To Mask or not to two - Mask Megathread cont.

Far from disappeared and far from forcing but hey....

In all fairness, people weren't given the appropriate information about masks. They never even recommended respirator masks (N95, KN95) for protection. HSE website still has medical mask OR respirator mask as a choice. Huge sunglasses mean nothing.

Was in a chemist with someone wearing a face covering in front of me that was older, so more vulnerable asking for N95 masks. And just in case the assistant didn't know, she said they were the type of masks recommended for flying. The assistant also told the customer that it can be worn on buses or trains but no mention of wearing it in shops or crowded indoor places.

The whole messaging as been awful.

Protecting herself from dust and vicious indoor lighting in Dundrum Town Centre?

Some people don't want to be recognised and this is a new avenue to achieve that (in a non-crime scenario of course).

Borderline mental illness this

In the scenario I gave you, it's more likely than a COVID reason. I believe the article raises valid points.

How often has someone half jokingly said during the pandemic "Nobody recognises you in the shop, you don't have to make small talk to someone, it's great!"?

It's a possible explanation but I don't think it is the most logical conclusion.

I saw people wearing sunglasses indoors pre March 2020. Were most of them trying to go incognito? We don't know.

I see people wearing masks indoors post March 2022 without sunglasses or baseball caps or whatever, so don't seem to be trying to go incognito.

Therefore, logically, there are people who wear masks and sunglasses who are not trying to be incognito.

So if you think covid is a reason, why are you jumping to conclusions about hiding?

The Readimask NIOSH-approved N95 adhesive mask can be used sucessfully while in the dentists chair.

To be quite honest, as someone who has less than perfect hearing (some significant ear problems that most ppl don’t realise I have - middle ear damage, history of lots of ear surgery etc), I found the masks absolutely debilitating and didn’t go out very much when they were worn as I couldn’t understand people in shops and cafes and it just became frustrating / embarrassing to have to keep saying “what?” “Sorry could you say that louder?” I often hadn’t a clue what I was being said or even that someone was talking to me at all.

I had never ever had any issue significant issues going about my normal day to day stuff before and wouldn’t really normally even be all that aware of it. It was the first time I realised how much I use lip reading as a cue to filter noise and tune in to what someone is saying. Once I can’t see lips moving it’s suddenly much harder to interpret what’s being said or pick speech out from background noise. It’s a visual cue that’s hugely important to me.

I also found people would take their mask off / down when they realised I couldn’t figure out what was being said and that just got awkward so mostly I just tended to go out a lot less. It was just easier to shop online and stick to quieter places.

I appreciate the need for masks was there, and I wear them when appropriate, like visiting hospitals etc but they were a lot more problematic for some of us than they are for others.

It’s been a huge sense of reconnection for me since they’ve largely gone. Small talk and banter is back!

So? Have you an actual opinion on that, or just back to dumping twitter links?

Oh, and I for one would love to see you own up to your stance as suggested by Jac about a dozen posts back.

Anyway...

I read the BBC article and they aren't the first to suggest that mask wearing was a benefit to introverted people. We've had several examples of people in this thread who have tried to actively distance themselves from others and everyday social interactions before Covid - which is of course entirely their choice. I disagree with it personally as I don't think it's necessarily good for their mental health or access to opportunities that such interactions can lead to, but it's their lives and they are free to live it as they wish.

But, when that personal choice crosses into an attitude that others should facilitate it beyond simple courtesy or tolerance then there is a problem - and that applies regardless of whether their underlying reason is social or medical concerns.

Just as they are free to wear their mask for whatever reason they want, so too are others just as free to decide not to and to go about their business and interactions without comment. That of course is a concept that some mask wearers have struggled with, but as I predicted months ago, covid concerns and mask wearing have rightly faded as people move back to normal life and have a lot more to worry about at the moment.

You have been posting in thread for what over a year and your still referencing masks as jokes and silly looking things.

Essentially you have just asked what's the point of that mask?

Really.

The virus doesn’t care that you have an impacted wisdom tooth.