4 ms·
Every discussion I've come across claims Japan has prevalent usage of masks, and many Asian countries generally. No I haven't been there, so I must go by the ev
by PKop 6y ago
Every discussion I've come across claims Japan has prevalent usage of masks, and many Asian countries generally. No I haven't been there, so I must go by the evidence presented to me.. one way or the other.
Of course this is mostly for the sick, but also generally in times of seasonal illness, but also yes.. this pandemic. But across this spectrum, Japanese cultural acceptance of wearing masks is much higher than even right now in the middle of covid for Americans and particularly their political leaders, to say nothing of non-pandemic mask usage. So the contrast is stark.
Here's a random article[0] I just googled (but I've seen many more speaking to this dynamic) of prevalent mask usage in Japan, written in 2017. There's some pictures there too, of Japanese people wearing masks.
[0] https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/why-do-japanese-people-wear-surgical-masks/ https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/why-do-japane...
- StavrosK 6y agoYeah, I'm not saying it's a lie or anything, I just see people claim that Japanese people wear masks like we wear shoes, which wasn't true before the pandemic. It was widely socially acceptable to wear a mask when you had a cold, but you wouldn't go out of your way to wear one otherwise (that I saw, anyway).
- PKop 6y agoOk but I would push back against >which wasn't true before the pandemic if you mean to say Japanese collective mask usage, let's say seasonally, even if not ill, is no different than western nations. Yes they wear when sick, but also as preventative measure, on public transportation, around crowds etc. Not like shoes (all the time), no. US has never worn masks, even during flu season, (though I did read it caught on during Spanish Flu but even then it was socially pressured against, for some reason). Here's another [0] from 2015: "Let's talk about Japan and sickness masks" which talks about Japan's mask culture going back to 1918, and that people wear them at particular times of year as prevention, in addition to when sick. [0] https://kotaku.com/lets-talk-about-japan-and-sickness-masks-1740939773 https://kotaku.com/lets-talk-about-japan-and-sickness-masks-... My original "practiced widely" was meant to imply broad acceptance of it, when necessary, not that it was practiced constantly.
- StavrosK 6y agoYes, we're agreeing 100%, I didn't mean to say that your "practiced widely" meant that everyone wore them all the time. I had just seen many people claim that, and your comment reminded me of it, so I replied to-you-but-not-specifically-about-you. We're in complete agreement.