Quick, brief update.
While relieved, I am at the same time frustrated that the necessary dropping of these madcap requirements of the confrontation over them has not taken place yet. Attempted to conduct class as usual for the first day but did not even come close to finishing what I customarily did in the past. Each and every single student response takes multiple utterances as they have yet to learn, I mean it’s ONLY been 3 years and 3 months, that they have to really speak out when sitting across the room and masked. Unable to be understood the first time, they get self conscious in the extreme and it takes minute to convince them to make another attempt but when they due, their confidence crushed by the first failure, they speak even more softly. I think I have seen a Monty Python skit that was similar. Just replace the old codgers and their ear trumpets with teenaged girls in masks and there is little difference. Impossible to tell if the are confused, amused, bored or whatever as they are masked. What’s the point? Education ain’t it. Make Monty Python fiction again.
After lunch I returned for a private lesson. My boss at the nursing school is also a private student. The first thing she asked is if my bass at the med school was making me wear a mask in class. She has told I supposed to wear a mask has not tried forcing me to do so and was wondering how it was with the med school. Would anyone find this a comfortable situation? I do not.
No confrontation but did any pf my students complain that I was not masked? Only time will tell. I am still considering forcing the issue as that would put them on the defensive whereas, If I wait for them to fire the first shot, I am the one on defense. However, I do have a strong defense. Still, next week I may use the front entrance instead of the back gate. Good or bad, this needs to be solved.
I am teaching 7 students in each class in a laboratory in the basement that under normal circumstances would easily accommodate 48 students. I opted for this room. I saw a long time esteemed colleague (Sarc) who also opted for a basement lab for his classes. He was also unmasked. I was wondering about his stance on masking. He claims to also have some science/engineering back ground but is a proponent of Anthropological Climate Change.
While the restaurant I went to for lunch still had masked staff behind plastic shielding, at least some the plastic barriers between seating had been removed. The plastic barriers at a convenience store in my train station have been removed. They were still in place Monday.
Good Monty Python references. Who knew they were documenting the future.
Yesterday, on my freelancing platform, I attended a remote event where at one point we all broke into breakout rooms in Zoom. We all were staring at one another. I assumed there was a leader in the group, but everyone was quiet, and the one person who did speak didn't sound very convincing. Maybe it was because English was his second language. Maybe it was that I had managed to roll in seconds after he introduced himself.
I asked myself "When is someone going to talk?" So, after about a minute, I introduced myself and asked if everyone else would introduce themselves offer any questions or comments concerning their work in Graphic Design/Illustration that is the same as my field. At that point the actual leader spoke up and I played support for him for the duration of the meeting.
The reason I am telling you this is I think you might be miscategorizing your role in all this. I could be wrong though, so very thoroughly wrong. But allow me to present my case.
First, RESPECT is very important in Japanese culture...and it is both one of the best things about it, and also a horrible liability. I think if a Japanese person said "With all due respect" in the west we could expect that to be following by "You are an idiot." But the Japanese culture ends at the phrase "with all due respect."
That respect extends to things that are irrational. A huge one that comes to mind is honor suicides and kamikaze "ramming speed." Think of this, in a culture which has a tradition of thinking of suicide as "moral" what does it say about other irrational behaviors as masking? This probably comes from a long ingrained belief in the honor of self sacrifice. Masking would be considered a minor inconvenience in relation to it.
If you can, ask them what they think of you, unmasked in a sea of masked faces. I don't know if their culture will do well with open dialogue. But if they feel free to express themselves without reprisal. Maybe you could even use it as an exercise of roleplay. How to speak to an unmasked person, what to do to convince them(you) of the reasons why they are masking still. But would this be improper as it violates or is not part of the approved curriculum?
So maybe the thing is to convince them that it is disrespectful to lie. Or dishonorable to "hide face."
Maybe your role is to be a leader here. I don't know if they will confront you or not. But on your end, you have to show them that among your reasons for not masking are borne of respect. you respect these people's inalienable right to speak their mind, of breathing unencumbered, and not doing silly things that are lies. That's part of the reason I hated the few times I did mask...because it was disingenuous and I was ashamed that I soiled myself with compliance.
I have to live with it the rest of my life. Such a silly thing to wear a mask, and utterly, completely useless.
This week I have been talking with someone on Twitter who is marinated in the narrative. She has ADHD and apparently has Epstein Barr Syndrome and/or Long Covid. She is also vaccinated. And her thing is she believes all of us need to mask to accommodate her illness. The mental gymnastics in dealing with her have been interesting to say the least. At one point I said to her that I would rather live my life than to force otehrs to mitigate their life. She said she was under no obligation to follow my choices.
She can't be forced to live her own life.
She also perceives that not following mandates, and having no accommodations is "leaving her to die." And that is it, isn't it. She believes that the glass is half empty.
Talk to your colleague, he may need it as you certainly do mate. Every talk is like a pressure release and makes you realise you're not alone, not the only sane person in an insane situation
I.e.
https://vicparkpetition.substack.com/p/australias-novavax-contract
Never forget you are the sand in the insanity, why/how are you alive. No mask no vaxx(hopefully) and still breathing.......
Thanks for your writing, its a relief to read the humanity and not just the analysis science.