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charons-voyage t1_ja4n5f6 wrote

Reply to comment by HoneydewOk1731 in fabric masks by cucumberwatermelon

Eh to each their own. Not hurting anyone by wearing a mask. I wear one on the T. Helps keep smells out.

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HoneydewOk1731 t1_ja4ssjy wrote

I understand wearing one if you feel sick, but I think everyone just looking like faceless ghouls is a cost that needs to be weighed. The face is an important part of human connection and I dislike not being able to see another person’s. It makes me less likely to want to interact with them. A fully masked society loses something

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fuzzypickles34 t1_ja4znv2 wrote

Do you really care that much about seeing people’s faces on the T?

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HoneydewOk1731 t1_ja555tj wrote

I think being unable to see other people’s faces is another social fragmentation. If you go back a few decades, complete strangers on public transit would gladly converse with one another during their commutes. I don’t think that’s something we should be glad about losing. But that’s just me. Phones and masks seem like the main culprits.

And yeah if I’m going to be surrounded by a bunch of randoms in a confined space… being able to see their faces gives me a better sense of physical security. You can usually read a person before they do something stupid or dangerous

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krissithegirl t1_ja5vifv wrote

Newspapers, magazines, walk-mans, head-phones, earbuds, cell phones, laptops, iPad...... All items that have been used throughout history on public transportation to avoid having to speak to or listen to strangers. A mask is only a distraction for the person that has to look at it.

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sweetdeepremiumonion t1_ja51rtn wrote

What makes you think a random masked person who’s going about their business wants to interact with you anyway? The anti-mask arguments are getting so shallow.

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HoneydewOk1731 t1_ja53xvb wrote

Once upon a time strangers used to smile at one another, or at least some form of acknowledgement that made you feel a shared sense of humanity if nothing else. We live in a city after all. If I can’t see your face, my brain is going to imagine one. And the only masked face I can ever imagine is that of a fearful person. The only shallow thinker here is you, if you cannot even conceive of the possibility that making such a drastic change to human appearance has subtle consequences.

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sweetdeepremiumonion t1_ja54ev2 wrote

You can still tell when someone is smiling if they have a mask on. You can also nod at someone, or wave. The pandemic, the reason people still wear masks, has absolutely had devastating consequences for humanity and how we perceive each other. This is such small beans in the grand scheme of things. I find other ways to connect with my community, besides being able to see the lower half of their faces.

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fadetoblack237 t1_ja5flos wrote

OP is arguing in bad faith anyways. 90% of people aren't wearing masks when they are out. Just walk around Boston on a Saturday afternoon. There are plenty of people out smiling at each other. At this point if I see someone in a mask, I'm going to assume they have a reason to wear one. I still wear one when it makes sense. Two weeks before my wedding I had one on everywhere so I wouldn't get sick. Immunocompromised exist. Older people exist.

At this point I'm glad voluntary masking has become acceptable because before 2019, it definitely wasn't.

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sweetdeepremiumonion t1_ja5kwaf wrote

All very true!

Yeah, I work a public facing job and take a lot of public transport and was getting sick a LOT prior to 2020. Since I started wearing masks, I really haven’t been sick since. My body thanks me for it!

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neondeli t1_ja5vvb7 wrote

>Once upon a time strangers used to smile at one another,

Not here.

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charons-voyage t1_ja4x4jf wrote

Well you can’t control what others choose to do 🤷‍♂️

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Accomplished_Ad_9288 t1_ja5mmf2 wrote

We don’t have to interact, that’s fine. Masks are proven to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including COVID.

A lot of people have long COVID and it’s effecting their quality of life. I’d like to avoid that, and wearing a mask if pretty easy.

There are certain place that are crowded are quite narrow that I prefer to wear one. Safety first!!

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