Ever since the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic started to spread around the world, facial coverings and masks have become de rigueur — especially after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory with the recommendation of covering your face with a simple cloth face covering on Friday, April 3, 2020…
Examples of Hypocrisy With 2019 Novel Coronavirus?
…but as wearing masks and facial coverings are supposed to aid in reducing the chances of more people dying from the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, is doing so while simultaneously willfully engaging in a activity which is also dangerous considered examples of hypocrisy?
At first glance, the photograph shown above of a man driving a car while wearing a mask seems innocuous. The photographer — who prefers to remain anonymous — allegedly saw the driver in the car using a mobile telephone while swerving and failing to maintain his lane as he was driving along a highway prior to when the photograph was taken.
The decal in the lower right corner of the windshield of the car indicates that the driver works for a ride-sharing company — which means that he transports passengers in his car.
“Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 2,841 lives in 2018 alone”, according to information which is posted at the official Internet web site of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the Department of Transportation of the United States. “Among those killed: 1,730 drivers, 605 passengers, 400 pedestrians and 77 bicyclists. NHTSA leads the national effort to save lives by preventing this dangerous behavior.”
In this article pertaining to distracted driving which I wrote on Saturday, August 1, 2015, I wrote that “The truth is that any distraction to a driver is a potential recipe for disaster. I witness it multiple times every day: the woman who snails along at half the posted speed limit; the teenager who drifts across a pavement marking such as a double yellow line; or the man who constantly applies his brake for no reason every few seconds — all dividing their attentions between the increasingly ubiquitous portable electronic device and navigating a potential weapon which weighs at least a ton.”
Smokin’!
In another example which was called to my attention, a woman who was standing outside of a store during what seemed to be her break was nonchalantly smoking a cigarette while wearing a mask which was lowered on her face.
Citing statistics from a report called The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General from the Department of Health and Human Services of the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claims that cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the United States each year.
Cigarette smoking causes premature death, as life expectancy for smokers is at least ten years shorter than for non-smokers; and quitting smoking before the age of 40 reduces the risk of dying from diseases related to smoking by approximately 90 percent
Exposure to second-hand smoke causes an estimated 41,000 deaths each year among adults in the United States — 7,333 annual deaths from lung cancer and 33,951 annual deaths from heart disease.
Cigarette smoking — as well as second-hand smoke — is estimated to cause greater than 480,000 deaths annually:
- 278,544 deaths annually among men
- 201,773 deaths annually among women
Mask and Glove Pollution
The improper disposal of masks and gloves has become increasingly common in recent weeks, with some people outright littering by simply tossing them on the ground after they have been used.
Would this be considered biohazardous waste?
For additional details, please refer to the following articles:
- Stop the Spread of Littering Contaminated Gloves and Masks, Please
- Earth Day 2020: More Littering of Contaminated Gloves and Masks From the 2019 Novel Coronavirus
Summary
Although the current trend towards doing everything possible to mitigate or eliminate deaths caused by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus is a valiant effort — after all, “we are all in this together” — what good is the effort if people are seemingly indifferent in blatantly engaging in other activities which could endanger their lives or the lives of other people?
Are they considered acts of hypocrisy?
Source of featured photograph: Anonymous.
