I wear a plague mask when I'm inside in a public venue. With my allergies, I sneeze and cough which freak people out.
But I hate the things. Not because I'm wearing one and my glasses fog, but because it makes it hard to read people.
I spent much of my adult life learning body language and teaching sales students how to read other's body language. Most folks are unable to hide their emotions including confusion, agreement, disagreement, etc.... from their face. If you are good at it and pay attention, you can adjust your conversation in ways that are much more socially beneficial - if you can read body language.
And these masks make it much harder to read people. Plus, my wife lost her hearing in one ear. Both of us have hearing loss due to age and going to many, many concerts. And when you cannot see people's lips is it harder to understand what they are saying. Add in one of those plexiglass shields on top of the mask and it becomes even harder.
If you are paying attention, and if you have received even minimal training in nonverbal communication, all of your conversations become more productive and more pleasant when you can see people's faces.
Plus, when you smile the world smiles with you. And now nobody can see you smile.
Right there with you AB. I got a haircut today, no mask required since the Gov. went to Phase 3 of Re-Opening. It was great. I still carry one in case some places still ask you to wear one, and I do because I'm a good citizen. But I don't, and won't, miss the damned things. Mask-Burning Party at my house. <:-)
I hate them too. They make my face break out and fog up my work glasses or regular reading glasses. But they work. I carry one everywhere.
We don't have mandatory mask requirements in my province (although the pearl clutches are clamouring for one). However, a fair number of businesses (Usually large chains like Costco and Walmart) are Refusing entry if you don't wear one. I just take my business elsewhere but on the rare occasion that I'm forced to put one on, I wear this.
(https://bluecatstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/redirect-10.png)
@SDR - It's OK to not like wearing them, but they're definitely not useless. They prevent you from unknowingly spreading contagions to others. They're not meant to protect you from contagions. In their intended purpose, they are very useful -- I guess the real question is whether or not you care about potentially infecting people who are at risk.
^Yeah keep those Canadistani germs to yourself! Maple leaf flu and all that.
I'd wear that mask SDR. Even if I didn't need to. If you feel like you need to protect people from your germs, then wear a mask. But like Gus and AB stated, they CAUSE symptoms that can be as bad as the germs themselves. They are also germ-magnets that you carry with you everywhere you go, unless you disinfect them before each stop. They're also impossible to look really cool in one.
The disease is airborne. The WHO just refuses to admit it because that'd be tantamount to admitting distancing measures of 2 metres and masks Less than N95 are of very limited use. The masks can't filter an isolated virus particle, only viruses attached to a droplet. The airborne virus can stay viable up to four hours. Basically, if anyone in an enclosed space with poor air circulation is susceptible with or without a mask.
foggy glasses. yup, got that problem ???
Yeah, the foggy glasses thing sucks. (So does burping after a spicy curry dinner and having the gas you straight into your eyeballs. It burns!)
Quote from: Silent Disapproval Robot on September 30, 2020, 02:39:21 PM
We don't have mandatory mask requirements in my province (although the pearl clutches are clamouring for one). However, a fair number of businesses (Usually large chains like Costco and Walmart) are Refusing entry if you don't wear one. I just take my business elsewhere but on the rare occasion that I'm forced to put one on, I wear this.
I don't think the masks are useless but I certainly agree about your Prime Minister. Hell, Trudeau is worse than useless.
The chicks dig him.
It's the socks.
Hahaha!!
I also hate when you go to take your mask off and it gets snagged on your glasses and you end up sailing them half way across the room. That's a cuss-worthy moment. :pullhair:
Quote from: Silent Disapproval Robot on September 30, 2020, 04:26:11 PM
Yeah, the foggy glasses thing sucks. (So does burping after a spicy curry dinner and having the gas you straight into your eyeballs. It burns!)
Yep, it's like farting while sitting down. It goes right up your back.
We call that natural gas heating here in Canuckistan.
Which is a perfectly good explanation. Protect the climate and all that jazz.
Still, here in Denmark It's frowned upon. Especially at dinner tables.
<shrug>
That's when it's good to wear a mask. Nobody can tell it's you. :bd:
This entire mask situation makes me feel that the government is reducing my freedoms. Especially, when 1/2 of the experts say they are useless.
Well that would mean the other half are saying that masks are not useless. I'm willing to curtail the freedom of showing my adorable face if it means it could possibly save someone else.
I'll be happy when this face mask thing is over. In this area some establishments expect you to wear it others don't. I would often guess wrong about their expectations. Now I have a neck tube one that works pretty well. If its not needed it stays down. If needed I can pull it up and into place with one hand. Look kind of like a stagecoach robber but it works.
The banks are open again here. I think I'll wear a mask, gloves, and head gear into one and see how understanding they are when I tell them, 'I'm just trying to protect you'. :coolsmiley:
Quote from: demjansk1942 on October 01, 2020, 07:21:35 PM
This entire mask situation makes me feel that the government is reducing my freedoms. Especially, when 1/2 of the experts say they are useless.
It feels like a test to see just what they can get away with, and I'd say they can get away with just about anything. :arr:
One thing they'll NEVER try to get away with, being HONEST. To be fair.... it is really hard for them. :-X
Quote from: demjansk1942 on October 01, 2020, 07:21:35 PM
This entire mask situation makes me feel that the government is reducing my freedoms. Especially, when 1/2 of the experts say they are useless.
What experts are saying they are useless?
I haven't heard this from any medical experts in the last several months. A few weeks ago there was a local gym owner pushing the idea that masks were somehow dangerous (he never really explained how)...but I wouldn't consider him an expert.
I do seem to recall that in the early days of the pandemic, some medical experts questioned the effectiveness of masks. This was because anything short of a N95 mask doesn't really stop you from being exposed to aerosol infection.
However, more recently every medical expert I have heard has said masks combined with social distancing are effective against stopping us from splattering others with the saliva droplets we all fling at each other without even knowing it. Also, that while common masks do not eliminate the chance of aerosol infection, they do help mitigate the risk.
Granted my exposure to such opinions is limited, but I would say there is consensus that masks, when combined with social distancing are effective in reducing the chance that those shedding the virus will infect others.
I haven't seen anyone say that masks are useless.
The masks are a hassle, for sure. They're inconvenient and not always that comfortable. That said, if they help save a human life, I don't find it a huge imposition.
In the modern age, we can all find experts on the internet who tell us anything. How we do that seems to be driven by computer search algorithms that are only interested in generating the most clicks so they can sell us advertising.
There was a little bit of ambiguity and confusion in the early days, and a lot of that has persisted on the internet. But I think the understanding has been pretty clear for months and months now.
1) Anything short of an N95 mask won't keep you from inhaling enough virus to infect yourself. You don't wear a cloth mask to protect yourself. 2) If you wear any kind of cloth mask, you reduce the amount of virus you exhale into the atmosphere if you're infected. That doesn't mean you CAN'T make somebody else sick, but you're less likely to, especially if you're just walking through the hardware store or standing in line at a grocery store.
3) There's no need to wear a mask if you're just walking around outdoors, in open space. The risk of infecting anybody outdoors is HUGELY lower than indoors.
Masks are inconvenient. Nothing about the coronavirus has been convenient.
But I don't understand how anybody can argue that it's responsible to do your best to: 1) Avoid unnecessary large, indoor public gatherings; 2) Wear a mask when you're in indoors public spaces; 3) Get a test if you've been exposed to somebody who has it or start to have symptoms yourself.
Face masks also need to be worn correctly to be effective. I see so many people wearing masks too small and with areas open at the top and sides that allow air in and out every time they breath. And people tugging at the outside of the mask which gets any germs on the mask, on your fingers, then.... wherever you touch unless you wash your hands or use disinfectant. :hide:
Quote from: Gusington on October 01, 2020, 07:34:39 PM
Well that would mean the other half are saying that masks are not useless. I'm willing to curtail the freedom of showing my adorable face if it means it could possibly save someone else.
Apparently if 2.5 mill. people wear mask every day it will help prevent 1 person having to be hospitalized every 2 weeks, according to official health experts here in Denmark.
On the positive side number of death from sickness is unusually low this year here, so I guess Covid is good for something.
Apparently they drive CNN Anchor Chris Como nuts too. The Godfather of Masks harps on his show about the Civic Duty of wearing a mask in public at all times. But it turns-out his very own landlord sent him a letter back in August telling him he had been seen repeatedly entering and exiting his building as well as riding the elevator without face covering as required by his brother the Gov.'s Executive Order. Chris could be facing a.... $500 fine. :bd:
I find all the kvetching about masks to be curious. They're inconvenient and limit my freedom, just like seat belts, traffic signs, paying taxes, and the requirement to get a driver's license if I want to drive a car.
In today's Internet age, we can find one "expert" who's willing to back us on any opinion we might have. The vast majority of medical experts that I've heard speak on the topic here in the U.S., regardless of whether it's personal friends, in the media, speaking to local audiences via Zoom, etc., suggest that masks are a big part of the solution.
I don't get why they're such a sore spot for so many people on both sides, unless they're maybe a symbol for something else?
^ I started this. The things annoy me for the reasons I gave.
I still wear one when inside a public building. For whatever reason, fewer US citizens where I'm going out (Rural Western NC small town, medium sized town in Alabama).
Almost nobody is wearing them aside from me at the Gym - even in the aerobics area where people are breathing hard. Even when the aerobics area is crowded. This is in two gyms in two different states. Compliance is going down at the grocery stores, Wal-Mart and hardware stores. Even at Mass fewer people are wearing masks - although Mass has the highest compliance rate of anywhere else I go.
Quote from: Sir Slash on October 21, 2020, 10:08:32 PM
Apparently they drive CNN Anchor Chris Como nuts too. The Godfather of Masks harps on his show about the Civic Duty of wearing a mask in public at all times. But it turns-out his very own landlord sent him a letter back in August telling him he had been seen repeatedly entering and exiting his building as well as riding the elevator without face covering as required by his brother the Gov.'s Executive Order. Chris could be facing a.... $500 fine. :bd:
https://pagesix.com/2020/10/26/chris-cuomo-socializes-mask-free-at-private-members-club/
From Today Mon Oct 26
Chris Cuomo socializes mask-free at private members club
This entire thing is going insane with the kids out of school, a bunch of ruined lives will be the result, good for Amazon and EA
L:-) L:-) L:-) L:-) L:-)
Right so the long awaited Danish study on the effect of wearing mask finally came out today.
In short:
2.1 % of the participants who didnt wear mask got Covic
1.8% of the participants who did wear mask got Covid
Estimated effect is a 15-20% protection for the mask wearer.
The study didn't conclude if the mask protected other people from being contaminated by the mask wearer.
Will see if I can get a hold on the whole study.
Quote from: jejo68 on November 18, 2020, 01:02:58 PM
The study didn't conclude if the mask protected other people from being contaminated by the mask wearer.
While that is the main reason to wear a mask.
Quote from: Pete Dero on November 18, 2020, 01:09:53 PM
Quote from: jejo68 on November 18, 2020, 01:02:58 PM
The study didn't conclude if the mask protected other people from being contaminated by the mask wearer.
While that is the main reason to wear a mask.
That is hard to measure except in small scale laboratory conditions, but those have already shown a good effectiveness in that respect.
In our games we happily take bonuses of 10%, but society is too stupid to make such choices, because exceptionalism.
The Danish make great Coffee Cakes. I would wear one of those as a mask any day. :bd:
Chris Cuomo is not...the brightest. I'll leave it at that.
Quote from: al_infierno on September 30, 2020, 03:08:53 PM
@SDR - It's OK to not like wearing them, but they're definitely not useless. They prevent you from unknowingly spreading contagions to others. They're not meant to protect you from contagions. In their intended purpose, they are very useful -- I guess the real question is whether or not you care about potentially infecting people who are at risk.
I used to think as you do. I have done a lot of research into the evidence put forward by dissenting scientists and doctors and have changed my mind.
I disagree that they are effective. There is plenty of evidence that they are like trying to stop a mosquito with chicken wire. Plus the eyes are unprotected, which allow viral particles to get in through the tear ducts. There is also plenty of evidence to indicate why they are unhealthy to wear due to hypoxia, hypocapnia, and the build up of bacteria in the mask itself. Many scientists are of the view that regular wearing of a mask can actually shorten your life.
This interview by an eminent German microbiologist deals with this and other Covid issues (such as the risk of infection from asymptomatic cases). Listen to it with an open mind and decide what you think in the light of it.