Orange County Walmart customer with no mask drama at Orlando, Florida store as posted on Twitter by @CaliCoCo3.
Define cognitive dissonance in America? A mask-less Orange County, Florida man has been caught on video ‘trying to fight’ his way into an Orlando Walmart outlet, Saturday. The incident follows face coverings becoming mandatory in the county.
In video captured (see below) by a bystander, and posted on Twitter using the handle, @CaliCoCo3, the man staunchly passes the guy monitoring the entrance and activates the sliding doors. The employee attempts to block the would-be customer as a voice from behind the camera said, ‘You’ve gotta wear a mask, bro,’ but to no avail as the un-identified older man insists on ‘exercising his rights.’
Intent, the would be customer body-checks the employee, k-pow, who is seen holding his hands up and stepping back. Losing his balance, the man tumbled to the floor. Round one to freedom, and zero to ‘impeding of my God-damn rights!’.
The customer gets back up and continues to barrel past a few other employees, ignoring a fellow shopper’s mask offer, as workers trailed behind, pleading with the man to put on a face covering.
“He’s just doing his job, bro, just get a mask!” the guy behind the camera can be heard saying and laughing incredulously.
Meanwhile in Florida clear folks feeling entitled lol 😷 #COVID19 #coronavirus #maskon #maskoff #mask pic.twitter.com/AqbBqGABff
— Cali_CoCo (@CaliCoCo3) June 20, 2020
Undaunted ‘our hero’ makes it partway down an aisle, only to be blocked by waiting staff. By this time some of their own masks had slipped, as workers desperately try to reason with ‘our pandemic freedom fighter!’
In a second clip, a voice is heard imploring, ‘He’s just doing his job, man,’ as employees continue to try and keep the mask-free man, who someone said was ‘spitting all over the place,’ in check.
‘Come on, man,’ one employee said. ‘Look what you did to me.’
The man turns and snarls, ‘I haven’t done s—t to you! You leave me alone!’ and walks away.
— Cali_CoCo (@CaliCoCo3) June 20, 2020
Masks became mandatory in Orange County on Saturday, ordered by Mayor Jerry Demings in response to rising coronavirus case numbers, WDBO radio reported.
Epidemiologists and other public health experts have been connecting the dots on mask-wearing for quite some time, after initial uncertainty about whether it would curb infections.
But it is increasingly becoming clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is being driven at least in part by people who don’t know they have it and who inadvertently infect others, whether they go on to develop symptoms or not. Wearing masks can cut down drastically on those infections, studies suggest.
Floridians on Monday learned that their state had passed the 100,000 mark on number of infections, with 2,926 new cases reported, bringing the total to 100,217. It was the seventh state to pass that benchmark. At least 3,173 Florida residents have died of COVID-19.
The Walmart video ended before the mask-less man’s fate was revealed. if identified, he may not be subject to any action.
‘We want voluntary compliance with this,’ Demings told WDBO.
And then there were these sample reaction on social media that caught this author’s attention. See what you think?
‘This is 100% because of Trump. The ignorance in this country is staggering.’
‘Why are people so entitled, its not like you gotta wear the thing 24/7 and super glue it to your face’
‘This is not about freedom. Freedom doesn’t mean you have the right to infect others. It is for the common good.’
‘People’s should have a choice in whether they want to wear a mask or not.’
‘Wondering who’s entitled here…’
‘It’s always Florida’
