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> Americans debating every day whether strongly authoritarian and invasive measures are OK, if they save lives. In Europe seatbelts are mandatory, and it is fo

> Americans debating every day whether strongly authoritarian and invasive measures are OK, if they save lives. In Europe seatbelts are mandatory, and it is forbidden to smoke in most places. I think that these are reasonable measures. I think, for the exact same reasons, that mask mandates are reasonable. In public transport is mandatory to wear at least a t-shirt, as skin to skin contact gets unhealthy fast. And restaurants require to clean your hands after going to the toilet. What does not fit with my idea about the USA is that you can go naked in the street, as it seems quite a Puritan country. And books being censured in schools for mildly nudeness also seem to be the norm. Is not that worse that mask mandates? Edit: seatbelt

smhenderson 5y ago
In Europe belts are mandatory I'm having a hard time understanding this one... Are you literally saying that belts that hold people's pants up are mandatory?
- maxsilver 5y ago
  It's probably a reference to seatbelts
  - smhenderson 5y ago
    Duh, thank you, that is completely obvious and why I didn't get that reading it is beyond me!
- jrockway 5y ago
  I've been to Europe and never wore a belt, so they must mean something else.
  - FourHand451 5y ago
    Count your blessings, my friend.
- nso95 5y ago
  seatbelt?
- michaelmcdonald 5y ago
  Seat belts.
- AzzieElbab 5y ago
  Yes. Down with with the Big Apparel
Georgelemental 5y ago
The US is not as different as you think. Seat belts are mandatory in 49/50 states, restrictions on smoking are common, restaurant employees generally need to wash their hands after going to the bathroom, "no shirt no shoes no service" is the general rule, nudity in public places is generally against the law. I don't know where you are getting your impression of US laws from, but it's just wrong.
- iso1631 5y ago
  > restaurant employees generally need to wash their hands after going to the bathroom I struggle to grasp a society where that has to be mandated
  - ZoomerCretin 5y ago
    >I struggle to grasp a society where that has to be mandated You're probably unaware of the high prevalence of fecal bacteria on public surfaces, then. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16134485/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16134485/ https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/29/mcdonalds-touchscreen-kiosks-in-uk-contain-traces-of-feces.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/29/mcdonalds-touchscreen-kiosks... "A study by U.K. newspaper Metro found gut and fecal bacteria on touchscreens in all of the chain’s restaurants it surveyed. It took samples from the screens in eight branches and found that they contained coliform bacteria, a group of microorganisms found in people’s intestines as well as in soil and on plants."
    - landemva 5y ago
      After the restaurant waiter or cook is done texting and then flushes the toilet, they wash their hands. Do they wash their phone? Or do they put phone in pocket, go back to kitchen, and proceed to finger the phone for the next hour and contaminate everything while playing their role wearing a mask?
- meragrin_ 5y ago
  My take was not that the US does not have same/similar rules, but that the US does have same/similar rules while thinking mask mandates as somehow different from those.
nradov 5y ago
In most of Europe masks for schoolchildren aren't mandatory. https://www.newsweek.com/cdc-school-mask-guidelines-fuel-culture-war-europe-who-avoided-coronavirus-1660469 https://www.newsweek.com/cdc-school-mask-guidelines-fuel-cul...
walkhour 5y ago
> it is forbidden to smoke in most places. I've always felt Europeans had no trouble throwing the cigarette smoke to your face, and that Americans were conscious this is extremely rude and went out of their way to prevent it

smhenderson 5y ago

In Europe belts are mandatory I'm having a hard time understanding this one... Are you literally saying that belts that hold people's pants up are mandatory?

maxsilver 5y ago
It's probably a reference to seatbelts
- smhenderson 5y ago
  Duh, thank you, that is completely obvious and why I didn't get that reading it is beyond me!
jrockway 5y ago
I've been to Europe and never wore a belt, so they must mean something else.
- FourHand451 5y ago
  Count your blessings, my friend.
nso95 5y ago
seatbelt?
michaelmcdonald 5y ago
Seat belts.
AzzieElbab 5y ago
Yes. Down with with the Big Apparel

Georgelemental 5y ago

The US is not as different as you think. Seat belts are mandatory in 49/50 states, restrictions on smoking are common, restaurant employees generally need to wash their hands after going to the bathroom, "no shirt no shoes no service" is the general rule, nudity in public places is generally against the law. I don't know where you are getting your impression of US laws from, but it's just wrong.

iso1631 5y ago
> restaurant employees generally need to wash their hands after going to the bathroom I struggle to grasp a society where that has to be mandated
- ZoomerCretin 5y ago
  >I struggle to grasp a society where that has to be mandated You're probably unaware of the high prevalence of fecal bacteria on public surfaces, then. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16134485/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16134485/ https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/29/mcdonalds-touchscreen-kiosks-in-uk-contain-traces-of-feces.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/29/mcdonalds-touchscreen-kiosks... "A study by U.K. newspaper Metro found gut and fecal bacteria on touchscreens in all of the chain’s restaurants it surveyed. It took samples from the screens in eight branches and found that they contained coliform bacteria, a group of microorganisms found in people’s intestines as well as in soil and on plants."
  - landemva 5y ago
    After the restaurant waiter or cook is done texting and then flushes the toilet, they wash their hands. Do they wash their phone? Or do they put phone in pocket, go back to kitchen, and proceed to finger the phone for the next hour and contaminate everything while playing their role wearing a mask?
meragrin_ 5y ago
My take was not that the US does not have same/similar rules, but that the US does have same/similar rules while thinking mask mandates as somehow different from those.

nradov 5y ago

In most of Europe masks for schoolchildren aren't mandatory. https://www.newsweek.com/cdc-school-mask-guidelines-fuel-culture-war-europe-who-avoided-coronavirus-1660469 https://www.newsweek.com/cdc-school-mask-guidelines-fuel-cul...

walkhour 5y ago

> it is forbidden to smoke in most places. I've always felt Europeans had no trouble throwing the cigarette smoke to your face, and that Americans were conscious this is extremely rude and went out of their way to prevent it