Reporter asks T workers why they're not wearing masks, gets exactly the sort of answers you'd expect

By adamg on Tue, 09/01/2020 - 8:59am

A Boston Magazine reporter chronicles his interactions with maskless T workers.

Topics:

The T

Free tagging:

Covid-19

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Comments

I'm not sure what else he could do here

By erik g
Tue, 09/01/2020 - 3:13pm

Most of the people he asked were gruffly dismissive. I doubt he would have gotten much of an interview from "Go fuck yourself, mister." He didn't name names, so he's not trying to get anyone in trouble. These people are ignoring public safety measures for their own convenience; I don't really care what bullshit justification they've convinced themselves of, I just care that they're making the T an unsafe place to ride.

Most of the people?

By anon
Tue, 09/01/2020 - 3:41pm

Or those he simple decided to include in the "article."

Per him, this was over the course of 3 days and multiple lines, transfers and stations. It's click-bait journalism which is common around these parts. And he never mentions an aprox. % of the employees which he encountered that were wearing masks.

Wearing a mask for a full shift with no break from it is hard. And people should show some sympathy. Particularly from a site with some staunch supporters of the BTU who are demanding breaks every 2 hours from their daunting zooms classes 6 measly hours a day.

He could get people to talk

By cinnamngrl
Tue, 09/01/2020 - 3:46pm

He could get people to talk to him. Everyone is gruffly dismissive to assholes. This is not reporting.

Go ahead and try it yourself.

By Lee
Tue, 09/01/2020 - 5:56pm

I’ve said, “No comment” to the politest of reporters. Sometimes your opinion is yours to keep to yourself.

I will again note

By Waquiot
Tue, 09/01/2020 - 7:28pm

You have most likely not dealt with this reporter.

Note that you’ve never dealt..

By Lee
Tue, 09/01/2020 - 8:26pm

.. with me.

Let me put it this way

By Waquiot
Tue, 09/01/2020 - 9:02pm

I’ve been agreeing with someone today who I have repeatedly gotten into nasty internet comment battles with. I can say with certainty about myself and feel fairly confident saying about her that in person, both of us are nicer than Mr. Herman. That’s how much of an asshole he is. The sad part is that he fights good fights (wearing masks by T workers is a good thing,) but his personality is strong, so I can easily imagine him not approaching the employees in an even, measured manner.

Yes but I don't care how nice he is.

By cinnamngrl
Wed, 09/02/2020 - 9:08am

It is an important part of the job of being a reporter, engaging people that don't want to talk. This piece was lazy. How hard would be to find a connection that would sit down with you or get someone, anyone to open up.

Put it any which way you want.

By Lee
Wed, 09/02/2020 - 3:41pm

As many times as you want.

Whatever floats your boat today.

The Governor and General Manager

By anon
Tue, 09/01/2020 - 3:47pm

Have mandated that MBTA employees wear masks. The employees are telling their bosses to F**k Off.

Why only ask the T Workers?

By sullivus
Tue, 09/01/2020 - 9:20pm

I wish someone would ask the State Police why they aren't wearing masks.

Every time I see a Statey they are maskless.

Maybe...

By lbb
Wed, 09/02/2020 - 11:39am

...you could do it.

T workers know dangerous conditions. This isn't one of them.

By O-FISH-L
Wed, 09/02/2020 - 8:38am

Risk analysis is a process of deciding how likely it is that injury, damage, or loss will happen, and what the effects will be if it does happen. -- collinsdictionary.com

With the ever present risk of electrocution and fatal accident for many of our dedicated T workers, the fact that over 99.96% of Americans WILL NOT die from Covid makes the mask requirement laughable. That statistic was even before the CDC sheepishly admitted last week that the vast majority of "Covid death" patients had one or more pre-existing deadly ailments before contracting the disease. The average age of death is 85, well beyond the US life-expectancy. In other words, we should all be so lucky to survive long enough to be vulnerable to death from Covid.

It's well past time to end the nonsense and join the other states that long ago reopened. Even Biden-Harris, hoping to ride the scare into the White House, quickly backtracked on their push for a mask mandate. Boston Magazine itself is at far more risk of dying from lack of interest than the average T worker or rider dying from Covid.

Um, not sure where you get your numbers or Math Skills

By SF
Wed, 09/02/2020 - 10:18am

Your numbers are twisted no matter how you look at them. But the fundamental flaw is that you are confusing the portion of people in the US who have died from covid as of Today (180K out of 328 Million) or 0.055%, with the overall risk of death from covid. Unless of course, you believe that everyone has already been infected.

"the vast majority of "Covid

By Christa
Sun, 09/06/2020 - 11:10pm

"the vast majority of "Covid death" patients had one or more pre-existing deadly ailments before contracting the disease"

Suggesting that Covid deaths are somehow not attributable to Covid19 because the deceased may have had a preexisting condition (being male or having diabetes, obesity, asthma etc) is a fallacy. These conditions may make it more likely that a person will die if they contract the coronavirus, but they are not the cause of death--the coronavirus infection is the cause of death. If anything, the number of deaths attributable to Covid19 is higher than the estimates (nearly 190,000 as of today.)

Please wake up--this disease is nothing to fool around with. You may feel protected because you are nowhere near 85 years old, but first, none of us are invulnerable and second, casually intimating that the elderly have lived long enough anyway, therefore it doesn't matter much if they die of Covid19 as long as we "join the other states that long ago reopened" makes you seem quite callous as well as young. You might want to rethink your attitudes.

no matter what you think

By bostondriver
Wed, 09/02/2020 - 6:22pm

when you go to work do your job.