i think, for many, it is. My understanding of it may be a bit judgmental, but I think people who listen to Trump and to Fox news are getting a lot of anti mask information. Some Fox news people (particularly Laura Ingraham ) have brought on outlier doctors, usually not epidemiologists or infectious disease specialists, who come up with erroneous stories about masks being somehow dangerous. Added to the political fervor there is fear of antisemitism (some real, some enflamed by some overzealous jewish politicians) that puts this in the realm of the jewish community protecting itself from the oppressive (democratic) government trying to control it . rejecting the mask becomes a symbol defiance.

**adinasegal** · October 9, 2020, 1:42am

In this climate things are so out of control and there is a lot of fear. People want things to be the same and the fact that things are rapidly changing is very disorienting. Being able to go to shul and celebrate like we normally do- without the reminder of a mask- is comforting and gives a sense of normalcy.

I have gone to several therapy trainings about the pandemic and have experienced this as well: We are all going through a trauma right now. People react to trauma differently. Denial and fighting reality is one way.

**jbrilliantphd** · October 9, 2020, 2:53am

Agreed. I can be sympathetic to that when I see it in my patients (I have one who used to go into a rage when he saw other people wear masks, even if he was not asked to wear one, at the beginning of this, and understanding that has been a focus of many sessions) . I have a little more trouble mobilizing sympathy with clinicians who seem oblivious to there own denial or who elevate misinformation to the level of just another opinion equal to that of science. we are all having a hard time with this and we will all have some irrational thoughts. I think, as clinicians, though, it’s our responsibility to be self-aware and to find our way back to reality when that happens, even when reality is not pleasant in the short run. I also think it’s our responsibility as citizens and members of communities. Another aspect is that we’re bombarded with a lot of information. To me , one way to stay reasonably stable in the chaos is to evaluate the information coming at me, rather than accept things at face value or run from them. That’s one of the few things I can control. Sometimes the misinformation feeds denial. sometimes it feeds rage. finding someone or something tangible to blame and be angry at (the government, maybe?) gives us the illusion of control in an uncontrollable , unpredictable situation. It may feel better for the moment, but living in that place of blaming and rage enflames the chaos further. And it’s a distortion of reality. the government is not the enemy. The doctors are not the enemy. the scientists are not the enemy. The virus is. It’s hard to face an intangible enemy.

**jsingerphd** · October 9, 2020, 1:32pm

well to be duped to have the issue of saving a life and/or concern for the well-being for others upended for a political agenda and statement is not particularly adaptive. I think its self defeating behavior on a communal level. following any leader / political group to such an extreme usually doesn’t work out well.

**jsingerphd** · October 9, 2020, 1:37pm

yes denial and fighting is one way; a very understandable way but also primitive from a psychological defense perspective. like when a kid puts his hands over his ears and says “I cant hear you.” I think we can help others tolerate the certainty of more uncertainty and that ambiguity, inconsistency, and the unknown are the new norm and in fact always were front and center but the illusion of control has now been lifted.

**lebovits** · October 9, 2020, 8:33pm

Fear can generate another type of response: The belief in a superstition to give one’s self the illusion of control over the fearsome entity or phenomenon. I use the word “superstition” to describe ascribing efficacy to some action or object for which there is no supporting evidence. For example, if leaving one car length of distance between you and the car ahead of you for every 10 mph of speed is recommended for safety, leaving 3 car lengths would be even better - though there is no data to support such a claim. Though logic might lead one to believe this idea, the data demonstrates that there is a high likelihood another vehicle would cut in front of you, causing a more unsafe condition. So adhering to this practice in the face of accurate data would be a form of superstition.
Superstitions have now attached to the guidelines for COVID safety. There is no data supporting the need for masks if one is outdoors and maintaining social distance. In fact, here in Pennsylvania the governor’s mandates do not require a mask under those conditions. Nevertheless, someone not wearing a mask in public will often experience intense disapproval and even hostility - no matter how much distance there may be.
Indoors, mask-wearing has also become a superstition of sorts, akin to a talisman or sacred object, removing the need for social distance despite the data to the contrary. Intelligent individuals have told me they heard if one is wearing a mask then 3 feet is adequate social distance (it is not).
When wearing a mask in and of itself is held out as THE protective measure for managing the communicability of COVID (“Just wear a mask!”), then we are no longer using reason and science. Thoughtful people can reasonably challenge that declaration, as many scientists have, and not out of selfishness or communal disregard.

**jbrilliantphd** · October 12, 2020, 12:13am

I don’t think anyone is claiming that masks are the one true solution or that masks are necessary outdoors when distant from others. The problem is people who don’t wear masks indoors in public spaces (like stores and shuls) and outdoors when distance cannot be maintained (like crowded city sidewalks or shopping areas). I don’t know what’s happening in Pennsylvania, but that’s what’s happening in Brooklyn, along with sharply increasing numbers of Covid cases. Of course, masks don’t offer magical protection, but they do help reduce the probability of infecting others. Both distancing and masks are the only preventative tools available at this time. That is reality, not superstition.

**lebovits** · October 12, 2020, 12:54am

I must disagree.
We are bombarded by messages to wear masks indoors AND outdoors, irrespective of the distance. When the mayor says people not wearing masks in public will be fined, he did not limit that to where individuals could not maintain social distance. When runners and bikers are told to make sure they are wearing their masks - when there is no way they are NOT social distancing - that is clearly turning masks into some kind of magical intervention.
The effectiveness of masks when there is no proper distance is unproven, which makes frum neighborhoods with extremely high population densities very difficult to protect even with high compliance.
What is not so widely reported is the fact that there have been spikes across the country and around the world in places where residents have not changed their behavior that would explain them. The Netherlands, where masks have never been required, suddenly has spiked in the last two weeks.
Peru and India are showing fatality numbers that will surpass the US. Rural states are presenting with more positive cases, though that may be an artifact of reporting. At universities when students test positive the institution keeps its numbers down by reporting the home addresses of the students so they don’t get dinged. A student from Montana going to a school in Chicago and is infected there, will be reported as another positive Montana case.
It is not clear what is creating this surge; it may or may not be due to a real behavior change. Israel went from the best to the worst country. The media there are blaming it on the charedim’s behavior, but from people I’ve spoken with the lack of compliance is not new. So why the shift?

**jsingerphd** · October 12, 2020, 10:50am

Fear and superstition likely drive elements of xenophobia and therefore antisemitism. Proudly openly and defiantly flouting the rules to me creates a chillel HaShem imo. Furthermore, you don’t drive recklessly it’s dangerous. Look like you care about others and if it should happen you help slow the spread of the illness or even a death I think that’s a big win. Sadly the damage already done is substantial. Projections of 400,000 dead Americans would be nice if Jews weren’t seen as part of the problem in the NY/NJ Metroarea but part of the solution.