Did carelessness just reach new heights?! It’s appalling how a simple way to save lives can make people violent and feel like they are enslaved. Goes beyond me.
Possibly. It is also possible that people do not share your perception on the risk/reward. This is from the CDC's website directly. A study that showed masks do not allow for any significant reduction in infection for influenza. Now, regardless of whether or not you want to believe this study, which you can find here, when the national Center For Disease Control actually posts this stuff for years and then suddenly reverses course in a highly political environment where the battle lines between right and left are drawn over a virus for God's sake, then don't be surprised when people along those political lines align themselves with viewpoints accordingly.
I was once at a Lowes buying a circular saw. As I exited, a woman was walking double-time out the door also with a circular saw... followed by an employee saying, "Stop... show me your receipt" (The thieving lady just kept walking, ignoring the employee.) I asked the employee why she didn't grab her and was told it's against company policy to touch a customer in such a confrontation... just let her go. Too bad I didn't know that going in.. I could have saved $90 myself!
I was in Home Depot a few years ago and just checked out. As I was leaving the store a woman pushing a cart full of high-end expensive merchandise hustled past me. She was really booking it just short of running. Ahead of me this lady basically stepped up her pace while exiting the store as an employee chased her asking to see her receipt. At this point I knew what was going on. Right outside the store exit this lady ran her cart into a woman knocking her over. Unfortunately for this thief this woman was accompanied by one of the largest guys I have ever seen. He basically reached out caught her around the neck from behind and "clothes lined" the thief. She fell to the ground backwards and the cart tipped over spreading everything all over. The guy started yelling at the thief about running into his wife. The thief just ran off to the parking lot where a mini-van with back lift door opened was waiting with two guys. They all hopped into the mini-van and drove off -- with the rear lift-gate still open so no-one could read the plate. This how these "professional" theft rings operate. In the era of masks I expect it will even be harder to identify these people.