What Message do I Intend?

[let’s roll]

I admit to having no interest in whether masks provide any medical benefits.  I wear one because if I didn’t some who I pass maskless would believe I don’t care about them and that’s not a message I want to convey, because I do care about them.

When we were discussing current events I told my son and grandson that if I were a professional athlete I would announce that I would alternate my posture during the national anthem, at one game standing with my hand over my heart because I honor and respect those who built and sustain this country and at the next game kneeling with my head bowed in recognition of the fact that there are ills we need to address as a nation.  Because I see value in each of those messages, I wouldn’t want to send one without also sending the other.

l’ve always worn a white shirt to church.  I’ve heard all the reasons folks provide for doing so.  Not sure that on this point my actions are as purposeful as in others.

Care to share any examples where you believe your actions are purposeful in conveying an intended message?  Or, alternatively, long-standing customs or habits you engage in that in your mind aren’t closely tied to the commonly understood message of those actions.

 

Edited July 3, 2020 by let’s roll

[Tacenda]

Love this, let's roll! I apologized recently when I went to the store and forgot my mask, to the store employee that checked me out, lol. And I like the dual action when the anthem is sung too, good idea! ❤️

[USU78]

And those who mask shame the noncompliant who may well have a perfectly reasonable explanation, but don't really owe the mask shamer one, what message are they sending?

Edited July 3, 2020 by USU78

[pogi]

2 minutes ago, USU78 said:

And those who mask shame the noncompliant who may well have a perfectly reasonable explanation, but don't really owe the mask shamer one, what message are they sending?

I agree.  I am upset by the shaming.  There are absolutely valid reasons not to wear a mask.  I think the point is that wearing a mask, if you can, is a sign or respect and concern for others.  It says, "I love you neighbor."  

[Tacenda]

1 hour ago, USU78 said:

And those who mask shame the noncompliant who may well have a perfectly reasonable explanation, but don't really owe the mask shamer one, what message are they sending?

True, I hope not to shame anyone. I only said this to the checker and no one was behind me.

[bluebell]

50 minutes ago, pogi said:

I agree.  I am upset by the shaming.  There are absolutely valid reasons not to wear a mask.  I think the point is that wearing a mask, if you can, is a sign or respect and concern for others.  It says, "I love you neighbor."  

This is why it kind of makes me laugh (in a sad way) to see the hypocrisy in some mask wearers. 

One the one hand they claim "I wear masks because I respect and care about others" and then on the other hand, when they shame and are getting into fistfights over them in public, they embrace  "If you don't behave in a way that I agree with, you deserve no respect and I'll do my best to make you suffer."

It's so typical of the disconnect in our society right now.  

[USU78]

Voices being muffled. How can one be heard?

Voices being distorted. How can nuance be communicated?

Faces being obscured. How can youth learn nonverbal cues to clarify meaning?

People distanced from other people. How can youth learn trust and the magic of physical connection outside immediate family?

Anger, rage, spite, grudge-nursing everywhere. How can youth learn to disagree without violence?

 

[pogi]

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

This is why it kind of makes me laugh (in a sad way) to see the hypocrisy in some mask wearers. 

One the one hand they claim "I wear masks because I respect and care about others" and then on the other hand, when they shame and are getting into fistfights over them in public, they embrace  "If you don't behave in a way that I agree with, you deserve no respect and I'll do my best to make you suffer."

It's so typical of the disconnect in our society right now.  

I understand the feeling of upset and being disrespected (I don't condone shame or violence) at people who do not wear masks when there is no medical reason not to (and there are plenty of them).  We just shouldn't pretend to know if someone legitimately is not wearing a mask or not.  Best to do and say nothing.  Let's not pretend however, that some of these non-mask wearers (if we are going to divide them into different camps) are not intentionally being very inflammatory about it.

If I don't pee on you out of respect, it doesn't mean that I won't be upset and offended if you decide to pee on me and everyone around you.  That is one way to look at mask wearing and why people feel the way they do.

Edited July 3, 2020 by pogi

[Teancum]

2 hours ago, pogi said:

I agree.  I am upset by the shaming.  There are absolutely valid reasons not to wear a mask.  I think the point is that wearing a mask, if you can, is a sign or respect and concern for others.  It says, "I love you neighbor."  

Those valid reasons don't include "I just don't want to because it infringes on my "liberties."

[USU78]

3 minutes ago, Teancum said:

Those valid reasons don't include "I just don't want to because it infringes on my "liberties."

Which justifies shaming cantankerous non-conformity. Got it.

[Teancum]

1 minute ago, USU78 said:

Which justifies shaming cantankerous non-conformity. Got it.

Sure.  Wear a mask.  Your liberty ends at my nose. If you need to be shamed to wear one I am fine with it. The US is the pandemic debacle of the world because of this attitude that "you are infringing on my liberty to have me wear a mask" as well as a similar approach to other things. And we see the rise in conservative republican states for the most part. Don't want to wear a mask?  Then stay home, don't enter a store or other close quarters.  If that is shaming so be it. IDK.

[Boanerges]

2 minutes ago, Teancum said:

Sure.  Wear a mask.  Your liberty ends at my nose. If you need to be shamed to wear one I am fine with it. The US is the pandemic debacle of the world because of this attitude that "you are infringing on my liberty to have me wear a mask" as well as a similar approach to other things. And we see the rise in conservative republican states for the most part. Don't want to wear a mask?  Then stay home, don't enter a store or other close quarters.  If that is shaming so be it. IDK.

Upfront, I live in a blue state where masks are required and it is enforced - and our infection rate is going in the right direction.

That said, like stores/businesses that have implemented "special hours" for those who are more vulnerable to COVID (usually the first business hour of the day here), maybe they could implement special hours for those who refuse to or can't wear a mask.

FWIW, I so wear a mask out of respect/love for my fellow beings. I have never shamed anyone for not doing so, however (but I might try to avoid them).

[Bob Crockett]

I love the freedom a mask brings.   On the way to work the other day I stuck up a liquor store and got $260.  I was able to case the joint for 15 minutes and nobody asked me why I was wearing a mask.   

I go to the gym to work out and nobody really knows my age anymore.  I can hustle the chicks at the gym, but then I can't tell how old they are either.

 

[HappyJackWagon]

3 hours ago, let’s roll said:

I admit to having no interest in whether masks provide any medical benefits.  I wear one because if I didn’t some who I pass maskless would believe I don’t care about them and that’s not a message I want to convey, because I do care about them.

When we were discussing current events I told my son and grandson that if I were a professional athlete I would announce that I would alternate my posture during the national anthem, at one game standing with my hand over my heart because I honor and respect those who built and sustain this country and at the next game kneeling with my head bowed in recognition of the fact that there are ills we need to address as a nation.  Because I see value in each of those messages, I wouldn’t want to send one without also sending the other.

l’ve always worn a white shirt to church.  I’ve heard all the reasons folks provide for doing so.  Not sure that on this point my actions are as purposeful as in others.

Care to share any examples where you believe your actions are purposeful in conveying an intended message?  Or, alternatively, long-standing customs or habits you engage in that in your mind aren’t closely tied to the commonly understood message of those actions.

 

Cool topic! I wear a mask but not to make any political or moral statement though I admit that I would feel like I was making a statement if I didn't, so maybe I'm just fooling myself.

At different times I've adopted various actions to push back against what I perceived to be a rigid custom. For example, I've worn a cross lapel pin or a rainbow tie purposefully. 

I am a big Duke's of Hazzard fan and I have an Orange General Lee shirt with the 01 on the front. I purposely didn't buy the one with the confederate flag on the back. Still, I had to stop wearing the shirt a number of years ago because I was worried about the message it could send. 

I also have a red t-shirt I've always really liked. It has the symbol for The Greatest American Hero on the front. Someone once told me they momentarily thought it was a swastika. Even though I didn't agree that it looked like that I stopped wearing it outside my house immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2020 by HappyJackWagon

[HappyJackWagon]

23 minutes ago, Bob Crockett said:

I love the freedom a mask brings.   On the way to work the other day I stuck up a liquor store and got $260.  I was able to case the joint for 15 minutes and nobody asked me why I was wearing a mask.   

I go to the gym to work out and nobody really knows my age anymore.  I can hustle the chicks at the gym, but then I can't tell how old they are either.

 

There's a funny meme I've seen. It shows two men entering a bank with masks. They say, "don't worry, we're just here to rob the place".

[Islander]

4 hours ago, let’s roll said:

I admit to having no interest in whether masks provide any medical benefits.  I wear one because if I didn’t some who I pass maskless would believe I don’t care about them and that’s not a message I want to convey, because I do care about them.

When we were discussing current events I told my son and grandson that if I were a professional athlete I would announce that I would alternate my posture during the national anthem, at one game standing with my hand over my heart because I honor and respect those who built and sustain this country and at the next game kneeling with my head bowed in recognition of the fact that there are ills we need to address as a nation.  Because I see value in each of those messages, I wouldn’t want to send one without also sending the other.

l’ve always worn a white shirt to church.  I’ve heard all the reasons folks provide for doing so.  Not sure that on this point my actions are as purposeful as in others.

Care to share any examples where you believe your actions are purposeful in conveying an intended message?  Or, alternatively, long-standing customs or habits you engage in that in your mind aren’t closely tied to the commonly understood message of those actions.

 

I come from a communist country, so I am very well acquainted with "gestures" and "symbolism" and all that political pantomime. Americans have an infatuation with political theater and do all kinds of silly things to "show" sympathy or that they recognize this cause/belief/idea or another. Most of it out of fear and (economic?) self-preservation. So, no one can shame me into anything.

I am rather a factual guy. I research a subject, gather data from diverse sources and once I believe I have sufficient reference points to form a measure opinion, I act accordingly. I am not persuaded, at all, by what other people think, say or feel anecdotally. They are free to do as they will and I only claim the privilege to do the same. When something is important to me I act accordingly and congruently. Not for public consumption (to be seen) but out of conviction. And I communicate, clearly and directly with those I love and are close to me about it. I don't send messages. 

I believe, for example, that the media giants are conspiring to quench political views that are contrary to the ideology that the tech barons hold. The censoring of some speech vs others is clear. We do not use ANY social media. We share pictures and the like on another platform. When we need to purchase something we buy directly from the seller or from the local retailer.  Does it take a little longer to get here? Maybe. Do we pay a bit more? Perhaps. But if you are not willing to sacrifice for your freedom then you don't deserve to be free. 

Edited July 3, 2020 by Islander

[Rain]

4 hours ago, USU78 said:

And those who mask shame the noncompliant who may well have a perfectly reasonable explanation, but don't really owe the mask shamer one, what message are they sending?

Some who wear a mask shame.  Some who don't wear a mask also shame. 

 

[USU78]

6 minutes ago, Rain said:

Some who wear a mask shame.  Some who don't wear a mask also shame. 

 

👏👏👏

[Rain]

Years ago I crocheted in SS and RS.  I find it very hard to pay attention when everything is all audio especially if there is no conversation or audience participation.  Crocheting helped me focus.  

Long story short, one of my online friends said if she saw someone in class crocheting she would feel like they were bored or didn't want to listen to her, which totally wasn't what was happening with me.

I finally prayed about it.  The answer was Heavenly Father didn't care if I crocheted, but did I want to help my brothers and sisters giving lessons who didn't understand? 

So by not crocheting my (non)actions "are purposeful in conveying an intended message" of "I am listening to you."

[Calm]

7 hours ago, let’s roll said:

l’ve always worn a white shirt to church.  I’ve heard all the reasons folks provide for doing so.  Not sure that on this point my actions are as purposeful as in others.

Wearing a dress rather than nice pants which would be much more comfortable for me (can't wear hose and skin on skin for my legs is annoying for some reason) because for many a dress is a sign of reverence and I don't want to detract from their experience.  If there were women who wore pants in my ward, I might do so to help them feel accepted if by chance they were feeling awkward, but not the case so far.

Quote

Years ago I crocheted in SS and RS.  I find it very hard to pay attention when everything is all audio especially if there is no conversation or audience participation.  Crocheting helped me focus.  

This is why I don't doodle, color, or do other stuff to occupy my hands.  Also why I didnt use my phone to read scriptures in the past during meetings where I was having a difficult time with the speaker ( for whatever reason, they were triggering anxiety for me....sometimes it would just be they were obviously anxious) because people might think I was playing games or answering email and that might distract them when the thought popped into their head.  Nowadays when so many use phones for scriptures, not as likely to be as noticeable.

Edited July 3, 2020 by Calm

[Calm]

3 hours ago, HappyJackWagon said:

has the symbol for The Greatest American Hero on the front

What did that symbol mean anyway?

[Rajah Manchou]

1 hour ago, Calm said:

What did that symbol mean anyway?

Was wondering the same thing, it looks like a Chinese or Japanese character. Odd insignia for the Greatest American Hero 😂

[Rajah Manchou]

1 hour ago, Calm said:

What did that symbol mean anyway?

When all else fails, ask Google:

Quote

 

On the Season 1 DVD, Stephen J. Cannell notes that the symbol design on the front of the suit is actually based on a pair of scissors that he had on his desk during the design of the uniform. He said that the costume designer asked him what he wanted the suit's chest emblem to look like. He said he had not really thought about it. The designer then picked the scissors up off the desk, held them upside down, and said "That's your emblem." Cannell was fine with that decision.

The symbol on Ralph's uniform resembles the Chinese character for "center" ㊥. As the symbol is red in color with white background, Hong Kong television station TVB termed the Cantonese-dubbed version of the show (飛天紅中俠), translated to mean "Flying Red Center Hero", in reference to the red Center tile in mahjong tiles.

The symbol's bilateral symmetry seemingly avoided the "backward S" problem encountered on the Adventures of Superman. For the low-budget 1950s series, editors would on occasion "flop" stock footage of George Reeves in flight, causing the "S" shield to appear reversed. However, in many Greatest American Hero composite flying sequences, Ralph wore a watch and the timepiece alternates from one wrist to the other, especially during extended flying sequences.

 

 

[Robert F. Smith]

On 7/3/2020 at 10:33 AM, let’s roll said:

.................................

When we were discussing current events I told my son and grandson that if I were a professional athlete I would announce that I would alternate my posture during the national anthem, at one game standing with my hand over my heart because I honor and respect those who built and sustain this country and at the next game kneeling with my head bowed in recognition of the fact that there are ills we need to address as a nation.  Because I see value in each of those messages, I wouldn’t want to send one without also sending the other...................

Seems to me that the great Frederick Douglass would take a similar approach were he alive today.

[USU78]

The former slave, being human, would most likely be triggered by the trappings of enslavement, including deferential postures, it seems to me. He would in no wise for any reason assume a posture of submission. Douglas, in my view, would say what I say: I kneel to no one and nothing, but only to G-d.

Why else does the Lincoln statue depict the slave at the instant when realization begins to become action, and he begins to rise 

Remember Maya Angelou's poem, "I rise." No man, no woman, black or white, old or young, may be made to kneel, and that we are being encouraged not only to have our youth exposed to ritual re-enslavement instead of a celebration of defiance to unbeatable despotism, but being shamed into participation in the ritual, is a horrible, horrible thing.