Masks Work. Really. We’ll Show You How

Re:Masks Work. Really. We’ll Show You How by xyzzy_plugh on Saturday October 31, 2020 @11:31AM (#24952219)

Sure, but does the science here matter? Is wearing a mask, which might reduce the spread, and might save lives, really that much of a burden, that you won't do it even though it might be a good idea?

I say, do it anyways, I'll wait patiently for the science at literally any point in the future. If it turns out masks, statistically, do nothing, then I will be no worse off for trying.

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Re:Masks Work. Really. We’ll Show You How by DanBC on Saturday October 31, 2020 @03:34PM (#24954487)

I mean, I even said "people should wear masks, masks may help".

But when we're trying to persuade as many people to wear masks as possible it's really unhelpful for people to make dishonest or misleading claims about the effectiveness of masks.

A message of "we think masks work, and here's why" is more persuasive than "masks definitely work and you're an idiot if you think otherwise" because it's very easy to find good quality studies that don't show a benefit to mask wearing.

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Re:Masks Work. Really. We’ll Show You How by xyzzy_plugh on Saturday October 31, 2020 @06:49PM (#24955834)

I agree with you, but I don't think it is a practical approach -- almost no one actually cares about the science.

We're all supposed to wash our hands after going to the bathroom, especially if we're preparing meals for others -- California makes this very clear with their mandatory signage!

But do I need to see the science behind it? I've never seen any hard data on hand-washing -- and yet...

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