SOTTREADER
The Living Force
I just got back from Miami, and I will share briefly my experiences. What a surreal environment. Things of note:
Everything closes at around 9 pm. Kids under 17 have a curfew between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. from Sunday night to Friday morning. The curfew is enforced by a parade of police cars repeating the same message over and over every 2-3 min for half an hour. “This is a curfew, get inside or you will face the consequences… blah, blah, blah,”. Its exactly like something out of a dystopian sci-fi movie. Masks are mandatory outside, inside, everywhere.
By the way during the day I barely saw any cops. Like cockroaches they come out at night. Using all types of police cars. Even police golf carts, pickup trucks, suv’s, etc.
Everyone is pretty rude, which is understandable they are miserable. I had a conversation with a lyft driver from Monroe county (Usually red country), and she told me well we have too much freedoms.
I asked her well what freedoms do you really think is too much, which she answered with a “well I don’t know exactly.”
Ya, let’s just say the conversation ended right there.
Another thing that was unusual no one had any American flags out, or any signage for Trump or Biden. I have been in the US close to the elections before and have never seen such a thing.
I saw a stasi like Karen citizen, passing by an ice-cream parlor and taking pictures to report on I guess, because the people where not antisocial distancing.
I could tell she hated her life and was upset that people for a moment where happy.
The most bizarre thing was at one point in the evening, around Lincoln avenue where there were lots of people out eating in the outside only eating areas, there was a gathering of multiple cops just observing from across the street.
You see they showed up right before there was going to be some rain, to make sure when it does rain that people don’t shelter in the restaurant interiors.
I kept telling myself, “my god, this is USA? What alternate dimension have I walked into.”
Wow!
Reporting from France.
The experience is not as bad as I was expecting but it's not ideal.
In Bordeaux, masks are worn by a lot whilst outside but not everyone - it's not yet mandatory to wear them outside in Bordeaux. Inside of course they are mandatory.
It looks like the masks are accepted. I went to a museum and it was an interesting experience. People were dutifully masked up but they didn't care about social distancing. It was like the mask is something that you accept but it's not like people believe they will die if they get covid because if they did believe that, they will be keeping distance.
Also of course the virus doesn't exist in restaurants as in there you can happily eat, talk and laugh like we were living in 2019.
I've been dutifully wearing my mask under my nose (as I can't breath otherwise) and the only people I've seen question it are air stewardesses and one employee at the museum. This has been a good experience that I don't have to wear it over my nose - I was worried the French will be super strict.
Also I've noted the etiquette of the French with the mask is, how to say this, probably a vector for germs.
First of all, as they now have to wear masks everywhere, when it's not on their face, it's on their wrists like a bracelet. This mask is constantly getting touched, put on the face, removed, put on the wrist or pocket, then back out to the face etc. I mean, THIS IS LIKE A HUGE HEALTH RISK or am I mistaken? In any case, I fall into this bucket as well as I'm constantly touching my mask as well... How can you not?
In any case, I've lost hope for the French to resist. They are happy with the new normal. Bring the injections, to me they look ready to receive it as they've adapted so well to the mask situation.
At least this is my observation - the fear of covid doesn't exist but the obedience to what the government is saying is strong, especially with the mask which is the biggest symbol of obedience.
My experience of the French has been delightful nonetheless. I'm just worried about how well they've taken to the mask and what this means.
Personally, I was hoping for a small and specific sink hole for a certain Victorian Premier (and maybe a couple of his 'allies'). Something 'surgical' as it were....
