Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was widely mocked after she attacked people who continue to wear face masks to guard themselves against COVID-19 infection.
Oddly, Greene claimed a person's decision to wear a face mask to protect themselves from catching the virus is about as effective as wearing underwear to protect yourself from passing gas.
Greene wrote:
"If a pair of underwear, really thick ones, high quality cotton, can't protect you from a fart, then how a mask protect you from covid??"
You can see her tweet below.
\u201cSo many people still wearing masks.\n\nI just want to ask you.\n\nIf a pair of underwear, really thick ones, high quality cotton, can\u2019t protect you from a fart, then how will a mask protect you from covid??\u201d— Marjorie Taylor Greene \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Marjorie Taylor Greene \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1669685714
Greene's remark betrays her lack of scientific understanding.
Gas particles are much smaller than viruses or the airborne droplets that carry COVID-19. Gases like methane and carbon dioxide are odorless but become much more smelly once combined with hydrogen sulfide and ammonia in the large intestine.
Many mocked Greene for making such an absurd comparison.
\u201cShe sounds like she has a lot of experience in this area. I\u2019m sure she plays \u201csmelt it, dealt it\u201d in committee.\u201d— Mark Webb (@Mark Webb) 1669750139
\u201cBecause virus particles are bigger than methane molecules, you nincompoop.\u201d— Tonier Robbins (@Tonier Robbins) 1669749651
\u201cThis is the pinnacle of dumb.\u201d— Kurt (@Kurt) 1669749830
\u201cI thought for sure the dumbest person in Congress was Boebert, but Greene making a really strong play here and I think we have to revise the rankings\u201d— Tom Nichols (@Tom Nichols) 1669741221
\u201cThe upcoming GOP house majority dumpster fire is going to be spearheaded by this reactionary clown.\u201d— CJ Harris (@CJ Harris) 1669750014
\u201cYep. People actually voted for this stupidity \ud83d\ude2c\u201d— \ud835\udd7a\ud835\udd72 \ud835\udd7f\ud835\udd97\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd91\ud835\udd91 \ud835\udd7f\ud835\udd97\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd95\ud835\udd91\ud835\udd8a (@\ud835\udd7a\ud835\udd72 \ud835\udd7f\ud835\udd97\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd91\ud835\udd91 \ud835\udd7f\ud835\udd97\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd95\ud835\udd91\ud835\udd8a) 1669742990
\u201cI cannot wait for MTG to bring back her galaxy brain thinking into House committee policy-making discussions next year...\u201d— Lauren Windsor (@Lauren Windsor) 1669749222
\u201cAngling for an assignment on the House Select Farts Committee\u201d— Keith Olbermann (@Keith Olbermann) 1669749569
\u201cParticles that trigger scent are smaller than viral particles, you absolute moron.\u201d— Kerrie Nation (@Kerrie Nation) 1669738496
Greene made a name for herself by regularly sharing misinformation and trafficking conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic.
She previously referred to vaccine mandates as a form of "segregation" and stoked significant controversy after she invoked the Holocaust in reference to lockdown measures and mask-wearing.
Greene was previously suspended from Twitter after she violated the platform's rules regarding COVID-19 misinformation. At the time, she claimed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "should not approve the covid vaccines" and vaccines were "failing" and not actually curbing the spread of the virus.
A Twitter spokesperson said the tweet "was labeled in line with our COVID-19 misleading information policy" and "The account will be in read-only mode for a week due to repeated violations of the Twitter Rules."
Greene's tweet about face masks and farting marks her first tweet on the platform using her personal account since it was suspended. Since acquiring Twitter, billionaire Elon Musk has introduced an amnesty on banned accounts which lifted her suspension.