Empathy and Understanding: Mask-Wearing for Personal Reasons

Happy Memorial Day, my southern neighbors,

Could people just skip this thing that parts of both our countries are going through, where they are creating a divide - either it's ideological or political or something - around mask versus no mask. This is senseless.

Try and dial up empathy and understanding.

If someone is wearing a mask, they're not doing it to represent what political party, cultural group, or religious affiliation they support. They might be doing it because they have a 5-year-old child who's been going through cancer treatments. They might have vulnerable adults in their life who currently have Covid and are desperately fighting.

If one chooses to wear a mask, there should be no shaming. We could just look at them and say, "That person's wearing a mask because for them, there's additional risk in their life."

How easy is that? Come on, man! Karen

Hey Karen, my understanding is the main purpose of the mask is to prevent others from whatever the mask wearer might have.  Like COVOD-19.  It's really a courteous, considerate behaviour.  

Thanks for your thoughts,

Mike

You are right and also to prevent our voice "spit" or sneezes or cough droplets from reaching each other.   I have a dentist appointment on June 8 - the first week they are opening up their offices here. "I am a tad timid." I lost a filling so it is a need. I learned from the dental assistant when I expressed my safety concerns that there will only be two people working in the office, both of whom have been tested (regularly) so I am not to worry. Then she made me snicker when she added matter-of-factly, "We are worried about what you may be spreading." Just another way of thinking.

Karen

My wife and I went to a local restaurant on Friday on the shore of beautiful Lake Superior to get takeout, and most everybody wore a mask. As we were eating our smoked turkey poutine, a sheriff's deputy pulled up, and guess what? No mask on! To me, this was rude, especially since the order taker was wearing one and using hand sanitizer after every customer. Now, granted, this is a rural county, and the cops aren't very busy dealing with the public, but they are the ones who are supposed to enforce the no crowding and mask-wearing.

Hi Ron,

Funny you should mention that. I noticed the same thing here with our law enforcement. It appears that the powers that control are not subject to what they are telling us to do. Where are our role models when we need them? Karen

Karen

There's a saying "Don't believe the hype"

Well for me it's not hype... it's real

The death rate is close to 100,000 and that's

not counting those that didn't get tested.

I have lost a family member to the virus.

So for me it's real... I will follow the guidelines.

I will be wearing my mask regardless of those

who choose not to.

Take care,

Angelicamarie

My sentiments exactly, Angelica Marie. I'll wear my mask until I feel safe to do otherwise, regardless of how long it takes.

I share the following link to a research paper not because I agree or disagree with it, but rather because I enjoy different perspectives on a topic. If you read it, keep in mind the words popularized by Mark Twain in the book "Chapters from My Autobiography": "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340570735_Masks_Don't_Work_A_review_of_science_relevant_to_COVID-19_social_policy

We lost 2 to COVID in our small community that I know of, a 3rd is a friend of a friend and family members in New York told me of lost friends and co-workers. I am trying to remember the last time I knew 6 people directly that died from the flu and I can't.

I am wearing my mask and gloves not just for me but for others' safety as well. I went through 18 surgeries already with Ostomy. I am not putting my family through 1 more hospital visit if I can prevent it.

Rain

I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents.

I live in NY and had to travel to Japan for work. My friends and family were terrified that I was traveling to a country with COVID-19, but my wife and I were confident that the Japanese would keep things under control. Two weeks after arriving in Tokyo, NY had become the epicenter of the virus.

Tokyo's cases increased and the assumption was that if they didn't take precautions, it would become another NYC.

We have been here for almost three months now and will be traveling back tomorrow. Tokyo is now reporting less than ten new cases a day. Tokyo is an even more dense city than NYC, but they have universally worn masks and been cleaning everything.

Wearing a mask is not to protect yourself (although it offers some protection). It is very useful in stopping the spread of the virus to other people, especially if we are all doing it. It is inconvenient and annoying, but it is a small price to pay to save lives and keep our economy going.

There were more COVID-19 deaths in one day in NY than in all of Japan.

Please wear masks. Listen to the 99% of medical professionals who are asking us to do this. It is always possible to find the one outlying opinion to support your views. For all of our sakes, please listen to the pleas of our healthcare workers. Wear your mask proudly and defend your community and our economy.

Sorry for the ramble.

Take care everyone and stay healthy.

I am a tax preparer here in the US, specifically Kentucky. So you can imagine our office was considered an essential service. We instituted drop-off only, masks required, gloves for employees, and extensive sanitation and cleaning between customers, and every morning and at closing, including door handles. Office hours and days were cut back, and only 1 or 2 employees in the office at a time. Anything we could do to keep everybody safer - including our customers as well as our employees - is being done. I am actually more afraid right now as Kentucky is starting to open back up than when most everything was shut down. I'm just holding my breath waiting to see what will happen!

I don't know about Canada, but over here (and particularly Kentucky, because that's what I can speak towards), it's more likely to be shaming for people not wearing masks! In point of fact, though, I really haven't heard much of any divide between wearing or not wearing. I hope we can stay this united throughout the coming weeks as more and more opens up.

Typical of any civil liberties union. I believe the NIH spokespersons. Besides, I can just see ignoring their advice. If they are correct (notice the word correct instead of they are right. I have risked my life because it is a right!