Not far down in the linked it makes the common assessment of many "safety things" ... "why not"?
The classic joke is of the drunk looking for his keys under a streetlamp. Somebody is trying to be helpful in the search and asks if he is certain he lost them here. "No, he replies, I lost them up there, but the light is better here!"
Good for a laugh, but so true of a lot of "science", especially the social type. Why are we looking here or in this way? Because we CAN ... we have data, or can get it somehow! (or often extrapolate based on other data, selected by similar availability)
Our modern world is full of "can't hurt, good light here" logic. The real world is notoriously hard to measure, and there are VERY few "can't hurts" in that real world. The real world tends not to give mercy for being certain, but wrong. Telling kids to wait an hour after they eat to swim "can't hurt" ... so maybe they go off to another spot with nobody around, swim anyway, and drown.
Doing a lot of keeping kids from dirt and doing a bunch of disinfecting "couldn't hurt" -- except their immune systems didn't develop and various allergies, Asthma, and who knows what else exploded.
We could go on to nausea, and the REALLY nasty stuff is the stuff we don't even think about, or is purposely hidden -- think statins, fish oil, ???? The "unknown unknowns" can be especially viscous. They are the shadows behind the mysterious "how did we get HERE???" We are SURE we followed all the expert direction!
I certainly DO NOT know if masks hurt anything beyond critical thinking, independent thought, and "common sense" ( now called "stupidity, not caring for others, etc) by the mask zealots. You MUST comply or we will call you names -- oh, and who knows what we may do later. Rest assured, it will be for your own good! The smart folks just know better! (and today we are assured that words definitely DO hurt you, unlike the old "sticks and stones" admonishment in the less "progressed" time.) Name call away -- hurting "bad and uncaring people" would be GOOD!
This is the age of "If all your friends are jumping off a cliff, are you going to follow them?" Having the correct answer of; YES, OF COURSE! for the culture at large today.
The authorities are mostly certain now that masking is so good it needs to be mandatory. (like most left wing ideas) Are they as certain as they were in the 1970's that we were out of oil, in the 1980's that the USSR was never going away, in the 1990's that "the Internet Economy" has made things like profits obsolete, or up until like 2005, the "food pyramid" -- the primary reason Americans are fat. Look at those carbs at the base!
I'm not wearing masks outside because it makes no sense to me. If the virus is THAT contagious, it IS going to you unless you are in HEAVY isolation. Yes, I understand that to some folks, that will make me foolish and worthy of mask shaming.
In situations where there are "clear majority masks" or mandated, I'll go along to get along. Yes, I also understand that for some folks, that means that I'm "stupid, don't care about others, rebellious, etc" -- again, that is their judgment, and in the virtue signalling world, judgement is a virtue (the harsher the better)!
I'll never criticize somebody for wearing a mask, lifting it, rubbing their nose, etc -- even if their nose is totally out (as is common), it doesn't cover completely, or whatever. They are trying to do what they see as best for whatever reason -- they hope it protects them, protects others, they don't want to be shamed, they want to look smart, or they have a PHD in public health, virology, etc I respect their choice.
I'm one of those old idiot Bible type Christians that believe that judgement of others -- even about things much more eternally serious than Covid, is above my pay grade. My creed declares that I even need to love those that judge me harshly and possibly even hate me.
Not that I do that well at all -- my mask of being Christlike certainly leaks (badly) and I trust in his Grace to see me home -- by his plan, which IS being carried out in spite of Covid, accidents, and perils unlimited. I'm safe in his eternal care.
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