Originally Posted by
NoGodsNoSpotters
I'm arguing that masks are a common sense precaution against respiratory disease, and preferable to economically costly measures. See point 2: "It's not exactly rocket science to figure out why a mask would help protect yourself and others against coronavirus. Covid-19 is a respiratory disease that you catch by breathing shit in, and spread by breathing shit out. You don't need to cite any scientific studies to figure out that putting a filter in front of the thing you use to breath will help reduce the chances of both, even if that filter is imperfect, and in any event, certainly can do no physical harm. At worst, a mask does nothing, but common sense indicates that they would help." Nothing at all to do with the government.
1. Telling people not to wear masks was a transparent ploy to save limited supplies for frontline medical professionals. Right or wrong (and I heavily lean towards wrong in this case, due to the total erosion of public trust this kind of inconsistent messaging creates), this was the intention behind the action. Seems like there's probably a reason medical professionals want to wear them, and common sense reasoning backs up why they would have some beneficial effect.
2. Government vacillation based on fear mongering and political polarization has lead to an inconsistent implementation of response strategies. Whether or not you believe it was worth the economic costs, some countries have had success with lockdowns in terms of case numbers, because they implemented them effectively for that purpose. We implemented them ineffectively, and got the worst of both worlds, high case numbers and economic disaster. We are now in the position of having to deal with that reality. Whatever strategy is taken, the absolute worst thing a response can be is inconsistent, because this renders it ineffective in achieving any of its goals, and leaves us only with the costs.
3. I don't personally fear the physical effects of Covid. What I do fear is that another spike in cases will create more hysteria and lead to another lockdown when vacillating politicians again cave to public pressure. In the interest of preventing this from happening, I believe it is in our best interests to keep case numbers as low as possible, via taking such precautions as do not cause economic harm, which includes mask wearing. I'd much rather be able to go to work and the gym in a mask than be stuck at home with my life on hold again.
4. This has nothing to do with the government telling me to do this, I simply believe it's the smarter move given the circumstances. Refusing to wear masks because the government told you to do it is just as stupid as wearing a mask because the government told you to do. I don't need to involve the government's recommendation at all to come to my own conclusions. I do not care about ideology in this issue, I care about the tangible effects this will have on peoples' lives.
I am having this discussion because I see a lot of people lumping masks in with the rest of the government's inconsistent response, and using it as a political symbol in response to this. This is misguided, and will lead to yet more inconsistency in the public response to the issue, which as we've already seen, leads to the worst of both worlds in results. I have a vested interest in trying to get people to agree with my view on this, because the results of their compounded actions will ultimately have an effect on me.