Annoyed that masks can be a way that people are judged

[Twattergy]

I went to a hairdresser today. All staff wearing masks. I asked on entry ' do you require me to wear a mask?' and receptionist said 'no we can't force you to, it's up to you'. So I didn't put one on. I had one with me, but now it isn't mandatory, I made my choice based on fact that I have been tripled jabbed and recovered from covid 2 weeks ago. I kept having the urge to tell the staff 'I have been tripled jabbed and recently recovered from covid which is the main reason I'm not wearing a mask'..but I thought why should I have to justify this? Any of the masked people in there could be unvaccinated, or even knowingly have symptoms of Covid, but because they are wearing a mask it is assumed they are doing 'the right thing'. And me in no mask, I think many people would assume I'm being anti social, when in fact I have been highly responsible with vaccination. I'm annoyed at the huge potential for judgements around mask wearing now that it isn't mandatory. (I would wear a mask where is is mandatory eg London transport or health care settings BTW I'm not a radical anti masker). Ifnyou were sat next to me in the hairdresser would you judge me? Would you want me to tell you I was fully vaxxed and recently recovered?

Two years in nearly and people are still complaining about wearing a mask. Why do you think you got Covid two weeks ago?

2X4B523P - Your turn. What would the figures have been if the mask mandate hadn't been lifted? We'll never know.

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” – Confucius

Or something. Got that off a motivational poster.

QED?

:)

@lorrainecleaver

All this chat about masks yet most are triple jabbed. Clear no one believes the jabs work.

How many times does this have to be repeated.

We know vaccines do not work for a certain segment of the population. This is well documented.

My DH has had 5 Covid jabs at this point and is now on a regular schedule just in case they might do something. We joke he might spout spikes soon. He has been referred for the new antibody treatment and is just waiting for his turn. That is how vulnerable to Covid he is classified. He will likely die if I bring it home to him. We have to be extraordinarily cautious.

@Metacat

We can never know for sure what the figures would have been without a parallel universe where the other option plays out and we can observe the results.

Yes lots of people have carried on with masks but lots have stopped.

If the cases were increasing each day then those who would have preferred to keep the mandate would soon point that out.

@shamalidacdak

Two years in nearly and people are still complaining about wearing a mask. Why do you think you got Covid two weeks ago?

The length of time doesn’t really help, the opposite in some cases

Some might think they’d accept them very long term, which is up to them if they want to keep wearing them, but not everyone will feel the same.

all2X4B523P - Very fair point indeed at the end; I'd have to be careful myself not to make that inverse Gotcha assumption if cases were increasing. Will try to remember my own susceptibility to bias, too.

But that pretty much proves my main point. These biases can pull us in all sorts of directions in our relative ignorance of the science. The most rational response in a situation like this can only be to trust in the consensus view of the experts - anything that dismisses this as confidently & emphatically as some posters so often do can only be driven by a reluctance (inability?) to recognise this ignorance.

Re: the "lots have" & "lots haven't" - Same point again.

So, yep, a trouser-leg-of-time or two would be helpful here. If only...!

Dunno where the "all" came at the start of your username. An attempt to do the bolded @ thing...

As a member of the General Public in this scenario I wouldn't even notice whether you had a mask on not.
Eould I wear a mask at the hairdressers? Probably.

@shamalidacdak
'Two years in nearly and people are still complaining about wearing a mask. Why do you think you got Covid two weeks ago?'

Well I contracted it about a month ago when I was still wearing masks as mandated. So thanks for proving the point that making judgements based on whether people wear masks or not is very flawed.

@lorrainecleaver

All this chat about masks yet most are triple jabbed. Clear no one believes the jabs work.

OP was triple jabbed and had Covid 2 weeks ago, despite using the vaccination status as justification for not wearing a mask where it wasn't required or mandatory. I'm not sure what point you're making.

@Metacat

But that pretty much proves my main point. These biases can pull us in all sorts of directions in our relative ignorance of the science. The most rational response in a situation like this can only be to trust in the consensus view of the experts - anything that dismisses this as confidently & emphatically as some posters so often do can only be driven by a reluctance (inability?) to recognise this ignorance.

Just before Christmas Sage modelling suggested that we would have 6k deaths a day by mid January if we didn’t lockdown. The government ignored that advise and did we get to that level of deaths? No. Now the mandate to wear masks has gone the only indication of the affect is to look at the figures, which so far are heading in the right direction.

Did you feel guilty for not wearing a mask ??? Why?

If you know you reasons why would you let it bother you what others thought. It sounds line your experience would have been more enjoyable had you just put your mask on and stop over thinking what everyone else was thinking.

@ all2X4B523P

There's an irony to your last post that I don't think you see.

I don't know how else to explain that these things are too complex for statements like your last to be in especially meaningful, except as a sop to our own conscience and/or prejudices.

Here are some relative certainties. They're few and far between, so I cling to them.

Specific to the particular Gotcha above:

1. As I understand it, SAGE modelling typically works with a range of scenarios covering worst- to best- case figures; all of these are estimation, and none are infallible.

2. The media reports on these conclusions selectively & subjectively. I don't know where the 6K figure stands on the best-to-worst spectrum - and don't really mind, because...

3. ...Even if I did know, I simply couldn't use this data to draw any meaningful conclusions myself. I'm just not knowledgeable or intelligent enough. Not by a long way.

More generally speaking...

4. The global scientific consensus is that masks make things safer on balance.

5. Politicians may or may not choose to mandate & advocate for masks due to a range of factors besides safety.

Now for a single, simple opinion.

1. If there's something I can do that's proven to protect lives, and if that thing's laughably simple for me to do, required only for very short periods of time, and only necessary in a limited range of situations, then I'll do it. And I honestly do think that others in my position should, too, just as I think people should wear seatbelts and not drive when drunk.

Seatbelts and drink-driving are mandated. Masks aren't any more. So if people choose not to wear one, I also believe that the least they can do is ask themselves whether their decision is informed by something more than a confused understanding of science or a stubborn indifference to others. If it is, great.

Dammit, really thought I'd managed the bold @ thing then. Do you literally just bold it with Ctrl-B?

@Metacat you use a * either end of the quote.

If everyone wore the f super masks I'd say yes they probably do make a difference - but the fashion masks, the multiply used blue ones I have lying on my car floor that I used to put on - really? I don't think it's got anything to do with a gotcha moment but more to do with no going along with the theatre of it anymore.

Seatbelts and drink-driving are mandated. Masks aren't any more

The cost benefit analysis for seat belts and drink driving is very clear. I don't think that's true for masks at all. That's my position.

At an individual level, I don't have a big issue with wearing masks, but that's not universally true and the impact on the deaf community, for example, is simply being swept under the carpet.

If it could be demonstrated scientifically that masks make a significant difference to transmission then that would be something, but analysis of places with masks mandates versus not don't appear to indicate this at all. So it's not comparable to road safety measures in my eyes, where the benefit is clearly and demonstrably much more significant than the costs.

www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7106e1.htm

"Early release" just yesterday. Haven't read the whole thing - just found in a 10-sec Google looking for something a bit older.

We all have to make our own decisions, based on our understanding of the evidence, and the benefits to ourselves & others.

@Metacat you need to use an * at the start of the quote and at the end of the quote.

If there are many lines to the quote, it needs a * at the start and end of each line.

journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0249891

www.thelancet.com/journals/landig/article/PIIS2589-7500(20)30293-4/fulltext

Another two less recent ones addressing it on a larger scale, though US again. I don't know the first publication.

I've skimmed bits, and there's the usual disclaimers re. statistical significance in certain areas, conditional "could"/"should" /"suggests", but, as I understand it (as a lit. grad.), that's science for you.

And it's enough for me. If people think it's much more likely to help than not, and it has minimal impact on me, I'll do it.

Simple. Decision made.

(And a less stressful experience at the hairdresser's than OP, by all accounts - win-win!)

*@Metacat you need to use an at the start of the quote and at the end of the quote.

If there are many lines to the quote, it needs a at the start and end of each line.*

Thank you!!!

OK, so not QUITE there yet! Need advice on an embarrassed / laughing face emoji too, now! :)

The asterisk doesn't need to be redone for every line as displayed, just when there's a proper linebreak.

If you use the @ symbol, the username you @ will be bolded automatically (as long as there's no space after the symbol). But it may send the attee an email notification, unless they've opted out, so some people don't like being atted.

*@Metacat you use a * either end of the quote.

If everyone wore the f super masks I'd say yes they probably do make a difference - but the fashion masks, the multiply used blue ones I have lying on my car floor that I used to put on - really? I don't think it's got anything to do with a gotcha moment but more to do with no going along with the theatre of it anymore.*

Maybe this'll do it?

Gah!

Thanks for trying to help, both, anyway!

@allClumpingBambooIsALie

If you use the @ symbol, the username you @ will be bolded automatically (as long as there's no space after the symbol). But it may send the attee an email notification, unless they've opted out, so some people don't like being atted.

Come on...