Hmm – my son received a gas mask as a Christmas gift about 15 years ago. But he's almost normal, so he wore it as part of a Halloween costume and then made a sculpture out of it.
Well, I have a theory about conspiracy nuts:
The actual terrors of real life are banal, which makes them hard to identify. A lot of people are afraid, or at least worried, about their lack of freedom and helplessness, and they don't really know why.
Some people watch horror movies, and then thank God those things aren't real.
Others watch the sky for black helicopters or mind control rays, so they can at least point at the things that are ruining their lives. They have an excuse for their anxiety that they can understand.
I'm actually a little relieved for this boy that he hangs with a Dungeons and Dragons crowd. My daughter does that, only it's World of Warcraft for her. There was a time in her life when she was actually afraid to leave the house (but then she had actually been threatened by real people). It was her nerdy gaming crowd who talked her down and proved to her that real life was not as scary as she feared.
Then we moved to Tie Dye Town and she's much better now.
g ently f eral