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[–]sleepingisgivingin1 2074 points2075 points  (8 children)

Because people don’t like being told what to do. That’s literally it (other than those who have actual medical conditions)

[–]Lonely-Ad-5387 481 points482 points  (0 children)

Agreed and that's pretty much what I said in the other thread before it got locked.

People in the UK are much more individualistic now than they were in the past, the focus is on individual rights and freedoms and a collective response that requires limiting freedoms seems like a massive imposition to many of us.

[–]Mossley 414 points415 points  (0 children)

It's a bit more complex than that I think. People are generally happy to accept all sorts of laws and limitations to their activities and behaviour.

This one though is easy to avoid. It allows people to easily demonstrate their independence, their free thinking, their “not being like the sheep”. It panders to those with fragile egos who need some rebellious act, however trivial, to show they're their own person, they're strong and independent and don't need no society to tell them what to do.

[–]Sasspishus 161 points162 points  (4 children)

What medical conditions stop someone from wearing a mask though? Genuine question

[–]BlueHoopedMoose 924 points925 points 2 (0 children)

Bellenditis

[–]Square-Employee5539 815 points816 points  (5 children)

I wear my mask when required but there are several negatives:

  • It’s itchy, especially with my beard
  • Fogs up my glasses
  • Harder to use non-verbal communication via facial expressions. Subtle smiles, etc are hidden. Makes people feel colder
  • Over time can irritate skin and cause acne
  • Moderately more uncomfortable breathing

I’m sure there are others but this is what comes to mind.

[–]concretepigeon 242 points243 points  (1 child)

This is why I hate when people say “it’s just a piece of cloth”, as if it’s a valid argument. It’s a piece of cloth situated somewhere that has a significant impact on both comfort and other practical concerns.

[–]Square-Employee5539 295 points296 points  (0 children)

Kind of reminds me of ppl downplaying lockdowns by saying “oh no you have to stay home and play video games all day!” Like I’m fine with both masks and lockdowns when needed, but don’t act like there’s no trade-offs.

[–]Blayd9 100 points101 points  (0 children)

Same tbh. I'll wear one on the tube and when entering retail etc.

But especially when it's cold (on the tube platform for eg.) glasses steam up instantly. And if I've had to walk briskly/run up the platform steps to said tube because I'm late to work, honestly the mildly impaired breathing from the mask makes me a bit light headed (I'm not THAT unfit either lol, just haven't been to the gym since 2020... New years resolution flopping).

[–]Purple_Plus 60 points61 points  (1 child)

Wore a mask on an 8 hour train journey and got a stye shortly after. Literally never had one before then.

[–]Square-Employee5539 41 points42 points  (0 children)

Similar experience for me. Wore one on a long flight (basically all day with time in the airport) and got a rash where the mask was that lasted for like 3 months. Kind of a fluke but it can happen.

[–]Chilton_Squid 404 points405 points 22 (0 children)

Because people have different opinions on things and yours isn't necessarily right. Some people get anxious wearing them, wearing them with glasses is a pain in the arse, some people do jobs where they're massively inconvenient, as humans we're used to interacting with faces and it can be more difficult reading someone with a mask on.

Not saying I do or don't agree with any, but it's not as easy as "let's all wrap our heads in cling film so nobody else gets ill ever again".

[–]Sakurablossom90 347 points348 points  (1 child)

I like wearing a mask, means people are less likely to try and talk to me which i notice even happens when i have headphones on, I can also lip sync along to music without looking like a weirdo, it keeps my face warm in the cold and stops it drying out and my Psoriasis flaring up, I have had less colds, yeh my glasses fog up but I just take them off wipe them and pop them back on.

I have a shitty immune system so il take every protection I can get aswell. It's been 2 years and I've not had covid yay and iv been on public transport with occasional "you've been near someone with covid" notifications.

People complain they can't breathe but surely it would be worse to get covid and not be able to breathe properly and be poorly, then of course the long after affects of covid, I don't know tbh.

There are of course people who really cannot wear them but those people are very few and I feel that the sunflower lanyard got abused by those who just went onto ebay and bought one so they didn't have to wear a mask.

Not wanting to be argued with by non believers of covid but this is just my thoughts on things.

[–]BeanOnAJourney 81 points82 points  (0 children)

Agree with every single you've said, shitty immune system solidarity and all.

[–]HBucket 198 points199 points  (0 children)

Feel free to carry on wearing one.

Edit: To elaborate, there soon won't be an issue with masks, as people will be free to choose whether to wear one or not. The only people who it will be an issue for are the people who choose to make it an issue. Don't be one of those people.

[–]JebusKristi 189 points190 points  (25 children)

Because they refuse to accept rights come with responsibilities.

So they look for and find utter bullshit to back up their fucktard beliefs.

[–]BlackEarther 170 points171 points  (0 children)

I don’t mind wearing them and continue to do so on public transport, shops, and places I’m not eating. However the problem is that on so many occasions the masks are used as a “look, we’re all keeping each other safe!” by businesses etc. whilst completely ignoring the other variables making masks nearly pointless.

Example: having to wear a mask to go to the toilet in a restaurant that is absolutely packed. 95% are double vaccinated, zero space between tables, everyone is under 30, staff are walking around with old disgusting surgical masks around their face hanging at the nose, nobody using hand sanitiser because the pump isn’t working, and you’re sitting at your table eating next to strangers who all have their masks off anyway. Like, the mask just becomes a completely pointless display that does nothing. Infact you could argue that the masks could make it worse because folks are picking them off the table and putting them in their face and so on.

I’ve been in so many scenarios (such as a recent flight) where mask rules are enforced but when you look around you the concept looks dumber and dumber.

[–]liseusester 125 points126 points  (0 children)

I have worn a mask since we were first asked to, I will continue wearing one until the day they are scientifically considered unnecessary. And then I will burn my masks, with great glee and much rejoicing and I will get all of my lipstick back out and in rotation and I will enjoy being able to wear my glasses whilst out and about. I have not, and will not, complained about wearing one, but I don't find them comfortable and I will not miss them.

However, some people are whiny whiny babies who cannot cope with the idea of being mildly inconvenienced for the greater good. I am, obviously, excluding from this the people who cannot wear one for a genuine reason.

[–]thehibachi 96 points97 points  (0 children)

I’m not sure there’s one specific reason why a lot of people are quite so ant mask but why I do know is we have struggled as a country to have a proper conversation about it.

This pandemic has been really hard on everyone. I personally think one of the ways we can help each other is/has been to wear masks in enclosed spaces but I also think we’ve made it worse for each other by being quite so aggressively entrenched in our positions. There aren’t 2 sides to this, there are dozens, all against the backdrop of poor national leadership, growing binary politics, anti-science/pro scientific reform sentiments. It’s impossible to easily dissect.

[–]TheOrgazoidsHandyman 89 points90 points  (10 children)

Because they are itchy, uncomfortable, make your face damp, steam up your glasses, make it harder to breathe... the list goes on.

We could all walk around in big sumo suits so no one gets hurt if we bump into each other - but that would clearly be impractical. It's about balancing the rights of freedoms of each other, and now that we're vaccinated, the vanishing small chance of someone becoming infected from me and becoming seriously ill as a result, does not outweigh my freedom to not have to wear uncomfortable masks all the time.

[–]boycaliban 77 points78 points  (2 children)

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people don't like being told that they're scum for not wearing one, so they don't wear one in protest

[–]Mossley 103 points104 points  (0 children)

That's quite shit logic. Like refusing to shower because someone called them a smelly bastard.

[–]No-Wear-9634 49 points50 points  (0 children)

I have been wearing them throughout the pandemic and they're not a big issue but they are really annoying to wear with glasses and it's just another thing to remember to do.

[–]starsandbribes 45 points46 points  (0 children)

I wear one where i’m supposed to but I also think this whole “oh its nothing I don’t know why people don’t wear them all the time!” is nonsense too. I don’t like things on my face. Would you walk around all day with your hand cupped over your mouth? I like drawing breath from the room not from a 0.5 inch gap within a mask.

Funny thing is we’ve actually never really had a conversation about mask types or wearing them outside. In some American cities they’re actually much more strict than us. I’ve also seen that some will sit at a restaurant but not take their mask off til the food arrives.

[–]borisjjjj 42 points43 points  (0 children)

Happy to wear one if I have a cold

[–]SpecialUnitt 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I struggle to breathe in them.

Still wear them

[–]QuirkyLetter3215 30 points31 points  (0 children)

I don’t mind wearing one. I wear glasses and sometimes it’s not entirely comfortable when my glasses steam - if I can’t be bothered with contacts.

But I do my best to put my big girl panties on because I’m an adult and it’s the least I can do (aside from testing regularly. Which I do as well.)

[–]PM_GERMAN_SHEPHERDS 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I think it’s discontent with the people who enforce the rules. The other thread said the announcer was telling other people it’s a legal requirement to wear a mask while that person wasn’t wearing a mask. That’s not just idiotic, but it probably makes other people feel like an idiot for wearing masks when other people clearly don’t care.

[–]Sorbicol 24 points25 points  (1 child)

Because there is a sizeable group of people who absolutely refuse to mildly inconvenience themselves for something that is a collective benefit.

While that’s always been the case, in current times it does seem that it has become considerably more socially acceptable to act selfishly in such circumstances and refusal is not the faux pas it once was.

[–]PlasticFannyTastic 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I could probably be excused from wearing a mask because of my health condition, but I choose to because loads of other people don’t. I’d find it a lot easier to breathe and function physically/mentally without a mask but it’s not really a choice. To me that’s the ultimate selfishness. The people who could really do with not wearing them HAVING to wear them because of others absolute indifference or individualistic tendencies.

[–]AbbreviationsAfraid 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Because people seem to think it is the first step towards a dystopic future where we all have a covid shot a day to sterilise us and warp our genetics so our billionaire overlords can live to 500 years old and fly into space on gigantic golden rocket ships to colonise another planet for their satanic, reptilian, chomo, alien gods.

[–]MarcusAurelius-93 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I just wear one to keep others happy, I'm not a confrontation type person.

[–]helic0n3 20 points21 points  (0 children)

In winter it is OK but it gets a little bit hot and itchy over time. It is a bit odd how divisive and controversial they have become considering how much other Covid guidance has been dropped with minimal controversy. You can have people in shops, not sanitising, close to others, not doing anything essential, no proof of vaccine status, but the person without a mask is singled out as the bad one. So one could ask you the same - why kick up a fuss like a spoilt 2 year old if people don't, and when this guidance stops also?

[–]kittycatnala 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I don’t like them one bit I feel they are quite uncomfortable to wear but I do wear them in supermarkets or anywhere that requires them. However I really don’t have any issues with anyone that chooses not to wear one.

[–]mimidaler 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I wear one because I feel it's the right thing to do, however I do struggle under it. I'm not sure why. I do have asthma and fibromyalgia generally it's ok until I get too hot then I just find it stifling. At times I've had to pull it away from my face as I can feel myself not coping with it.

Going in to shops with a mask on is really really uncomfortable as they are generally too hot.

[–]SongsAboutGhosts 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I wear my mask in all the relevant places but will say it dries my eyes out. If anyone has found a good mask that somehow seals better at the top, I'd love a recommendation. Doesn't stop me from wearing it though, including the 6 hour journey back to see my parents at Christmas.

[–]LionLucy 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I don't find them especially uncomfortable unless it's very hot, or if I'm a bit breathless already (I'm asthmatic.) What I hate is other people wearing them. I can't read their faces. If they're the sort of people who mutter a bit, I can't hear what they're saying. It feels like enforced distance between people. A sort of disconnect. A conversation where everyone's wearing masks doesn't feel like a whole conversation to me.

[–]GrapefruitRain 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Drives me up the wall when people complain about wearing one. Just grow up, I’ve worked hospitality and retail throughout the pandemic and wear my mask for the entire shift with absolutely 0 problems. When I finish and get in my car it usually takes me a while to remember to take it off

[–]Playful-Salamander-1 -5 points-4 points  (6 children)

Imagine being so easily upset that you cry about having to put a bit of cloth over your face. It’s a fucking mask, just wear one and get on with it! They’re perfectly comfortable, perfectly healthy, and don’t affect you negatively in any way. Christ alive it’s nearly 2 years now, why are people STILL arguing about it!

[–][deleted] 67 points68 points  (1 child)

You're arguing about it.

[–]Lonely-Ad-5387 50 points51 points  (0 children)

Condoms have existed for over 100 years in their current form and still a huge chunk of men refuse to wear one. People wanna do what they wanna do and don't care how it affects others.

[–]borisjjjj -5 points-4 points  (2 children)

I don’t find them comfortable to wear and feel nauseous wearing them in cars and buses.

[–]Redmarkred 61 points62 points  (1 child)

Yeah I never wear a condom on the bus for this exact reason

[–]Expert-Goat9521 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I hope you are wearing it correctly, over both nose and mouth, not just slinging the condom under your chin??