Too comment or not to comment! That is the question

[MOAK]

My town just instilled the mandatory use of masks, again - even in public! Great! This should be expanded to all towns in Alberta, and across Canada. Wearing a mask is not a political statement - not in Canada anyway - it’s a requirement. Stores will give you a mask if you want to shop, and ask that you sanitize your hands. Great! I support the little business and want to keep them open. I will politely call out anyone that’s not using a mask. My step-daughter works in the medical field. She’s had to test now 3 times because of idiots!
I want her healthy and employed. If I call someone out and they hate it, or react, I’ll push the issue. Others will join in. So hate me! But my point will be made. The person may not use it or want it, but those that value their health and local business will welcome the use of masks.

As for the trails - including hiking trails - yup, seen those too, even in my hiking Meetup group. I prefer to call them aside and remind them of our rules. Sometimes it’s just a misunderstanding. If I catch them again, on the same hike, they’ll be banned - and believe me, we organizers do share lists of banned hikers, or overlanders if the outing is a road trip. The Waiver that hikers or overlanders sign contains that warning.

I used to travel to Canada every week. I always enjoyed your unique socio/politico world view. ( For my American friends an example. Canadians have very stiff penalties for employing illegal immigrants. Canadian citizens also are very fervent in their understanding that the hiring of illegal immigrants is an un-patriotic act ). I too have had guests on my tours that have been way less than desirable. I didn't need to ban them they just won't be signing up again.

 

[MidOH]

I have to wear a mask at work. And I choose to wear a mask at the grocery store because they asked me to nicely, with the sign on the door. Outdoors, nope.

Every other business I've been avoiding. No hobby purchases. No camping gear. No Home Depot, Lowes, Ace. No more group overlanding trips. No Scuba trips planned. It's unlikely that our small business's will survive this much longer. They can cry to my email about my lost business, but I'm not volunteering to mask up on my personal time, when I can just stay home.

 

[Paula - Canadian Explorer]

I used to travel to Canada every week. I always enjoyed your unique socio/politico world view. ( For my American friends an example. Canadians have very stiff penalties for employing illegal immigrants. Canadian citizens also are very fervent in their understanding that the hiring of illegal immigrants is an un-patriotic act ). I too have had guests on my tours that have been way less than desirable. I didn't need to ban them they just won't be signing up again.

hahah... yes, our unique socio-politico world views are really our own. We are known as the polite country -- Gosh! we apologize even if we're not at fault (e.g. someone bumps into me in the mall, we apologize -- both people apologize at the same time). Might seem weird to non-Canadians. Also, we take off our shoes before entering someone's home - regardless of the season. I did this when visiting friends in Europe and in the US -- still do. The reaction is always classic! It's part of our ways.
However, no one should confuse politeness for weakness. If needed, we'll stand our ground. If pushed, we push back. We've proven it again and again in the polls. We are not that tolerant towards our politicians, and we will make a point (or draw the line in the sand very quickly!). Just ask the Liberals.
I also think we're the most regulated country in the world, with very little tolerance towards those that try to bypass the laws. If anyone wants to come to Canada: we are a very welcoming country -- but follow the immigration laws. If you're sneaking in, and you get caught, don't expect us to pity you or tolerate your nastiness (even asylum seekers need to do it properly). A Canadian employer seeking to hire foreign workers has to follow the law, and not all positions are open to foreign workers -- this is to protect the Canadian workforce). However, those legal foreign workers get all the protection and benefits of our laws, and are welcomed to come back for another season of work, so long as they did not commit a crime, or bypassed our laws.
Are we perfect? No. We are a work in progress...

 

[bgenlvtex]

I have to wear a mask at work. And I choose to wear a mask at the grocery store because they asked me to nicely, with the sign on the door. Outdoors, nope.

Every other business I've been avoiding. No hobby purchases. No camping gear. No Home Depot, Lowes, Ace. No more group overlanding trips. No Scuba trips planned. It's unlikely that our small business's will survive this much longer. They can cry to my email about my lost business, but I'm not volunteering to mask up on my personal time, when I can just stay home.

Have not worn a mask, will not wear a mask. I quit trading with all businesses who "require" them.

I cancelled and had refunded my Sam's membership on the day they instituted their masking policy, took the hundred dollars to a locally owned grocery store with a "masks at your discretion" policy, and spent it. They are my new grocery provider. I promise you I can last longer without a supplier, than that supplier can last without my money.

Leftists have turned their own fear, and use of masks into their virtue. In their constant pursuit of superiority they seek to require that you abide their virtue.

Ain't happening Karen, wear a mask all you want, sift all the sand in the desert in search of debris that someone else left, it's your life.

But on that day that you feel the need to assuage your own self assigned guilt and contrived virtue, leave me alone, you've got the wrong guy.

 

[Anak]

Whatever happened to "We have nothing to fear but fear itself"?

 

[bgenlvtex]

Whatever happened to "We have nothing to fear but fear itself"?

It fell to the same scythe that brought you the "toxic masculinity" fable.

 

[Anak]

It fell to the same scythe that brought you the "toxic masculinity" fable.

On that "Toxic Masculinity" theme, I am looking for the T-shirt that points out manspreading as the original social distancing.

We were onto something all along.

 

[MMc]

California nonsense. We not only camp by the lake, we camp on it. Sometimes on the beach to.

Mask use, is public indoors here. A placebo to get people to feel safe about going back to work. I go along with it as a courtesy at a grocery store or whatever. Outdoors, nobody has any right to demand anything.

Didn't help these people much:

Please read the forest rules about camping near water. These rules have been around from the 70’s. These are not CA rules. If you don’t do think you have a impact than you really don’t get it or why areas are closed. Personally I don’t put soap or poo in the water near my camp. Your mileage may vary.

 

[MidOH]

You poo on soap, in your camp? Things getting kinda freaky over there eh?

Generally over here, we don't do that at our campsite.

 

[Desert Runner]

good question. as you can tell by the current environment we are all living in right now, its not so much what is being done as it is who is doing it.

as your picture taking example goes, its obvious how one particular person could disobey the signs saying to stay on the trail and they can walk where they want and do what they want if they get called out by someone, the person calling them out gets told to mind their own business and not go looking for trouble and starting problems, etc. and people nearby will swoop in to 'protect' the one doing wrong. then, a different person could be the one disobeying the rules doing the exact same thing and that person will get called out for it, video clip posted to facebook and the mob will want that person's head.

just like mandatory mask wearing. if i went into lowes without a mask on, i would be told to leave and if i put up a fuss, i would have a mob going off on me...yet, there are some people who go into lowes (and other places) without the mandatory mask on and nobody will dare say a word to them.

so, to answer the question...i usually won't speak to anyone concerning their wrong doing because i know i will be viewed as the "aggressor" by confronting them and then if things go south from there, i would be the one in trouble. even correcting someone on social media can have a backlash...

Basically.........' words of wisdom'.............You can only do so much. For those here I would refer back to this organizations guiding principals........TREAD LIGHTLY in what you do, and teach as best you can to those close to you how to respect the outdoors. It wont stop the idiots, but will educate to the uninformed.

 

[MMc]

You poo on soap, in your camp? Things getting kinda freaky over there eh?

Generally over here, we don't do that at our campsite.

FEEL FREE TO REREAD MY STATEMENT, AND QUOTE IT ACCURATELY. Camping with respect for the land and water is responsibility we all must employ. Many here are blaming the new campers for trashing up places, I think it is more because of a self entitled and uncaring campers. You pull up on a beach near me, I will talk to you about what you are doing wrong and suggest ways to change. Pollution just doesn’t just disappear. Tracks here take years to disapearin the desert.

 

[MidOH]

I'm not in a desert.

 

[bgenlvtex]

FEEL FREE TO REREAD MY STATEMENT, AND QUOTE IT ACCURATELY. Camping with respect for the land and water is responsibility we all must employ. Many here are blaming the new campers for trashing up places, I think it is more because of a self entitled and uncaring campers. You pull up on a beach near me, I will talk to you about what you are doing wrong and suggest ways to change. Pollution just doesn’t just disappear. Tracks here take years to disapearin the desert.

I watch ol'Coyote Casey guy on the YouTubes and he goes out in the desert and searches for old structures and home sites, which in the frame of reality are just a bunch of garbage, the only differentiation is it is old garbage. He "discovers" old tin cans and other junk, gently lifts it from the surface, inspects it, then gently replaces it so as to not disturb the natural beauty of a bunch of old garbage.

So what exactly is the difference between Clive Johannsen's bean can he pitched into the sage, and Chester Soymilks Monster can he pitched into the sage? The answer is not a damn thing.

I absolutely support not trashing the world, I get it, totally. But pretending there is some grave danger to the sanctity of nature because you camped withing a prescribed and entirely proprietary radius of water is absurd. Nobody here is suggesting you ease over and drop brown in the shallows, nobody.

In 2020 we see this inexplicable polarization of EVERYTHING, a total vacancy of moderation, absolute polarity in everything, and it is wrong. Totally, completely wrong. California lost hundreds of thousands of acres (millions?) of forest and those forests native inhabitants (wildlife) due to radical environmentalism, politicaly motivated arson related to the same environmentalism. Radicalism that drove the opinion that all human contact with nature is bad. That the forest MUST NOT be managed.

There isn't a damn thing wrong with reducing your impact on the environment, and there is also not a damn thing wrong with accepting that you cannot leave it exactly as it was and still be there.

 

[pcstockton]

Well at least your view isn't polarized. eye roll

 

[bgenlvtex]

Well at least your view isn't polarized. eye roll

Which pole exactly do you see me at?

The one that says "trash the place" or the one having an anal prolapse because I parked to close to a pond?

 

[MidOH]

Especially a pond with boats on it. Hmmmmmmm, how'd they get in there?

 

[PDB]

Interesting points: Human vs nature. Human is nature. Human excluding human from nature. Elitism and the witch hunt.

I looked into it. Who knew? Europe has twice the wolf population of the USA, with half the landmass and twice the human population.

 

[grubworm]

Which pole exactly do you see me at?

 

[Paula - Canadian Explorer]

Yawn!

 

[bgenlvtex]

View attachment 175746

I got that sweater for my birthday.