Living In A Faceless Society

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Not too long ago, it seemed a bit strange to see someone wearing a surgical mask or some other type of mask in a public place.

Even more interesting, it seemed the large majority of those that were wearing a mask, even before COVID-19, were Asian.

Going a little deeper on that, do you find it interesting that Asians have been waring face masks for decades, yet China’s civilization was still devastated by the coronavirus?

So do they really help? Or do they just make your face more itchy which causes you to touch it more often, putting you at greater risk…🤔?

I’ll let you think on that one.

Ultimately, where I want to get in this article is to get you thinking about what it will mean or look like to live in a world where all we see are eyes.

What I am calling, Our New Society.

The Masks

There are 21 different facial expressions (7 microexpressions) that we use in communication and in reaction to things that happen to us and things that we observe.

Often we can know a persons intent, their state of mind, if they’re telling the truth, and how they are feeling, just by looking at their face.

With facial expressions being a huge part of social interaction, if, by wearing masks, we can only see somebodies eyes, will our society change?

Will people become more depressed, not getting the fulfillment they need from social interaction?

If you can’t see someones full face, you cant really tell if they want to interact, what their mood is and what their true response is.

What about crime? Would it be easier for someone to get away with crime, since their face is covered, you cant really identify them. And unless they are caught in the act, they may have a greater chance of escaping from the law.

While there are only a few states that have required you to wear a mask anytime you go outside and even using law enforcement to force people to comply/submit to this “rule”.

Up until now, wearing a mask has been a recommendation, or a suggested guideline in most states to “help reduce your chance of exposure”.

Now, stores are starting to ‘require’ that you wear a mask to enter the store.

I don’t suspect people will just stop wearing masks even if the government tells them they can stop. And as a result I could see face masks becoming a long-term trend like it has been in Asian countries and cultures for decades.

As a result, I have been contemplating what Our New Society will be like when the majority of the population starts wearing masks all the time.

Our New Society

As I already mentioned, before the coronavirus outbreak, it wasn’t uncommon to see Asian people wearing masks in public.

While there might be “health reasons” to wear masks, I’m concerned about the impact they will have on social conditions.

In another article about why Japanese people wear masks, one juvenile psychologist said:

“When we deal with others, we have to judge whether to do things like smile or show anger. By wearing a mask, you can prevent having to do that. The trend of wearing a mask to prevent directly dealing with other may have roots in the current youth culture in which many of them are more accustomed to communicating indirectly through email, [text messaging], and social media.”

As Jeff Yang called it, “Social Firewalls”.

Can we afford to create more ways for kids to distance themselves from society?

Is it possible that more women will start wearing masks on days they don’t have time (or feel like) to put on makeup?

That commercial might go something like this, ‘got out of bed late? No time to get ready? Get maskedup! Our newly crafted face masks…’.

Bad acne? Can you imagine this commercial? ‘Just wear one of these specially designed face masks to avoid any awkward interactions’.

Now we’re avoiding the hard things in life that help us build character.

While those that know me, it is no secret that I am not a fan of being in place where there are lots of people, and being an introvert, I am more likely to avoid people in public, I have noticed that people seem to be more closed off.

These recent changes such as social distancing, business closures, and stay-at-home orders might suggest these things to be the “new normal” of this New Society.

Will grocery stores continue senior hours, always require masks, and keep those silly distancing stickers that make it impossible to know where to line up anyway?

I recently joked in a Facebook post about the potential of shutting down the economy during flu season, but maybe it’s not so much a joke as I thought.

These newly established and highly excepted words and phrases like, “social distancing” and “stay-at-home orders”, could they simply be test runs to see how well we the people would comply or submit without the need to implement the more forceful approach of Martial Law?

If the government did decide that we need a new stay-at-home order, for whatever reason, would everyone simple just stop life and stay at home?

Fear is a powerful emotion. So as long as they use that strategy gain, once they issue the stay-at-home order, it might just work!

What do you think?

Do you interact less with people when you’re in public?

Do you find it difficult to identify the mood of those around you?

Are you concerned that it might be easier for someone to mug, harass, or even kill you and get away with it?

Do you care? Have you even thought about it?

4 thoughts on “Living In A Faceless Society”

  1. Wish I had found this a year 17 months ago. On May 22, 2020 I stayed home from work because my company instituted a mandatory mask policy. For me a society without faces is the end of humanity. By wearing a face covering I would be contributing to the end of the world and I could not do that.

    I contacted my EAP (Employee Assistance Program), went through the process they requested for Short-term Disability including counseling sessions. I realized that I was experiencing extreme hyper vigilance, anxiety and depression when I would encounter a masked person. After four months of “fighting” to keep my job of 23 years as a technician with the local telco company I was left with the option of returning to work and joining the faceless world or resigning. My last official day on the books was October 1, 2020.

    I have never worn a Covid mask or interacted other than very briefly with a masked person. I am vaccinated and other than weekly outdoor recreation I basically spent a year in my home waiting for faces to return. A few months ago my gym staff stopped covering their faces and I was able to return to working out. I had been able to go back grocery shopping alone, but recently the cashiers are again masked so I must go with someone so they can communicate as needed. I have been to a few restaurants, but only with others and it can be very stressful if the staff is masked.

    I have never found anyone who feels as I do about a faceless society or is willing to sacrifice their life for a world with faces. The universal view on masks is “how does wearing one affect me” vs my view of looking at a faceless world. I have worn many versions of PPE in the military, civilian work place as well as in my personal life as needed to mitigate an environmental threat. However, if in order to exist on earth humans must cover their faces then I believe we should just call it a day and accept the end of humanity.

    The current philosophy of Know Fear needs to end. I recognize and respect threats for what they are, but No Fear is how I will live my life until my last breath.

    I have shared my views in many formats and still have not found anyone who understands. Because of this I accept that there is no place in this faceless world for me and I will most likely be “moving on” in the near future.

    Thank you for your time and for attempting to bring this view to the public.

    Robert Iannello
    Mesa, AZ

    Reply
  2. Appreciate that. I do have a small group of good friends and family. I only interact with folks who have faces and see no reason to change. If something requires interacting with a faceless being, then it’s just not that important. Some things are just wrong, a world without faces tops the list.

    Robert

    Reply
  3. It’s time for going faceless to end. We’ve seen many videos over the past two years even leading into 2022 about people arguing, fighting and over all showing their understandable frustration with the on going restrictive policies. I for one am tired of it all. I’m done with the anti-socialism, I’m tired of the paranoia, these so-called scientists, and I’m tired of this whole damn pandemic as a whole. I’m blind, and things like touch is important to me. I’m one of those people who like to be close and sharing an affectionate moment with someone, (Someone I know well of course.) But as for the mask thing, its over people. Get over yourselves. It’s time to bring back humanity.

    Reply

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