Quote Originally Posted by JaneV2.0 View Post
That first comment is mind-boggling to me. The mask isn't permanently affixed to one's face, after all. It's generally not worn at home, and with luck, the pandemic will be over in time. Cluelessness? Selfishness?

Commenter: David Curtis
The commenter has declared there is no conflict of interests.
Comment: This article completely fails to consider the costs of mask-wearing. There's a reason why we don't do this. It impairs our quality of life. We like to feel fresh air on our faces. We like to go out and see people. We like to be able to talk to people unencumbered. We like to be able to see people's expressions, their smiles.

Sure, make a judgement about the relative benefits and harms of mask-wearing. But don't purport to be writing some kind of rational appraisal while completely ignoring the obvious loss of quality of life which universal, permanent mask-wearing would entail.
My opinion on this FWIW--there is obviously a dearth of good studies on this topic because this is a brand new problem. So, challenging the study is reasonable. There is nothing conclusive in JAMA or NEJM or any other journals and if there are, please post them.

But IRL, I see NOTHING wrong with adopting a reasonable practice like trying to keep your "stuff" out of other people's faces and vice versa.

It's uncomfortable? You can't see me smile at you? You can't breathe easily through it for a short period of time? Poor baby. Life is tough. Again, I go back to times when people had REAL sacrifice, like living in an an attic annex for 2 years with 8 other people, or taking jobs in factories to hold places for servicemen overseas.

Wearing masks is not a REAL sacrifice, IMHO, and the "why not" is so much bigger than the "why."