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Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,166
Registered: ‎06-30-2018

Re: Yes, Another Mask Thread. Open at Your Own Risk!

[ Edited ]

@stevieb wrote:

Despite it being a real challenge, I make every effort to wear a mask whenever I go into any public area. Still, let me just say that all these supposed 'experts' continually being cited about one thing or another would do better to get together on their advice, be consistent among themselves and quite frankly to come up with something more effective than has been their track record to date... Distancing and hand washing are fine, masks might or might not help, depending on who you listen to and when you listen to them... but none of the above is anywhere near approaching a significant, meaningful intervention...


@stevieb  Distancing, hand washing, and masks are the best we've got so far.  And not to appear holier than thou but it doesn't take a great deal of common sense for people to know how they can protect themselves without someone telling them what they need to do especially after hearing about the calamity in China then hearing about the virus landing here. And if that wasn't enough -- the calamity that ensued in NY.  The entire country should have had a call to arms after seeing that.

 

We all know about proper personal hygiene during flu season.  I've been wearing a mask during flu season for years.  So if someone says you don't need to wear a mask during a pandemic, are you going to listen to them or are you going to take a common sense approach and protect yourself?  My masks came flying out of the drawer.  And when you talk about the experts being consistent and getting together with their advice that speaks to leadership and leadership starts at the top.  If you don't have a good leader there is chaos and confusion.

Wear a mask. Social distance. Be part of the solution - not part of the problem.
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Re: Yes, Another Mask Thread. Open at Your Own Risk!


@Deree wrote:

@stevieb wrote:

Despite it being a real challenge, I make every effort to wear a mask whenever I go into any public area. Still, let me just say that all these supposed 'experts' continually being cited about one thing or another would do better to get together on their advice, be consistent among themselves and quite frankly to come up with something more effective than has been their track record to date... Distancing and hand washing are fine, masks might or might not help, depending on who you listen to and when you listen to them... but none of the above is anywhere near approaching a significant, meaningful intervention...


@stevieb  Distancing, hand washing, and masks are the best we've got so far.  And not to appear holier than thou but it doesn't take a great deal of common sense for people to know how they can protect themselves without someone telling them what they need to do especially after hearing about the calamity in China then hearing about the virus landing here. And if that wasn't enough -- the calamity that ensued in NY.  The entire country should have had a call to arms after seeing that.

 

We all know about proper personal hygiene during flu season.  I've been wearing a mask during flu season for years.  So if someone says you don't need to wear a mask during a pandemic, are you going to listen to them or are you going to take a common sense approach and protect yourself?  My masks came flying out of the drawer.  And when you talk about the experts being consistent and getting together with their advice that speaks to leadership and leadership starts at the top.  If you don't have a good leader there is chaos and confusion.


Hi @Deree  I don't disagree, necessarily, with most of what you've said with the exception of my view that leaders are not chosen based on their level of medical expertise. Leaders, at all levels, cannot have across the board knowledge and so then the need to surround themselves with subject matter experts. I maintain that in this instance, the supposed subject matter experts have been largely inconsistent, have, at times, been flat out wrong, and have not consistently been helpful.

 

I would add that while I realize part of the political agenda so often referenced on these threads (and so often the reason for their demise), is often to take potshots at specific leaders, but that's not my thing... I don't envy any of them being in the position of having to make decisions about this mess, largely unprecedented in this country in modern times... As far as it goes, I'm also not seeing chaos and confusion. While I am seeing some bad choices, what I'm mostly seeing are different points of view... To me, that is not solely a result of an absence of leadership but is contributed to by the absence of their having been a consistent message from the supposed experts on whom leaders must rely for guidance...


In my pantry with my cupcakes...
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Re: Yes, Another Mask Thread. Open at Your Own Risk!


@stevieb wrote:

Despite it being a real challenge, I make every effort to wear a mask whenever I go into any public area. Still, let me just say that all these supposed 'experts' continually being cited about one thing or another would do better to get together on their advice, be consistent among themselves and quite frankly to come up with something more effective than has been their track record to date... Distancing and hand washing are fine, masks might or might not help, depending on who you listen to and when you listen to them... but none of the above is anywhere near approaching a significant, meaningful intervention...


@stevieb 

 

This is a new virus. If you really want non-changing fact based, proven correct advise, you will need to wait 5-10 years. This is a situation with new information coming in on a daily basis and recommendations are going to change. 

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Re: Yes, Another Mask Thread. Open at Your Own Risk!

[ Edited ]

@willdob3  Uh huh, yes, right, I know, new virus... You don't need a mask, you might need a mask, you do need a mask... Six feet, no ten feet, no twelve feet... Whatever... Really, people choosing to use their own judgment (or sometimes the lack there-of) isn't so hard to understand... Moving on...

 

Woman Wink


In my pantry with my cupcakes...
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Re: Yes, Another Mask Thread. Open at Your Own Risk!


@stevieb wrote:

@willdob3  Uh huh, yes, right, I know, new virus... You don't need a mask, you might need a mask, you do need a mask... Six feet, no ten feet, no twelve feet... Whatever... Really, people choosing to use their own judgment isn't so hard to understand... Moving on...

 

Woman Wink


Sounds like the various experts you are basing your own judgment on are completely confused and contradictory. No wonder you're upset about the topic. Anyone would be by that.

 

The rest of us just go with the most recent mainstream advice, which is very clear right now. It's a lot less stressful than the chaos you are describing where you keep trying to apply outdated recommendations along with the current ones.

When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.
"Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Trusted Contributor
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Registered: ‎06-30-2018

Re: Yes, Another Mask Thread. Open at Your Own Risk!

[ Edited ]

@stevieb wrote:

@Deree wrote:

@stevieb wrote:

Despite it being a real challenge, I make every effort to wear a mask whenever I go into any public area. Still, let me just say that all these supposed 'experts' continually being cited about one thing or another would do better to get together on their advice, be consistent among themselves and quite frankly to come up with something more effective than has been their track record to date... Distancing and hand washing are fine, masks might or might not help, depending on who you listen to and when you listen to them... but none of the above is anywhere near approaching a significant, meaningful intervention...


@stevieb  Distancing, hand washing, and masks are the best we've got so far.  And not to appear holier than thou but it doesn't take a great deal of common sense for people to know how they can protect themselves without someone telling them what they need to do especially after hearing about the calamity in China then hearing about the virus landing here. And if that wasn't enough -- the calamity that ensued in NY.  The entire country should have had a call to arms after seeing that.

 

We all know about proper personal hygiene during flu season.  I've been wearing a mask during flu season for years.  So if someone says you don't need to wear a mask during a pandemic, are you going to listen to them or are you going to take a common sense approach and protect yourself?  My masks came flying out of the drawer.  And when you talk about the experts being consistent and getting together with their advice that speaks to leadership and leadership starts at the top.  If you don't have a good leader there is chaos and confusion.


Hi @Deree  I don't disagree, necessarily, with most of what you've said with the exception of my view that leaders are not chosen based on their level of medical expertise. Leaders, at all levels, cannot have across the board knowledge and so then the need to surround themselves with subject matter experts. I maintain that in this instance, the supposed subject matter experts have been largely inconsistent, have, at times, been flat out wrong, and have not consistently been helpful.

 

I would add that while I realize part of the political agenda so often referenced on these threads (and so often the reason for their demise), is often to take potshots at specific leaders, but that's not my thing... I don't envy any of them being in the position of having to make decisions about this mess, largely unprecedented in this country in modern times... As far as it goes, I'm also not seeing chaos and confusion. While I am seeing some bad choices, what I'm mostly seeing are different points of view... To me, that is not solely a result of an absence of leadership but is contributed to by the absence of their having been a consistent message from the supposed experts on whom leaders must rely for guidance...


@stevieb  You know I can't get into this more specifically...    Agree that leaders are not chosen based upon their level of medical expertise and yes, should rely upon the experts they surround themselves with but then they need to TAKE that expert advice, create a UNIFYING message and TALK to the people. Not do the opposite. That's what a leader does IMO.  Beyond that we can't exactly fault the medical experts here entirely as this is a novel virus and there is no precedent. There's still so much the experts don't know. There is also a very unfortunate situation (uh oh this is where it gets sticky) where the experts have been perhaps feeling undue pressure and their messaging has been wishy-washy. Very unfortunate situation.  And frankly that's what I *do* fault them for.

 

At the outset we had the initial directive about masks which I immediately recognized and accepted as designed to preserve PPE for the front line workers.  They had little choice. This had to be done out of necessity because without the front line workers protected we're all dead....   Hopefully moving forward there will be enough supply produced in this country to protect everyone at the outset.

 

Bottom line is there has been resistance (both political and public) to the most definitive advice of the experts and this has resulted in the dire situation in this country today.

Wear a mask. Social distance. Be part of the solution - not part of the problem.
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Re: Yes, Another Mask Thread. Open at Your Own Risk!

@Porcelain Just wanted to get your opinion on the experts. Do you go by Dr. Fauci?   Am not being critical, am honestly interested as some put their trust in him and others not so much.

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Re: Yes, Another Mask Thread. Open at Your Own Risk!


@KKJ wrote:

@Porcelain Just wanted to get your opinion on the experts. Do you go by Dr. Fauci?   Am not being critical, am honestly interested as some put their trust in him and others not so much.


I do. I am not anti-CDC. We have to go with the best we've got. Always go with what is current.

 

When it comes to health, fringey stuff is only okay by me to the extent that it doesn't get in the way of mainstream basic advice. When it contradicts mainstream advice or starts go go conspiracy oriented or zeros in exclusvely on "one strange trick," I run right back to the mainstream.

 

My dad is convinced I need to take vitamin D3 to protect me. He believes and follows the experts and takes (almost) all the precautions (he goes into stores more often than I think necessary), but he really thinks vitamin D is some sort of key to thwarting Covid. I'm not convinced at all. But I take it to ease his mind. It can't hurt anything either, it's good for me. But I would never give up my mask and cleaning wipes in favor of relying on a vitamin. And if I heard he did such a thing, I would bother him like crazy about it until he gave up just like I gave in about the vitamin D. My family is like that.

When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.
"Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
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Re: Yes, Another Mask Thread. Open at Your Own Risk!

@Porcelain I take Calcium with Magnesium & D3--Andrew Lessman's in fact. Is that the same thing?

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Re: Yes, Another Mask Thread. Open at Your Own Risk!

[ Edited ]

@KKJ wrote:

@Porcelain I take Calcium with Magnesium & D3--Andrew Lessman's in fact. Is that the same thing?


Yep. It is also sometimes called cholecalciferol. I take 2000 IU (500% DV) in my daily Joint Support supplement from 1 Body. Magnesium is really good for you too, I hear. None of this is in reference to Covid, just good health in general. I love my supplements.

 

(Edited to add: When I first told my dad I would start taking D3 I got a separate standalone bottle of it. It was super cheap and they were tiny. Then I realized I could switch to a joint supplement that already had D3. DH has the standalone D3 now. No idea if he is actually taking them.)

When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.
"Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr