Non mask wearers

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I’ve been generally observing in recent weeks since 19th July (and before too really) and the majority of people I see with no mask are men. I noticed for a while in the pandemic that in petrol stations it was men with no masks on, so got me noticing when I am out. Does this seem the same to you?
I am just interested, is this a general view or me being sexist (hope not). I wonder if men feel like they ‘look stupid’ in a mask so less likely to wear one?

@stepupandbecounted

I am a woman and I don't wear a mask. Why would I? We are not required to by law and it is a known fact that they are pretty useless at stopping covid as well.

I am seeing more and more people ditch them now of all types.

We don't need to wear masks anymore for a good reason. The pandemic is in decline, we are reaching/reached herd immunity it is time to move on.

It's not a well known fact that they are pretty useless at stopping covid, quite the reverse. Your repeating this misinformation calls your judgment, intelligence and intentions into question.

Continue to cling on to your mask then, like a life raft in the sea of covid, but please don't expect to continue with this lunacy. The rest of us getting back to normal, and being able to see faces/hear people and function properly is absolutely essential to this. Poor kids growing up in such a hostile place - it is time we moved on.

If you read the full article it says the complete opposite. how are you reading that and coming to the conclusion masks in public places don’t work?

It’s conclusion is basically if you are in a medical setting and treating Covid patients where there’s a high viral load in the air, then you need a better mask. If not then masks are effective and that distancing, masks and ventilation are synergistic so the use of them together increases the efficacy of any individual measure.

Ventilation can turn a high viral load area into a low viral load area adding a mask then further reduces your chance of getting covid from the virus particles that are present. Universal masking is more effective than either just the infected person or non infected target person. All 3 of those options are better than wearing no mask. If you wanted to increase efficacy further use an FFP2 mask.

At no point is the rational, logical conclusion to that ditch masks totally.

It also appears to be the paper that explains why some previous studies appear to show no efficacy which probably makes it even worse if you are trying to link it to probe masks don’t work.

You're not interested in fact then? Just going straight on the attack and throwing in some misguided whatabouttery on children's health? Figures.

@stepupandbecounted

Continue to cling on to your mask then, like a life raft in the sea of covid, but please don't expect to continue with this lunacy. The rest of us getting back to normal, and being able to see faces/hear people and function properly is absolutely essential to this. Poor kids growing up in such a hostile place - it is time we moved on.

It's this type of emotions I find interesting.

Those who continue to wear masks generally just type in a non chalent way about how they'll help and how those vulnerable could be protected or feel safer.

Those who choose not to wear one have such an emotional response to those who do. Very emotive language along "cling to your life raft".

There's scientific evidence to show ,asks have some effect the same way vaccinations do. Some people choose to wear one not just for themselves.

I choose to wear one in busier places because I find others have serious issues with personal space and seem to think being 1cm from my backside is enough social distancing. That not even acceptable levels of personal space outside a pandemic.

Therefore I choose to wear a mask because I don't know what level of precautions others are taking (even though these people are also wearing masks) for the short time I'm in a crowded space just for safety.

I haven't worn a mask whilst doing poolside duties since way back in May/June because I know I can keep a distance and those others I get close to have also LFT tested before the event as have I.

As a mask wearer when I choose to I have very little emotion over it. I'm as happy not to wear one in certain circumstances - but again I don't have that emotional "I don't have to so why would I?" Response to it.

rafals Ummm, the article concludes that the results are inconclusive, the masks alone offer minimal to zero protection. Ventilation and distance were of far greater use to prevent the spread.

Most people that want to be are vaccinated now, at some point we need to now move on and stop worrying! The spread is mainly in younger age groups and are completely fine!

In aggregate, men tend to be more likely to take risks than women. (That's why their car insurance premiums used to be higher when that was legal.) I suspect that's got something to do with it.

(My personal view - and I'm female - is that not wearing a mask is not particularly risky and I only wish Wales would finally ditch the things, but that's not relevant to the point about men and women in general.)

In answer to the OP's question, it looks to be the 23-30 age group around here, particularly women with young children!

Can I ask those who chose not to wear a mask, whether you're respecting those who chose to, in terms of distancing. Many of those who are continuing with mask will either be doing it out of respect of others, or because they consider everyone wearing masks benefits eachother and they're anxious about catching covid for themselves or close vulnerable friends/family.

Those who continue to wear masks generally just type in a nonchalant way about how they'll help and how those vulnerable could be protected or feel safer

Except they don’t just do that, do they? Judging by many, many past threads on here they frequently judge other people for making the opposite choice, analyse their behaviour (‘It’s always men/younger people’ ‘Definitely more non-mask wearers in Aldi than Waitrose this week’) and post about their outrage at spotting multiple mask-free faces in Sainsbury’s that morning.

At the risk of annoying a lot of people I am still wearing mine….because I like them 😊.

I have the sort of face that random strangers like to talk to and I don’t have a very good swear filter. I bought several face masks for various Rock/Metal bands and I can happily do my shopping untroubled by people who want to talk to me and nobody can lip read me cursing under my breath.

I shall probably wear them for ever 😃

PS: I couldn’t give a shiny shit whether anyone else wears one or not.

In answer to the OP's question, it looks to be the 23-30 age group around here, particularly women with young children

Hmm, I wonder why this might be…? It’s not completely unfathomable…

I don't think it is an emotional response its it is more of a reaction to the hysterical rantings of how 'selfish' and 'dangerous' it is to not wear a mask. Of course it is not selfish to choose to live normally and without fear. Masks are not some magical pass to a covid free life, they are just a scrap of material that are usually worn incorrectly.

I would also add the article was covering the highest performing masks used for surgery and not the scrap of fashion cloth most people wear or there grubby reused a million times blue ones from amazon. Seriously people you are not saving yourself from anything by wearing a mask.

It's definitely more men around here. I have been interested in the mask wearing/ not wearing thing from the start and routinely sort of do a vague tally in my head when out and about. And it's definitely more men who aren't wearing them. Earlier, when they first became routine, at first I noticed it tended to be men wearing them under their noses, but my head tally showed me that actually, that changed quite quickly and became more even.

DH isn't anti mask, but he doesn't proactively think about it/worry about it. I tend to wear masks. And I think our respective thinking is quite telling: we're both double vaxxed, we're both in low risk categories so neither of us is particularly concerned about getting Covid. But in my case, I wear a mask because a) I know other people are still nervous so I figure do my bit to help them b) I know other people are still vulnerable so if I did get it, I don't want to pass it along and c) I don't want to get it because of the sheer hassle of self isolation for me and our family.

But DH just does't even think about this stuff. And he's generally a fairly emotionally intelligent, considerate man.

It seems to be more young women in my town centre with or without children, not that having a child would make a difference.

Where I am most people aren’t wearing masks anymore, I don’t wear one and I’m a woman. I would say very few people are wearing them in my part of London, even my 4 year old now points out to me when someone IS wearing one because it’s uncommon now.’

I’m still wearing a mask because it’s meant I haven’t had to wax my facial hair for a year and I now have a full beard and a moustache

It seems to be more young women in my town centre with or without children, not that having a child would make a difference

Hmm, I’m not actually convinced about that last statement. I’m not a fan of masks, but from personal experience I found it much easier wearing one when out alone or with DP and able to focus than when I’m with my 3-year-old, juggling a buggy and a shopping basket around a stuffy supermarket, with DD pointing and chatting away, pulling down my mask whenever I bent down to hear or talk to her (since I struggle to make myself heard otherwise).

Plus there’s no way I was ever maintaining optimal mask hygiene when the mask was constantly pulled up and down, used to play peekaboo or worn as a hat, taken off and stuffed in my pocket between shops so I could interact properly with DD and so on.

I haven't noticed whether more men than women have ditched their mask. I wear one if I'm asked but if not I'm not bothering. I had a pedicure last week and it was so nice not to be wearing my mask.

Hit post too soon - it was so nice not to be wearing my mask as I felt more relaxed while I was being pampered!

Your dh might be thinking reasonably and intelligently that he is making the right decision tired:

a) I know other people are still nervous so I figure do my bit to help them

but you are not helping them by wearing a mask as they don't work very well, and at what point do you expect to ditch your mask exactly? Zero cases? Because that is never happening

b) I know other people are still vulnerable so if I did get it, I don't want to pass it along and

ditto above, and if they are that vulnerable they don't need to be out in busy places in the first place

c) I don't want to get it because of the sheer hassle of self isolation for me and our family. A mask won't prevent you catching covid. If you have school, college, uni or nursery aged children, you are most likely to catch it from them

@stepupandbecounted I disagree with you re masks helping and y ou are clearly anti-mask etc so I won't engage further on that one. Also, while older children clearly transmit, all the information and research I've seen that younger children do NOT transmit it as easily.

On the people are still vulnerable point - are you being serious? So anyone vulnerable must just stay home forever? Honestly, I don't get that attitude. I agree that there has to be a point at which we can't keep doing epic things to support vulnerable people, but wearing a mask is not that much of a hardship and if it allows a vulnerable person to do their supermarket shopping in person, it's a small sacrifice I am willing to make.

I have noticed this too OP. It’s primarily younger men in their twenties and thirties I would say. Another weird thing I’ve spotted is that many of them also have beards/stubble!! My theory is that this age group and gender see themselves as invincible and probably find mask wearing offensive to their macho sensibilities.

I'm in my 60s and don't wear one so it's not just young people that aren't,

I genuinely don't mind if people don't wear them (although I concede there's an element of selfishness to that as I don't feel at risk from non-mask wearing people) but I am finding my irritation with the under nose wearers is even HIGHER now. Wear it, don't wear it, I don't care, but for the love of all that is holy, if you do choose to wear it, wear it properly.