Risk is a part of life, driving a car puts people at risk. Going out with a mask also puts people at risk. Coal and nuclear power put people at risk.
You can’t eliminate risk by restricting people’s rights, at some point the restrictions cause more measureable harm and risk of future harm than they eliminate.
We restrict people's rights all the time. You don't have the right to drive drunk, or fly a drone around an airport or raise a false fire alarm in a crowded theater etc etc. Society is a balancing act of one person's freedoms vs another.
Why should I have to endure life threating extra risk for something that's a trivial inconvenience on your part like wearing a mask?
I have to say that this kind of me-first libertarian thinking is a big part of the reason I choose not to live in the US anymore.
> Why should I have to endure life threating extra risk for something that's a trivial inconvenience on your part like wearing a mask?
This question can be reasonably applied to any restriction on anyone’s liberty and the answer is that we always have to strike a balance and there will always be people like yourself who are unhappy with where that balance lies.
> I have to say that this kind of me-first libertarian thinking is a big part of the reason I choose not to live in the US anymore.
I’m glad that you sought out a community that strikes a balance more to your liking but you should probably consider that libertarians in the US do not consider the balance between personal freedom and social risk in the US to be representative of their values. The US is a neoliberal country, not a libertarian country. And that’s fine, and that’s also not for everyone, people who find themselves too far from the center of discourse should find a community where they are more at home. The world is a big place.
And that's why we have driver licences, clean air laws, NRC.
You can't just subject other people to risk because you want to, since it is the community who is going to pay the price, it is the community that decides how to restrict the rights.
(Granted, the process for making that decision is not always the best, but unfortunately this is the only one we have)
Oh I agree 100%. This is why there is constant tension between people who want less restrictions and people who want more. We are always striking an imperfect balance.
“A good compromise leaves everybody mad.” -Bill Watterson
You can’t eliminate risk by restricting people’s rights, at some point the restrictions cause more measureable harm and risk of future harm than they eliminate.