who claim mirrored tit-for-tat against restaurants

[GoodTaste]

Hard to credit the stupidity of those who claim mirrored tit-for-tat against restaurants that ban maskless customers. You cannot reasonably say wearing a mask hurts others. But you can so accuse those that wantonly defy medically advised precautions against infecting others.

Source: Richard Dawkins https://twitter.com/richarddawkins

I understand "who claim mirrored tit-for-tat against restaurants" as "who assert that they have right to retaliate restaurants"? Is "tit-for-tat" a noun here (meaning "equivalent retaliation"?

 

[emsr2d2]

I have to admit I had to read it a few times before realising that he was using "tit-for-tat" as a standalone noun, meaning "tit-for-tat actions". Mind you, he also missed "It's" from the beginning of the sentence and used "claim" where I would have used "suggest/recommend".

I don't know if he meant "assert the right to" by "claim".

 

[GoodTaste]

What does "mirrored" mean there? "(Retaliating actions) that mirror from (the people working for the restaurants)"?

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm not sure if this is what it's referring to but I read an article a few days ago about a growing movement of people who go to restaurants and subject the staff and management to the same kind of restrictions as they are being forced to adhere to. For example, they ask to the see the vaccination certificates and/or negative test results of all the staff who will be serving them. They also say that they want to do a temperature check on anyone who comes to their table to serve food or drinks. As far as I could tell, this was simply their way of showing their dissatisfaction at being required to wear a mask in those restaurants. They wanted the staff and management to feel how they feel when they're made to jump through these hoops in order to eat somewhere. I'm not sure if the mask issue entirely justifies the "jumping through hoops" but I think they might be connected.

 

[SoothingDave]

I believe the mirroring here is one restaurant I heard about that is banning masks. Instead of being required, or being optional, masks are forbidden.

 

[Tdol]

Yes- if you read the whole thread and the link:

https://www.scarymommy.com/parents-kicked-out-restaurant-wearing-masks/
https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins/status/1441812686887600128

It's about a couple who were kicked out of a restaurant for wearing masks, which Dawkins says is not the same as being kicked out for refusing to wear a mask.