Joined: 25 Sep 2014 Age: 61 Gender: Male Posts: 929
21 Mar 2020, 8:16 am
In the West, people get freaked out at the sight of a person wearing a mask. What they don't know is, in East Asia, particularly Japan and Taiwan, people wear surgical masks, all the time, especially women. It is more popular to wear masks in winter, so allergy/cold (prevention, and self-isolation) certainly is a contributing factor. But, there is more to it, since many girls wear masks year-round.
The truth is, beside the physiological aspects, there is also a psychological aspect to wearing a mask. It's not like the wearers don't have pretty faces. Many of them do have pretty faces. Wearing a mask is a bit like wearing earbuds. It's about "social distancing." It's a way of telling people: I may be a friendly person, but I am minding my own business. And for girls, the additional message is: I am not here to flirt or be flirted. It's a way to cut off emotional cues to other people, to avoid unsolicited conversation. Basically, the message is: "just treat me like a human being." Most of the mask wearers are friendly people, and don't mind your approaching them if you are truly in need for information.
Since when did masks become fashion? Hard to say, but it started in Japan last century. Then towards the end of last century this habit spread to Taiwan, Korean, and even China. The SARS epidemic in 2002 certainly made masks even more common. And now, even before COVID-19, masks have become part of the East Asian culture. No one there would bother to ask a person why they wear a mask. If you ask the wearers, they'll probably give you a list of reasons: from pollution, to cold/allergy, to keeping the moisture, etc. But another part of the reason is simply the psychological aspect that no one actually talks about: social distancing.
With the COVID-19 situation, my guess is that this "fashion" will become permanent throughout the entire world. We can expect to see people in the West starting to wear masks for no apparent reason, too. Soon enough, nobody in the West would even bother to ask why a particular person wears a mask. In this sense, the Japanese have introduced yet another piece of their culture to the rest of the world.
Joined: 27 Dec 2019 Age: 49 Gender: Male Posts: 322
21 Mar 2020, 11:28 am
Surgical masks help prevent you from spreading the virus if you are infected with this virus you can have no symptoms up to typically between 5 to 14 days but up to 27 days and if everybody is were a surgical mask it helps prevent the spread of the virus by catching the virus that can spew out of your nose and mouth. The N95 masks and P100 respirators help prevent you from getting virus
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Joined: 4 Feb 2014 Gender: Male Posts: 87,510 Location: Queens, NYC
21 Mar 2020, 1:15 pm
We get your point.
Maybe people SHOULD have started wearing masks earlier.
Perhaps the model as practiced by the Chinese WOULD work have worked better to contain the virus.
But then....the authoritarian Chinese model could very well have caused the spread of the virus in the first place. Their hush-hush policies. Their attempts at silencing the info coming out of Wuhan.
This is more of an indictment of a political system than of an ethnic group.
Joined: 25 Sep 2014 Age: 61 Gender: Male Posts: 929
21 Mar 2020, 1:59 pm
kraftiekortie wrote:
But then....the authoritarian Chinese model could very well have caused the spread of the virus in the first place. Their hush-hush policies. Their attempts at silencing the info coming out of Wuhan.
I understand all that. But for a reason governments in the world set up WHO, to be the ultimate authority in healthcare. If the Chinese government was doing something odd, WHO should have stood up and triggered global alarm loudly. It did not. People in the world have placed their trust and their lives on WHO, and WHO has failed them. If you look at all the praises that Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has made about the Chinese government, it is not hard to see that he is fully controlled by the Chinese government. How in the world did governments in the world elect such a biased person to be the director-general? The world has itself to blame. You kid around with your own health, you pay the price. Next time, be more careful with your votes, world.
This was Thailand's WHO representative's comment about Tedros Adhanom's special relationship with China:
Joined: 6 May 2008 Age: 67 Gender: Male Posts: 59,818 Location: Stendec
21 Mar 2020, 2:55 pm
eikonabridge wrote:
Why do Asian People Wear Surgical Masks?
Likely for the same reasons that Arabs, Africans, Americans, Europeans, et cetera, wear them. They either think that (a) wearing a mask will keep them from getting sick, (b) wearing a mask will keep others from getting sick, or (c) some combination of both.
It may also be possible that a mask is more convenient than a scarf for keeping cold air, dust, pollen, and pollution out of their lungs. I've seen people wearing masks for just these purposes her in southern California.
And no, I have never seen anyone "freak out" over the sight of someone else in a surgical mask, unless that person was also threatening a bank teller with a gun.
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Joined: 25 Sep 2014 Age: 61 Gender: Male Posts: 929
21 Mar 2020, 3:40 pm
Fnord wrote:
And no, I have never seen anyone "freak out" over the sight of someone else in a surgical mask, unless that person was also threatening a bank teller with a gun.
Joined: 21 Feb 2011 Age: 56 Gender: Male Posts: 34,284
21 Mar 2020, 6:19 pm
According to the WHO If you are likely to be in close contact with someone infected, a mask cuts the chance of the disease being passed on. If you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, or have been diagnosed, wearing a mask can also protect others. So masks are crucial for health and social care workers looking after patients and are also recommended for family members who need to care for someone who is ill – ideally both the patient and carer should have a mask.
However, masks will probably make little difference if you’re just walking around town or taking a bus so there is no need to bulk-buy a huge supply.
Joined: 21 Feb 2011 Age: 56 Gender: Male Posts: 34,284
21 Mar 2020, 6:24 pm
Brehus wrote:
Surgical masks help prevent you from spreading the virus if you are infected with this virus you can have no symptoms up to typically between 5 to 14 days but up to 27 days and if everybody is were a surgical mask it helps prevent the spread of the virus by catching the virus that can spew out of your nose and mouth. The N95 masks and P100 respirators help prevent you from getting virus
^ the N95 and P100 respirators (BTW not what you see the bulk of Asians wearing) are effective when used in conjunction with eye protection and medical gloves. In Wuhan there were also people wearing fabric protecters as well so basically to be 99% effective you need to be covered from head to foot.
From an epidemiological perspective the deaths of doctors and nurses in Chinese hospitals remains odd given they were better protected and followed the strictest hygiene protocols.
Joined: 26 May 2014 Age: 40 Gender: Male Posts: 2,659
21 Mar 2020, 6:38 pm
In Japan, they wear surgical masks to protect either themselves or society from themselves when sick. It's considered good citizenship. In China, they usually wear masks against air pollution (as did I when travelling there. The air in Beijing is yellow in winter.- and freezing cold)
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I doubt the wearing of masks in public will become ubiquitous in the U.S. However, I wish it was something that was seen as commonplace and without cause for alarm like it is in Asia.
21 Mar 2020, 8:16 am
