To wonder why East Asian countries can cope with wearing masks?

[sallyballynally]

Picture is of a poster in Seoul subway encouraging people to report others who are not wearing masks. I can only imagine the absolute tantrums that would occur on Mumsnet if that happened.

It constantly baffles me at how in Japan, South Korea and China people actually manage to be sensible and wear masks. My sister is in SK right now and EVERYONE wears a mask, no exceptions. Even toddlers wear them. There's no "it's too hot", "I want to see people's faces", "My humaaaaan rights". It's to the point that people on buses will bang on the windows if they see a pedestrian not wearing a mask. Some posters will say that they wouldn't want to live somewhere where they're socially pressured into wearing a mask. Yeah, I wish we were a country like Japan where there was no lockdown and 996 deaths. Why? Because masks. What is it about British people that makes us so contrary?

Its not just in Asia..

I’m in South Africa where it has never been the norm to wear face masks but we have had to in public since April and cannot enter a shop etc..without one. My 5 year old has to wear one to school and does without complaint...

What's wrong about eating with chopsticks? Just puzzled. Can't see why chopsticks are any less hygienic than a knife and fork....

@Waxonwaxoff0

It's a different culture. Personally I don't think aiming to be more like countries with some questionable human rights issues is a good thing.

Too bloody right! Extremely questionable.

Really reminds me of the brexit debate, eg “look how racist the U.K. is, wouldn’t it be better in Poland”
“The U.K. is awful in its response to masks, wouldn’t life be better in China”

Where are all these people that are refusing to wear masks? No one in my family, friends, wider social circle or acquaintances seems to be moaning about wearing one or refusing to wear one. A couple of friends who are exempt from wearing masks for medical reasons are still willingly wearing them.

Human rights abuses. We can't talk.
The UN condemned our appalling treatment of the disabled. Still nothing has changed.

I'm not personally aware of anyone I know refusing to wear a mask. Went to Tesco earlier and there was 100% compliance.

Why isn't everyone in every country just like everyone else in every other country?

Surely you can see that residents of a country where mask wearing is part of their culture, and they are therefore very used to it, are going to struggle to adapt much less than western countries where masks were virtually unheard of before now?

And whilst masks clearly have an important role to play, mask wearing in China did not in any event prevent the spread of the virus there in the first place...

Montsti considering what happened to Collins Khosa no wonder people comply, its fear of being injured or killed.

Wearing a mask is shit. End of. It's not contrary. I'm not going to pretend to enjoy something that's shit just so you don't make a whiny post about how Japan apparently loves it. We're all entitled to our feelings so stop policing people!!

It’s cultural.

I am very glad I live here, and not there.

The places you mentioned OP. Generally are more of no nonsense places and don’t tolerate unruly behaviour as maybe the UK do. To be honest I feel UK are slack in a lot of ways compared to other places.

I love shopping, it's one of our favourite family days out. But it won't be anymore. I don't care if Asians do it and are used to it, brilliant for them. I'm not used to it, it's wierd and uncomfortable

I'm curious as to why all the people saying they would rather live there than here, aren't living there then?

@Iminaglasscaseofemotion

I'm curious as to why all the people saying they would rather live there than here, aren't living there then?

Because it’s not really that easy to up and emigrate to another country?

South Korea has a huge problem with mask wearing amongst the poor and amongst certain groups of people. This is why they were operating what was effectively a ‘name and shame’ policy with close mobile monitoring until the media rightly pointed out that it was causing young people to commit suicide.

Again China has a huge problem with mask wearing too amongst the poor.which is why it needs to be enforced. Normally only office workers would wear masks when they had a cold/flu - if you have ever been to a market aimed at locals rather than tourists you will see people sneezing / not washing hands etc.

Go move there then if it’s so much better and give the rest of us peace.

And I have been wearing a mask for months without moaning. Still don’t have to bloody like them or think widespread mask wearing, current pandemic notwithstanding, is an admirable trait in society.

puppybum we had a day out in a nearby city for shopping and lunch as a family but we have decided not to go now. I really don’t want to wear a mask all day. We would have spent a few hundred £ between us Im sure.
I think much fewer people will be going for a Potter around the shops now, it’s no fun in a mask. I fear it will really hamper the economy but if masks do save lives then I suppose they are necessary

We had one PLANNED I meant

We're a very "but I just can't.." society in general. The idea of pushing even slightly beyond your comfort zone is almost unthinkable here. Every want and whim must be catered to otherwise people feel entitled to kick up a fuss. It's incredible the number of people who suddenly have a condition that renders them completely unable to wear a mask even for a short time. Mention a visor and then a whole load of other reasons come in to explain why it would be "just as bad". A lot of these people haven't even tried or they've only tried one type of fabric and decided they "just can't". The logical conclusion is that they don't enter shops but that's not fair either. Its a shame to see people behaving like overgrown toddlers.

So they all willingly wear a mask but still need a sign telling people to report those who aren't. I am not sure this is quite the proof of total compliance that you think it is.

We're a very "but I just can't.." society in general
Certain sections are definitely.

Think back to how many threads when lockdown started where people were insisting they had to go on day trips, and had to mix households, and instead of minimising travel / going for essentials they had to make an additional trip because they wanted ice cream / beer and they needed it there and then. Then some people were so annoyed that rural areas didn't want to be flooded with people traveling in that they decided they'd not go and visit later in the year to prove a point.

So you would rather we lived in a country where the people feared the government, disabled people had no special consideration made for them, people with special needs, medical issues or sensory issues had no special consideration made for them - and were just told fuck you wear a mask or stay home.

I'm very glad we don't live in a country like that, and I'm glad people are pushing back on this mask mandating. It's absolutely ridiculous that we can be forced to cover our mouths and noses in a supposedly free and liberal society, based on no evidence and political posturing.

If everyone wearing a mask actually stopped covid, there wouldn't be push back to this, if the rule was in place for a stronger reason than to get people back in the shops, there wouldn't be push back. If the rules weren't so contradictory there wouldn't be push back. But many people can see through this ridiculous rule and question why they have to sacrifice at best their comfort and at worst their physical and/or mental health for nothing more than a piece of material that gives an illusion of saftey.

Yeah, I wish we were a country like Japan where there was no lockdown and 996 deaths. Why? Because masks.

I do have a take on this. The Japanese are the quietest people I have ever met (after the Finns). They know how to party and get loud, like any other human from any other country, but they also know when to shut up and be quiet, be still. I actually think it would be in their mentality to reduce speaking, even with masks on, to a minimum, out of respect for others more than even themselves. They're just hyper-disciplined and they are very socially considerate of others in a way that I haven't experienced anywhere else. I suppose they think more as a collective, like many Asian cultures. That does make a difference. What I am expressing is not Gospel. However, I did live there for 6 months, but this is over 20 years ago. My mother ran an English school for Japanese students for many years in Southern California. So I got a pretty decent understanding of how the Japanese tick, in general (can't emphasize this enough- this is a generalisation!).

These are people who don't take issue with 'passenger pushers' on Tokyo subway platforms. If you had some guy in uniform and white gloves shoving your backside onto a packed train at Hammersmith Station, you'd give him a swift slap!