The New Normal

Share this post

The Campaign for Permanent Masking

www.michaelpsenger.com

The Campaign for Permanent Masking

Who's behind the campaign to make masks permanent?

Michael P Senger
Apr 21, 2022
98
70
Share
Share this post

The Campaign for Permanent Masking

www.michaelpsenger.com

On Monday, the CDC’s mask mandate for US airlines was struck down. This made for some comical takes captured in my previous article. But some takes weren’t so funny. In this tweet, which has 137,000 likes and counting, an anonymous doctor makes the case for permanent masking in the most explicit possible terms.

Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
1:53 PM ∙ Apr 19, 2022
137,810Likes24,821Retweets

Below are some examples of quote tweets of this doctor’s tweet. Many sought to normalize the concept of permanent masking, emphasizing that wearing a mask forever is no big deal, and anyway is “cool.”

Twitter avatar for @plummysims
plummysims | elfathiera 🇮🇩 @plummysims
I feel naked when I have to unmask my mask 🤷🏻‍♀️ And I feel cool whenever I put my mask on
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
11:20 AM ∙ Apr 20, 2022
Twitter avatar for @jesscobedo
ᴸ¹⁴⁸⁵Jessica 🌻 @jesscobedo
I love masks and will be wearing them forever. ❤
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
12:31 AM ∙ Apr 20, 2022
4Likes1Retweet
Twitter avatar for @elvisdutch
Sir Sweary Ray Scott 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇪🇺 🇺🇦🌻 @elvisdutch
Masks are normal for me now so if that means for the rest of my life, so be it. It is not a problem for me. #WearAMask #JohnsonOut86 #LiedToParliament #NeverVoteConservative
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
9:48 AM ∙ Apr 20, 2022
2Likes2Retweets
Twitter avatar for @ada_denker
Pinko Scum @ada_denker
I haven't had the flu or a cold in two years. You're goddammit right I'm gonna mask forever.
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
3:03 AM ∙ Apr 20, 2022

Many other quote tweets indicated that they’d been masking long before Covid. Given that virtually no one in the western world wore masks before Covid, many of these tweets would appear to be lies.

Twitter avatar for @9ValleyMaiden
Maiden Vin @9ValleyMaiden
WeLl i mAsKed BeFoRe tHe pAnDeMiC sO, YeAh, DuH.
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
9:23 PM ∙ Apr 20, 2022
Twitter avatar for @DtsugA_973
Mina⁹³🦎 inactive @DtsugA_973
Fun fact, I wear masks all the time even before COVID-19 is a thing 😂 Just hate getting all the dusts and pollutants into my respiratory system.
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
10:55 AM ∙ Apr 20, 2022
Twitter avatar for @Alchery13
Joey | ❄🔥❄️🔞 | @Alchery13
Before the pandemic, I made it a habit to be masked when I was out sick if I had masks. So yes, even after the pandemic - whenever that will be at this point, I will continue to use masks.
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
2:00 PM ∙ Apr 20, 2022
Twitter avatar for @lisha_dilip
WAB LOCKDOWN 〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜 @lisha_dilip
I masked up before the pandemic strted, not gonna change that. My health comes first.
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
9:52 AM ∙ Apr 20, 2022
Twitter avatar for @LatifaMorrisett
Latifa Morrisette ♑🇺🇸🇳🇴😷 @LatifaMorrisett
I've been wearing a mask long before COVID. I wore one every flu season and continue to plan on wearing them indefinitely.
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
2:15 AM ∙ Apr 20, 2022

Other quote tweets advocated permanent masking on the belief that the world had permanently changed because Covid may have leaked out of a lab. As described in greater detail in my book, this point—that the world could no longer afford human rights because Covid may have leaked out of the Wuhan Lab of Virology—has been a consistent line within pro-lockdown and -mandate propaganda since January 2020, and remains a primary reason that I push back on the “lab leak theory.”

Twitter avatar for @LuisaFVelez1
Booster, KN95 & Eye PPE or GTFO. @LuisaFVelez1
Yes. Bitch. Yes I will. Life is a BSL2 lab now.
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
3:47 PM ∙ Apr 19, 2022
Twitter avatar for @dragonsnphoenix
Nabs Nab @dragonsnphoenix
If we're gonna continue hurtling the world towards the apocalypse, might as well act like it. Anti-maskers are the ones stuck in the past, they think the world even 2 yrs ago will be the same world forever. Bitch trees are about to go extinct, diseases will spread get used to it.
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
4:15 PM ∙ Apr 20, 2022

Still other quote tweets specifically implored westerners to adopt permanent masking because mask-wearing has long been a cultural practice in East Asia. Some even indicated that they, themselves, were located in East Asia.

Twitter avatar for @donz1925
chihiro⁷·ᵇᵗˢ ˡᵒᶜᵏᵈᵒʷⁿ @donz1925
I really don't understand why it's such a big deal in the west. we in the south/east, most have been voluntarily doing it even before panini if we have cough and colds or it's flu season. even when we're just travelling and expected to experience heavy pollution. 🤷🏽‍♀️
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
11:00 AM ∙ Apr 20, 2022
Twitter avatar for @CPTpurrfect
CPTpurrfect🥀 @CPTpurrfect
really don't get people being bothered with it at this point. If you look towards East Asia it is often seen as common courtesy to wear masks if you show signs of having a cold to protect those around you - and that was way before the pandemic.
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
3:44 PM ∙ Apr 19, 2022
Twitter avatar for @CharlottePutney
Charlotte P @CharlottePutney
And, in many Asian countries people have been masking for "forever"-- masking when they feel a little sniffly to protect others, masking when the pollution is high, masking during sandstorms, masking when the pollen count is high. Long term masking common 😷
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
3:10 AM ∙ Apr 20, 2022
Twitter avatar for @GrandGobboBarb
Barbara, Goblin @GrandGobboBarb
i was one of only two people at walmart wearing masks. one old lady called me on it. me: "I have a cold. Do you want to have a cold?" her: "no...." me: "then maybe culturally accepting masking is a good thing"
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
5:27 PM ∙ Apr 20, 2022
Twitter avatar for @PreheatingProf
Professor Crowley @PreheatingProf
So what if I do? News flash! People have been wearing masks, around the world, for DECADES.
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
12:58 AM ∙ Apr 20, 2022

Others indicated that the entire world should have adopted universal masking in the early 20th century, apparently a reference to a popular story about the work of Dr. Wu Lien-Teh, often credited with popularizing universal masking in China in that period.

Twitter avatar for @ScrapperPlays
Alex 🔧 @ScrapperPlays
South East Asia adopted mask wearing when you're sick after the 1918 pandemic, and they've been healthier and safer ever since as a result
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
9:31 PM ∙ Apr 20, 2022
Twitter avatar for @thickdumbass
The Straw Hats Live-In Prostitute @thickdumbass
yes and honestly everyone should have adopted this practice in the early 1900s.
Twitter avatar for @AmyGDalaMD
Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDalaMD
People: aRe yoU goInG to mAsK fOreVeR Me: well I still wear seatbelts & helmets, use sunscreen, get vaccinated, wash my hands, drink pasteurized milk, cook chicken before eating it, & don't drink water straight from the lake so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
1:29 AM ∙ Apr 20, 2022

In my personal opinion, this social media campaign for permanent masking has all the hallmarks of one sponsored by the Chinese Communist Party or its allies—though hopefully not as impactful as the pro-lockdown propaganda campaign that took place in early 2020.

  • The original tweet with more than 137,000 likes is not clever, funny, or interesting.

  • Most of the quote tweets show little equivocation and instead show passionate enthusiasm for permanent masking, which is still considered a fringe view in the western world.

  • The accounts involved are generally anonymous and incoherent.

  • Many of the quote tweets emphasize that they masked long before Covid, which is either a lie or, if true, could only be true if they were in Asia.

  • The accounts explicitly encourage the west to emulate “East Asia,” and some indicate that they, themselves, are located in East Asia.

Of course, I could be wrong. Though the alternative in this case—that hundreds of thousands of people really are passionately enthusiastic about permanent masking—is far more frightening.


Michael P Senger is an attorney and author of Snake Oil: How Xi Jinping Shut Down the World. Want to support my work? Get the book.

98
70
Share
Share this post

The Campaign for Permanent Masking

www.michaelpsenger.com
70 Comments
Matt P
Apr 21, 2022Liked by Michael P Senger

So scary that there are this many deranged people out there... maybe some are trolls but enough prominent people are calling for masks as a relatively routine thing, and currently think it's "too early" for removal of masks... expect to see a bigger push for vax and masks in the fall... get ready and don't drop your guard

Expand full comment
Reply
1 reply
Monoi
Apr 21, 2022Liked by Michael P Senger

It's tweeter, not real life. That said, wearing a mask over your eyes whilst reading twitter is probably a good idea mental health wise. Getting off it even better. Looking around me today, I don't see anybody masking so you're probably right about the trolling.

Expand full comment
Reply
1 reply
68 more comments…
Top
New
Community

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Michael P Senger
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing