Why I don’t wear a mask
And Why You Shouldn’t Either.
I originally wrote and posted this article on June 20th, 2020, during the midst of the pandemic. This and other articles eventually got me kicked off Medium for “counterperspectives and unpopular opinions.” I’m reposting it here on Substack (especially as we’re hearing “waves” on the topic recirculating). Enjoy!
“Mask‐wearing affirms that social responses to disease are rarely driven by scientific evidence alone.”
The following is from a paper titled “Risk, ritual and health responsibilisation: Japan’s ‘safety blanket’ of surgical face mask‐wearing” which will be referenced numerously throughout this article. However, I hope the introduction goes to show, many decisions during COVID-19 are based on invalid scientific studies.
Before we go to the meat and potatoes of the research, let’s start off slowly as to why you shouldn’t wear a mask.
Disclaimer: Forgive any typos or grammar mistakes as this article was produced within two hours.
Number One: Masks are FOR the sick
Back in the day, back in the “old normal,” when you would go to the hospitals, the only individuals that you would see with masks on were those who were sick. These individuals were required to wear masks so they would not transmit their disease to those healthy.
And for a time when common sense reigned supreme, that was the mentality as well. As early as March of this year, CNN quoted WHO in the following:
“There is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any potential benefit. In fact, there’s some evidence to suggest the opposite in the misuse of wearing a mask properly or fitting it properly,” Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO health emergencies program.
Somehow that changed. Along with everything that we had. We started changing basic common sense and established principles. Before it was only the sick to wear a mask, now everyone should wear a mask. A simple look on the CDC’s website will show that the studies used to change decades of evidence were literally ran this year:
We literally overrode decades of established principles for a novel virus. Only time will tell on how we botched this down the line.
Number Two: Wearing a mask (or facial covering) makes YOU sick
Let’s focus in on Dr. Mike Ryan’s words from earlier: “In fact, here’s some evidence to suggest the opposite in the misuse of wearing a mask properly or fitting it properly.”
Quite true as there are multiple studies that have shown how mask wearing increases your chances of sickness. But since the majority of us wear facial coverings, let’s discuss cloth masks, shall we?
A 2015 study in the British Medical Journal states:
“This study is the first RCT of cloth masks, and the results caution against the use of cloth masks. This is an important finding to inform occupational health and safety. Moisture retention, reuse of cloth masks and poor filtration may result in increased risk of infection.”
When we talk about poor filtration, it’s important to know that our body breaths in oxygen and breathes out CO2, also known as Carbon Dioxide. Carbon Dioxide is the body’s waste product for circulating oxygen throughout the body. To breathe in CO2 that is trapped within your masks has many effects, such as changes in visual performance, headaches, and difficulty breathing.
Let’s not forget about the two boys who died in gym class from wearing a mask while exercising.
Number Three: Laws with no Scientific backing
Let’s return to the paper mentioned at the beginning of this article: Japan’s ‘safety blanket’ of surgical face mask‐wearing. An in-depth, 15-page paper detailing Japan’s history with mask-wearing.
To quote the article, “a historical analysis suggests that an originally collective, targeted and science‐based response to public health threats has dispersed into a generalized practice lacking a clear end or purpose.” That’s exactly what we see today. There is no science showing how masks prevent transmission of the disease, and furthermore, there is no talk about the dangers of wearing masks.
What’s interesting to note is that “mask‐wearing became socially embedded as a general protective practice only from the 1990s through a combination of commercial, corporate and political pressures that responsibilised individual health protection.” When we talk about pressure, it’s all around us. Now we even have laws mandating mask-wearing. The same thing that happened in Japan 20 plus years ago is happening in the United States now. In Japan, they even had a Super Hero who fought against evil with his mask:
This paper from 2012, asks and answers the same question being posed today, eight years later. “Do masks work? Their widespread usage is clearly not driven by evidence of universal effectiveness.” One thing that is reiterated in all this has to be the social response.
“Mask‐wearing affirms that social responses to disease are rarely driven by scientific evidence alone; as we discuss below, historically, symbolic dimensions can be more important.”
Conclusion: The Symbology of the Mask
A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship per Wikipedia. To quote our favorite paper, “The distinctive character of mask‐wearing is usefully highlighted through thinking of it as a risk ritual…Rituals are unquestioned social practices whose practical effects are secondary to their markedly symbolic character.”
Whether you like it or not, you are participating in a ritual that makes no scientific sense. Rituals aren’t supposed too. They’re simply routines that you perform, day in and day out, without question. In short, you stop thinking for yourself.
“[Rituals] tend to lack any transformative aspect. Instead they provide comfort and channel anxiety into mundane activity.”
Recommended Reading: The Brave New World of 1984, Part One (The Ritual of Predictive Programing)
As we go further in the COVID-19 saga, we can look to the past to see how we got here. We passed laws with no science behind them, and as a bonus, it doesn’t help that our media has been filled with movies and dramas telling us to wear a mask during pandemics. It doesn’t help that Netflix released “Pandemic” in 2020, furthermore scaring individuals to do without thinking.
Hopefully, this saga comes to an end so we can ask some serious questions. Such as why did we throw away decades of research for something novel? More so, if this is such a novel virus, where did it come from? What is behind Wuhan and those who funded it?
Many questions will arise, but as long as we continue to ask questions, we may have an opportunity to come out better than before.
Call to Action
Wow! I wrote this back in 2020! Crazy to reflect on the thoughts back then, especially under two hours. If you enjoyed this article, please consider taking action to show your appreciation.
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If anyone would read on the box it clearly says they do not protect against viruses. Common sense should tell everyone that.
One hides their face in shame or for nefarious reasons. I might not be beautiful but I am human and that is something to be shared with others. Our common humanity. Elementary my dear Watson.