My hometown is as deep blue as it comes and masking is still the norm. Most stores still require it and you STILL see people in cars alone, walking down the street, even jogging(!) wearing masks. I never wore masks outside and regularly got dirty looks from maskers while hiking or walking down the street.
I'm on vacation now to a red area and it's such a relief to be gone from that. I didn't even realize how oppressive the constant masking is. I took my kid to a playground yesterday that must have had 50-60 people (kids and adults) and not a single mask in sight. My kid was nervous at first (he's had to mask at school for 8 hours a day), and now he can't shut up about how great it is not to wear masks.
It's wonderful.
The state has statewide school mask mandate. The county and city (including elected sheriff) are solid blue. A minority (~1/3) of school parents kept their kids home rather than risk going to school even masked, and at least one teacher quit rather than return from virtual teaching. I would estimate a solid majority of parents are pro-masking.
In the face of all that, what's the point of using my kid to pick a fight? I don't see any positive outcomes. I argued against requiring the kids to mask, and I (and others who agreed) lost.
Heh, for some reason your analogy reminded me. Amongst some of the old timer beekeepers, I've heard it's a tradition to every spring go around to a few of your hives and give them a few bangs with your first. This pisses the bees off, they come out rearing for a fight, and sting. The theory being you're getting the bees used to a human coming around again, and you're getting your body acclimated to being stung again.
The oldtimers are tough.
That's easier said than done. The alternative for my kid was very clear--mask or you're not allowed in the building. So...mask and get in-person school or fight the good fight and stay at home.
The school performed temperature checks every morning before allowing students in. That's yet another anti-science practice. State Department of Health and CDC both recommend AGAINST temperature checks for kids because they just don't work at all. Most of the time covid doesn't cause a fever in kids (false negatives) and most of the time when kids have fevers it's not covid (false positives).
It's security theater. I get it. I still don't see any positive outcome from attempting to force the issue though my elementary age kid