Woman Who Refused To Wear Mask At Starbucks Wants Half The $100k In Tip Money Barista Got From GoFundMe Campaign

from the wear-a-mask dept

I know you've heard this before, but just so we're all clear: wear a fucking mask, people. It's truly not that big of a deal. I wear one at work any time I am not seated in my office. It's crazy easy and you can even get a little fun out of it by wearing a personalized one like our Techdirt masks.

But, if you're not going to wear a mask, don't also be an insufferable jerk like Amber Gilles. Amber got really mad when a Starbucks barista named Lenin Gutierrez refused to serve her because she wasn't in a mask. She decided to take a picture of Gutierrez and post it on Facebook, complaining about it. When the internet saw the post, it did its thing.

A stranger in Orange County, Matt Cowan, said he wanted to donate a few dollars to the barista in tip money, so he started a GoFundMe. As the photo on Facebook filled with hundreds of thousands of interactions and comments from people supporting the barista, the tip money eventually hit more than $100,000 to be donated to the barista. Lenin said he plans to use that money to further his education and also follow his dreams of dancing.

It should have ended there: a nice little story about the kindness of strangers responding to one self-important dolt. But Amber Gilles claims that the real reason she refused to wear the mask is because medical conditions exempt her from the requirement. I'd normally point out that medical exemptions don't necessarily remove a business' right to refuse service by policy, but instead I think I'll give you the deets on Gilles' proof of her condition.

She went on to describe the symptoms that prevent her from wearing a mask, saying “One of them I get shortness of breath, dizziness and it messes with the heartbeat. And I do have asthma as well, and I do get mask-acne. So there’s several things going on and not only that but it doesn’t even work.”

She provided KGTV with two documents to prove her medical exemption. One is a pelvic exam from 2015 with results that say “probable exophytic fibroid arising from the anterior wall of the uterus measuring 2.9 cm size,” and “simple 2.5 cm left ovarian cyst.” A second piece of paper is a handwritten note with letterhead from a San Diego chiropractor who she asked not be named. The handwritten note reads “Amber has underlying breath conditions that prevent her from wearing a mask or any type of facial covering whatsoever. Please contact me if have any questions.”

I shouldn't have had to do this, but the Mayo Clinic's list of symptoms for uterine fibroids includes absolutely nothing about breathing. And no offense to chiropractors out there, but I somehow don't think your scribbles mean Starbucks can't require a mask to be serviced.

But the real upshot of all of this is that Gilles would like half of that GoFundMe money, please.

Gilles said she now wants half of that money.

“It was discrimination and everybody is OK with it and enabling and rewarding that behavior,” said Gilles.

That's obviously not how any of this works. She could consider suing Starbucks, but she'd lose. Suing an employee for sticking to company policy doesn't somehow mean you get half of a gift given to him by strangers. Also, lawyers are expensive, but Gilles has a plan for that.

Gilles said she's spoken to a few lawyers about taking her case for getting half of the money but said they're all expensive so she started her own GoFundMe to try to raise money.

Here's hoping that the Starbucks barista is going to ask for half that money, too. It's like a crowdfunding Inception!

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Filed Under: amber gilles, covid-19, crowdfunding, entitlement, lenin gutierrez, masks
Companies: gofundme, starbucks


Reader Comments

The First Word

As an actual disabled person....

Every person playing this fake "I'm disabled" game should spend one day in my body. If you are so medically fragile that a mask is a risk, you shouldn't be exposing yourself to the public for your own safety.

I can understand the need to feel normal. Those of us who already have their ability to interact with the world limited by circumstance usually don't enjoy additional restrictions.

I've been disabled for almost 30 years now.

I'm up to 7 shoulder procedures. Plate, 6 screws, Suprascapular nerve nearly severed on the right side due to bone regrowth. Left side anterior Bankart, right hand crushed in a press, both feet spiral fractured through the arches, jawbone dislocations, hip dislocations.

"You're so big, you can't be disabled." (6'5") I look "normal", and my life has been a string of random people trying to fight me for using disabled parking, I've had a Vet go after my (at the time ) 17 year old daughter for inheriting my genetically bad connective tissue.

I walk with a cane, sometimes 2. Can't lift them much past my hips.

I can't even wear glasses that hook down at the back, otherwise the frames cut through the tops of my ears. Straight-arm glasses are a pain to find.

I can go on. Look up Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, rest is bad luck/manager took safety off the press that would have saved my hand.

My circulation draws my blood out of my limbs, concentrating it in my torso, I get heat exhaustion anywhere over the mid 70's. A mask is sheer torture. I still wear one when I go out.

My mask ties at the base, and crown of my skull. If I can manage it, with my shoulders, anyone healthy enough to walk around can do it.

People who pull this fake disabled crap just make my life even harder.

—Grey

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. icon
    Samuel Abram (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 9:40am

    What chutzpah!

    These people who would sue over being denied service because they were maskless would kill their parents and then beg for mercy from the judge on the grounds that they're orphans.

    It's amazing that these dipshits can simultaneously think that a retail establishment should deny you service for being gay but not for wearing a mask. What doublethink.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Baron von Robber, 16 Jul 2020 @ 9:43am

    "But Amber Gilles claims that the real reason she refused to wear the mask is because medical conditions exempt her from the requirement."

    A covidiot showing that she's more than just a maskless covidiot.

    a) you could have asked somebody to order/deliver for you
    or
    b) use a Starbucks drive-thru

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 9:46am

    Anybody got a URL for Gilles’ gofundme? I want to invite her to know herself in the biblical sense.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 9:46am

    So I'm not an MD. Or even work anywhere near the field:
    However:

    “probable exophytic fibroid arising from the anterior wall of the uterus measuring 2.9 cm size,” and “simple 2.5 cm left ovarian cyst.”

    I'm pretty sure ones ovaries and uterus (for those people who have them), are about as unrelated to breathing/wearing a mask as any body part/bodily function pair can be.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. icon
    Stephen T. Stone (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 9:50am

    Dear Amber Gilles:

    Selfish, ignorant, and angry is no way to go through life, ma’am.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Chris Brand, 16 Jul 2020 @ 9:55am

    Re:

    Apparently it's not her ass she's talking out of...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. icon
    Norahc (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 9:58am

    Why does it seem like those that refuse to wear a mask are among the first to don the tinfoil hats?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. icon
    Toom1275 (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 10:04am

    Wow, that's some Oracle-level greed and arrogance from Gilles.

    Now all she needs to do is file a patent infringement lawsuit.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Jordan, 16 Jul 2020 @ 10:06am

    Re:

    I googled one and found one for people who want to kick her out of her MIL's house...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 10:16am

    Reminds me of my brother...

    My older brother Dave (names changed), was driving me, Steve, around shortly after he got his license and was pulled over and given a speeding ticket.

    My parents sat him down and said he had to pay the ticket and should treat this as a lesson.

    Dave goes, "Well, Steve was in the car, so he should have to pay half the ticket because he got to learn the same lesson."

    Needless to say, Dave now works as an attorney.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 10:20am

    The barista should donate some of the money he received to a charity in her name. Just make sure it is a charity she would never support even if her life depeneded on it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. icon
    Grey (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 10:21am

    As an actual disabled person....

    Every person playing this fake "I'm disabled" game should spend one day in my body. If you are so medically fragile that a mask is a risk, you shouldn't be exposing yourself to the public for your own safety.

    I can understand the need to feel normal. Those of us who already have their ability to interact with the world limited by circumstance usually don't enjoy additional restrictions.

    I've been disabled for almost 30 years now.

    I'm up to 7 shoulder procedures. Plate, 6 screws, Suprascapular nerve nearly severed on the right side due to bone regrowth. Left side anterior Bankart, right hand crushed in a press, both feet spiral fractured through the arches, jawbone dislocations, hip dislocations.

    "You're so big, you can't be disabled." (6'5") I look "normal", and my life has been a string of random people trying to fight me for using disabled parking, I've had a Vet go after my (at the time ) 17 year old daughter for inheriting my genetically bad connective tissue.

    I walk with a cane, sometimes 2. Can't lift them much past my hips.

    I can't even wear glasses that hook down at the back, otherwise the frames cut through the tops of my ears. Straight-arm glasses are a pain to find.

    I can go on. Look up Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, rest is bad luck/manager took safety off the press that would have saved my hand.

    My circulation draws my blood out of my limbs, concentrating it in my torso, I get heat exhaustion anywhere over the mid 70's. A mask is sheer torture. I still wear one when I go out.

    My mask ties at the base, and crown of my skull. If I can manage it, with my shoulders, anyone healthy enough to walk around can do it.

    People who pull this fake disabled crap just make my life even harder.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. icon
    Stephen T. Stone (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 10:30am

    The barista should donate some of the money he received to a charity in her name.

    About that:

    Cowan wrote that he had arranged for Gutierrez to meet with a financial adviser this week to "help him plan how to properly invest and use the large sum of money." Cowan added: "Lenin has said that he plans to use some of the money to pursue his dreams of becoming a dancer. He also wants to donate to some organizations in the San Diego community."

    (Source)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 11:13am

    Re:

    Because stupid people are stupid.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    Bruce C., 16 Jul 2020 @ 11:29am

    Re:

    "Oh, I thought he said diaphragms were mandatory."

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    Bruce C., 16 Jul 2020 @ 11:30am

    It's articles like this...

    that make me wish eugenics was valid science.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. icon
    Code Monkey (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 11:40am

    Re:

    Wouldn't that be a GoFuckMe account??

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. icon
    Code Monkey (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 11:44am

    Re:

    I'm pretty sure the Patent office hasn't issued Ms. Gilles a patent (yet) for being a twatwaffle...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. icon
    Code Monkey (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 11:46am

    Re: Dear Amber Gilles:

    P.S. Ms. Gilles, why don't you go outside and play a nice round of "Hide and Go f*ck Yourself".

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 12:06pm

    comrade lenin

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. icon
    EEJ (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 12:22pm

    Amber Gilles

    The ADA doesn't prevent you from requiring masks inside, you just have to provide "reasonable accommodation". Curbside service, delivery and takeout would all be reasonable as far as I can tell.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 12:51pm

    Due to fragrance allergies (the stuff used in most soaps, hand sanitizers, laundry detergents and shampoos), my household has always had to practice social distancing. Our reaction to the current social distancing and facemask guidelines/requirements has been "Now maybe people will gain some degree of understanding of what we have always dealt with."

    Unfortunately, some people will just never understand.

    (as an aside, the hand sanitizer requirements in many places now mean that we always have to wear surgical gloves in public to prevent severe reactions -- but we're fine with that; it's part of being slightly unique in a larger society.)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  23. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 1:02pm

    Re: What chutzpah!

    There was no indication she had that opinion about denying service to gays, you're just inserting your own and presuming that's what she thinks without any actual information proving it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  24. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 1:16pm

    Fuck right the hell off plague rat

    Selfishly risks the lives of others by refusing to wear a mask, tries to shame a responsible person for refusing to serve her because of this, and now demands that the generosity that people showed the responsible person should be split with her selfish ass.

    It's almost impressive how utterly self-centered that insufferable scourge is, to not realize that far from getting a pile of money all she's getting is national attention for being an absolutely abhorrent person.

    Gotta love the excuse as well, both because I don't believe it for a second, but because even if you accept it all that it does is show her to be a selfish idiot, ignoring an incredibly important safety feature and putting herself and others at risk because she wanted a coffee damnit!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  25. identicon
    Baron von Robber, 16 Jul 2020 @ 1:25pm

    Re:

    Or to the Biden campaign. That's a sure bet to melt a snowflake.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  26. icon
    crade (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 1:37pm

    The saddest part of this story is I can't help but think she will get donations

    link to this | view in thread ]

  27. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 2:02pm

    I wonder is she realizes she only had to have the mask on in the shop for 5 minutes. Idiot.

    She should wear one in public (i.e. around other people) like everyone else should do, but entering any business where mask use is enforced, without a mask, is simply foolish. Stores can literally trespass you for no reason at all, so mask requirements are hardly a thing to be challenged. Seriously, put one on for 5-10 minutes, whatever it takes for your commercial activity, at the very least.

    Of course, if you are just out without a mask because "your rights", just go on with your bad self, jackass. Just don't make bullshit medical claims if you get called on it. Stick to your chosen narrative.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  28. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 2:13pm

    Re:

    Almost certainly, plenty of idiots out there who've bought the 'not wearing a mask is me exercising my freedom' garbage and/or throw tantrums like the immature children that they are when people tell them to wear one that will see such a story and immediately focus on the poor, persecuted plague rat.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  29. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 2:15pm

    Re: Re:

    So much prior art for them to ignore there...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  30. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 2:18pm

    Re:

    Because if someone is stupid enough to fall for the 'people telling you to wear a mask are trying to take away your freedom' con then odds are good they're stupid enough to fall for just about anything.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  31. icon
    ECA (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 2:19pm

    Re: As an actual disabled person....

    Disabled persons Dont compare scares..
    We have more then we need or want.
    Physical, mental, and Life circumstances, and then Choices we Have to make.
    I have nail patella syndrome, and 12 years (in the 1960's) with Shriner's, and feel like a lab experiment.
    I have a few other problems, as well as my last one found about 1 year ago, AND IM 60 years old.(I have a strange heart) where the Doc asked me if I knew how that happened, I explained my problems during life, he handed me a bottle of Nitro and said "see you soon".
    Iv made choices of what I HAD to make, as I have no children, as compared to the 1960's, the Doctors are better, but (we have an NPS group on FB) the doctors come to our group to ask, of SOMETHING worked in the past.
    Iv asked doctors to do certain things I THINK would make things better for me, but they decline, and the only way to have them do it, would be to Let a Bus Run over both my legs.
    I could go on, and on, and on...But lets just say, that Iv had to force myself to be around this long. And while TRYING to get disability in my late 30's.. it was said it was old age, it was this or that or the other.. Come to find out, that disability didnt even have a Listing for my handicap, to declare it a disability.
    So, if you want a convoluted idea of how things work, or dont for me.. I Know that many of my comments get scrambled, as my head thinks faster then my fingers, as well as remembering yesterday, tends to fall into history for me, as Time and myself have a problem(part of my heart condition, and controlling pain).

    For those that think they have a handicap(and dont really have a Bad one) lets see you live thru a day blind folded, or Sit in a wheelchair for 1 week(love those Sores you get), lets Force you to Limp threw a day lets put a needle in your shoe for a few hours, lets...Forget it.. as there are some, that just need a New head on their shoulders.
    Beyond all of that, WE still want to work, and Can/will do work. ITS BORING AS HELL, sitting and suffering and doing NOTHING. I pitty those who cant. And have other words for those WHO WONT even try, esp if you DONT have a handicap.

    Good luck folks, I hope this didnt make for a bad day.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  32. icon
    ECA (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 2:21pm

    Re: It's articles like this...

    Close..
    I would only make it harder on those that didnt have ALLOT more common since. But congress wouldnt do it to themselves.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  33. icon
    Samuel Abram (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 2:26pm

    Re: Re: What chutzpah!

    You said

    There was no indication she had that opinion about denying service to gays,

    when I said

    It's amazing that these dipshits can simultaneously think that a retail establishment should deny you service for being gay but not for wearing a mask.

    I was generalizing about how the mask-refuseniks never once piped up in outrage at a same-sex couple getting refused a cake on account of their sexual orientation. However, I was not saying that inconsistency applies to this woman in particular.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  34. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 2:28pm

    Re: Re:

    Hmmm maybe those same people can be tricked into thinking that being legally required to wear cloths in public is a massive infringment on their freedom as well.
    This it would be blindingly (in multiple ways) obvious who those people are. And we'd have better legal recourse (but it would come at the expense of our eyes.... so I'm actually having a hard time figuring out which way it leans...)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  35. icon
    ECA (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 3:21pm

    Re:

    Viva le trump..

    link to this | view in thread ]

  36. icon
    Designerfx (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 3:33pm

    Re: It's articles like this...

    people not wearing masks at this point are literally flagging their evolutionary failure as individuals to progress beyond fear-based lizard brains.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  37. icon
    Designerfx (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 3:34pm

    Re: Re: It's articles like this...

    (aside from medical exemptions)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  38. identicon
    AricTheRed, 16 Jul 2020 @ 3:36pm

    Am I the only one that thought the original news item had a typo

    I mean isn’t her name Karen Gilles?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  39. icon
    Code Monkey (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 4:13pm

    Re: Donations

    I'll be happy to donate $10 for a roll of duct tape for her mouth.... :)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  40. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 4:16pm

    Tes

    America seems to be going through a darwinian experiment, covid 19 cases are rising in most states.
    It's simple I wear a mask to protect you, you wear a mask to protect me.
    Anyone who does not wear a mask in shops or offices is putting other people at risk and increasing their chance of getting the virus.
    It's darwinian because those who are reckless or stupid are the ones most likely to get the virus or spread it.
    Freedom does not give someone the right to put others people life in danger.
    It's scary that Disney land is now open in a time when
    Covid case, s are rising in Florida.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  41. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 5:31pm

    Re:

    Due to fragrance allergies (the stuff used in most soaps

    At the risk of going a bit off-topic, do you know of any unscented soap bars that are easy and cheap to obtain? It's like 30¢ a bar for "normal" drugstore/supermarket soap, whereas anything unscented seems to be in the "artisanal" $5-per-bar category (at Whole Foods etc.). I'm seriously considering tracking down a bag of lye and making my own.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  42. icon
    Samuel Abram (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 6:29pm

    Re: Am I the only one that thought the original news item had a

    It did have a typo, but her name isn't Karen Gilles; it's actually "Karen K. Karensdaughter."

    link to this | view in thread ]

  43. icon
    Samuel Abram (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 6:31pm

    Re: Tes

    Though this doesn't disprove your point, Disneyland is in Anaheim, California while Walt Disney World is in Orlando, Florida. Considering cases in both places are on the rise (although Florida Governor DeSantis is doing nothing about it), I guess it's not much of a difference.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  44. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 6:38pm

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8upEg-bEJ8

    Watch then tell me how they help

    link to this | view in thread ]

  45. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 6:39pm

    Re: Re:

    Have you looked at ivory? (The original formulation - there are scented varieties). My wife is also seriously chemically sensitive and she's fine with unscented ivory.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  46. icon
    ECA (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 6:46pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    and better pictures

    link to this | view in thread ]

  47. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 6:53pm

    Re: Re:

    While I don't have an allergy I'm really not a fan of strong scents, which made picking out a soap difficult, but I've been using Dove brand, 'Sensitive skin' soap myself and it's pretty close to unscented, so that might be worth looking into.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  48. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 6:58pm

    Re:

    First off do some research on Ben Swann. Not exactly an exemplary source of objective, politically neutral information.

    Now, he claims that there a lots of scientific studies that show that face masks do not protect their wearers. This is quite true. What he misses (deliberately?) is that there's currently a significant amount of epidemiological evidence that covid spreaders who wears facemasks are a lot less likely to pass on the infection.

    You don't wear facemasks to protect yourself, you do it to protect others.

    How can this be when the masks have been shown to be unable to prevent viruses in the air from getting into your airways? Simple, they disrupt your air exhaust and prevent it from travelling as far as when you don't have a mask. Just consider a sneeze - can you honestly say you believe that sneezing when wearing a face mask will result in just as much being sprayed on others several feet away as will sneezing with no face covering?

    It's ironic that those who support "stand your ground" laws and concealed carry permits in the name of self-defense think they should be able to infect anyone they happen to meet.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  49. icon
    ECA (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 7:04pm

    Re:

    you want reality I can give abit..
    1...LAB STUDY is what he is saying.. Cram people in a room and see if they catch a bug. I would love to see how they tested it. 1 sick person among them?? Or just spray it around and let them in.

    REALITY,
    we have never killed a virus, Ever. Ask Herpies.
    The mask is so that your BREATH, does not carry very far, in an open area, to contact another person. its used, to SLOW this down,. because Everyone will get it. 99% chance. And as with the Flu, if everyone got sick at the same time, MORE would die because of 1 problem in the USA. The Medical in the USA is not designed to hold up under 1000 patients per day for every hospital. There are light cases, out there, and the people Wont goto the hospital, they wont even notice it, much. But those that DO get sick, will FILL the hospitals, and the hospitals cant handle it and they would love to charge you for being Sick, in emergency.

    Something else happening, is the COST of this. And on the way to pay hospitals for all they have dun... ACA will end up being killed because Obama care, costs to much.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  50. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 7:30pm

    Last time I checked
    No One Gets Out Of Here Alive
    "You don't wear facemasks to protect yourself, you do it to protect others"
    So your basically saying a mask is worthless
    because you will still catch what I have even though your wearing a mask is your logic ?
    " It's ironic that those who support "stand your ground" laws and concealed carry permits in the name of self-defense think they should be able to infect anyone they happen to meet."
    ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
    If you want to allow yourself to be defenseless against a mob , go for it
    There is no cure , So sooner or later everyone's going to be exposed
    Its more of are you healthy to begin with or are you a unhealthy nit ?
    So you can cower in fear and let others rule over you or stand with dignity and face life Free and head on

    link to this | view in thread ]

  51. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 7:32pm

    Re: Tes

    I dont give a F about infection rates
    Its about the death rates which keep going down

    link to this | view in thread ]

  52. icon
    Stephen T. Stone (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 7:40pm

    I dont give a F about infection rates

    You should.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  53. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 7:59pm

    Re: Tes

    Pro-plaguers.

    That is all.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  54. icon
    Stephen T. Stone (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 8:04pm

    "You don't wear facemasks to protect yourself, you do it to protect others"
    So your basically saying a mask is worthless

    Nice otherwording. The point being made, if you weren’t so dedicated to intentionally misunderstanding the point, is that even if masks don’t prevent 100% transmission, they’re still preventing enough transmission to make them worth wearing.

    People wear masks not so much to protect themselves, but to protect everyone around them. A mask will do a better job of helping someone keep a communicable disease from spreading. A lack of a mask will not. If you can’t grasp the idea of acting in a way that might inconvenience you but help the public good, maybe you’re not ready to live in a society.

    There is no cure , So sooner or later everyone's going to be exposed

    The whole point of stay-at-home orders, business shutdowns, and public health measures such as wearing masks in public is to keep people from being exposed to a potentially fatal disease that has no cure and causes serious internal damage that might never heal. No sane, rational person should want to either catch COVID-19 or spread it to others. No sane, rational person should ever try to justify a “why should I give a damn about everyone else” belief about society. If you can’t understand why wearing a mask in public is about the cashier at your favorite gas station or the employees at your local supermarket instead of you and only you, I doubt you ever will.

    you can cower in fear and let others rule over you or stand with dignity and face life Free and head on

    I’m sure the 130,000-plus Americans who’ve died from COVID-19 would love to discuss that ideology with you. But they can’t.

    Because they’re dead.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  55. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 8:26pm

    Easy way to spot the sociopaths though

    I really should have saved the quote as I'm sure I'm about to butcher it, but I recall one person who put it nicely.

    'There are two kinds of people when it comes to COVID: Those that are horrified at the very idea that they might be responsible for someone else getting infected and potentially dying, and those that don't care.'

    Someone refusing to wear a mask because it's primary purpose isn't to protect them is basically telling everyone around them 'I could not care less if one or more of you die because of me, as my comfort is of more value to me than your life.'

    link to this | view in thread ]

  56. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 10:53pm

    Re: Re:

    Unfortunately, one just cannot find Vel anymore. It's literally a collector's item.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  57. icon
    PaulT (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 10:56pm

    "A second piece of paper is a handwritten note with letterhead from a San Diego chiropractor who she asked not be named"

    Yes, I'm sure the chiropractor has the ability to correctly diagnose respiratory issues, if he exists, nothing suspicious there. /s

    link to this | view in thread ]

  58. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 10:58pm

    Re:

    Who is cowering in fear? We wear masks and get on with our lives.

    You know, if everyone would have worn the damn masks in the first place, there wouldn't be any more covid to pass around.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  59. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jul 2020 @ 11:00pm

    Re:

    Notes from chiropractors are legally meaningless, full stop.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  60. icon
    PaulT (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 11:00pm

    Re: Dear Amber Gilles:

    While I hate watching infection rates soar in the US, I am looking forward to the freakout videos of these idiots being told they can't enter Wal Mart without a mask in the next week. Where I live, people have been wearing masks in and out of shops for weeks, which while sensible and very effective at allowing us to reopen our economy and borders close to normality, it provides little entertainment.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  61. icon
    PaulT (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 11:01pm

    Re: Re: It's articles like this...

    It would be fun to see them Darwin themselves if it weren't or all the innocent intelligent people they threaten to take down with them.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  62. icon
    PaulT (profile), 16 Jul 2020 @ 11:04pm

    Re: Re:

    Nobody's cowering in fear where I live. We obey sensible rules, respect others around us and watch our borders and economy opening up with relatively little fear of infection.

    Unfortunately in the US, there's so many people cowering in fear of even the most sensible rule put in place by the government that you're in a worse position than when you started.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  63. icon
    Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 12:32am

    Re:

    Well, it's as clear an admission as could be that she regularly talks out of her pie-hole, and that she has a medical condition which, with some stretching could mean she's forced to go commando.

    It's somehow typically american that her first thought is to sue someone rather than take her natural advantages on a ventriloquist act. I'm sure there are lots of people willing to pay good money for some good old school vaudeville.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  64. icon
    Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 12:37am

    Re:

    "Why does it seem like those that refuse to wear a mask are among the first to don the tinfoil hats?"

    It's the other way around.

    Obviously the enlightened people who are on to the illuminati mind control conspiracy have come up with the mask because being forced to wear one means your hat stops working - at which point the mind control rays will have you start believing all sorts of rubbish, like for instance, that there's a pandemic around which kills more people in the US than a 9/11 every two days...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  65. identicon
    AlexisR200, 17 Jul 2020 @ 1:03am

    About that Chiropractor...

    Despite her wishes TD should publish the name of that Chiropractor. The asshole actually went wrote a fucking fraudulent note exempting her from mask wearing during a pandemic citing conditions he isn't even qualified to identify or treat. Its a clear ethical violation and he should lose his ability to practice. After all TD doesn't owe anything to that woman and the "doc" is a threat to public safety if he is doing this for others frauds like her.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  66. icon
    PaulT (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 1:23am

    Re: About that Chiropractor...

    "Despite her wishes TD should publish the name of that Chiropractor."

    TD doesn't have the name, the documents were provided to KGTV where the original report was from, and they're the ones honouring her request. This could be because she doesn't want anyone to get further proof that he's woefully unqualified to make such a diagnosis, but equally likely that a cursory check proves he doesn't exist and/or didn't write the note.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  67. icon
    Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 3:19am

    Re: Re:

    "You don't wear facemasks to protect yourself, you do it to protect others."

    ...which, to the anti-maskers, pro-trumpers and much of the conspiracy crowd as "Why should other people not get infected if I am?".

    THAT is the inherent malice we keep seeing displayed here. To a certain type of individual any measure intended to protect other people just isn't worthwhile to even consider. The new "conservative" love affair with envy-backed spiteful collectivism which the old classic conservatives used to deplore as the concept which dragged communist nations down to a common denominator of suffering and mediocrity. The idea that if you yourself are at the bottom rather than climb you should drag others down to your level.

    It's not hard to see why the real merit of masks falls on deaf ears in the US of today.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  68. identicon
    Eva Whitley, 17 Jul 2020 @ 3:29am

    She's a nut. Help her family out here: https://gf.me/u/ygvm5c

    link to this | view in thread ]

  69. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 4:45am

    Re: Re: About that Chiropractor...

    '... I said what?!'

    link to this | view in thread ]

  70. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Jul 2020 @ 5:17am

    Let's assume for the moment that she really does have an adverse reaction if she wears a mask. The first question that comes to mind is "is she clothed"? If so, she has probably already found a fabric that doesn't cause her problems. Make a mask from such a fabric. In the unlikely event that there is no such fabric, there are other ways to obtain coffee (and remember, that's what this is about - can this woman get her coffee?). There are plenty of places to buy coffee. You may have to brew it yourself. So what? What is she going to do if this coffee shop closes?

    My wife has serious sensitivities and can't walk very far, so we have to use an electric wheelchair when we go anywhere, and which I have to lift in and out of the trunk. This snowflake has NONE of my sympathy.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  71. icon
    Bergman (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 5:25am

    Re: Re: What chutzpah!

    It's an easy association to make, since the largest group of people refusing to wear masks in the USA is a political party that also routinely opposes equal rights for gays.

    If you hear hoof beats, you think horses not unicorns.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  72. icon
    Bergman (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 5:27am

    Re: Re:

    They should hope the mask makes the hat stop working - according to an MIT study, tin foil hats have no noticeable effect on most radio frequencies, but act as an amplifying antenna for the frequencies that a certain conspiracy theory about government mind control broadcasts claims are the frequencies used to control people.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  73. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Jul 2020 @ 6:00am

    Re: Re: Tes

    Really, then why are refrigerator trucks in demand.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  74. identicon
    Baron von Robber, 17 Jul 2020 @ 6:21am

    Re: Re: Tes

    Keep going down if you are living 2 weeks ago.
    It's going back up now.
    https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

    link to this | view in thread ]

  75. icon
    nasch (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 6:50am

    Re:

    If your ovarian cyst is interfering with your mask, you're wearing it wrong.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  76. icon
    nasch (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 6:53am

    Re: Re: Dear Amber Gilles:

    I am looking forward to the freakout videos of these idiots being told they can't enter Wal Mart without a mask in the next week.

    Oh, you don't even have to wait.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f456x1Zvz3U

    link to this | view in thread ]

  77. icon
    crade (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 6:56am

    Re: Re: Re:

    What they don't seem to get is that they ask you to wear masks for the exact same reason that they ask you not to set off a bomb in a crowded area.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  78. icon
    PaulT (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 7:34am

    Re: Re: Re: Tes

    To be more accurate - it's going up in the way that's easily predicted as the result of higher infection rates, given that deaths are always a lagging indicator that take a few weeks to follow the same curve. But, they follow the same curve. Expect the deaths to accelerate to follow the pattern of infections (which are currently more than double what they were at the pervious high point).

    Also, even if death rates were actually going down, the spike in infections should still be a concern, as those who have recovered from the disease are showing a lot of long-term, even permanent damage from it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  79. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Jul 2020 @ 7:54am

    I have a suggestion for a lawyer to represent the Gilles woman. He works cheap and is very aggressive: Richard Liebowitz.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  80. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Jul 2020 @ 9:24am

    Re: Re: Re:

    I had no idea there was a version of Ivory that doesn't stink—my recollection (from 30 years ago) was that it had a very strong smell. Wikipedia says even the "classic" version contains fragrance; but if it's not too strong and won't persist after rinsing, it's worth a try. Thanks to you and That One Guy.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  81. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Jul 2020 @ 9:45am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Tes

    They know how to better take care of the severe respiratory problems now. Of course, the infected still have a good chance of those severe problems. And the misery of being terribly ill, and also in hospital (which is boring AF, and a good place to get sick with something else lovely). And very worried families. And MIS for the kids. And missing work if you have it. And permanent damage to the lungs and other organs.

    So, you know, good times eh?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  82. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Jul 2020 @ 9:47am

    Re: Re: Re:

    We cower in fear at everything. I bet we don't even know what we are cowering about at this point. Cowering, and lashing out. We're bloody good at it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  83. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Jul 2020 @ 9:49am

    Re:

    I cannot un-see that photograph...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  84. identicon
    Baron von Robber, 17 Jul 2020 @ 9:56am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Tes

    I've read about two reasons why COVID-19 causes damage.
    1) The virus itself, invading cells, replication, burst cell, repeat.
    2) The other that affects even healthy people is cytokine storms.

    "He ran marathons and was fit. So why did Covid-19 almost kill him?"
    https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/21/he-ran-marathons-why-did-coronavirus-almost-kill-him/

    Nope, this pandemic is not just a flu.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  85. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 17 Jul 2020 @ 10:53am

    She's a nutjob. The giveaway is her claim the masks don't work, and having a note from a chiropractor, a known quack profession with nothing to do with respiratory illnesses.

    Asthma and COPD do not prevent you from wearing a surgical mask. Your air intake is only restricted negligibly, and does not affect your ability to get oxygen or exhale carbon dioxide through the mask. All the masks really stop are water droplets. The reason these mental cases are freaking out is because they are not used to wearing a mask for any given length of time, and either find it an inconvenience, or erroneously think that the minor discomfort of having a mask over the face, and the warmth/humidity from it are somehow putting their health at risk, which is a myth.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  86. icon
    John85851 (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 10:58am

    Let's follow up with this lady

    Let's follow up with this lady every few weeks until she tests positive for the virus. Then let's see how long it takes until she dies from it.

    Yes, I know that's morbid, but I've been reading too many stories about people who refused to wear a mask (or who thought the virus is a hoax) only to die from it later.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  87. icon
    BernardoVerda (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 3:41pm

    Re:

    Did she produce her "official exemption card", too?

    That (producing bogus documentation) seems to currently be the popular next step with the folks making these bogus complaints.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  88. icon
    bhull242 (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 4:58pm

    As someone who not only has asthma but also has a number of family members who have asthma, I find it particularly offensive that she claimed that her asthma kept her from wearing a mask.

    Also, lady, the uterus has nothing to do with respiration, and chiropractors—assuming you believe they do help—aren’t much help when it comes to respiratory disorders, especially ones that might be triggered or exacerbated by wearing a mask. Nor do either of those things even relate to the symptoms you claim to be having. Also, “mask acne”? Really?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  89. icon
    Norahc (profile), 17 Jul 2020 @ 6:37pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    I think I figured out why they hate wearing masks. When the shit they spew comes out of their mouth, the mask does it's job and reflects it back onto them.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  90. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 18 Jul 2020 @ 12:03pm

    Re: Re: Re: What chutzpah!

    The cake shop never refused to sell a cake. They refused to sell a personalized cake. Big difference.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  91. icon
    That One Guy (profile), 18 Jul 2020 @ 1:04pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: What chutzpah!

    That would be a big difference, except unless we're thinking of different cases(first that comes to mind is Masterpiece Cakeshop) then no, they were told that they would not be sold a wedding cake at all, it never even reached the details of personilization. Making that crystal clear they were even told it twice, once in the store and once via a phone call the next day from the bigo- I mean baker's mother.

    From the wikipedia article on the whole mess:

    Craig and Mullins visited Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado, in July 2012 to order a wedding cake for their return celebration. Masterpiece's owner Jack Phillips, who is a Christian, declined their cake request, informing the couple that he did not create wedding cakes for marriages of gay couples owing to his Christian religious beliefs, although the couple could purchase other baked goods in the store. Craig and Mullins promptly left Masterpiece without discussing with Phillips any of the details of their wedding cake. The following day, Craig's mother, Deborah Munn, called Phillips, who advised her that Masterpiece did not make wedding cakes for the weddings of gay couples because of his religious beliefs and because Colorado did not recognize same-sex marriage at the time.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  92. icon
    PaulT (profile), 18 Jul 2020 @ 11:32pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: What chutzpah!

    "The cake shop never refused to sell a cake. They refused to sell a personalized cake. Big difference."

    Nice lie.

    The actual story is that the store agreed to sell the cake, but then backtracked when they found out the couple was gay. That's why they lost. You can't offer a service to a straight couple but then refuse to provide the exact same service to a gay couple. Non-bigots understand this and don't lose iin court, because they never get taken there to begin with.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  93. icon
    ECA (profile), 19 Jul 2020 @ 11:58am

    Re:

    Your analogy is abit off..

    And to show it, lets look at the EU and what some nations have done..Nothing. Just give a warning to be careful and wear a mask if you need it.

    In the USA, the easiest way to spread contagion is to put it into a school.
    40 kids in a cramped room,
    1 is sick and gives it to others.
    Which then goes Home to get the parents...
    Then to the work place of the parents..

    From 1 to 40, to hundreds to 1000's and onto the rest of the city.
    All for the lack of proper ventilation, and a Mask.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  94. icon
    Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 20 Jul 2020 @ 3:44am

    Re: Re: Re:

    "...according to an MIT study, tin foil hats have no noticeable effect on most radio frequencies, but act as an amplifying antenna..."

    Now, see, that sounds egsactly like what one'a'them gorram book learnt gubmint mind control spooks would be sayin' jes ta keep the common workin' man iggnerant and under dere thumb!

    Dem perfessers at the U, dey'se all in on da scam, and ah reckon sose you! Fess up!

    /s because, by the powers, I'm still punching Poe in the face with the above.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  95. icon
    Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 20 Jul 2020 @ 4:55am

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    I'll bet you ten to one that if you said exactly that there'd be a choir of pro-trumpers screaming about how you hate the second amendment.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  96. icon
    Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 20 Jul 2020 @ 4:58am

    Re:

    Pot odds are he's already on the case and she's still unaware that he is.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  97. icon
    Bergman (profile), 21 Jul 2020 @ 5:48pm

    Re:

    I don't know if you're reading this, but it is possible to get hand sanitizer gel without any perfumes or dyes. This, for example:

    https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-HYG10316-SeventyGel-Fluid_Ounces/dp/B087HNFCZF/

    link to this | view in thread ]

  98. icon
    Bergman (profile), 21 Jul 2020 @ 5:49pm

    Re: Re:

    Doctor Bronner's liquid castile and Kirk's Castile bar soap are both unscented and undyed. I have dye and perfume allergies myself (though apparently not as severe as yours) and I love both brands.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  99. identicon
    SocraticGadfly, 26 Jul 2020 @ 12:29pm

    Author is right. The ADA, you Karens, does not require a biz to let you in, if you claim a mask exemption, even if legit. Curbside, drive-through or takeout at various food stores and restaurants are all options.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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