5 ms·

Stop and think about why people don't like masks. Think at a deeper level, don't jump to superficial explanations like people are lazy or selfish. People don't

Stop and think about why people don't like masks. Think at a deeper level, don't jump to superficial explanations like people are lazy or selfish. People don't wear masks because it is dehumanizing. You start to treat your fellow citizen as a bag of viruses. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone is just a non-distinguishable face. This is the reason, in my opinion, why people don't want to wear them. It is a lot more to it than an inconvenience. And that is why it is only regularly worn in societies where dehumanization is already common, where there are too many people and none caring about each other. It is also common in societies where freedoms and innovation are scant and it is a tool to suppress society. At that point it does make a difference if you should be compelled to wear something that does not actually work.

SpicyLemonZest 6y ago
I understand that many people feel masks are dehumanizing, and I respectfully suggest that they need to get over it. In cultures where mask use is common (which now includes many areas of the US, so your sociological explanations don't make a ton of sense), masks don't feel dehumanizing; they feel like dress shoes or a tie, a bit uncomfortable but entirely normal and required in certain situations. I've never felt pressured to treat my fellow citizen as a bag of virus, nor have I been treated like one myself.
K0nserv 6y ago
I think you are wrong about mask usage and especially theories on places where it's common. My understanding, which could very well be wrong, is that high mask usage is common in cultures were being a burden to others is a faux pau. Masks don't protect you from others, they protect others from you. This is why in some Asian countries it's common to wear a mask when you have symptoms of a cold out of respect for others. Rather than being a sign of a dehumanized society it seems to be a sign of an emphatic society where people don't want to burdern others. There's something uniquely western about the focus on the individual and wearing masks to protect oneself rather than protecting the collective from the individual. My understanding of the research on the topic is that mask are good at preventing spread by the wearer but not good at preventing infection of the wearer by others.
blaser-waffle 6y ago
> People don't wear masks because it is dehumanizing. There is nothing more dehumanizing then dying of a disease that could be prevented by someone wearing ~$0.50 worth of cotton across your face. And evidence suggests it does work, just not hardcore, beyond-the-shadow-of-a-doubt conclusively. Given that they're stupid cheap and have zero long-term complications -- chloroquine will damage your organs; a mask should only leave gentle crease lines that go away soon after -- it's crazy to not expect people to wear masks. Put on your damn mask and go about your business -- it's working fine in Taiwan and Korea.

SpicyLemonZest 6y ago

I understand that many people feel masks are dehumanizing, and I respectfully suggest that they need to get over it. In cultures where mask use is common (which now includes many areas of the US, so your sociological explanations don't make a ton of sense), masks don't feel dehumanizing; they feel like dress shoes or a tie, a bit uncomfortable but entirely normal and required in certain situations. I've never felt pressured to treat my fellow citizen as a bag of virus, nor have I been treated like one myself.

K0nserv 6y ago

I think you are wrong about mask usage and especially theories on places where it's common. My understanding, which could very well be wrong, is that high mask usage is common in cultures were being a burden to others is a faux pau. Masks don't protect you from others, they protect others from you. This is why in some Asian countries it's common to wear a mask when you have symptoms of a cold out of respect for others. Rather than being a sign of a dehumanized society it seems to be a sign of an emphatic society where people don't want to burdern others. There's something uniquely western about the focus on the individual and wearing masks to protect oneself rather than protecting the collective from the individual. My understanding of the research on the topic is that mask are good at preventing spread by the wearer but not good at preventing infection of the wearer by others.

blaser-waffle 6y ago

> People don't wear masks because it is dehumanizing. There is nothing more dehumanizing then dying of a disease that could be prevented by someone wearing ~$0.50 worth of cotton across your face. And evidence suggests it does work, just not hardcore, beyond-the-shadow-of-a-doubt conclusively. Given that they're stupid cheap and have zero long-term complications -- chloroquine will damage your organs; a mask should only leave gentle crease lines that go away soon after -- it's crazy to not expect people to wear masks. Put on your damn mask and go about your business -- it's working fine in Taiwan and Korea.