To those that don't want to wear a mask...

[Iamchangingmyusername]

I've seen a lot of threads on here with people annoyed that they have to wear a mask in public.

Aside from those with a legitimate medical reason, why are some people so anti mask?

Genuinely curious. I have had to travel to and from work throughout lockdown and the introduction of masks on public transport made me feel somewhat safer. Noticing less and less people wearing them, or wearing them as a decorative chin strap.

I'm not sure anyone is arguing that you have to like it, I just don't get all the hand wringing over it

But they are- hence all the WHY dont you like them? WHY dont you enjoy it? WHY do you dislike them? comments. Isnt it obvious why people dislike them?- they feel bloody horrible.

You can dislike something but still do it. Just seems another way for some people to brag to me.

That’s great, I’m glad he’s not scared; neither is my two-year-old (of other people wearing them - I certainly won’t be making her wear one). But just because our DC are fine it doesn’t mean other children aren’t fearful, and on a practical level it doesn’t take away from the fact that widespread mask wearing isn’t optimal for young children’s language and social development. There are downsides to mask wearing and we need to acknowledge this.

There are also upsides to mask wearing and we need to acknowledge those: things like limiting the spread of deadly diseases and whatnot.

I also don’t think it will give the government their desired outcome.

I was watching a handmaids tales the other day and when I went into a local town it weirdly made me think of it when I saw some people walking around with masks on.

I am like many others, I will wear be because I will have too but won’t feel happy about it and will use online shop even more.

As an introvert for instance, I despise making small talk with acquaintances I happen to bump into, so it is very helpful for avoiding that

I get this; I’m an introvert too. But this kind of illustrates the point that masks can impact on social interaction. The fabric of our communities is built around little social interactions, inconsequential smalltalk etc. For everyone who welcomes masks because they don’t have to chat to randoms in the street any more, there’ll be someone else who’s made to feel more isolated because they can’t. Humans are meant to be social creatures, not anonymous figures milling about in silence.

For everyone who welcomes masks because they don’t have to chat to randoms in the street any more, there’ll be someone else who’s made to feel more isolated because they can’t

Well you don't have to wear them in the street, so no there wouldn't.

Humans are meant to be social creatures, not anonymous figures milling about in silence.

It was very quiet during lockdown. Hopefully masks will help prevent another one.

@Malteserdiet, thanks. I don't think you really understand what I was trying to say, though, so let me put it another way.

What I described is our normal. That doesn't mean she doesn't get sick. She still gets sick, like any normal toddler does When she does get sick, she is hospitalised. If she gets hospitalised during the peak of a pandemic, when there are fewer hospital beds available and nurses are even more overstretched and exhausted than usual, she's more likely to die. That's our reality in this situation, and it's shit. It's even more shit when all I see is healthy/not exempt people finding excuses not to wear a mask because they're mildly inconvenienced by them. Honestly, I'm as disgusted by that attitude as I am by those people that don't wash their hands after using the toilet.

Its not just about keeping people from catching it. It's about keeping the numbers of people in need of hospital care down so that there are enough resources available for those who need it, and other illnesses don't simply stop because covid is going on.

There are also upsides to mask wearing and we need to acknowledge those: things like limiting the spread of deadly diseases and whatnot.

But again, and leaving aside the actual efficacy of mask-wearing at this point, what I’m not getting is why this trumps absolutely everything else? Your post implies that preventing Covid spread is the only thing that matters now; all I’m doing is asserting that other things - like children’s development and people’s ability to communicate effectively and not to be discriminated against - matter too.

If you dont like the thought of a mask, you definitely wont like the thought of a ventilator.

I am pretty certain no one likes the realities of a ventilator, so I am not sure how it is relevant.

Because i don't like them, i feel hot and feint, doesnt mean i won't wear one but don't have to like it
And i really hope they dont become a long term thing , just used to keep virus under control and gone as soon as safe

If you dont like the thought of a mask, you definitely wont like the thought of a ventilator.

Yeah shopping and browsing in the high street in a cotton mask is exactly the same as being in ITU on a ventilator

For me I hate wearing then (but do as it protects other people) because my ex husband would often put his hand over my mouth and noise to
Restrict my breathing, it’s still a feeling that brings me a sense of panic- not being able to breathe.

I still wear a mask though- but only in crowded areas/public transport and in shops. Open parks with few people or back roads with no one around I take it off.

Well you don't have to wear them in the street, so no there wouldn't.

Indeed that is the case at the moment, but there is mission creep going on here - compulsory masks in schools has been mooted; many people on here seem to want them in all public spaces and for mask-wearing to continue beyond a Covid vaccine being found. Even just mandating them in shops means that some vulnerable people lose the one bit of social interaction they might have had in a day. That’s not insignificant.

Re kids, from what I've seen lots of kids are excited to wear them. I'm in Scotland and live in an area with lots of kids, and I've seen a ton of them wearing them, all really young, maybe 10 and under. All cloth ones with fab designs. Teenagers on the other hand, not seen a single one wearing a mask. We were them and no, it's not pleasant, but , for us, its not unpleasant either. it's just something you get in with doing and does get easier. Living in Scotland, the infection rate is low but I'm still happy to comply with the rules and wear a mask, I dont feel my civil liberties or human rights are being violated. It's just something we have to do for now.

Yeah shopping and browsing in the high street in a cotton mask is exactly the same as being in ITU on a ventilator

My thoughts too 😳

Agree you should of just read the other threads and you would of found out. My reasons are because they're uncomfortable and they're absolutely hideous, they make people look creepy. I usually enjoy shopping but I won't be stepping foot in any shop/shopping centre with one of those things on. It's not normal. I believe this will prevent a lot of people going shopping and it will have a massive affect on the economt. We'll see.

[quote IntrovertedUnicorn]@Malteserdiet, thanks. I don't think you really understand what I was trying to say, though, so let me put it another way.

What I described is our normal. That doesn't mean she doesn't get sick. She still gets sick, like any normal toddler does When she does get sick, she is hospitalised. If she gets hospitalised during the peak of a pandemic, when there are fewer hospital beds available and nurses are even more overstretched and exhausted than usual, she's more likely to die. That's our reality in this situation, and it's shit. It's even more shit when all I see is healthy/not exempt people finding excuses not to wear a mask because they're mildly inconvenienced by them. Honestly, I'm as disgusted by that attitude as I am by those people that don't wash their hands after using the toilet.

Its not just about keeping people from catching it. It's about keeping the numbers of people in need of hospital care down so that there are enough resources available for those who need it, and other illnesses don't simply stop because covid is going on.[/quote]
Ok, so I do sympathise. My child went through the same when he was young. But, you know as well as I do, that vaccinations were not made mandatory (yet my child was very ill after he caught measles as he couldn't be vaccinated himself) and neither were face masks (he had pneumonia umpteen times). Our society doesn't run that way.

Our society has not previously made masks compulsory, or even vaccines that protect others. I don't disagree with that. I want people to be educated into change, not mandated.

As the evidence for face coverings in one setting yet not in another (shops:pubs) is rubbish, of course we can't educate people into it.

And that's what some people are saying - where is the logic? Where is the science?

Right now ..masks ..it's about confidence.

The problem is ...there is currently a pretty non existent risk of catching it in a shop. Levels in the community are really low. By October, second wave, will we all be used to masks ..or bored and stopped using them? Education (if there really was science behind it, why not educate?) leads to compliance. Fear and unenforceable laws only last a few months before complacency and boredom set it.

There are also upsides to mask wearing and we need to acknowledge those: things like limiting the spread of deadly diseases and whatnot.

I think the legal requirement to wear them is an acknowledgement of that.
But so interesting the language! We never call the flu a "deadly disease". But Covid-19 is always, "this terrible disease".

It's done just to scare people.

Agree with the point about it not ending with shops too, people are naive if they think this will not be extended.

*But Covid-19 is always, "this terrible disease".

It's done just to scare people.*

Perhaps because of the death rates.

I physically don't want it on my face. I have asthma and it makes me anxious.

I'm not one of the "all right Jacks" who thinks they personally are at low risk and don't give a stuff about anyone else.

Countries that wear masks have fewer dead people, that's undeniable.

Masks are a red herring. The overwhelming majority of people have locked down, isolated if ill and helped others out - they care about each other. The virus is now on a downward trend because we’ve all made sacrifices to protect the elderly and vulnerable. Stop letting mask propaganda be divisive, the UK has been hit hard because we didn’t protect people in care home, we didn’t track and trace effectively and most importantly lockdown was too late. A mask in my rural Tesco to grab a pint of milk, where people are already behind screens, socially distancing and washing hands doesn’t really make a difference. The BBC reported that locking down a week earlier would have reduced the death rate by 50-75%.

@AlexisCarringtonColbyDexter

I'm not sure anyone is arguing that you have to like it, I just don't get all the hand wringing over it

But they are- hence all the WHY dont you like them? WHY dont you enjoy it? WHY do you dislike them? comments. Isnt it obvious why people dislike them?- they feel bloody horrible.

You can dislike something but still do it. Just seems another way for some people to brag to me.

I agree wholeheartedly

I couldn't give two craps if someone loves wearing a mask. It doesn't mean that they're some amazingly virtuous person. To me they just sound quite twattish for theyre boasting.

I hate them. I'll wear them because it's the law. I won't justify why I hate them. Pretty much end of story.

It's like the breast feeding debates of old. That if you don't breast feed, or prefer bottles you're some evil human being. The baby is fed. Give your virtuous boasting a rest

I will only go to the supermarket when I have to- no other shopping. If we have to wear them in shops, why not in:
Pubs
Restaurants
Cafés
Schools
Garages
Garden centers
Libraries
Hairdressers - mine didn’t want me to wear a mask
The list is endless

Some people still don't understand an exponential curve, or how effective Lockdown was.

They think this us what Covid is.

When in fact this is Covid heavily suppressed by unprecedented social measures. Actual Covid is what it's all to avoid.

They're like Y2K deniers who when the end result doesn't affect them believe there wasn't much of a problem in the first place.

I hope we try harder to teach people maths, problem-solving and thinking two or three logical steps ahead after all this is over. Between this and Brexit it's very clear that a large chunk of otherwise reasonably intelligent people can't project the logical consequences of an action.