You're begging the question. Analogies are meant to assist in illustrating a principle. That has been achieved. There is a conflict in each: your exercise of your liberty puts others at risk. We are rife with that in society. In each situation, we must decide whether the benefits to others in restricting your liberty justifies the cost of your liberty. This is where you have erred. What we determine is the best balance for alcohol doesn't matter as to what we determine as the best balance for COVID.
So, if you wish to further discuss this balance, we must come to some clearer understanding as to:
1. What are the benefits of compulsory mask wearing?
2. What is the harm to your individual liberty?
1. Benefits in my opinion are mostly psychological. Where is there
definitive proof that wearing a cloth mask prevents the spreading of the disease? I’ve seen studies and experts on both ends of this debate. Little proof that wearing a cloth mask prevents the spreading of the disease in a meaningful way. There is also debate on whether or not asymptomatic people can spread the disease.
2. Anytime the government exercises power to control the masses in the name of safety, it’s a slippery slope. I don’t trust the people who told us in the beginning not to wear masks and they don’t do any good only to then turn around and say the opposite.
If we focused a fraction of the time and attention as a country that we have guilting and shaming non mask wearers into finding ways to protect the most vulnerable, we’d be in a lot better place.
The flu is significantly more deadly for young people than Covid. Should we just start wearing masks all the time in flu season now?
So while wearing a mask isn’t a huge burden, mandating them be worn (government not private businesses, they have every right to require them) is a slippery slope towards more power.
And you can throw out the tinfoil hat stuff all you want. I’m sure many people did the same to those who talked about big brother (ask Snowden how that’s going).
