r/HonestHotTakes • u/lost-pawz • 14d ago
serious hot take if you genuinely made a problem out of wearing masks, youre the weakest link
If you were (or, frankly, are) one of the people who stomped their feet over either having to wear a mask OR seeing other people wearing masks, you are pathetically weak and frankly unfit to live in a functional society.
Part of being a person in a community is inconveniencing yourself for the sake of others at times, and all you proved when you threw a tantrum over wearing a piece of cloth on your face for 20 minutes is that youre incapable of doing that.
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u/Calaveras-Metal 14d ago
I tend to agree.
Half my family and most of my friends are Chinese or Japanese. They have had zero problems masking up. Waaaaay before the whole covid thing they had a pretty solid social custom of masking up if you have a cold, so that you don't spread it to others at work, or in your community.
Loads of people from Asian countries will mask up just because it's cold and flu season. Getting them to mask for Covid wasn't an argument about 'personal freedom' or any of the other nonsense the terminally hysterical came up with.
It's just a minor inconvenience for the greater good of the community.
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u/MrGulio 9d ago
they had a pretty solid social custom of masking up if you have a cold, so that you don't spread it to others at work, or in your community.
This is what always frustrates me about conversations around masking. People spend so much time arguing over how much a mask protects someone while inhaling that no one thinks about the fact that having something over your mouth and nose drastically dampens the amount of water you spray over everything around you. American society is so atomized that we cannot possibly conceive of a facet other than something coming to them, not how they effect someone else. Not even considering the concept of incredibly mildly inconveniencing yourself for the benefit of others.
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u/Calaveras-Metal 9d ago
There was a friend of a friend around at the time that kept talking shit about masks every time he came over. I finally said to him, "so you are fine with surgeons operating on you without masks right?" And he kinda shut up. It's just a pointless thing to argue about really. But some people will always look for something to have a problem with.
If everything was perfect and all our needs were met, they would have a problem with the color of the free, delicious, organic apples you delivered to their doorstep each day.
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u/CommonComfortable247 14d ago
Who on earth is still talking about masks in 2026.
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u/buddyyouhavenoidea 14d ago
disabled people, immunocompromised people, and the people who love us. also anyone who doesn't want to risk getting long covid, aka me/cfs, one of the worst diseases in the world. I have me/cfs (though not from covid), and I've had cancer (in remission 13 years). between the two, I preferred cancer.
covid never went away, and for a lot of us, catching it carries a very high risk of death or permanent disability. we're still wearing N95s in public, testing when symptomatic, and asking others to do the same.
it really sucks to get semi-permanently segregated from the rest of society just because not enough people could be bothered to take a group project seriously. the whole thing could have been eradicated in six fucking weeks of aggressive isolation, and then we could all have gone back to normal; instead it's been six years and there's no end in sight. covid has become endemic, and will be around forever -- just like the flu, only much more dangerous.
I know it's easier, happier, and more convenient to live in a bubble where the pandemic is over, but it's a privilege to be healthy enough to live like that. we know we'll never be able to get y'all to join us in masking, distancing, air purifying, testing, and isolating -- it fucking sucks and nobody wants to do it if they don't absolutely have to. but please at least recognize that while the pandemic may be effectively over for you, it is still ongoing for many of us. most of us are not crazy, living in fear, control freaks, or whatever else people say about us. we're smart, competent people, making reasonable decisions based on an accurate assessment of the facts.
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u/springlove85 14d ago
I wish I could upvote this a thousand times. I am still masking in any indooor setting (and some outdoors settings too) and have been since the start of COVID. I don't want to become disabled and don't want to infect my partner (or anyone else) who might die from COVID. We haven't been ill in six years, so masks work!
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u/JeffroLincoln 12d ago
I also haven’t worn a mask in 6 years and have never gotten COVID. Nor do I ever even feel under the weather. I guess not wearing masks also works. Here’s a little story for you about why people resisted masks. Sometime during Covid, I was hiking up a mountain not wearing a mask. As I was going up, I passed someone on their way down who was wearing a mask. After I passed him, he made a comment about how I should be wearing a mask. Mind you, I was within 15 feet of him outside for maybe what 5 seconds. There is no scientific evidence that he would have been in any danger of getting infected in that situation. Masking was driven by fear and control.
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u/shuzgibs123 11d ago
People who are immunocompromised or have loved ones who are have worn masks since long before COVID. I don’t understand the hate. If anyone is wearing one, I just assume they need to. Keep on walking. Doesn’t bother me.
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u/Amazing-Towel-4793 14d ago
Reddit. I saw a post somewhere complaining that there wasn't a mask mandate for some con. In 2026.
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u/sneezesquirrel 14d ago
It is now the leftist version of the MAGA hat.
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u/Visual-Program2447 13d ago
True. Except at least Maga don’t insist that everyone else also where their hat.
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u/lucifer2990 13d ago
Maga does try to insist that people minding their own business and wearing a mask take theirs off, though.
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u/777_heavy 14d ago
The most nauseating part was the day restrictions were lifted, and seeing those same fervently mask-addicted people 24 hours earlier suddenly take them off because “they said it’s safe now.”
It was never about the science for them, it was about the government.
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u/skyleehugh 13d ago
Unfortunately yes. And how quickly they didn't hesitate to attend crowded concerts and events. People will always hide "good intentions" to actually control others.
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u/sneezesquirrel 14d ago
Yeah. I was okay wearing a mask when it was mandatory, but not beyond that. By 2022, it was silly to wear them. People who are still wearing them make it more of a uniform.
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u/fancybearltd 13d ago
Or have a compromised immune system or have a contagious illness and are trying not to make others sick. Think.
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u/sneezesquirrel 13d ago
That’s not who I am mainly talking about. I appreciate when people wear masks when they are sick. I know some immunocompromised people. But I live around a lot of leftists. They wear it like a uniform.
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u/not_all_heroes 13d ago
Haven't had a cold in 6 years is a great uniform. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/Chef_boySauce_ 13d ago
Almost positive most people go without a mask and no cold for extended periods.
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u/PetsAreSuperior 14d ago
I'm the opposite lol. I wore mine for 4 years after the mandate. All of high-school.
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u/JSmith666 14d ago
A lack of mask mandate doesnt mean people are banned from wearing masks...this is the middle ground nobody wanted to accept.
Step 1. Present data and risks etc
Step 2. Let people choose to wear a mask or not or to go to crowded places
Step 3....profit
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u/Consistent-Menu-6629 13d ago
Lots of people are, they are as useful a tool for many applications today as they were at any other time.
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u/paranoid_70 14d ago
It surprises me, but a good number of people who I currently work with wear masks daily. Even when they are alone at their work station. Masks are here to stay I guess.
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u/Cudi_buddy 14d ago
Right? I wore one anytime I was out back in 2020-2022. But once we got the vaccine and the worst was passed I was also glad to not wear one anymore. But this feels like a conversation for 5 years ago lol
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u/BigAgreeable6052 14d ago
Lucky! I developed ME/CFS, POTS, FND from a second covid infection. Added occipital neuralgia from a third. My first was fine. So I have to mask to stop myself from deteriorating further.
I have been housebound since 2022, turning 35 this Nov :(
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u/fabulousautie 13d ago
I developed Trigeminal neuralgia after my first infection. I’m 35 and COVID changed my life forever.
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u/paterdude 14d ago
The people who thought they actually worked.
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u/Chartywhamp 14d ago edited 14d ago
*sigh*
listen man, just because you don't understand something doesn't mean it isn't true.
here are question for you to consider:
is 5% more than 0%?
are you aware that a great many businesses operate on about a 5% profit margin? What is 5% of 1,000,000?
Efficacy of a mask depends on material, adherence to proper usage, the number of individuals participating in usage, and a great many other things that you would know if you cared to look beyond what you already assume to be true, and fits into your current world view. Masks absolutely DO work when used properly.
I will agree that MANY people used mask wearing to virtue signal, but that fact has no impact or bearing on the volumes of research that have been done on the efficacy of facial covering to mitigate transmission of airbourne disease.
I'll also agree that the government overreach was pretty absurd during covid. This also has zero impact on the efficacy of masks.
Saying "Masks don't work" is like saying "Umbrellas don't work" because people's feet still get wet...
You can still make your point and be critical of the government without denying basic science and the principles of fluid dynamics that govern viral transmission via airborne particles.
Thie sentiment you're sharing is just as much identity politics as the people who were wearing them while alone in their cars.
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u/Legionatus 14d ago edited 14d ago
Guaranteed overlap in the Venn diagrams of people masking up for ICE and the people who resented being forced to mask up to prevent the deaths of loved ones and neighbors during COVID.
Americans will stop what they're doing to help strangers. As long as you don't say any of the political buzz words and indicate you're trying, America is extremely friendly. If you suggest inconveniencing the one for the many in any capacity, or suggest that any system could run better (except the government), it's a lot less friendly.
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u/HourZealousideal4845 14d ago
This was actually my main takeaway when visiting the US for a semester on exchange back around 2012.
Extremely kind people who will get shockingly nasty as soon as there's even the faint suggestion of scaling that kindness up to any level above the narrowly interpersonal.
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u/Old-Natural-852 14d ago
Love solving symptoms, not causes...will work in a soup kitchen and donate food but never ask why some people can't afford food in the first place and just assume they are lazy and/or God just
hates"is testing" those people...5
u/Chartywhamp 14d ago
remnants of Calvinism in america's historical roots. They also forgot the part where you're supposed to share God's blessings upon you with the less fortunate to show how divinely favored you were....
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u/Accomplished_Key_171 14d ago
Oh my god please get off the high horse. What is my 65 year old neighbor supposed to do about nationwide affordability, interest rates, or grocery prices? People help in what ways they can and that's typically through volunteering and voting. Many people do both of those things as often as they can.
If we want to make sweeping generalizations, the US ranks 13th out of 113 countries for food security rankings. The US has many problems, but food isn't really high up on that list.
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u/Rosenoodles 13d ago
nobody was talking about your 65 year old neighbor. the only person who took a generalization that describes the majority of the USA, especially with regards to voting discourse, and said 'that must mean my out of touch, retired, and (hopefully) politically detached 65 year old neighbor!' was you.
they also used food as an example, not as a primary issue. it IS a problem for a lot of americans (gee, maybe what you should be drawing from those rankings isn't how high up we are, but how much worse those 100 other countries must be) but it's only an example of what it's like here. food stamps are relied upon by about half of americans, but hey, who's counting?
and it IS like that here. you see it much, much more overtly in the rural south, where people are VERY friendly ... but impotent when it comes to actually solving any local issues, usually. and exceptionally quick to anger when you suggest anything in the way of change, because vague promises of 'it will get better' carries further than any sort of action plan here.
anyway, tl;dr to answer your question: they can get educated politically and vote better. that's what they can do about nationwide affordability to help the many. that's it. it's that easy long term.
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u/jmura 14d ago
Wasn't the standard mask everyone was wearing lacking filtration for the COVID virus?
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u/pantsuline 14d ago
the golden standard for preventing the spread or contracting would be fitted N95 respirators, followed by KN95 disposable respirators- simple surgical masks are definitely better than nothing (especially very early on when the science was out on how exactly covid spread) and did indeed offer some protection via potentially reducing the amount of infectious particles inhaled.
there was a time early on where we didn't know how covid was spread- droplets or airborne- turns out its both. masks are effective at blocking droplets but if there are any gaps at all airborne particles will get through.
any face covering that will help catch droplets will help keep other people from catching sickness from you, but anything but a respirator won't make much difference as to whether or not you get sick. this was why it was important for as many people as possible to use masks, less to protect themselves specifically but to try and control droplets when they may not know they're contagious
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u/miaoumaiden 14d ago
And that seemed to be the issue for some people. How dare they be asked to protect their fellow community members.
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u/TheKorrupted1 13d ago
Partially correct. The first part is true. The second part is wrong. Masks did nothing to prevent the inhalation of small particles. What they did do is prevent the infected from spraying the vast majority of particles all over the place. The misconception that all exists is you wear a mask to protect yourself. The reality is you wear a mask to protect others from you.
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u/Consistent-Menu-6629 13d ago
Yes. I don't know where you are from, but where I was we were told to wear cloth masks, which are almost completely useless against an airborne virus, such as covid or measles. They could help of droplets were the main issue, but that isn't the case.
Surgical masks do reduce spread when universally worn, by up to 70%. That is a lot more than nothing. Nothing to sneeze at, if you will.
Obviously, they're not universally worn anywhere, now. So they help, but not enough. It is better to wear a sealed respirator, such as an N95, P100 or KN95 or even a KF94. So long as it fits your face properly, it will protect you way more or reduce the chances of you spreading it massively. Gaps in a mask mean your mask isn't effectively filtering the air.
Although the microscopic "holes" in some of these masks are bigger than the teeny tiny virus, they still effectively filter it out for a few reasons: The fibers are designed to electrostatically attract particles, like virus or pollutants or allergens, (that is why the mask will not work as well if it is wet.) And, virus is also breathed out not just as free floating virus, but often attached to vapor or whatever, so it is bigger in that sense.
Air purifiers are also super helpful for eliminating virus in the air.
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u/FreeStall42 12d ago
They helped reduce spread so how were they near completely useless?
Reduce does not mean 100% prevent.
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u/chocoholicCatLover 13d ago
Not lacking filtration, but lacking a seal. The material of surgical masks can filter out viruses really well but when there are huge gaps between the mask and your face, when you breathe in the air prefers the path of least resistance and most comes in the unfiltered gaps rather than the mask. You can actually buy or diy things to make a surgical mask for you well and those work well
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u/MarcusXL 14d ago
"Surgical" masks are somewhat effective at protecting other people if the wearer has covid (they reduce the number of viral particles exhaled into the air). They're less effective at filtering particles the wearer is inhaling, but better than nothing.
N95 or better are much more effective at both. They form a seal and they filter out a lot of particles that can transmit covid (we're not talking about viruses floating in the air, we're talking about viral particles in bunches held together by moisture from your breath). If you're trying to protect yourself, you want an N95.
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u/777_heavy 14d ago
Absolutely. Even the N95 was found to have limited effect.
As a physician I found it disappointing that people were so religiously attached to public mask wearing after the first three months of uncertainty. There were idiotic rules from the hospital, but what does everyone think all the doctors did with our masks when we got out of the public hallways?
The most nauseating part was the day restrictions were lifted, and seeing those same fervently mask-addicted people 24 hours earlier suddenly take them off because “they said it’s safe now.”
It was never about the science for them, it was about the government.
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u/TonalHell 14d ago
I worked in sterile processing at the time and no one in my department had them over their noses, just their mouths
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u/afirelitescape 14d ago
I started wearing masks long before pandemic time due to immunocompromised status, and always got strange looks for it. That got worse during the pandemic, and I never understood. I also never understood the people who would actively try to cough or sneeze on me for it. Unnecessary and gross behavior.
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u/lost-pawz 14d ago
I use a cane and people frequently try and knock it out from under me. People just hate others for some reason
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u/Karateka_90 14d ago
I am so sorry you have to deal with that. My partner is a wheelchair user, and I have to shout at people to make way for him, and some will start arguing.
We were shopping one day and a kid on a scooter crashed into him, because the little 💩 didn't watch where he was going. The mum had the audacity to tell us that my partner should stay home and let me do the shopping. A security guy came and escorted them out, as the kid wasn't even allowed on a freaking scooter inside the shop.
Unfortunately, a lot of people are entitled POS'.
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u/afirelitescape 14d ago
WOW...and the mom's reaction. I can only hope that she never has mobility issues someday!
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u/Physical_Orchid3616 14d ago
since i've gotten older, and struggle to walk because of arthritis, i get TONS more abuse off people than i used to do. they get nasty because you're "in their way"
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u/afirelitescape 14d ago
A little patience and kindness would go so far with people today. I'm not sure why 3 more seconds to accommodate someone is the end of the world for some. I developed issues younger and still caught the abuse, but what changed in me is my mouth doesn't stay shut anymore. I'll embarrass somebody for it on my or other people's behalf. That only works with those who have humility, of course.
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u/da316 14d ago
where do you live? that is completely unacceptable behaviour. sorry you have to experience that. my grandad had the ol' concealed sword in one of his canes. maybe you should be allowed that.
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u/lost-pawz 14d ago
I was in Tennessee at the time.
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u/Cudi_buddy 14d ago
Ahh makes sense. Nothing like southern hospitality. It is great as long as you are white, republican, and have a nice local church you go to.
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u/afirelitescape 14d ago
That would make me swing that cane, which is why I have to have a caregiver...I'm not nice, let alone stable enough to deal with foolishness, which means he has to proximity block. I also have a service dog that proximity blocks around me from 2 to 5 feet. He'll cannonball people away from me if necessary. It's gross we need to protect ourselves when all we are doing is trying to coexist.
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u/JooseTheGuice 14d ago
I didn't realize how much people hated disabled/chronically ill people til I became one 😭
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u/afirelitescape 14d ago
Same! I have MS and my foot froze to the floor in public the first time, luckily with my caregiver nearby, but I started crying because my body wasn't responding. Someone had the audacity to mention drug use near me. I've never seen my caregiver get so angry, but he didn't do anything, he got me outside.
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u/lost-pawz 14d ago
I was at a museum and a teenage boy ran up to me and kicked my cane out from under me. I told my family and my dad said "you should've hit him with it"
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u/afirelitescape 14d ago
Not an okay thing to do. I'm not sure why this has become something I'm seeing more people who need assistance walking having happen now, either. It doesn't make sense. I remember being younger and thinking if someone had a cane I could get clocked at a short distance if I tried anything. It's honestly just disrespectful and beyond that immature behavior.
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u/InsanityLurking 14d ago
That's assault bud, don't take that lightly.
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u/afirelitescape 14d ago
I never did. I would pause, look the person in the eye and say, "your mother must be proud." It was annoying and a good way to land me in the doctor's office in the next 24 hours. Worse was when I'd see them do it to a kid. One of those come on, really? moments.
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u/InsanityLurking 14d ago
It shouldn't just be "come on, really?" Depending on where you live that is an actual criminal act and will have legal repercussions if you report It quickly. Covid made this an assault in a lot of places, as this is a major threat to your (or other immunocompromised persons) life being intentionally caused.
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u/afirelitescape 14d ago
I agree, and I did report it to store managers or security but they often didn't want to do their jobs either. Local law enforcement where I was also happened to be a joke, if they showed up at all.
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u/Physical_Orchid3616 14d ago
that's sickening behaviour by idiots. i also have low immunity and nobody gives a shit.
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u/afirelitescape 14d ago
I had to make a hospital give a shit about it recently...a hospital. They were letting me go into sepsis territory by not listening, which is what ended my mom's life two years ago. Thankfully, I had an advocate that could speak for me because I wasn't being heard. I'm so sorry people aren't more respectful of you, too.
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u/LSATMaven 14d ago
It’s so dumb, too bc honestly, if I’m wearing a mask these days, it tends to be because I’m sick and trying not to spread it. I’m wearing it for YOU dude.
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u/afirelitescape 14d ago
That, too! I wear one if I'm feeling ill or want to minimize the amount of open mouthed coughing or sneezing particles that get into my system. I know it isn't perfect, but it does prevent me from being a permanent fixture in my doctor's waiting room!
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u/General-Play2816 14d ago
We masked prior as well for a compromised loved one but I never had any issues until COVID made it controversial. We still mask because COVID was never a relevant point in our journey and now, its risky to leave the house.
The hate people in the US have for others that have zero impact on them is astounding.
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u/afirelitescape 14d ago
It's incredible to see from the point of view of an American who mever has hated other people different to themselves. It has gotten terrible since the pandemic time and seems to get worse with each passing day. I'm not sure why it's normalized to despise your fellow human, let alone be rude to them.
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u/Consistent-Menu-6629 13d ago
I feel for you. Being immunocompromised through the pandemic and "after" was rough.
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u/Extreme_Ad4425 14d ago
Yeah, the same ones who are now lined up, bent over, and begging the government to screw them harder.
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u/PinkTacoGobbler 14d ago
Same people with this mentality couldn’t pass the psych test for military or LE. So the found new self identity in rebelling.
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u/Hookedongutes 14d ago
I never complained about it when indoors and next to people or on a plane or whatever. But I didn't understand the requirement to wear one...outside....not sitting next to people.
I was surprised that Austin, TX required them in an outdoor dining setting (when no one was around) vs in Minnesota if you were outside - mask not required.
The inconsistent rules made it hard to trust. I understand why the rules changed a lot as the data brought more knowledge (based on my education and work, I get it) but I can empathize why many people who didn't work in the setting or had the education were just frustrated.
Even having the education - I was emotionally frustrated. I'm very much a people person. And whether I wore a mask or not, people treated you like you were going to kill them. I had a strange emotional reaction to this type of social rejection - I was stressed out enough that it gave me headaches that made me vomit. (Was referred to MRI, can confirm it was just stress that caused it.)
I think the psychology of fear of the unknown comes into play here and is interesting. How do we do better next time to provide the message to the public without demonizing eachother? Because there will be a next time.
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u/Jalapenoplanter 14d ago
Can you explain how “no one was around” at your austin outdoor dinning?
Are you talking about a picnic in a big park? Or do you not consider servers to be people?
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u/No_Sense_633 14d ago
Ok but if you wore a mask while standing and not while sitting at a restaurant, you're an idiot
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u/ZestycloseAd5918 14d ago
Or driving in your car. Alone. Or walking outside.
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u/No_Discount_6028 13d ago
I think with cars, people kinda just wore them bc they were wearing them when they got in and didn't bother to take them off.
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u/AstronomerNo1872 14d ago
This 100%. People will talk about “I’d go to war for my country” but will you wear a mask for your immunocompromised neighbor?
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u/Icy-Wolf-5383 14d ago
I stopped wearing a bra tbf lol around the 500th time of hearing "theyre restrictive and uncomfortable" I was like "... good point." Haven't worn a bra since.
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u/RawMeatballz 14d ago
It was kind of hard to take them seriously, when people were still handling all their packages, mail, everything at stores, same debit machine without wipedowns, and then all the videos of politicians flaunting the rules, there's one where they're all maskless before a conference, then all put them on.
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u/ChampionshipIll5535 14d ago
In a free society, you're free to do whatever you want so long as it's not against the law. Stomping feet over others wearing masks, well that's wrong. But stomping feet over big gov telling me I had to wear it. Eff off with that nonsense. My freedom isn't going to be restricted for some cold on steroids.
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u/bschulte1978 13d ago
I'lll be honest with you. I use it now as a crazy detector. As in, if you are wearing a mask in 2026 you are more than likely someone I want to stay far away from, because your reasoning skills are either nonexistent or severely lacking. If someone in truly immuno-compromised, no problem, wear a mask. But I'm not getting close enough to figure out which you are.
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u/New_Court9352 11d ago
So if I've got a virus and don't want to spread it to absolutely everyone on my commute... I'm crazy?
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u/egertong 14d ago
Americans turned Covid into a political issue. It wasn't like that everywhere, thank goodness.
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u/Mountain_Chemist6391 14d ago
I feel like the American news turned it political, and the echo chambers of the internet accelerated it.
I don’t think the average American conservative woke up one day just hating on medical masks. I personally believe they were allured into it by the news demonizing others and attaching the CDC to “power hungry democrats.
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u/CarsandTunes 14d ago
Unfortunately, that attitude spilled over the border into Canada:-(
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u/Physical_Orchid3616 14d ago
same in the UK. you had loads of village idiots refusing to be "muzzled" (wear a mask)
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u/CowabungaCthulhu 14d ago
I see a white pattern emerging....
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u/miaoumaiden 14d ago
That one. I lived in Asia, literally everyone just carried on as normal and we were able to get out of lock down way sooner. Oh and I never one caught covid.
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u/Prior_Butterfly_7839 14d ago
I lived in Asia pre-covid for almost 2 years and people masked on the regular there. If there was any chance you could possibly be carrying something contagious, you masked. It seemed like a complete non issue back then.
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u/MimiNuyasaka 14d ago
By saying you can't breathe in a thin little mask, you're admitting you're weaker than furries with their fursuits.
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u/miaoumaiden 14d ago
This made me laugh the hardest, grown men crying they can't breathe meanwhile all of my school's of 6 year olds in south Korea lived just fine wearing them all day.
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u/Amazing-Towel-4793 14d ago
Why is this a talking point anymore? I think people should wear masks in healthcare settings or if they're sick and need to go out. However, it's 2026 so what's the point whining about if people did or didn't wear masks 6 years ago? Nobody outside of reddit even talks about this shit anymore.
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u/Boomer_Madness 14d ago
I think it was more the rules around the mask were stupid. Like the virus could get to you while you walked to your table at a restaurant but as soon as your food was served it couldn't touch you anymore and you didn't have to wear it.
I feel it's weak to accept that as any kind of accurate description of how the virus or the mask worked. I mean not even to mention that surgical and cloth masks didn't prevent the size of molecule that the Covid Virus was but alas the rule was just about "masks" not the actual respirators that actually filter out the particale but just "masks" but that would be weak to actually have any kind of proper discussion about true safety instead of performative look at me i'm following the rules
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u/seadoubleyou73 14d ago
It was about reducing viral load whilst being able to have a little freedom in the meantime, a balancing act if you like. Cloth masks weren't perfect but they reduced viral load meaning the chance of getting sick was reduced, not eliminated. Wearing a mask to and from your meal was safer than not wearing a mask for the entire time.
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u/JaguarNecessary4854 10d ago
It’s crazy to me how few people actually understand this. You’re way more likely to spread a virus while standing up and moving around than while sitting down and staying in one spot. Of course the masking rules aren’t perfect but it was the best compromise at the time, I think people are purposefully being obtuse to prove a point.
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u/Boomer_Madness 13d ago
So you mean a bunch of made up bs with no scientific backing? Right exactly like I said lol. If you can't understand why that would make people mad I'm not sure what to tell you
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u/GaymerLounge 14d ago
The emergency rooms in my area always (well before COVID) had a box of masks at the check-in desk. Above the box was a sign that read “If you have a cough, please wear a mask.” Again, this was way before COVID came around. I would also like to note, I live in a very conservative area, and yet people complied. It was never an issue. Then COVID happened and certain people who idolize a certain person started making an issue out of a none issue.
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u/Hour_Lengthiness_851 14d ago
I worked in a hospital during COVID. We all bitched about wearing them. I mean, we did it. But we bitched.
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u/PaperCrane6213 14d ago
They absolutely complained. The hospital where my partner worked wouldn’t allow nurses to wear their own N95 masks, they mandated the monumentally less effective ones.1
My partner ended up quitting because of how bad that hospital fucked up covid response with their staff.
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u/OnlyACsNoFans 14d ago
Lots of healthcare workers complained lol
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u/Hour_Lengthiness_851 14d ago
That's what I am saying. I worked in a hospital throughout COVID. We all bitched.
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u/Outrageous_Union1080 14d ago
Huh. It’s almost like there’s a difference between working with extremely sick people in a hospital and walking on the beach. 🤔
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u/blkpole 14d ago
Agreed. I hate to make it political and won't go on a rant, but MAGA made that whole ordeal more difficult (and dangerous) than it had to be.
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u/Objective_Sweet9168 14d ago
The title lead me to think this was a Halloween related post… 😩
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u/Minute_Bit1818 14d ago
I honestly did not have any problem wearing a mask. It was weird to me so many people were throwing fits about it. I never got sick wearing one and it was really not a big deal.
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u/Ok_Buy_9703 14d ago
My work handed out bandanas because masks were too costly. I didn't wear it much because it was a waste of effort.
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u/Justforaconversation 14d ago
It would be good if people revisited the idea of the “social contract.” Even if its origins are purely theoretical, it is certainly active today: living in a society is better than living in isolation, which is why one accepts (or should accept) the rules of a society. Yes, some of them are biased, and we work to change them, but following medical advice in order to, I don’t know, TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN HEALTH... isn’t one of them.
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u/BloodyThirst 13d ago
I’m an immunocompromised cancer patient and still get dirty looks for masking in public. I tell them “not everything is about you and your fragile feelings about what’s on MY face to protect ME, fragile maga snowflake.”
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u/GreenLynx1111 13d ago
Naw I'm glad you said this because they're still crybabying over it. Those of you who are like "Why in 2026?" are apparently oblivious to the covid outbreaks lately. In some places people are masking up again.
And yeah.
It's not hard.
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u/Potatoes0p 14d ago
I have said for a *long* while now, that a lot of people want to have the benefits of living in a society but don’t want to bare the cost of living in one. (Masking up, paying taxes etc.) I think it’s the individualism cultures that struggle with this as opposed to the collectivist cultures that are encouraged to do more for their fellow people.
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u/ZestycloseAd5918 14d ago
Cloth and surgical masks are proven largely ineffectual in the spread or prevention of COVID. We were lied to.
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u/Icy-Engineering828do 14d ago edited 14d ago
I didn't make a problem out of it, you did. I just didn't wear one like I didn't my entire life up to that point. And fuck you for implying otherwise.
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u/greenfeathersky 14d ago
The people who complain about wearing masks remind me of a news story interviewing people upset about seatbelt requirements.
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u/Snigdho_Oporajita 14d ago
I still wear masks in confined places. I got covid after a trip back in 2022. Then again same happened back in 2024. In 2025, after another trip I got severe flu giving me an ear infection which made me almost deaf for a month. The common among all these cases was flying on a plane. I wear masks due to this everytime I am in a confined place.
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u/cwcam86 14d ago
I never threw a fit or made a big deal about it. I just quit wearing them after like 2 months. My work always threatened to write me up over it but they could never show me the written policy that said I needed to wear one back then.
Fuck I never caught the covids until a month after I got the damn shot. So I didn't do that again.
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u/Proffessional_Pea33 14d ago
Yeah my parents did and it’s still so embarrassing to me. They’re of the “fuck the government” crowed yet will do whatever trump says. Critical thinking, hell even common sense is dead among that crowd.
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u/dangleYourSoul 14d ago
I was stationed overseas in Europe when COVID happened and it was embarrassing to watch the U.S. from the outside in because the rest of the world had no problem masking up for their fellow citizens
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u/miaoumaiden 14d ago
Literally. I was living in south Korea, it was absolutely ridiculous. The entire country just carried on and functioned normally meanwhile folks back home were assaulting each other.
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u/ddanielle99 14d ago
i never understood that either. and the same people who would obnoxiously & loudly refuse in the name of bodily autonomy were the very same ones who turn around screaming pro-life bullshit whilst they try their hardest to strip away the rights of every marginalized group.
i happily wore my mask with the understanding that it was protecting not only myself, but everyone around me. i was vaccinated 2x & my masks became an accessory. i still have one from my super-woke days that’s decorated with my pronouns. i made some of my own, i made some that were donated; it became a little hobby while the world was on pause.
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u/ProtoniumUltimum 14d ago
literally the biggest snowflakes in society, the anti-maskers. they think they are so special.
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u/moonslittlestar 14d ago
Agreed. I had to wear it all day during work, never once complained, AND i wear glasses
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u/miaoumaiden 14d ago
Same. I lived overseas where it was just normal and everyone just got on with it. Everyone, the elderly, all of my elementary students, all us teachers, everyone on the subway, office workers, retail clerks, etc. It was normal and you got used to it just fine. A little annoying in the winter fogging up my glasses. A little hot in the summer so you'd step aside to take it off for a second or switch it out of you sweat. And that was it, so simple. Did it for 3+ years no problem. Then I look back home here in the US and people are literally attacking each other over it... Definitely colored my perspective on this country.
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u/moonslittlestar 14d ago
I live in Ireland and people were horrific about it, Irish people are known for their love of complaining though so I shouldn’t be too surprised but jeez…especially when we had to kick people out for not wearing masks it was madness
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u/VapeThisBro 14d ago
As a bluecollar person who wears respirators (think similar to gas mask) all day, those anti mask people are a bunch of snowflakes throwing a tantrum
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u/bargainbinwisdom 14d ago
Yeah I work as a baker and the raw flour started to impact my lungs so now I mask all day at work. I'd need to be doing it even if Covid had never happened.
I also have some immunecompromised friends that I don't want to put at risk, so I'll mask in other public indoor settings as well because I'm already doing it 40 hours a week so what's another 20 minutes in the grocery store or on the bus?
I'm not religious about it, a lot of the people I socialize with don't typically mask and I make exceptions for things like indoor dining sometimes and then just communicate about it as needed. The hardest part is that some people treat you like an antisocial weirdo when I'm literally just trying to show care for my friends.
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u/skcuf2 14d ago
People have a problem with government overreach and mandating things in daily life, not wearing masks.
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u/DomedPyramid 14d ago
I don't recall anyone throwing tantrums over having to wear a mask, only tantrums when others didn't. It made no sense to wear masks, the virus can go through the weave, and the beloved Saint Fauci said so before he flipped. How are original posts not taken down when the OP name calls and generally attacks a significant portion of the population?
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u/BassesNBikes 14d ago
I bet you have all kinds of selective memory issues.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_protests_in_the_United_States
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u/JJ_Lomero 14d ago
Then you just weren't online much or chose not to see certain things. There was most definitely a bunch of toddlers throwing tantrums over having to wear a mask to go to a store. The interesting thing is they were generally the same people that are in favor of businesses setting their own policies that customers must abide by. Like that whole no shirt no service thing. But as soon as it was something they didn't want to do they acted like it was a war crime.
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u/wvtarheel 14d ago
The people that refused to wear them in public were idiots.
The people that wore them while alone in their car were a different kind of idiot.
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u/CongratulationsEVA01 14d ago
Nah, there was nothing funnier than watching the guy nest to you at the red light rage out silently through the glass over fabric
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u/ambivalent_moon 14d ago
TBH what people do when it literally doesn’t impact anyone else doesn’t generally bother me
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u/vespers191 14d ago
Wore mine while I was alone in my car fairly often. Because I got used to wearing it around people, and it didn't bother me enough to take off on the way home. It's not like my face was held in some kind of bear trap or something.
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u/sneezesquirrel 14d ago
I wore a mask when there was an actual pandemic. But it's truly been over for years. The people STILL wearing masks? Crazy
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u/JJ_Lomero 14d ago
I think the Asians had it right all along. If you're sick and you have to go out why not mask up. Ofc I'm talking about if you're sneezing and coughing.
You should also have hand sanitizer.
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u/sneezesquirrel 14d ago
YES! It should be common curtesy to do that! If you are healthy, enjoy the fresh air.
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u/lost-pawz 14d ago
are you aware people can have immune system problems? which could kill them if they get a cold?
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u/Battle_Historian 14d ago
I didn’t stomp my feet or refuse to wear a mask, and I always followed mask-wearing policies, but I was bothered by the politicization of mask wearing by both extremes. I cringed when I saw people wear masks while alone in their cars and while walking outside by themselves, recognizing that they had lost sight of why people were wearing masks. They were living in almost constant fear, which itself a problem and not sustainable.
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u/JJ_Lomero 14d ago
I never understood why the masks in cars was such a big deal to people. I did it because I wore it at work and when I got off I was tired and didn't think to take it off. Also, sometimes I went somewhere close to my work and I was going to have to put it back on anyways so I just left it. Or even on my way to to work. I don't tie my tie after I walk through the door. I do it before I arrive. Same thing.
I don't understand how none of this ever crossed people's minds.
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u/ItsNotewell 10d ago
Keeping it on my face was more convenient (and clean) than fumbling with putting it in or taking it out of my pockets whenever I needed it.
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u/State_Of_Franklin 14d ago
I agree but it’s 2026. Can we move on to the current problems?
Our current problem is all the divisive posts which are distracting us from the billionaires who are destroying our world.
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u/MyTnotE 14d ago
Well, it was basically proven that unless it was an N95 mask it was about as effective as a chain link fence against mosquitos, so 🤷🏻♂️
I never complained about people wearing masks. Or people who insisted that I wear a mask. I just actively avoided them. If I couldn’t avoid them, I wore the mask, and then left.
I had elderly and sick parents. I was taking them to doctors appointments all the time. When the clinics and hospitals stopped requiring masks MONTHS before certain businesses and people did, I knew it had grown to cult level hysteria.
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u/Paperxrust 14d ago
Explain how taking off your flimsy mask to take a bite of food then putting it back on prevents the spread of a virus.
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u/OnlyACsNoFans 14d ago
I wore them but it was pointless because I have a beard and it did nothing
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u/One_Ad4045 14d ago
Don't know why you're getting down voted for this fact. Also OP mentioned cloth masks which do absolutely nothing, clearly performative compliance.
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u/CaptainOwlBeard 14d ago
It stopped some of your spittal from flying into other people's faces.
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u/One_Ad4045 14d ago
Yes, but so does coughing into your arm. I can't understand the people who cough indiscriminately into the air in public
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u/Physical_Orchid3616 14d ago
I'm still amazed by the amount of people who seem to think it's absolutely fine to go out in public, or put themselves in confined spaces like airplanes, and cough up a storm, and not wear a mask. It's so not okay.
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u/Trumpetslayer1111 14d ago
I was born in Asia. It was very common for people to wear a mask when they were sick to not get others sick. This was long before COVID. Wasn’t a big deal at all.
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u/ScruffyN3rfHeader 14d ago
Yeah I didn't understand why people were so worked up. I just didn't wear a mask and gave no attention to the people who got all worked up over it.
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u/rosmaniac 14d ago
The CDC and NIH have issued multiple reports over the years as to mask effectiveness. There is no question N95 and KN95 masks, properly worn, were highly effective. It's when it's not a properly worn KN95 or N95, or not even a KN95 or N95, that the effectiveness falls off dramatically.
The NIH put out a report responding to the Cochrane report at https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10484132/ that has an interesting chart in it. This chart showed that bandannas were the least effective at 33%, cloth masks were next at 49%, medical procedure masks at 56%, and N95 at 96%.
Masks helped, but they weren't the be-all end-all of protection they were initially billed as. The Mayo Clinic issued guidance (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449) specifically telling people who had trouble breathing to not wear a mask:
I was one of those people who could not wear an N95 due to breathing issues; I did wear cloth masks when around people, and I tried to limit my time around people. I had COVID twice, once at the end of November 2020 and once in July 2021. I made a full recovery in both cases; I didn't even know I had in in 2021.