In “early Covid” it was hard to find masks and the guidance was not to wear masks. Masks didn’t become widely used in England until summer 2020 or required until fall 2020. By that point the panic was over and we knew who was at risk and who wasn’t, and people should have behaved very differently based on their own risk profile.

What’s clear is that, today, anyone still wearing a mask outside is either a) really stupid; b) needs psychiatric help for the phobia/trauma that Covid has given them; or c) a virtue-signalling dipshit.

This might be what it is in other parts of the country, and that's fine if it is, but it is bizarre to hear someone that has lived in NYC during the pandemic (bossabreezes) try to claim that most people wearing masks are virtue-signaling. Like, tell me you're out of touch without telling me you're out of touch. Ideology probably hasn't factored much at all into +90% of NYC's personal decisions on mask wearing.

In NYC, opting to wear masks has never really been about demonstrating political ideology. OTOH, not wearing masks (in places where required) has sometimes been a demonstration of political ideology, but even that is nuanced. In my anecdotal observations, the most common demographics in the city that have eschewed masks throughout the pandemic are 1) the homeless, 2) black and latino males under the age of 40, 3) high schoolers of any race or gender, and then maybe 4) are people trying to make a libertarian political point (usually white guys between 30 and 60).

I haven't really done that since NYC began requiring proof of vaccination in bars and restaurants last year. It's also probably not really an effective way of mitigating spread, since the definition of exposure is spending 15 minutes in close contact with an infected person. So you're better off wearing the mask while sitting at your table and taking it off to walk to the restroom.

d) there are a LOT of overweight/ unhealthy people who despite dropping Covid numbers are probably still wary of getting infected but yes, this pandemic became an all-you-can-eat buffet for hypochondriacs and introverts. I think a healthy 30 year-old wearing a mask everywhere is asinine but I'm not going to pass judgement same way with a 60-something who looks like they are five minutes from a coronary.

You shouldn't assume someone is "healthy" because of their appearance. A "healthy looking" 30 year old can also be immunocompromised.

True but unless there is an overrepresentation of "healthy looking" 30-somethings with health issues wearing masks, I still think most of it is for appearances. It also varies depending on what part of town; in my area (conservative middle to upper middle class suburb) many people still wear them but they skew older (50's and up) where as in town, you see far more young people with them on. Outside too.

Oh cut it out! You know what he meant.

You see so many 30 year old fucktards wearing masks and probably 99% of them aren’t immunocompromised. They are buffoons.

Now I agree with Steely that some people are wearing them for convenience—headed to the doctor’s office or the train, or perhaps it keeps their face warm in the cold (even I do that to be honest).

But enough clowns are doing it that we all know that it’s just them being dimwits. We can chuckle inwardly at them, and we will, even if you don’t like it. But I’m polite enough that I would never say anything to anyone.

I see more people under 30 and than I do people over 60 wearing them. I get that younger people are more pliable and older people are more stubborn and set in their ways but masking for many hasn't been about public health or safety for a while. I literally have heard on multiple occasions that everyone should (or must) wear them so others will feel safe.

And if I hear someone say those who don't wear them are selfish....

https://c.tenor.com/HYiEFm-aqOIAAAAM...-beat-down.gif

Not entirely clear: Is a 30-something immunocompromised mask-wearer an asshole!?

No.

Yeah, it's clear if this person walked by a few forumers they would be super upset and have an emotional reaction of pure rage. The majority of people don't care, but a few people will and are vocal about how people wear masks. If a person is vocal for people wearing or not wearing masks, they are having an emotional reaction. The people reacting to an invidual wearing a mask is more prominent, thus I will say that mask wearers are living "rent free" in anti-masker's heads.
As Steely said...nobody knows. Accept and stop caring.

*masks might be a good option during fire season in CA.

you people are still arguing about masks. Move on, on both sides. Geesh

^ why not? It’s the last bit of Covid nonsense that exists. If you want to look like a fool then by all means, keep wearing them, but the mandates need to go. And people arguing the opposite, and standing in the way of putting this all behind us, deserve ridicule.

Just ignorant, or stupid.

I saw some dipshit walking down the street (not crowded) yesterday wearing a plastic face shield. What in the fuck does he expect that to do?

If someone is really terrified of Covid because they have a specific, severe medical condition that means they are at significant risk even after vaccination, then yeah fine, wear an N95 around in public, tightly fitted to your face, and do this for the rest of your life. Otherwise the logic doesn’t stack up.

Well... It actually SHOULD'VE been people under 30 wearing masks more than anyone else. The most fundamental reason given for mask mandates was to minimize infected people from unwittingly spreading the virus to others. The idea actually wasn't about individuals protecting themselves.

Well actually, that logic doesn’t stand up either.

In order to actually be protecting others, it would involve the mask preventing you from getting covid in general (either knowingly or unknowingly) and then spreading it. But now we know the masks were not very effective at preventing contracting covid. No matter how many masks we wore, covid numbers kept spiking until the virus infected enough people and eventually slowed down.

Also, there’s been some discussion how some are “triggered” or “angry” about others wearing masks. Not me. I stand for their freedom to wear whatever they want. It is sad though, IMO, to see so many impressionable young people easily brainwashed. That’s all. And yes, they’re anti-science if they still think everyone should be wearing masks for the greater good. I’ve never said anything to the random masked biker or jogger, its not my place. Live and let be.

There’s a reason the mandates, for BOTH masks and vaccines are ending. If you don’t acknowledge that, so be it. But it is a sign of deeper issues going on.

Yep, wear a mask if you want. Don't wear a mask if you don't want to. Let's move on to other things like whether or not we'll need a 4th shot this fall when a new variant forms a giant wave just before Thanksgiving weekend.
:runaway:

I hope conscientious hypochondriacs wear their masks forever :shrug:

Doesn't bother me. At least it's better than being around a bunch of mouth breathing loud talkers with poor personal hygiene. You know the type, the ones who come into work wiping their nose and coughing up a storm because "it's just a cold."

While we're at it can we normalize mask wearing by waitstaff and food service workers? I don't want them breathing on my food.

I'm ok with that, that should've been done before Covid. That will probably mean that employers will have to pay their staff more as the anti mask employees quit, but if you go out to eat, you are already expecting to pay higher prices plus a tip of at least 20%.

Sounds a little classist to me. Waiters are not below you, or more infectious than you.

Would you approve of shock collars on the wee folk not only breathing on your food but shock them if they don't meet your needs.

How about blinders and face shields on them so they cannot look at your food.

What makes you think kitchen workers are less clean than you? Does your shit smell better then the others?

Or are you just a hypochondriac that many here live with and make the rest of them around them miserable.



Anyway I don't mind those that will mask for the rest of their life voluntarily.

At least we know who they are and are easily identifiable.