It has been a bit since I wrote a post, but Imma trying to get back into it. I wish I could say there was a reason for not posting beyond being too tired and a healthy dose of depression, but I cannot. One of the issues that I think most people in modern society have is masking how they are actually doing. I know I do it, and I am sure that other people I know do it as well. Well, I am more than sure, some of the people close to me have actually confided in me of their masking how they are doing to be able to move through life without having to tell everyone how shitty things are all the time.
Anyway… this week’s post is about “Masks”. Let’s see what questions ChatGPT, Claude, and some other guy have in store for me concerning masks.
Onto the questions:
1. Why do humans wear masks, both literally and figuratively?
Literally, for various reasons. The most used literal masks are used to protect respiration or eyes/nose/ears. They are for PPE purposes. Other literal masks are used just to obscure facial features or allow someone to assume a different identity… think of Furries and such. Figurative masks are a whole different kettle of fish. There are infinite reasons to figuratively wear a mask.
2. What is the psychological effect of wearing a mask?
Partially… anonymity. Masks obscure recognition whether in an algorithmic way or in a more interpersonal way. Masks allow the wearer to create distance from their non-masked self.
3. How did mask-wearing during COVID-19 change social interactions?
It really let me know who in my circle was anti-science and heading down the fascist brick road.
4. Why were masks so popular in medieval masquerade balls?
To my knowledge, asquerade balls were only attended by the extremely rich elite, and have occurred in movies waaaay more than they actually occurred in real life. They typically occurred just before Lent (think Mardi Gras) and were a way to “anonymously” partake in debauchery and give plausible deniability to the questionable acts that might have taken place.
5. What was the appeal of the 1980s toy line "M.A.S.K." and how did it influence pop culture?
M.A.S.K. was one of the first mass marketed “thing becomes another thing” toys. The most recognizable toy from that line was the motorcycle that turned into a rocket.
6. How do sports masks (like fencing or hockey masks) change the way we see athletes?
They definitely help with that anonymous gladiator feel. Most masks in sports are actually protective gear, so they are an absolute necessity to sport.
7. How did Jim Carrey’s The Mask play with the idea of transformation?
The Mask was a movie that just showed what would happen if someone took their personality to its extremes. The mask in that movie was a way to amplify who a person was not to inherently change them.
8. If ghosts wore masks, what would they look like?
They’d be pretty boring. Look, he’s wearing a “Kevin” mask…. booooring.
9. If a mask could grant you one supernatural ability, what would it be?
I think it would depend on the mask. I would imagine (if I know my sci-fi/fantasy/superhero tropes correctly… and I most definitely do) it would depend on the mask itself. Par example, a mask with gills on it isn’t going to help you fly.
10. Are sunglasses just socially acceptable half-masks?
Yes
11. Are we already wearing metaphorical masks in our daily lives?
Everyone has a certain level of masking all the time. I am currently doing some retail work right now, but I do love the cursing and swearing… Retailers seem to get grumpy when you curse around customers, so I mask that behavior and moderate my intrinsic nature to put on the mask of the polite and socially acceptable retail worker.
12. Many creative people who paint things like murals, art pieces, replica props, cosplay costumes, dioramas, miniatures, etc… seem to think the removal of the masks used in the painting process is one of the most satisfying steps of the creative process… why do you think that is?
It is basically visual ASMR. I mean it really is satisfying on a primal level.
13. What are the key differences between N95, KN95, and surgical masks?
The “K.” duh. It’s in the names. Cannot believe I had to point that out.
14. How do different cultures use death masks in funeral practices?
I think Death Masks were used as creating a facsimile of the deceased’s face so peole could look upon the visage of the dead person without seeing the rotting corpse. We embalm the crap out of dead bodies now for funerals, so we can see the dead in all of their glorified cultural magnificence.
15. What is the significance of masks in Lucha Libre wrestling tradition?
It is a quick visual indicator of the wrestler’s identity that can be seen and recognized from the rafters in an arena. It’s for the cheap seats. It makes the wrestlers bigger than life.
16. Could architectural facades be considered masks for buildings?
I’d like to think so. It would be more interesting if facades were for different kinds of buildings than were on the interior of the building. Kind of like everything is a speakeasy.
17. What role do invisible masks play in our daily social interactions?
One of the biggest invisible masks I can think of quickly is code switching. Code switching allows for groups of people to participate in more broad populations without those pops knowing the secrets of the smaller group.
18. Could language itself be considered a mask for raw emotion?
Oooh… I like this one. I am not sure it is a mask as much as it is a translator.
19. Could time be considered a mask for simultaneous existence?
I think masks have a certain level of intentional obfuscation as aproperty in their definition. I do not think that time is a mask for simultaneous existence as much as our perceptual limitations are a filter for simultaneous existence.
20. What are you masking right now?
Deep seated trauma and pain. Like everyone else.
To recap:
Little Man is in Incheon, Korea for a semester abroad
The little guy who was just a toddler when I started blogging is now doing study abroad
In Korea
That’s where we are
FYI: Turns out being stressed all the time tends to help one drop weight
I am down 25 lbs since I had to start up this job search
Silver linings on the clouds and all thatWorking at a store part-time has messed with my schedule
Took some time figuring out how and when to write posts
Hopefully, I will be getting back on the publishing schedule
Still looking for some gainful employment
Would love some short-term, part-time UX work
That would be perfect
We re-organized our finances, so the budgetary gap is less intense
Still there, just not as deep
Commissions are open, email and/or DM me for deets
I do all kinds of illustrations and drawings
I have just started up an interview with someone for a 20 QuestionsI could always use more interviews going on
Constantly asking the LLM’s for topics and questions is getting tiring
Everyone has an interesting 20 questions in them
So, hit me up, yo!
Had 3 raccoons removed from the attic
There was enough room to share, but the domestic raccoon violence was just too much
It really ws like calling the cops on the upstairs neighbors because they were drunk and fighting
Have a great week everyone