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Wearing a mask and not meeting in large groups is not stopping socialization. Acknowledging that certain behaviours spread an already virulent disease isn't cal

Wearing a mask and not meeting in large groups is not stopping socialization. Acknowledging that certain behaviours spread an already virulent disease isn't callous, it's realistic and it's why the pandemic is depressing. Ignoring covid doesn't make most people feel any better, they know it exists.

robhunter 5y ago
Wearing a mask in school - or not wearing a mask in school - does nothing to impact the spread of the virus.
- thyrsus 5y ago
  Are there data to support this? The original article cited Scandinavian experience, but I'm having trouble finding a reliable source.
  - robhunter 5y ago
    The most convincing data I've seen is from Spain (https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/science/articles/cult-masked-schoolchildren https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/science/articles/cult-mas...) They masked 6+ year olds and did not mask anyone under 6 in school. You'd expect higher rates of Covid in the 5 year olds than the 6 year olds. In fact, it was the exact opposite - rate of spread was perfectly correlated with age. Masks showed no impact. There's also interesting data from North Dakota (https://twitter.com/TracyBethHoeg/status/1470072066380419072 https://twitter.com/TracyBethHoeg/status/1470072066380419072). This is a great dataset because it controls for a lot of variables - it's two school districts in the same county; one optional and one mandatory. The mandatory masking county consistently has had higher rates of Covid.
noah_buddy 5y ago
> Wearing a mask and not meeting in large groups is not stopping socialization. I'm sorry, but I can't engage in good faith when this is your opening statement. Facial cues are an essential part of socialization. Meeting in large groups is one form of socialization, one that's incredibly common among teenagers and children.
- guyzero 5y ago
  While the pandemic has certain gone on far too long my experience with teenagers is that none of them has forgotten what a human face looks like, most go unmasked around family and close friends and they're still meeting in small groups on a regular basis. I don't think regular mask wearing in school is going to result in stunted social development. And most kids are not very eager to catch covid or spread it to their teachers or parents.
  - torstenvl 5y ago
    > none of them has forgotten what a human face looks like Oh yes. The "it isn't abusive if they still remember what human contact is" school of thought. This strain of rationalization for mass punishment is morally abhorrent.
    - dpark 5y ago
      > mass punishment is morally abhorrent This is intellectually dishonest. No one pushing for mask mandates is attempting to punish people. You can argue that masks are a poor tradeoff or ineffective without willfully casting those on the opposite side as evil or malicious. This unwillingness to acknowledge each others’ humanity and points of view is precisely why every issue is so unbearably partisan now. It’s not sufficient that we disagree. It’s but sufficient that the other side it’s just wrong. They must be actively evil for being wrong.
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
    - drekk 5y ago
      If you think wearing a mask in social gatherings is abuse or mass punishment I don't know what to tell you. We may as well have not come up with germ theory! Children are not the fragile little snowflakes you're making them out to be, they understand the concept of responsibility and it is our job (ostensibly) as adults to make sure they embody it. Whining about masks in public during a viral epidemic is telling the youth that their personal whims come before the collective health. Which some of you may believe, I'm not here to argue with you if you do. Should masks and vaccines have been the only solution? No. Should families and small businesses have to deal with inconsistent public information and almost no financial support? No. But given the reality in which we find ourselves the bare minimum would be to not act like a mask is some particular burden. If you want to talk about mass punishment we could get on the topic of what nurses, doctors, and med techs are dealing with. Or all the "essential workers" that were treated like disposable refuse. It's especially funny when you take into account billions of people around the world regularly wear masks in public during flu season, but apparently North Americans can't handle it.
wernercd 5y ago
Wearing a mask and not meeting in groups also won't stop COVID. "it's realistic" it's realistic to face the fact that kids are unlikely to die from COVID so living in fear and spreading that fear is absolutely callous.

robhunter 5y ago

Wearing a mask in school - or not wearing a mask in school - does nothing to impact the spread of the virus.

thyrsus 5y ago
Are there data to support this? The original article cited Scandinavian experience, but I'm having trouble finding a reliable source.
- robhunter 5y ago
  The most convincing data I've seen is from Spain (https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/science/articles/cult-masked-schoolchildren https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/science/articles/cult-mas...) They masked 6+ year olds and did not mask anyone under 6 in school. You'd expect higher rates of Covid in the 5 year olds than the 6 year olds. In fact, it was the exact opposite - rate of spread was perfectly correlated with age. Masks showed no impact. There's also interesting data from North Dakota (https://twitter.com/TracyBethHoeg/status/1470072066380419072 https://twitter.com/TracyBethHoeg/status/1470072066380419072). This is a great dataset because it controls for a lot of variables - it's two school districts in the same county; one optional and one mandatory. The mandatory masking county consistently has had higher rates of Covid.

noah_buddy 5y ago

> Wearing a mask and not meeting in large groups is not stopping socialization. I'm sorry, but I can't engage in good faith when this is your opening statement. Facial cues are an essential part of socialization. Meeting in large groups is one form of socialization, one that's incredibly common among teenagers and children.

guyzero 5y ago
While the pandemic has certain gone on far too long my experience with teenagers is that none of them has forgotten what a human face looks like, most go unmasked around family and close friends and they're still meeting in small groups on a regular basis. I don't think regular mask wearing in school is going to result in stunted social development. And most kids are not very eager to catch covid or spread it to their teachers or parents.
- torstenvl 5y ago
  > none of them has forgotten what a human face looks like Oh yes. The "it isn't abusive if they still remember what human contact is" school of thought. This strain of rationalization for mass punishment is morally abhorrent.
  - dpark 5y ago
    > mass punishment is morally abhorrent This is intellectually dishonest. No one pushing for mask mandates is attempting to punish people. You can argue that masks are a poor tradeoff or ineffective without willfully casting those on the opposite side as evil or malicious. This unwillingness to acknowledge each others’ humanity and points of view is precisely why every issue is so unbearably partisan now. It’s not sufficient that we disagree. It’s but sufficient that the other side it’s just wrong. They must be actively evil for being wrong.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
  - drekk 5y ago
    If you think wearing a mask in social gatherings is abuse or mass punishment I don't know what to tell you. We may as well have not come up with germ theory! Children are not the fragile little snowflakes you're making them out to be, they understand the concept of responsibility and it is our job (ostensibly) as adults to make sure they embody it. Whining about masks in public during a viral epidemic is telling the youth that their personal whims come before the collective health. Which some of you may believe, I'm not here to argue with you if you do. Should masks and vaccines have been the only solution? No. Should families and small businesses have to deal with inconsistent public information and almost no financial support? No. But given the reality in which we find ourselves the bare minimum would be to not act like a mask is some particular burden. If you want to talk about mass punishment we could get on the topic of what nurses, doctors, and med techs are dealing with. Or all the "essential workers" that were treated like disposable refuse. It's especially funny when you take into account billions of people around the world regularly wear masks in public during flu season, but apparently North Americans can't handle it.

wernercd 5y ago

Wearing a mask and not meeting in groups also won't stop COVID. "it's realistic" it's realistic to face the fact that kids are unlikely to die from COVID so living in fear and spreading that fear is absolutely callous.