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They are annoying to wear. They make my beard itch. They make my glasses fog up. They make me feel overheated if it's warm out. My airflow feels noticeably rest

They are annoying to wear. They make my beard itch. They make my glasses fog up. They make me feel overheated if it's warm out. My airflow feels noticeably restricted if I am exercising, even with ordinary non-N95 masks. They are easy to lose track of, which is highly annoying when I am otherwise ready to leave my apartment. Masks fucking suck.

newacct583 5y ago
Whole careers are spent wearing masks, though. I mean, fine. I find them mildly annoying and you think they're the devil's work. But we both agree that we should be opening restaurants and theaters before we relax mask use, right?
- SignalNotSecure 5y ago
  You don't need to wear a mask if you're fully vaccinated because the vaccine is over 90% effective at preventing infection https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.01.21257987v2 https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.01.21257987v...
  - newacct583 5y ago
    And that's the kind of innumerate thinking I don't understand. Masks aren't an either/or thing. Say masks are maybe 60% effective (there's no real consensus and good science is hard to come by). A mask-wearing vaccinated person is now 96% protected. Add that to staying outside (maybe another 75% or so?) and you get to 99%. Every bit helps, which is one of the reasons why we're reaching herd immunity. Now, you're right, there's a cost tradeoff. If everyone is at 99% it would be pure insanity to close restaurants, say. But... masks? Leave them on, until it's dead. Again, this is the cheapest mitigation we have. Roll back every other protection first. Send people back to the office. Open up the stadiums. Start hugging again. Lift the visa restrictions. Visit the grandparents. Do all that stuff first before relaxing mask use.
    - andyana 5y ago
      Just wanted to say you've made very good points.
    - peytn 5y ago
      I think it isn’t necessarily innumeracy to move past napkin math 18 months on. People have had the time to see the results of several cycles of behavior modification and perhaps aren’t interested in participating further.
    - tjs8rj 5y ago
      While you’re at it why don’t we mandate everyone wear latex gloves all the time? No biggie. And just always have hand sanitizer on your person. Just a small bottle so not much of a problem. Can we just mandate people select a group of 100 people they will interact with? Almost nobody has more friends + family to see than that so it’s hardly an issue when you think about it. You have this backwards: mandates must be continually justified beyond a reasonable doubt, not the reverse. Remember: mandates are dictating how others live their lives. Just because something isn’t that big a deal to you or aligns with your values doesn’t mean imposing that on someone else with the threat of government enforcement is reasonable in the slightest. Wear your mask, they are tools used to good effect, but requiring others to wear them is a step that should be continually challenged with all available true evidence and aggregate personal values - as should any mandate or law.
      - newacct583 5y ago
        This is a giant list of strawmen. I'm not arguing for a mask mandate, I'm saying that masks as mitigation have been and continue to be good strategies (and in particular very cheap ones) and that we want to continue to use them until the pandemic is actually controlled (vs. just shrinking) and not incessantly mock people who continue to use effective means of disease control.
        tinus_hn 5y ago
        It’s telling how any mention of the fact that masks aren’t really that effective instantly is branded ‘mocking’. Especially while the pro mask Facebook groups have spent the last year pointing fingers at ‘anti mask Karens’.
  - call_me_dana 5y ago
    They used RT-PCR testing for that study so the conclusions should be taken with a grain of salt
maccam94 5y ago
FWIW, I believe the guidelines do not recommend wearing a mask while exercising outdoors. I think partially because you're moving relatively quickly and partially because it's not very practical.
standyro 5y ago
I hate masks too. But the moment you realize masks are more about protecting the public from transmission when you happen to suddenly get sick and isn’t about your protection, you’ll literally breathe easier by choosing to wear the cheapest masks. You’re better off obsessing about who you’re around and washing your hands if you’re worried about Covid. That’s why wearing N95 and fabric masks is overkill. Buy the mass produced disposable black (not thick fabric) masks. They look better than the blue ones. And if you wear glasses, they have slightly better airflow. Put a box in your car, a box in your house, a box on your desk. And then just grab and go! It’s surprising to me that we’ve been through a year of the pandemic and people still can’t adopt a change in routine!! And you don’t need a mask while exercising!!!!
- hamandcheese 5y ago
  I genuinely do hope we see widespread behavioral change, where people are more considerate, and choose to wear masks... when they are sick or recently exposed to someone who is. I am not sick though.
  - yazboo 5y ago
    Are you unconcerned about asymptomatic transmission? As I understand it, a big reason why there's a pandemic is that you might not necessarily know whether you're infectious. Asymptomatic individuals are indeed less infectious on an individual basis, but I know of at least one study [1] which purports to show a lot of transmission from asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people. [1] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2774707 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle...
    - hamandcheese 5y ago
      Not only am I not sick, I am vaccinated, and vaccines are widely available where I live. So no, I have absolutely no concern for asymptomatic transmission.

newacct583 5y ago

Whole careers are spent wearing masks, though. I mean, fine. I find them mildly annoying and you think they're the devil's work. But we both agree that we should be opening restaurants and theaters before we relax mask use, right?

SignalNotSecure 5y ago
You don't need to wear a mask if you're fully vaccinated because the vaccine is over 90% effective at preventing infection https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.01.21257987v2 https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.01.21257987v...
- newacct583 5y ago
  And that's the kind of innumerate thinking I don't understand. Masks aren't an either/or thing. Say masks are maybe 60% effective (there's no real consensus and good science is hard to come by). A mask-wearing vaccinated person is now 96% protected. Add that to staying outside (maybe another 75% or so?) and you get to 99%. Every bit helps, which is one of the reasons why we're reaching herd immunity. Now, you're right, there's a cost tradeoff. If everyone is at 99% it would be pure insanity to close restaurants, say. But... masks? Leave them on, until it's dead. Again, this is the cheapest mitigation we have. Roll back every other protection first. Send people back to the office. Open up the stadiums. Start hugging again. Lift the visa restrictions. Visit the grandparents. Do all that stuff first before relaxing mask use.
  - andyana 5y ago
    Just wanted to say you've made very good points.
  - peytn 5y ago
    I think it isn’t necessarily innumeracy to move past napkin math 18 months on. People have had the time to see the results of several cycles of behavior modification and perhaps aren’t interested in participating further.
  - tjs8rj 5y ago
    While you’re at it why don’t we mandate everyone wear latex gloves all the time? No biggie. And just always have hand sanitizer on your person. Just a small bottle so not much of a problem. Can we just mandate people select a group of 100 people they will interact with? Almost nobody has more friends + family to see than that so it’s hardly an issue when you think about it. You have this backwards: mandates must be continually justified beyond a reasonable doubt, not the reverse. Remember: mandates are dictating how others live their lives. Just because something isn’t that big a deal to you or aligns with your values doesn’t mean imposing that on someone else with the threat of government enforcement is reasonable in the slightest. Wear your mask, they are tools used to good effect, but requiring others to wear them is a step that should be continually challenged with all available true evidence and aggregate personal values - as should any mandate or law.
    - newacct583 5y ago
      This is a giant list of strawmen. I'm not arguing for a mask mandate, I'm saying that masks as mitigation have been and continue to be good strategies (and in particular very cheap ones) and that we want to continue to use them until the pandemic is actually controlled (vs. just shrinking) and not incessantly mock people who continue to use effective means of disease control.
      - tinus_hn 5y ago
        It’s telling how any mention of the fact that masks aren’t really that effective instantly is branded ‘mocking’. Especially while the pro mask Facebook groups have spent the last year pointing fingers at ‘anti mask Karens’.
- call_me_dana 5y ago
  They used RT-PCR testing for that study so the conclusions should be taken with a grain of salt

maccam94 5y ago

FWIW, I believe the guidelines do not recommend wearing a mask while exercising outdoors. I think partially because you're moving relatively quickly and partially because it's not very practical.

standyro 5y ago

I hate masks too. But the moment you realize masks are more about protecting the public from transmission when you happen to suddenly get sick and isn’t about your protection, you’ll literally breathe easier by choosing to wear the cheapest masks. You’re better off obsessing about who you’re around and washing your hands if you’re worried about Covid. That’s why wearing N95 and fabric masks is overkill. Buy the mass produced disposable black (not thick fabric) masks. They look better than the blue ones. And if you wear glasses, they have slightly better airflow. Put a box in your car, a box in your house, a box on your desk. And then just grab and go! It’s surprising to me that we’ve been through a year of the pandemic and people still can’t adopt a change in routine!! And you don’t need a mask while exercising!!!!

hamandcheese 5y ago
I genuinely do hope we see widespread behavioral change, where people are more considerate, and choose to wear masks... when they are sick or recently exposed to someone who is. I am not sick though.
- yazboo 5y ago
  Are you unconcerned about asymptomatic transmission? As I understand it, a big reason why there's a pandemic is that you might not necessarily know whether you're infectious. Asymptomatic individuals are indeed less infectious on an individual basis, but I know of at least one study [1] which purports to show a lot of transmission from asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people. [1] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2774707 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle...
  - hamandcheese 5y ago
    Not only am I not sick, I am vaccinated, and vaccines are widely available where I live. So no, I have absolutely no concern for asymptomatic transmission.