Where I live the rules are that we don’t have to wear a mask outdoors but do inside in public spaces. I don’t like the bloody things, they remind me of very unpleasant incidents with my exh so I slap them on just as I’m going in for a quick shop etc.
Today I was first in a queue of 2 outside a suburban bank, one little old maskless man in the indoor atm, then me ten feet from the front door and Nosy Parker six feet behind me. Little old man was taking forever and so I was looking around, watching the occasional car go by, looking at the clouds etc. Every time I glance towards the street Nosy Parker is boring holes in the back of my head with her eyes.
Eventually she asks if anyone is in the atm and I say yes. She asks how I know, I say I saw him go in and also I can see the edge of his coat from where I’m standing. She continues to stare at me goggle-eyed. Not sure what the rest of her face was up to as she had a mask on, but her eyes were on stalks.
I say mildly “Is there something wrong? I’m feeling uncomfortable with you staring at me.” She tells me she’s wondering about my mask. I say “we don’t have to wear them outdoors.” She takes off her mask to tell me “Well, most people have them on in preparation to go indoors and it looks to me like you don’t intend to wear one.” The mask giving her mind-reading powers and all. I tell her I intend to, when the previous customer comes out of the atm, and even if I didn’t it’s not her business.
So my question is: are most people this anxious (in a region where less than 0.04% have tested positive & the vast majority of those are in care homes not bank queues) or have this many people longed to boss other people about and finally have the chance? I don’t like to think of people feeling anxious, but likewise don’t want to think there are this many self-appointed law patrol types around. I find the latter quite unnerving.