So, I lied....

[Sogo]

Today was the day when I finally could get a repairman scheduled for routine maintenance on one of my appliances. It's a fairly new unit, and I purchased an extended warranty on it, which comes with "tune ups."

I live in the corner of a state that borders another state that is major Trump country, and I had a feeling the service area might include a technician coming from that state who likely wouldn't be masked. I put out a mask for when he arrived and met him at the door wearing my mask. Sure enough, he had no mask, so I handed him the mask I had gotten out for him, and asked "if he didn't mind..." At the first hint of a scoffing look at the mask is when the lie kicked in....."Look, I said, I'm just recovering from an illness and have a compromised immune system, so it's rather important." Bingo. He put on the mask with no further hesitancy.

Now, I know you will all say, F him. It's your house; either he complies or you don't let him in. But the fact is that this is the service company that the appliance store contracts, I've already paid for that service with the extended warranty, and in a rural area there are no alternatives. And the fact is that he was very good at his job and explained a lot about how the appliance functioned, so that I won't have the same concerns in the future about it's performance. I'll for sure give feedback to the service company that their technicians should without hesitation comply with any customer's request concerning masks.

The old saying that "you pick your battles," applies here. As a single woman, let me say I feel that I won this particular battle....without confrontation. That's satisfying to me....Sometimes I'm just not up for confrontation....

[MLAA]

1. You did well, and glad the appliance is working 🙂

[GoodRaisin]

2. I think you did good.

[MineralMan]

3. So, you lied about your vulnerability?

Is that what you're saying? Are you fully vaccinated?

If you are, you could just keep your distance from the technician and let him fix your appliance.

If that's not what you meant by saying, "So, I lied..." then I misunderstood your post title.

[Sogo]

6. Even though I'm fully vaccinated,

the Delta variant is on the rise in both my state and his, and the reports are that my vaccination (Pfizer) has only a 64% effective rate against it. So, without having to get into the whole issue about vax/anti-vax, science/non-science, and all the adjoining politics, I lied about my vulnerability, as you put it.

I had to be in close enough proximity to him to see what he was explaining about the appliance that social distancing was not an option....It worked out marvelously.

[XanaDUer2]

11. Handled well

pick your battles wisely

[Escurumbele]

15. You did the correct thing. It is not that you lied to harm the guy, you did it to avoid a dispute.

I am vaccinated, but I don't want anyone to come to my house without a mask, whether they are vaccinated or not, I really don't care, and your solution was perfect.

That is called a "white lie", nothing to be ashamed of, not at all, you avoided a confrontation and I bet he was happy when he left, and I am sure you too were happy.

Well done!

[Dreampuff]

16. You handled that so well!

Pat yourself on the back for having a conscience considering that many people lie and don't think twice about it. Since he was being inconsiderate by showing up without a mask, you did what you had to do to protect yourself

I have read several stories of the Breakthrough infections. In fact, I just read one this morning where one of the Commissioners in the Miami-Dade area who had been working at Champlain Towers tested positive, along with one of his assistants. Both were fully vaccinated.

[Sogo]

20. Yes, I read about the workers at the Champlain Towers testing positive.

I am close to going back on full lockdown! (Not quite, but being very cautious....)

[SoCalDavidS]

39. Firemen & Police Officers Are Among The Lowest Vaxxed

Even though they've had access to the vaccines since last December.

It's little wonder why many of them died over the last 17 months.

But, they sure did own us libs.

[luvtheGWN]

50. Fire fighters, EMTs and Police were among the first to be vaccinated here in Ontario.

And I understand that less than 1% of them refused. We do have some refuseniks here, unfortunately.

But your post and some of the replies shows exactly why we Canadians are so reluctant to open our border to our southern neighbours, even though it's hurting so many businesses including those in my tourist town.

And your lie wouldn't be considered sinful in anyone's book! Good for you!

[Dreampuff]

57. Many of us understand

Exactly you keep your borders closed. We have way too many inconsiderate people as far as covid is concerned.

[cannabis_flower]

21. You are right but with an *

*Although the Pfizer vaccine has a 64% effectiveness rate against getting the Delta variant, it has something like a 99.6% effectiveness at preventing a case that is serious enough for hospitalization or death.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

31. Still. Who wants to fell like crap for a week or two.

[SoCalDavidS]

40. Exactly!

I do not want to get Covid, regardless of my chances of dying.

[NH Ethylene]

62. Hey, it worked and everybody is happy.

I'd be concerned too if the Delta was rising in my state. I'm sure it's just a matter of time. I may go back to outdoor masking and double masking in public.

On edit - I am fully vaccinated with Moderna.

[StarryNite]

4. Good for you!

I think you did the right thing.

[zuul]

5. I might have done the same.

[lagomorph777]

25. I would have told him I am getting over COVID and still contagious.

Hilarity ensues.

[zuul]

32. Ha ha! Great idea!

[Hekate]

7. All things considered, I think you did the right thing. We are living thru some very bad times here

Last edited Mon Jul 12, 2021, 04:58 PM - Edit history (1)

And by “bad times” I mean not just medically but socially and politically. There’s been a breakdown of social norms.

I, personally, do not want confrontations with strangers in my own home when all I want from them is a transaction of a service in exchange for my paying them. If I have a wide choice of vendors for a given service, so much the better, but the fact is that like you I probably do not.

The fact is, you are vulnerable, in several different ways. How many ways can you appeal to a person’s humanity and indicate your vulnerability? You chose one way of expressing it, and it worked.

Fine with me, Sogo.

[Sogo]

10. Yes! Thanks for your kind and insightful response....

[Gregory Peccary]

8. All Trumpers understand are lies

So you did the right thing

[Sogo]

9. LOL!!

[mountain grammy]

12. Even though you're fully vaccinated

you have a right to ask a stranger coming into your home to mask up.. Good for you. I think you handled it beautifully and the tech respected you enough to do it.

I am fully vaccinated but still don't mind seeing people wearing masks. I wore one the other day to get blood drawn.

[Sogo]

17. I still pretty much always wear a mask

whenever going into enclosed public spaces, especially since the news came out about the reduced protection of the Pfizer vaccination against the Delta variant. I have the Pfizer vax, and DO NOT WANT to have a breakthrough case of COVID!! Plus, I'm someone who has a susceptibility to respiratory infections, and wearing a mask for an entire year and not having gotten even an irritation, let alone a full blown case of a cold or sinus infection, has made me realize how much gunk is floating around in the air!

[Escurumbele]

13. Well done, no reason to get into a dispute. When I called a service I asked them if their technician

would be coming wearing a mask, I think at that moment the woman understood that was a requirement and she said "most definitely", and that was the end of it.

I would have done the same, nothing scares the hell out of them than to tell them what you told the guy...its a hoax, but they don't want to be infected either.

Good job.

[multigraincracker]

14. Good job.

I like to toss a curve ball every once and a while too.

Back, right after Biden won, I was talking to an old guy about a car he had for sale in his yard. We were having a nice talk when he said he was kind of worried about having Biden for a President. I said, you know what like about Biden? He said no what? I said "I haven't seen his wife naked". He started laughing and couldn't stop.

[ShazzieB]

35. Good one!

Personally, I do not care in the least about someone posing for nude photos. That gets a big "so what?" from But when you combine that with Melanoma's "I really don't care do u?" air of entitlement and superiority, it's really NOT a good look!

[hunter]

18. Works for me.

This virus in all its permutations has infected vaccinated people.

Not many, but you don't want to be the odd one out.

When I went to the grocery store yesterday I saw only one person not wearing a mask.

It's likely he was the only one in the store not vaccinated.

A recent trip to Red State California was a little different. I assumed everyone in the grocery store who was not wearing a mask, about 60% of them, were not vaccinated.

How did this become a political thing?

Republicans are stupid.

[bringthePaine]

19. very effective way to deal with any dumb animal👏

[StarryNite]

22. Even though we got the vaccine we are still somewhat vulnerable.

There have been breakthrough cases. There will be more and we have no way of knowing who will get and perhaps spread it. Why let him come into your home and let his potentially Covid infected spittle fly?

[Leith]

23. Very well done

You did nothing wrong.

You got what you needed and nobody was worse off. Actually, everyone was better off. You avoided a situation where a possibly non-symptomatic person would enter your home and your request notified the repairman that customers sometimes need him or her to mask up regardless.

Your house, your rules. Debate over.

[bottomofthehill]

24. Senator Ted Kennedy was fond of saying, " it's your lie, tell it any way that you want"

You don’t need the fight. If telling him what he needed to hear to protect you than so be it.

Well done in protecting yourself!

[Demobrat]

26. As another single woman living alone I have a different take on this.

You didn’t just protect yourself against Covid.

When you let a male who can physically overpower you into your home when you’re alone you don’t make him angry. No matter who it is. And I don’t want to hear - from anybody - that it shouldn’t be that way. It’s how it is.

So you lied to get him to wear a mask without risking your health - or your safety.

Good job.

[Sogo]

27. Yes, I hear you, sister....

[Joinfortmill]

29. 👍

[Hekate]

38. Yep

[momta]

41. I thought about that too.

I generally try to be gone from the house when the Orkin guy comes, and let my husband deal with him.

But I had decided a long time ago that if anyone in RW territory ever gives me a hard time about wearing a mask, my response would be, "Well, I just had a positive Covid test, but if you prefer that I take it off, I will."

[Silver Gaia]

63. I thought about that, too.

I would have done the same.

[Joinfortmill]

28. Agree

[Disaffected]

30. I would call it

simply a misstatement of fact.

Perfectly appropriate under the circumstances IMO. Nobody comes into my house w/o a mask and nobody period if they are not vaccinated.

[Iggo]

33. I don't care how you get him to wear a mask.

[Sogo]

34. LOL!!

[DemUnleashed]

36. This..

This was going to be my exact go to statement also. I don't go anywhere indoors except for groceries but I had planned for the day (if it ever comes) that if anyone in my red state tries to ask me or mock me about wearing a mask, my go to statement was going to be "I am immunocompromised" and hope they would then leave me alone!

No one wears a mask anymore in my grocery store...maybe 1 or 2 besides me...that's it. I want to wear it out of caution

[secondwind]

37. You done good, as they say.......... good job!

[LisaL]

42. Good for you.

NT

[George II]

43. Ever since March a year back up until a few weeks ago I've asked anyone coming into our house...

...to wear a mask. Most were already doing so anyway. Never had a problem. But I'm probably 500 miles from the nearest "red" state.

PS - we're both vaccinated now so I'm not as concerned as I was 2 months ago.

[bluboid]

44. brilliant response!

thanks for sharing it.

[H2O Man]

45. Recommended.

[Skittles]

46. hey, those fuckers LIVE a lie

seems appropriate, doesn't it, that you had to lie to make him behave like a decent human being

[joshcryer]

55. Ironically, that is exactly the kind of interaction they want.

They want to be lied to, they want to lie to each other. They respected her wish over the lie, they may have even been able to tell it was a lie, but because it was a lie, it became the de facto way to interact with their client.

[Midnight Writer]

47. If you ask them to cover their shoes when they enter your house, that is cool.

Ask them to wear a mask, they act affronted.

Protecting flooring is more important than protecting people.

[niyad]

48. You did well, handled it well. No ugly scene, which none of us need.

[Piasladic]

49. You did the right thing

[RussBLib]

51. No shame in a little white lie

Just don't lie about the big stuff

[seta1950]

52. Exactly

Whatever it takes

[flying_wahini]

53. I think It's kind of telling that they will do it for others when up close & face to face .

They won’t do it for themselves or their families but will if their jobs on the line.

He probably patted himself on the back for doing the right thing, too.

[Saoirse9]

54. Well done. I did something similar recently

when a man was in my office who needed my help I said, "let's wear our masks" instead of just asking asking him to wear his.

Seems like a small thing but I am a pretty confrontational person normally so I was proud of myself for being nice about it!

I'm vaccinated but the Delta variant is scaring me half to death.

[jaxexpat]

56. Play these suckers however you need to to get your paid work from them.

No need to go into any introspection when they're at your door and start smirking about you in your own home. Someday they may be accepted back into the brotherhood of man but these days are not so generous.

[Ilsa]

58. Yes, pick your battles. You did great.

The little white lie caused no harm. I know what you mean about having to rely on others for really technical fixes, and not wanting to get your appointment messed up.

[luvallpeeps]

59. Keep yourself alive! N/T

[herding cats]

60. Be safe and take care of you, whatever that means.

I get it. I am at high risk and of a demographic it's kind of wobbly if the vaccines protect. I'd have done the same.

Peace and love to you. You weren't wrong here. ❤️

[NoMoreRepugs]

61. You did the right thing and got your desired result - bravo.

[demigoddess]

64. I think you handled it very well and very tactfully.

[BobTheSubgenius]

65. And those anti-mask, presumed Drumpf supporters thrive on confrontation.

You did very well.

[lark]

66. You did good.

You didn't let his original hesitation get in the way of learning stuff from him that you needed to know. It would have been easy to just shut down and not engage, but you chose the smarter path.

[calimary]

67. Heartily approved! You did a good thing, Sogo!

And who knows? Maybe you made him stop and think…

[halfulglas]

68. And sometimes you have to hold your tongue, too.

I was at my fairly sparsely attended family reunion this past weekend because so many could not make the trip from around the country and I wanted to call out my cousin so many times I just started avoiding her she was spouting so much. She was one of the few there acknowledging she did not get the vaccine (it's so new and unproven) and how it's a HIPPA violation to even ask if you're vaccinated. (It's not. It's a violation for a medical facility or person to release information about you or your treatment. Anybody can ask anyone else if they're vaccinated.) When she started talking about the windmills killing the birds because they were so silent but the Democrats and media never tell you that I really started avoiding her. Almost everyone else studiously avoided saying anything remotely political. It was just so nice seeing some of the humans I am biologically connected to again.