A passenger, at what looks to me like Tenerife South Airport, is in the gate area for their flight and they’re prepared to fly in a helmet and a mask. They are being mocked for ‘not knowing what time it is’ – that it’s six years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and they’re “like Japanses soldiers still fighting the war.”
Japanese lieutenant Hiroo Onoda remained on Lubang Island in the Philippines until March 1974, continuing to fight a guerrilla war and surrendering only after his former commanding officer came and officially relieved him of duty three decades after Japanese surrender in World War II. There were others like him.
It seems to me, though, that opposition to masks during 2020 – 2022 was framed as being about freedom. Anyone who objected then has no basis for complaining about a passenger’s personal protective equipment being worn voluntarily now.
Airport departure lounge. 2026 and they’re still out there, like Japanese soldiers still fighting the war. pic.twitter.com/wGUrMzJTho
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) April 26, 2026
There are several general reactions to passengers like this:
- “The war is over” and “brains not updated.” It is simply out of date.
- PPE purism: “At least this person is actually going all-in,” unlike people who wear cloth masks on their chin.
- Where’s the rest of the PPE? They’re in a public space with no gloves! If you’re going to take it seriously, take it seriously.
- But airports are actually disgusting. “Have you ever been to IAH or JFK? You’ll be begging for a hazmat suit.” Between crowding, coughing, recirculated air and bad bathrooms, there’s a logic to this actually.
Commercial jets recirculate cabin air through HEPA filters, refreshing it 20–30 times per hour (every 2-3 minutes) and downward air flow makes cabin air less conducive to infections than typical buildings. Those conditions don’t apply to airports.
At the start of the pandemic we saw people traveling in full hazmat suits. This passenger didn’t buy one for the flight – he happened to have it from going as Breaking Bad‘s Walter White for Halloween.
Airlines actually ban ‘too much PPE’ like body tents and pods, personal air purifiers and ozone generators. If there’s a concern with this man, it’s that he wouldn’t be able to quickly don an oxygen mask in the event of an emergency.
Masks were highly controversial during the pandemic, when they were required first by airlines and then by the federal government. There was a huge spike in passenger incidents onboard as customers refused to wear them (and also as passengers brought their own alcohol on planes, with airlines not serving booze at least in coach).
In this case, 20 passengers and even a 3-year old were removed from an American Airlines flight over masks. Here’s a case of a passenger wearing a pair of women’s red underwear on his face and calling it a mask, and getting kicked off – while a second passenger removed himself from the flight in protest over the unfairness of it all.
As a passenger I don’t want to be on a plane with sick passengers and I don’t want to be on a plane with sick crew. Years ago I sat next to a man with a bright red, almost glowing eye on a United flight from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles. Today I’d have excused myself, sought another seat. The plane wasn’t 100% full, but if it was I’d have gotten off while the doors were still open. I wound up with a dendritic ulcer in my eye.
I’ve hated flying in flu season. I was even a fan of ‘double masking’ long before SARS-CoV-2!
Airlines need to sell facemasks inflight. Guy next to me hasn't stopped coughing all flight. I'd gladly buy him one. Or two.
— gary leff (@garyleff) March 6, 2016
Ultimately I just have to ask, why are people bothered if nobody is forcing them to follow suit? The mask isn’t just a device or tool, it’s a tribal marker and moral signal.
It’s fair to say ‘don’t make me wear one, and you do you.’ But a lot of the opposition to masking was never about freedom. It was about resentment of institutions, experts, and identity. And when the public health bureaucracy believed masking wasn’t necessary, until it was, and then two masks were better – but public gatherings were fine if they were for Black Lives Matter – some of that resentment was fair. So-called experts performed badly.
Voluntary masking keeps the symbolism alive, and some people hate the symbol more than they ever cared about the actual mask. To me, it’s just like noise-canceling headphones or compression socks that look a bit odd, but aren’t your business.
Masks should never have been mandated by the Biden administration. Airlines mandated them themselves starting around May 2020, the federal mandate was duplicative and less strict, and lasted too long. It also came after people had access to vaccines broadly (and in the first half of 2021 those were broadly sterilizing), choice should have trumped.
But once mandates ended, voluntary masking should have become a non-issue. The fact that it still triggers people proves the fight was not just about compulsion.
Be careful, Illinois is in the process of passing a law that you can’t discriminate against people wearing a mask.
You have to understand there’s two motives:
1. It’s showing they’re part of the Trump/TDS “Resistance Movement” like it’s France 1944. Even though ironically Trump was responsible for the dangerous and ineffective jibby jab
2. COVID gave them meaning in life. They had something in life to occupy a boring, lonely, unfulfilled, sad life. Suddenly everyone was like them. Spending their days inside isolated and alone. They so want that world to return.
I still wear a mask at the airport. My brothers sister got COVID last week and I’m not Trying to catch it and miss out on posting across every frequent flyer forum!
Also the author of the posted tweet is a twat
Covid had a 99.82% recovery rate, even higher for people without comorbidities.
The side effects of the shot are not worth what little protection it provided.
Oh well if people want to wear a mask, it is their right and it is my right to stay away from them.
“Paul Joseph Watson” – really? As the saying goes, who you post reveals every bit as much as what you post…
If I see someone wearing a mask on an airplane in 2026, I try not to be judgemental. I know there are legitimate reasons for wearing one (eg recent chemotherapy, autoimmune disorders, etc.) But my first reaction is to view the wearer with disdain. It’s different during 2020 when there were no vaccines in Canada. Of course, I’m too polite to say anything to the wearer; I keep those thoughts to myself. I’m sorry that the helmet/mask wearer was photographed and tweeted but there is no expectation of privacy in a public place.
I still see an occasional elderly person at the grocery store wearing a mask. Also staff at the pharmacy. Nobody’s harassing them, but then again this is in a relatively upscale neighborhood, and ignorant yahoos tend to keep a low profile.
My wife and I treated ourselves to a high end resort ($1500/night) post covid. No masks, and although vaccinated we both came down with covid. We’re in our 70s and it was not a pleasant experience.
So if anyone were to harass me about masking in those filthy cesspits called airports, violence may ensue.
@Ambrose Bierce – Sorry you caught Covid, but the shot is ineffective. Hopefully your immune system is stronger after your recovery. FYI – I’m vaccine free and have had Covid one time, pre vaccine. I will bore others in future posts once @1990 starts telling us how superior vaxed people are, how all this is 47’s fault and how the dems are going to win the midterms.
1990. Stay well. Contagion of all sorts is out there and many cultures find masking a polite gesture if nothing more.
@Maryland – There’s also a difference between, say, wearing a garden-variety N95/KN95 and the people who insist on full-on elastomeric-seal P100 respirators. Usually coupled with goggles and ear coverings.
@Michael Mainello, if anyone has TDS, it’s you
When I see people wearing masks now I just laugh at them and make sure I cough loudly several times to add to their anxiety
To the author:
I think it’s obvious that most of these public comments were not due to being “bothered” but more sarcastic or outright poking fun and the observed choice.
I actually think you understand this too.
@Retired Gambler. And that makes you feel better how?
You’re being really retarded today, Gary. Being forced to wear something by threat of violence is very different from being mocked for wearing something ridiculous. I thought you were a moderate retard, but today you’re going full retard.
I really don’t mind the people wearing masks, helmets, PPE in public.
It helps me identify who the fearful RETARDS are.
“Paul Joseph Watson” is a refreshing TRUTH TELLER.
We need more people like him to compensate for the Lying Legacy Media.
Happy travels everyone!
As for shaming the person on social media, this is totally inappropriate. I don’t know when it supposedly became OK to shame people in front of the whole world. It isn’t OK unless you are reprimanding someone for doing it. That also includes how people respond to comments and articles.
Denver, I don’t know what others choose to wear. Not my business. I do use the polite surgical mask for pollution abatement but I have seen an EVA lav covered in blood. Again not my business other than to make a flight attendant aware. Odd that other than myself only one other passenger was in the cabin. Who knows anymore
@Maryland – On the other hand, I have been tempted to get said elastomeric P100 respirator whenever I’m downtown and dealing with the ever-present weed stank.
Denver. Let me know if that works! The skunk in Walmart is nauseating. When I voted to legalize marijuana, I pictured people staying home eating pizza. My prediction was incorrect
My husband and I wear masks in airports and on airplanes. We are in our 70s and my husband has COPD, so we have reason to avoid viruses. Before we did this, we would come down with a cold or the flu almost every time we flew. Now we arrive at our destination virus-free and can really enjoy our time. If you want to laugh at us or look down on us, fine. We do what is best for us.
@Susan. Brava!
I’ll start by saying that I haven’t masked in years, but I think that the disdain for others wearing masks is delusional. Even if Covid (or the flu or a cold) isn’t as fatal as it was in the beginning of the pandemic, some people don’t have the luxury or desire to be sick for a few days and having to juggle work, family, a ruined vacation, etc. Why would it bother others if someone wants to reduce their chances of picking something up while in an enclosed environment?
The other side of this is that some people are masking so they don’t get others sick. It’s called courtesy and I certainly appreciate it. I’ve noticed my college aged kids and their peers are pretty considerate in this way and when they have a cold they’ll throw on a mask before going to class so they don’t infect their friends.
Remember to stay six feet apart please.
Always a victim…
“A dendritic ulcer, caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV), is generally not directly contagious from the eye itself, but the virus causing it is. While you likely cannot pass the active eye ulcer to another person, you can transmit the virus through active cold sores, saliva, or skin-to-skin contact.”
What were you doing to the passenger to catch herpes from their eye?!
So much ignorance here!
@Michael Mainello: Sorry you caught Covid, but the shot is ineffective. Hopefully your immune system is stronger after your recovery.
The shot no longer provides much protection against infection, but it provides a lot of protection against bad outcomes. Covid deaths skew **heavily** towards the unvaccinated.
And “immune system is stronger after your recovery”??? That’s not how it works!! Fighting an infection is not like exercise, it never makes your immune system stronger. It prepares your body to fight **that** infection, not all infections. And beware of the woo about “stronger” immune systems–the immune system is a balancing act, if it’s too strong there’s a tendency to turn on the body, with a variety of unpleasant to lethal effects. Every time the immune system goes into battle there’s a small risk it turns on your body, the more your body has to fight the more likely this happens.
And it’s looking like Covid actually damages your immune system. The data is not in on that one yet, but it looks quite concerning.
@Michael Mainello: Covid had a 99.82% recovery rate, even higher for people without comorbidities.
The side effects of the shot are not worth what little protection it provided.
99.82% recovery rate translates to a 0.18% of death. 2 in a thousand. What else do humans do that carries that sort of risk? It’s hard coming up with examples, but this is in the realm of things like Everest and space flight.
Let’s also look at causes of death. Covid is being substantially undercounted, the best estimate for actual Covid deaths is 120k/yr, which puts it at 6th place on the CDCs top 10 causes of death. And note that everything above it is actually a category, not an individual cause.
The risk of the shot? Other than an allergic reaction the risks are because the vaccine carries a pale shadow of what the disease itself does. If you get myocarditis (and note they never showed it actually causing a problem–they substituted the typical risk) from the vaccine you would get it from Covid. And since almost the entire population has gotten it by now you haven’t gained anything. The original paper trying to show the risk was more than the benefit assumed a risk window of three months. We are now at 20 times that–even if they hadn’t messed up a decimal point they were off by a factor of 20.
@Denver Refugee: On the other hand, I have been tempted to get said elastomeric P100 respirator whenever I’m downtown and dealing with the ever-present weed stank.
Strangely, I have seen virtually zero weed use. I do know N95 means the scented candle section is no longer something to be avoided, but they do nothing about the stink of cigarettes–never been around a smoker long enough to know if they keep me from reacting to it.
@George Romey: It’s showing they’re part of the Trump/TDS “Resistance Movement” like it’s France 1944. Even though ironically Trump was responsible for the dangerous and ineffective jibby jab
You perceive it as a symbol. That doesn’t mean people who are wearing them see it as a symbol.
@[redacted reference to deleted comment]
Mask resistance was portrayed as a “freedom” issue–but if it really was about freedom there would be no reason to object to people wearing masks now. Whenever the right cries “Freedom!” look very carefully because it’s almost always a case of you are free to agree with me. Not free to disagree.
It’s no longer a virtue signal to wear a mask in public. Many of us continue to do so because we have compromised immune systems or have family members with compromised immune systems, or even work with people with compromised immune systems. I wear a mask (KN95) in ALL public indoor spaces, and remain grateful that since the pandemic (and since having had COVID early on, and having mild long COVID), I have only caught two colds – both of which were brought into my house by friends or family members who were asymptomatic at the time.
US society is so twisted in this way. In many other cultures, people mask when they have the slightest cold or flu, to protect others. Americans have a very bad attitude that amounts to “What? My disease isn’t good enough for you??”
I’m old and out of F*s to give on just about everything, but especially about this. About 2 years ago some old white dude made a rude comment to me and I just replied “Maybe you should smile more.”
@Gary Leff — First ‘1990’ above was an impersonator.
Also, mask debates in 2026? Really? Bait for anti-vax conspiracy theorists, like @George Romey.
@Loren
“Covid is being substantially undercounted, the best estimate for actual Covid deaths is 120k/yr” Show some sources.
“Other than an allergic reaction the risks are because the vaccine carries a pale shadow of what the disease itself does” First it is not a vaccine. The CDC had to change the definition to classify. I personally will not take an MRA based shot, especially one that was rushed to production. Secondly, I have very good sources that show long, fibrous clots in the blood stream of deceased patients.
If you have underlying comorbidities and do your research, then get the shot. If you are healthy, then I would stay away from it, especially those under 21.
I could not find a study that compared vaccinated versus non-vaxed getting Covid a second after the first infection.
Vaccines a communist era hold over and need to be banned. It has led to uncontrolled population growth and urban overpopulation. If Vaccines were removed, then the large lamd owners and lone survivalists in woods would once again claim their place on top of the food chain and communism would stop in its tracks…only then we can pave the way for the rapture!!
P.s American Airlines Concierge Key does get you ahead of the line on Rapture day
@True Patriot — LOL.
@Michael Mainello — Dr. Mike!
@ Loren. “ 99.82% recovery rate translates to a 0.18% (rate) of death.” No it doesn’t.
@1990 I just knew it. Of course 1990 still wears a mask. Hysterical, sad, and pathetic at the same time. The keyboard warrior is utterly terrified of a condition that (barring systemic illness or being 75+) is a complete nothing-burger. He wears the mask like a badge, virtue-signaling for all to see when the joke is on him. Fauci lied about everything. Masks do not prevent transmission of COVID. The 6 feet separation rule was totally made up. And the list goes on. Biggest con of the 21st century. Just like the Russian collusion hoax.
People should do what they want. Masks were common in Asian airports before Covid. I took my shots including the latest last fall since I’m old. I fave not had Covid. btw, a friend of mine who is uninsured reports a cost of over $400 for the Covid and flu shot. So much for public health. as @1990 might say, Bah.
Or the passenger may have just finished chemo, or even a bout with TB, and is trying to protect others
If somebody wants to wear a mask in the airport or while flying, so what? It doesn’t hurt anybody.
I’m with @Susan. I wear N95 rated masks (I wear them correctly) in the airports and during the flights. I only pull down the mask for identification and eating. I subscribe to the exposure model of getting sick as opposed to the magic bullet model of getting sick so pulling the mask down for a short time is ok. I have found that I rarely get respiratory disease symptoms after wearing a mask but I often did when I didn’t wear a mask before. Maybe it is a placebo effect but I don’t know and don’t care.
Better masking than long COVID.
I traveled cross country for work 3/9-12/2020, before masks, testing, not enough knowledge, to speak at a conference. To and from, I endured 2 layovers – of 8 and 9 hours. Not knowing yet the real transmission, I spent each layover in the airline’s club. I returned home tired, stuffed nose and an odd rash on my upper arms that continues. Lock down and WFH for spouses and me. 2023: almost no one masking. Spouse, masked, bc I’m immunocompromised, in office 2 days/week. March: team building and unmasked required. Yep, COVID for us both. Me for 10 days with more rash appearing on 1 leg. Since then: lost 60% of hearing, a dormant genetic condition bloomed, and about 8 other of the 200 symptoms. Forced to retire. Unable to walk much. Docs & labs frequently. Oh and cancer in remission is likely back. More labs. Don’t tell me& millions with long covid it’s gone. Or find a cure and get a Nobel to share.
@News Flash: Face Diapers Don’t Work — You sure you aren’t @Michael Mainello? As I said above, the first ‘1990’ commenter on here was an impersonator (not me). These days, no, I do not wear a mask; even though, yes, @Maryland, it could be wise, for immune compromised, say to wear a properly fitting N-95, or culturally, where more appropriate.
@jack the ladd — Thank you for the ‘Bah!’ That’s insane that the uninsured must pay so much. You may disagree, but, I feel we deserve ‘Medicare for All’ in the US. How much of Europe, Canada, Australia, etc. have forms of universal healthcare and/or a public-option, yet we do not, is a real human and moral failure. The greed of the insurance-and-medical-industrial-complex.
@Michael Mainello:
>First it is not a vaccine. The CDC had to change the definition to classify.
It waddles and quacks like one. The fact that it causes your body to make the agent rather than directly containing the agent is irrelevant. Many medicines get changed by the body.
>I personally will not take an MRA based shot, especially one that was rushed to production.
Rushed to production?? There was more than a decade of research behind that. They didn’t develop a Covid vaccine, they reprogrammed the developed but untested SARS vaccine. Since SARS no longer existed in the wild human testing of the vaccine was not permitted (no possible benefit), it sat on the shelf. SARS 2.0 aka Covid comes along, they take it back off the shelf and back up a step, repeating the last of the non-human testing before going on to human testing.
And the rush to production was simply a case of removing the normal delays in the system, skipping all the wait-in-somebody’s-inbox steps.
>Secondly, I have very good sources that show long, fibrous clots in the blood stream of deceased patients.
Your sources are no good. This is one of the sillier ones to come along–if you don’t promptly remove blood at death it’s going to clot in place. (That’s why hunters bleed game.) Nobody pulls long, fibrous clots from deceased patients because the entire blood stream has become one big clot by then. And I first heard that claim with regard to Covid, before the vaccine existed.
> If you have underlying comorbidities and do your research, then get the shot. If you are healthy, then I would stay away from it, especially those under 21.
Except that risk is fake. The original myocarditis study had a decimal point error and even then only managed to show a “problem” by assuming a three month risk window. Since we are at 5 years (from the vaccine, not from the disease) their benefit number is 20x too low.
@One Trippe:
> @ Loren. “ 99.82% recovery rate translates to a 0.18% (rate) of death.” No it doesn’t.
You recover or you don’t. How can these not add up to 100%? (And that 99.82% is at least approximately the correct survival rate for current Covid strains.) And note that your 99.82% includes those that lived but have lasting damage.
@News Flash: Face Diapers Don’t Work says
> Hysterical, sad, and pathetic at the same time. The keyboard warrior is utterly terrified of a condition that (barring systemic illness or being 75+) is a complete nothing-burger.
If it wasn’t a complete nothing burger it would not have killed a bunch of otherwise healthy people.
> He wears the mask like a badge, virtue-signaling for all to see when the joke is on him.
You see it as a virtue signal, that doesn’t make it one.
>Fauci lied about everything. Masks do not prevent transmission of COVID. The 6 feet separation rule was totally made up. And the list goes on. Biggest con of the 21st century. Just like the Russian collusion hoax.
The problem here is “masks” covers two different things:
1) Surgical masks and like products. These considerably reduce the potential to infect others but do little to protect the wearer.
2) Stuff like N95s–technically they are called respirators but they are typically referred to as masks. They aren’t perfect but do a pretty good job of protecting the wearer.
And the 6 foot rule was mistaken, but not made up. In past medical experience there were diseases that didn’t spread meaningfully by air, diseases that spread by “droplet”, and truly airborne diseases. This middle category covered tuberculosis. And the original observation of Covid spread followed the same pattern, it got put in that category. But it turns out there is no such category, they are simply airborne. Tuberculosis is a very big bacterium, it was too heavy to stay in the air for extended periods–it would fall out before going very far. Covid/Wuhan actually behaved very differently–it could go farther but unless your defenses got overloaded you would not actually contract the disease. Minimizing exposure went a very long way towards protecting people.
But later variants are far more infectious, low exposure still has the potential to infect. Thus the old 6′ pattern is not observed.
Note, also, that B/Yamagata clade of influenza appears to have been eliminated by the Covid precautions. Inadvertent kill but it is set to join smallpox as the only diseases eliminated by human action. (The clock is still ticking on declaring it extinct.) Like smallpox, it only infected humans.
@Christian:
> If somebody wants to wear a mask in the airport or while flying, so what? It doesn’t hurt anybody.
Exactly. No harm done. It should not be a point of contention. It is not a virtue signal, it is a “signal” that not everyone agrees with the dogma of it being a nothing burger. And religions do not like those who display non-belief.