Dear Amerika

[Spikes]

Best to stay home if you do not want to get sick. If you go out....... you will get sick, sooner or later.

Oh... and do not have any visitors or accept any orders or supplies.

Uhh...some people have jobs that they have to go to in order to survive.

[Arlo]

It was as soon as I could get the mask, gown and gloves off with each one to get to the next. Good N95s are not fun to wear even when it’s cool, cold or low humidity.

I understand the discomfort or even the pain of wearing certain masks for long periods of time under certain conditions.



And I sympathize.

But the 'danger of wearing a mask' during this pandemic is dangerous hyperbole.

https://californiahealthline.org/news/mask-controversy-health-care-workers-want-public-to-wear-them/

[Hajo]

First I'd like to say we don't know enough about Covid to make a general statement.  Some issues.  We know already that the virus in some instances has caused liver and kidney damage even though one has recovered.  We also have evidence that it can weaken the heart as another long term effect.  Simply put we don't know squat about long term effects. Hell we don't know anything really about the virus. They are testing drugs to combat the virus.  We don't know if we have anything that will protect in the long term or if they will have detrimental consequences on our bodies.

Best thing simply put is to NOT get the virus.  Follow recommendations to protect yourself AND OTHERS.  Do what you can for your family, yourself and others.

We just don't have solid information about anything on this virus. Even our professionals don't know much.  Until then use common sense.  Do what you can to protect your loved ones and friends.

[Eagler]

Something tells me the guy on the right was not wearing the same mask as the women on the left is...

And that to have a mask work properly it has to be the mask the guy on the right had and wore the way he had it on...pulled tight as hell to keep it out properly.

I have yet to see anyone cough or sneezing with a mask on...which is supposed to be when most germs are expelled..

Eagler

[Shuffler]

Google isn't yours, apparently.

https://www.bbc.com/news/53108405

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/18/fact-check-whats-true-and-whats-false-face-masks/5458858002/

https://www.pennlive.com/coronavirus/2020/07/does-wearing-a-face-mask-pose-health-risks-despite-rumors-and-critics-the-answer-for-most-is-no.html

Media??? I'll go with medical over that.

[Arlo]

Media??? I'll go with medical over that.

You're the one that brought up Google. And those mainstream media sources rely on medical information. All this 'hate/mistrust the mainstream media' emotion generally comes from wanting only politically biased sources that back up one's own politically biased opinions.

[Spikes]

Media??? I'll go with medical over that.

Media which references medical organizations, if you actually read them.

[Wiley]

You're the one that brought up Google. And those mainstream media sources rely on medical information. All this 'hate/mistrust the mainstream media' emotion generally comes from wanting only politically biased sources that back up one's own politically biased opinions.

Where they colossally screwed up was when they said at first that masks weren't effective so people wouldn't panic buy them, then turned around and said everybody should wear one.  Although I assumed that was the case the instant I heard it, a lot of people now don't trust anything they say.

Also, it's nearly impossible to find objective information anymore.  The vast majority of stuff you find posted on the internet has some kind of slant on it.  We have all the info in the world available to us, and separating the wheat from the chaff is a daunting task at best.

Deep down, much like most of what the TSA does, I think it's mostly theater.  But, if it reduces the chances even a bit, and more importantly makes people more comfortable being around other people, IMO a bit of discomfort is worth it.

Edit: Erring on the side of caution in this case seems worth it to me.

Wiley.

[MiloMorai]

Where they colossally screwed up was when they said at first that masks weren't effective so people wouldn't panic buy them, then turned around and said everybody should wear one.  Although I assumed that was the case the instant I heard it, a lot of people now don't trust anything they say.

Also, it's nearly impossible to find objective information anymore.  The vast majority of stuff you find posted on the internet has some kind of slant on it.  We have all the info in the world available to us, and separating the wheat from the chaff is a daunting task at best.

Deep down, much like most of what the TSA does, I think it's mostly theater.  But, if it reduces the chances even a bit, and more importantly makes people more comfortable being around other people, IMO a bit of discomfort is worth it.

Edit: Erring on the side of caution in this case seems worth it to me.

Wiley.

That could be fixed from the top down if the Top would wear a mask all the time.

[Wiley]

That could be fixed from the top down if the Top would wear a mask all the time.

The politicizing of it all is another muddying factor.

From a certain point of view this is really fascinating, and just in general it's kind of horrifying to watch how people react.  IMO it's the first large, widely spread Bad Thing that's happened in the world, or at least North America since the internet and social media evolved to its current form.

The unending avalanche of doom and gloom and slanted information from all sides and the way pretty much everything is designed to be clickbait these days makes discerning useful information almost impossible for the average layman.

That coupled with the way this disease seems to behave in so many different ways makes the entire situation confusing on a level I've certainly never seen before.  Some people die, some people walk it off, and although there are broad tendencies, it's not always the ones you'd expect either way.

So many unknowns, better off just living the hermit life.

Wiley.

[icepac]

Where they colossally screwed up was when they said at first that masks weren't effective so people wouldn't panic buy them, then turned around and said everybody should wear one. 

"They" need a little delay in the mask buying scramble to ensure that the medical professionals on the front lines have a chance of getting some.     

[Arlo]

It's a mask, people, not a straight jacket.

[Wiley]

"They" need a little delay in the mask buying scramble to ensure that the medical professionals on the front lines have a chance of getting some.   

Oh I get that, and from that perspective it wasn't a terrible idea, but the other consequences of that decision seem to have really screwed things up.  It's just a shame it was necessary/they felt it was necessary to do it.

I'm not sure if it would've changed what the people that don't trust what people in authority think anyways, but I think it had a pretty deep impact on a lot of people to not trust what they say going forward.

When they first said masks don't work, I thought it was about as obvious as a 5 year old being asked if they ate all the cookies and saying, "No I didn't." when they're covered in crumbs, but apparently a lot of people were shocked they were lied to.

Wiley.

[Shuffler]

You're the one that brought up Google. And those mainstream media sources rely on medical information. All this 'hate/mistrust the mainstream media' emotion generally comes from wanting only politically biased sources that back up one's own politically biased opinions.

You can use Google to find medical source too.... hint hint. 

[Arlo]

https://www.cjr.org/special_report/the-fall-rise-and-fall-of-media-trust.php