to think that this woman was very selfish

[littlemsattitude]

This morning at the petrol station she was in the shop with her husband, they walked round several of the aisles without buying anything and then she went with him to pay for the petrol, he was wearing a mask and she didn't. He paid for the petrol and they didn't buy anything else.

She should have waited in the car, there was no reason for them both to be in the shop

Nobody knows the circumstances behind why she wasn't wearing a mask. I understand the irritation but think there are more important things to be concerned with at the moment than two people you have never met and will probably never see again.

What if you have a partner who can't be left alone? What should those people do? Starve or face nasty judgment I suppose? What a choice!

Get a hobby OP. Maybe take up knitting

It's very noticeable when you want to go down an aisle and can't because somebody is not wearing a mask and is going to be within a metre of you

Well this is where your error is, OP. The most important thing is maintaining a proper distance from the other person, so even if they are wearing a mask, you should do your best to avoid coming that close to them. Facemasks maybe add 5% to your safety, keeping a social distance is much more vital.

@Coyoacan

It's very noticeable when you want to go down an aisle and can't because somebody is not wearing a mask and is going to be within a metre of you

Well this is where your error is, OP. The most important thing is maintaining a proper distance from the other person, so even if they are wearing a mask, you should do your best to avoid coming that close to them. Facemasks maybe add 5% to your safety, keeping a social distance is much more vital.

Where is my error? I said I couldn't go down the aisle.

Fucksake OP, or should I say STASI

I hate this covid policing thing that so many people have going on. Stay in your own lane and let others get on with life how they see fit. You've no idea why she wasn't wearing a mask, or why she didn't stay in the car and it's none of your business either way.

Do you know what, yesterday, about 8.30 am I popped into Lidl for a couple of things I was thinking about the short time window I had, the work day ahead of me, how DS wad getting in at his new school, if I needed a bag or could just use my handbag for what I was buying. I was halfway round the pretty empty shop before I realised I hadn't got a mask on. I'm not selfish, or don't care or anything else, I just forgot. I'm sure some on here would say ive basically murdered someone, but maybe a bit of perspective of REAL risk is needed. As I said upthread, momentarily passing someone who isn't wearing a mask is really not going to cause an infection unless they a) have it and b) deliberately cough sneezenear you or lick you. The few % of people who aren't wearing masks in a supermarket are not what is causing the spread.

Absolutely. It’s really brought the worst out in some people.

@VinylDetective

Absolutely. It’s really brought the worst out in some people.

That's obvious, I've been called a bitch and all kinds of other unpleasant names. At no point have I resorted to name calling.

No, you just called a total stranger selfish which implies she was deliberately endangering others when there could have been any number of reasons why she was mask less. The very fact that you started this thread speaks volumes

@littlemsattitude I am really sorry that people have been so cruel to you. I think the point you are trying to make is very valid.

I think you’ve missed the point I was making OP. To be clear, it was you I was referring to.

Sorry you have had a rough ride, OP. AIBU? is a bearpit at the best of times. Fast-moving thread, so just to annoy people a bit more for the hell of it, I'll repeat:

1. 110 'exceptions' and 'scenarios' in one hour, right here: www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/shocking-number-shoppers-saw-entering-18960563

2. If all these non-judgemental posters are anything to go by, I'll take a bit of judging, thanks.

Correction, 111 'exceptions' and 'scenarios'.

I think the OP understood you perfectly fine, @VinylDetective

Oh my days just just go and get a grip and a job as a COVID marshall.

Surprised this post is still going

How sad you took time out to whinge about this non story.

@HugeAckmansWife

No, you just called a total stranger selfish which implies she was deliberately endangering others when there could have been any number of reasons why she was mask less. The very fact that you started this thread speaks volumes

So describing somebody as selfish justifies being called a member of the stasi, Hitler and a bitch then does it ?

I think you want to deflect attention from the original nastiness of your op by saying 'yeah but they did worse'. I'm a teacher and a parent to two kids and divorced from a fuckwit narcissist who always deflected, it's pretty standard.

And yes, I teach history and this is EXACTLY what happened post 1935 in Nazi Germany. They relied on ordinary people to bitch, complain and snitch and people did. There's a whole fucked up section of psychology about how we get a kick out of being on the right side of a line.

This thread is completely nuts.

OP, I called you a twat and you are right that there is no need for name calling. I was angry. I apologise. But for people who used words such as Stasi and Hitler (I said you’d make a good informer in WW2, again, sorry), that isn’t name calling. They are making a genuinely serious point.

I have been very dismayed and worried by the amount of people quick to jump to conclusions and criticise other people for going about their business. The bottom line is that you have no idea why that woman didn’t wear a mask so it is unreasonable to call her selfish. Without wishing to exaggerate or sound alarmist, this is how dictatorial states begin. They rely on the general public to ‘disapprove’ of non state approved behaviours which have previously been considered to be free choice. Now, with mask-wearing there is a safety issue and I do wear one on public transport and in shops because I know that it MAY protect others. I have medical issues which make it incredibly difficult but I do it. But I see people not wearing them and sometimes feel an inner annoyance. But I push back on that feeling because I remind myself that I don’t know their circumstances and we have been advised that not everyone has to wear them if they have a good reason. Sure, some people are just selfish and choose not to without a good reason, but I can’t tell who they are so I can be annoyed at them all or choose not to be annoyed at any of them. I choose the latter as we live in a democracy.

I’m so sorry for your anxiety. I suffer from it, though with different triggers, so I get that. But I think we need to live and let live a little more. This pandemic nightmare isn’t going anywhere fast and we still all need to co-exist with our sanity intact.

Do people actually notice what others do in a petrol station? Get a life.