RETIRED SURGEON Sam Laucks, has this to say about wearing a mask:
"I have spent the past 39 years working in the field of surgery. For a significant part of that time, I have worn a mask. I have worked with hundreds (probably thousands) of colleagues during those years, who have also worn masks. Not a single one us of became ill, passed out or died from lack of oxygen. Not a single one of us became ill, passed out or died from breathing too much carbon dioxide. Not a single one us of became ill, passed out or died from rebreathing a little of our own exhaled air. Let’s begin here by putting those scare tactics to rest!
(It is true that some people, with advanced lung diseases, may be so fragile that a mask could make their already-tenuous breathing more difficult. If your lungs are that bad, you probably shouldn’t be going out in public at the present time anyway; the consequences if you are exposed to Covid-19 would likely be devastating).
~ “But”, you ask, “can’t viruses go right through the mask, because they are so small?” (“Masks keep viruses out just as well as a chain link fence keeps mosquitoes out,” some tell us.) It is true that individual virus particles can pass through the pores of a mask; however, viruses don’t move on their own. They do not fly across the room like a mosquito, wiggle through your mask like a worm, or fly up your nose like a gnat. The virus is essentially nothing more than a tiny blob of genetic material. Covid-19 travels in a CARRIER – the carrier is a fluid droplet- fluid droplets that you expel when you cough, sneeze, sing, laugh, talk or simply exhale. Most of your fluid droplets will be stopped from entering the air in the room if you are wearing a mask. Wearing a mask is a very efficient way to protect others if you are carrying the virus (even if you don’t know that you are infected). In addition, if someone else’s fluid droplets happen to land on your mask, many of them will not pass through. This gives the wearer some additional protection, too. But, the main reason to wear a mask is to PROTECT OTHERS. Even if you don’t care about yourself, wear your mask to protect your neighbors, co-workers and friends!
~ A mask is certainly not 100% protective. However, it appears that the severity of Covid-19 infection is at least partially “dose-dependent.” In other words, the more virus particles that enter your body, the sicker you are likely to become. Why not decrease that volume if you can? “What have you got to lose?!”
~ “But doesn’t a requirement or a request to wear a mask violate my constitutional rights?” You’re also not allowed to go into the grocery store if you are not wearing pants. You can’t yell “fire” in the Produce Department. You’re not allowed to urinate on the floor in the Frozen Food Section. Do you object to those restrictions? Rules, established for the common good, are component of a civilized society.
~ “But aren’t masks uncomfortable?” Some would say that underwear or shoes can be uncomfortable, but we still wear them. (Actually, being on a ventilator is pretty darned uncomfortable, too!) Are masks really so bad that you can’t tolerate them, even if they will help keep others healthy?
~ “But won’t people think I’m a snowflake or a wimp if I wear a mask?” I hope you have enough self-confidence to overcome that.
~ “But won’t I look stupid if I wear a mask?” I’ve decided not to dignify that question with an answer!! 
~ “But I never get sick; I’m not worried.” Well, then, wear a mask for the sake of the rest of us who are not so perfect!
There is good evidence that masks make a real difference in diminishing the transmission of Covid-19. Please, for the sake of others (and for the sake of yourself), wear your mask when in public. It won’t kill you!
P.S. - And, by the way, please be sure that BOTH your nose and mouth are covered!
Recommendations around mask usage are confusing. The science isn't. Evidence shows that masks are extremely effective to slow the coronavirus and may be the best tool available right now to fight it.”
g
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19 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I disagree with any statement that violates individual rights for the "common good" or "social good" or.....whatever terminology they use to justify their violent behavior
Rich177
Level 5
June 20, 2020
0
Are you saying that requiring people to wear masks to stop a pandemic from killing over 100 thousand people is somehow violent?
g
@Rich177 and i am saying forcing people to be exposed to disease because someone thinks their personal comfort for a short time is more important than someone else's actual life is violent behavior. do you feel this way about seat belts? do you feel this way about pants? or do you walk naked down the street because forcing you to wear clothing is too violent?
g
@genessa nobody forced them to be exposed. They have a choice to stay indoors, quarantine themselves, even buy a plague suit when they go out in public. That's their choice. Obviously I would agree that forcing people to wear seatbelts is violent behavior. On the case of clothing, if someone is walking around naked, they are harming nobody, so yes, forcing them to wear clothes is violent too. Violence is highly acceptable in 'society ' . Most people choose to comply as it's not worth the battle.
You've got to be kidding me - the masks can hold at most 4oz of exhaled air your lungs hold quarts - rebreathing is not a issue it is simply a excuse for bad selfish behavior
This whole concept of wearing or not wearing a mask is in the same realm as whether you wear a seat belt while driving your car.
DenoPenno
Level 9
June 20, 2020
0
With one major difference. If you don't wear your seat belt you may be harmed. Id yiu don't wear a mask, others may be harmed.
g
So if the masks work why are we worried.
ColdFax
Level 6
June 19, 2020
1
Because some idiots are saying the masks either don't work, are harmful, are a violation of human rights or represent a personal attack on trump. Because so many people refuse to wear them; they definitely don't work unless worn.
g
@bbyrd009 1. I am not worked up but you look a bit distraught. 2. In what way am i bullying anyone? I most certainly am not. 3. I am not on any kind of horse. Overreact much? 4. We don't wear masks so much to protect ourselves as to protect others. My staying healthy may depend partly on other people's wearing masks.
g
@genessa wadr im pretty sure "carriers" is just another term for "normal, healthy people?" We are all "carriers" of many, many viruses, right? And i sympathize with your compromised position, don't get me wrong, dunno what i would be doing if i was immune-compromised myself...taking extraordinary care of my immunity, i hope; but def not expecting the rest of the world to bubble up for me wadr
@genessa "and how nice of you to give me permission to wear a mask. i don't remember asking you for that!"
the point there being that you are not ok with me not wearing a mask, and getting "infected," should i so choose, genessa
" if i go out i will wear a mask for OTHERS, not for me."
you are changing your story now, and no offense but it is bc you are full of shit
"and your definition of carriers is flawed"
then bam give us a def of "carriers" and let's see
"but you believe what you believe, with no more proof than a christian has of his or her deity"
ill go with that over listening to people who will not live as long as me any day, vanessa. A simple fact of life is that the dna in your body right now is less than half "you," and we are comprised of many, many organisms, tens of thousands of "foreign" organisms, working in concert to help us survive.
And again i say that if you want to isolate biologically from the rest of the world then go for it, but nature is going to find you anyway ok, the moment you relax your guard for a second, and likely even if you dont
"Dead doctors don't lie"
They are stupid, selfish, absentminded...
Merseyman1
Level 9
June 19, 2020
0
we have a perfectly functioning system to fight viruses already in place, that masks circumvent and even debilitate
@genessa they debilitate by preventing your exposure to all of the germs that others have assimilated, genessa, just like that doctor says. However, doctors do not live as long as the rest of us bc they understand sickness, not health, and many or most of them would even admit that to you. Now bam wear a mask if you feel led, but understand that that doctor is a dumbass where health is concerned, and he will not live as long as you will, he should be taking advice from you lol. Allopaths are symptom-treating retards, at best, and all of the good drs are drummed out of first year med school; they only want the greedy ones, not the ones who want to actually treat causes and heal ppl. Infection and immunization are the exact same vector ok, just ask any doctor
@bbyrd009 no, actually, i have an impaired immune system and it has nothing to do with what i ear. it's hereditary. and perfectly healthy people are getting deathly ill from this because it's a NOVEL virus, which means our immune systems have no experience of it and don't know what to do with it. so no, wrong on two counts there. i lost my cousin to this. thanks for caring so much. you obviously do NOT wish anyone the best, and thanks for being so dismissive. oh and your herd immunity theory.... bullshit. it would cost millions of lives to get to the point whether we knew if we had achieved it. i don't want to be one of the lost ones. thanks for that too. don't go calling people dumbasses when your theories are so dumb.
g
@genessa so then it might be more productive to examine your immune problem, and discuss ways to overcome that? Bc unless you have aids, your immunity can be repaired ok, i do it for a living
"i have an impaired immune system and it has nothing to do with what i eat."
are you an immunologist? May i ask how you know that? Not that that was the subject anyway, but im used to ppl in denial worming around all kinda ways, genessa. Impaired immune systems can be repaired, only it only works if you work it, meaning you actually have to get up off the couch ok. Without your little brown mask
@genessa "i am not saying anything to make myself feel anything. don't make assumptions about people you don't know"
but no interest at all in "i could pump your immune system to the moon in about three days," see?
i know you like a book ok, i know you better than you know yourself even lol, i hear that shit all day long, every day, for a living
The problem is many people are just too damn selfish. They don't care about the health of others and don't believe in there being a society as a whole, yet they are eager to have the police or firefighters come to their aid when needed. And they gladly collect Social Security and use Medicare when they get old. They are selfish hypocrites..
TomMcGiverin
Level 8
June 19, 2020
1
i dunno, seems like the selfish idiots are the at-risk, expecting those with normal, healthy immune systems to sequester for them? Coronavirus is good for you if you are healthy, ok
@bbyrd009 Time to block you, asshole..
It's not that hard to understand the reasons that we should all be erring on the side of caution (and respect for our fellow humans) and wearing masks. So, this leads me to see common refusal to wear masks as a sign of the individual intellectual bankruptcies that pervade much of the earth and particularly are showing up in the US. This issue of intellectual bankruptcy is an issue that underlies the failed and incompetent responses that we humans are bringing to any number of issues, including the virus, climate change, racism, strained international relations, etc.
One of the obvious next questions for this forum is whether this individual intellectual bankruptcy is also showing up among atheists in equal numbers. I'm not sure about the mask-wearing refusal numbers, but in general on this forum I have not seen strong evidence that large numbers of my fellow atheists are avoiding most of the key intellectual bankruptcy aspects (even given that atheism is, to me, a sign of some intellectual strength).
kmaz
Level 7
June 19, 2020
2
so then wadr you don't really get that functioning immune systems require infections to develop immunity? They are the same vector? Why not just go get your brown uniform right now?
I really liked this, particularly the point about having people understand that the point of wearing a mask includes to protect others. I wish there was a proper link to it, verified to be from the author, but in any event I'll pass it along.
I would add to it that when you see me wearing a mask, you should assume in your mind that I am counting on you, as part of the overall community social compact, to understand that I am wearing it to protect you, but that I am also counting on you to use your brain and wear one to protect me. I do not give a damn about your estimate that you do not carry the disease. That is several parsecs away from the point. The point is (or includes) that everyone wears masks, and nobody has to rely on someone else's judgment.
Where I live, there has been such widespread refusal to wear masks and observe other safety measures that city and county officials, in the midst of a sharp May-June rise in reported cases, had to sign on to a special request to the governor to support or permit local measures to require wearing masks.
kmaz
Level 7
June 19, 2020
1
you are creating superbugs, and you will have to wear a mask for the rest of your life ok
don't be an idiot
This is the best analysis I have seen on this tricky but important topic and is exactly what everyone needs to read before making up their mind. If ONLY every mind was a safety FIRST mind.
Of course it would only be produced in this detail by an expert with many years in the field. Not so long ago we had a blast in the UK stating that experts were useless. Everyone needs this to make up their own mind . Please don't say you are not going to wear one because your neighbor or cousin will not wear one
Mcflewster
Level 8
June 19, 2020
1
How good is a 'safety first' mindset is you don't believe in science? So many of these dumb motherfuckers do not believe in science at all.
@JeffMurray Please tell me something I do not know. As an ex science teacher I wanted people of all abilities and backgrounds to improve their attitude to science for their own benefit but I have no delusions about the magnitude of the task. If you look into my Science teachers group on this site you will see the rudiments of an attempt simply to explain what science IS. It will be a long painful task but we have to start somewhere.
Most people have an instinct for self preservation. A start at safety first would be to discuss how we deal with cunning invisible viruses in order to get through this pandemic OR to discuss the real science of smoking.
@Mcflewster You are a better man that I. I believe the democratic experiment of America has failed, and the human experiment in general has failed. I do not believe it can be turned around. Good luck. I hope to be dead soon so I don't have to deal with this shit getting worse by the day.
"safety third" 
@bbyrd009 Sorry I just don't get the "safety third" answer. At whom was it directed?
@Mcflewster oh, i was just being facetious there, kind of; but i think "safety" can become an obsessio, too?
The best explanation I have heard in this past 3 months. Please educate the guy announcing Trump's CDC announcements. Our Lt. Governor here in Hawaii Josh Green ( who is a licensed practicing physician- not a holistic practitioner), has tried to explain this similarly, but the Governor put a gag order on him. Josh is running for Governor this year, I hope he gets the job be cause he is an straight up kind of guy. Hopefully the seat does not make him into a dirty politician . Thank you!
chiara23k
Level 7
June 19, 2020
2
Thank you for this. Very informative and logical.
We heard a lot of similar crap when seat belts were first made mandatory. My grandfather said they are more dangerous as one won't be able to be thrown out of the car. Changes are always hard and there are many who can't handle even a little change.
For me, Lately I have been wearing a mask and hat whenever I'm outside. It's pollen season and it really hits me. What's really funny was biking to our labyrinth I found a brand new looking KN95 mask by the side of the road (probably dropped by a biker). We have had only 1 case at the very start and none since. I had gloves on to pick it up and it has been sitting in the sun for a couple of days.
JackPedigo
Level 9
June 18, 2020
2
You can gently wash those. The hospital I work for reprocesses tons of PPE every day. I've even put many regular "paper" masks through the washer and dryer and they came out great (a few of them had the nose wire thing fall out).
People have a constitutional right to be idiotic assholes.
indirect76
Level 7
June 18, 2020
2
Not if their idiotic assholery infects other people.
g
All excellent points that would be wasted on the imbeciles who make those idiotic arguments
redhog
Level 7
June 18, 2020
3
Alas. But it might have an effect on those whose previous exposure is only to said imbeciles.
g
Well, one local imbecile around here where I live has sort of listened at least.
I was just putting my pet Parrot out on the front veranda, in his cage of course, about 20 minutes ago when the local 'looney tune' walked past my front fence wearing, this will give you a good laugh I think, one of those full face welding helmets sans the smoked glass inserts and carrying a sign which read, " I'm safe from Covid."
About 100 yards further on he walked straight in to a power pole.
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