I don't have a better way of phrasing that.
This is, perhaps, both the best and worst part of our culture.
On the one hand, it gives you rebels that challenge the status quo. That don't take "no" or "that's impossible" for an answer.
On the other hand, it gives you a population that would slice off their own noses if the government told them that having one was mandatory.
I think our best course of action would have been to just... ask.
Across the board.
Republicans and Democrats, carnivores and vegetarians, people that understand that the toilet paper needs to go over the top of the roll and inhuman monsters bent on the destruction of all that is good in the world... all of them needed to agree that Masks Probably Couldn't Hurt And We Should Just Wear The Damn Things.
Do everybody a solid, and wear a mask. No, we won't fine you, or shoot you.
There's nothing to rebel against when people just sort of shrug and go "okay, whatever".
Also, work overtime to make the masks cool.
I think we'd have a higher rate of mask use with the Carrot and the Meh, as opposed to just the Stick.
I admire your ability to see the silver lining. I see it as selfishness to the point of toxicity.
I think the ship has sailed on asking people to wear masks. These people--whether they have a borderline ODD tendency to "question authority" and "stick it to the man" for the sake of "personal freedom" (read: selfish masquerading as principled), or if they just can't care about how their choices affect other people anymore because we are n months into a pandemic with no end in sight--have made their choice.
They are not willing to do the bare minimum such as wear a mask or not attend giant parties. I have to say, as far as measures to slow the spread go, these two requirements are incredibly fucking easy to abide by.
So I say shut the power to their party so it sucks, and make it harder for them to spread the virus even faster. Fines based on a percentage of income would be better.
If the property owner faces a financial burden, that will incentivize a change in behavior.
