The lesson I'm learning is that we should have worn masks during "flu season" all along. In crowded and poorly ventilated spaces at least. It's a cheap and easy measure and I don't know what the BFD is with masks.
Well, you see, I want to be able to persecute others because that's, like, the foundation of my religion. But it doesn't really feel right because I end up feeling like the instigator. So I go out looking for reasons I'm being persecuted against so I can sleep at night after a good long day of playing the victim and retaliatory persecuting others.
And that basically explains masks and the rest of the garbage the right yells about.
That's the damn truth lol. I wish I would've known and used masks more appropriately before; could have avoided a bunch of little respiratory infections. The most I would have had to deal with is people asking "are you sick?" because I'm wearing a mask
It used to be a valid question because the culture around masks was different before covid (where I live). Now people are more informed about types of masks and how to utilize them properly. If someone asks now, I just inform them; but the taboo is no longer really a thing. Some masks can protect others, some masks can protect both user and others.
Most I deal with now is someone pushing their ideologies about "not wearing one if you're not sick". And I'll try and inform them if they care to listen. My wife is immunosuppressed and I work as an ICU nurse; I don't play with fire when it could possibly end with me losing her, over something as simple as being aware. And neither of us have gotten covid yet, so we're doing something right.
Misinformation about masking and general public hygiene is it's own pandemic
Masks just aren't inherently a big deal. It's just been made one by people seeking to politicise what should be a universally accepted good (trying to stop the spread and harm of a pandemic/epidemic disease.) People have reframed it as "they" are trying to control you! So vote for me/buy my tat/give me attention and I will protect "us" from "them"! and just about everyone has been influenced in their response to this simple practical health issue in some way as a result. Some entirely buying into the message and insisting there's some insidious reason we're being asked to take simple actions to prevent infection, others simply being a little more lax in their action than they would be if there wasn't a fairly large vocal minority insisting that no action should be taken at all.
They are a big deal. Acting like it's not affecting your life is just as stupid as people saying the bill gates is creating a new world order it whatever. It affects our immune systems, it affects our social life's and it's more than annoying in certain climate conditions, if you have a runny nose etc.
I will always wear a mask if it's necessary but not just out of pure precaution
Reusable masks only go so far. Any mask will reduce your risk of spreading the virus to others. But a good mask will do so far better, and only a good mask will protect you from infection from others.
For reusable masks, the only good ones either are either only good for a limited number of washes or require replacing a disposable filter the provides the actual protection (and so are mostly just holders for the disposable masks. It's possible that the extra material saved using disposable filters vs disposable masks is not equal to the additional resources required to make the mask they fit into.)
Most reusable masks people wear tend to only provide ok protection for others and none for themselves. Often the ones I see provide very little protection for others and are really just a concession to following the word but not spirit of the rules.
I'd rather encourage people to use disposables that are usually far more effective than the reusables they would otherwise use personally.
The disposable masks are reusable until they're dirty, worn or damaged. They shouldn't be reused if you think you've been in a high exposure area but if you wear it while in the corner store for 2 minutes, you can safely reuse it.
The lesson I leaned is that as long as it's not a COVID everyone is dying, we need to save our healthcare system from collapsing situation we shouldn't wear masks because we need to be able to fend off common colds with our body or we are artificially creating a pandemic. For example we almost had a new collapse of infant care because way to many babies for a certain flu type after everything opened up again which would normally spread out over longer periods.