Fauci defends masking as COVID cases rise: ‘I would hope’ people abide by recommendations

nutsack@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 369 points –
Fauci defends masking as COVID cases rise: ‘I would hope’ people abide by recommendations
thehill.com
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Fauci would probably get a better response if he said "Don't wear masks so the lib cameras can track you".

All of a sudden masks sell out everywhere.

Seriously use reverse psychology.

Someone else mentioned this today and I've thought it for ages. Trump missed a huge opportunity to sell MAGA masks by going on the anti-mask train.

All the MAGAs would be wearing their MAGA masks, probably harassing people that weren't wearing masks.

But Trump was simply too vain to put on a mask himself, so the MAGAs emulated that and searched the internet for conspiracy theories they could believe in to avoid thinking of themselves as being vain.

Trump’s concern was that his face makeup would stain edges of the mask.

Be glad of that. If the MAGA folks had been wearing masks on Jan-6, they'd have been a lot harder for the DOJ to identify and arrest.

Homer: "Reverse Psychology? Oh that sounds too complicated."
Homer's Brain: "Fine. DON'T use reverse psychology."
Homer: "OK I WILL!!"

Yeah, they really marketed masks wrong in the beginning. Hell, think of how much more traction Trump could've had by marketing masks this way. AND he could have sold a shitton of branded MAGA masks.

The old ‘give the public the best available information in the best way you can’ ploy. It’ll never catch on.

Or simply just say "no need to wear masks" and conservatives will suddenly be all for masking up.

That would actually be a more effective use of cheap masks too.

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I’m bracing for an influx of in-flight tantrums.

Watching those idiots get kicked off planes is food for my soul.

Obviously not great for the other people on the plane.

We are heading into election season. No one is going to reinstitute mask mandates at the federal level.

I am the only person at my gym who consistently takes steps to keep myself safe.

I wish everyone did, but I know better. There was a two-week period in June 2020 when Kansas City reopened without a mask mandate, and the carelessness on display told me everything I need to know. And then we had the Delta variant, whose epicenter was Springfield, Missouri.

People are disgusting. I 100% trust people to do the wrong thing.

The "you can't tell me what to do!" contingent won already. Intelligent people, OTOH, will still mask up when COVID cases rise and they can't avoid "people-y" situations.

I don't know. Covid is rising in my area, yet I was one of only two people at the grocery store wearing masks today. The lady with her germy kid behind me at the checkout kept crowding forward into me as well. When I asked her to give me space, she just gave me a filthy look. I had to move my cart behind me to force more space between us.

The problem is that wearing a mask only provides a limited amount of protection for the wearer. The best results are when people who are shedding the virus (unaware, I assume) wear a mask. That limits the radius that airborne droplets containing virus particles can spread.

See this Youtube video for an example.

Edit to fix link.

I started wearing one grocery shopping (apparently no one else here is), and it's insane to me the looks I was getting.

Some people might've thought I was sick and gave me a wide berth and side eyed glare - fair enough, I get that

But then other people stared at me like I was wearing underwear on my head. They seemed confused and uncomfortable making eye contact

I really wish masks were required all the time at medical facilities. I think this alone could blunt most spikes. I also wish folks would realize mask recommendations help prevent mask mandates and business closures. Its to prevent things getting worse were that might be necessary. Its a good thing.

If it’s not a requirement these knuckleheads aren’t gonna do it. Either make it a mandate or just let nature take its course.

Considering we are in Presidential campaign season here in the US it will be interesting to see if the current administration is willing to take the risk of letting its officials talk too loudly about something that is radically unpopular among likely voters.

I would be fine with the latter option if letting nature run its course didn't involve a side of "vulnerable people getting affected"

People will abide if they want to. The best way to make people refuse would be to "require masks".

And yet somehow a mandate worked for seatbelts. The people who politicised basic safety measures between then and now have blood on their hands.

I made this argument back when the first mandates were happening. I don't recall any major uproar about seat belts yet for some reason it's a big deal when we do the same thing for masks.

The craziest part of it is to me is that seat belts basically only affect the person wearing it, but masks affect both the person wearing it and the people around them. So if anything it makes more sense for masks to be mandated over seat belts.

And not just seat belts, we already mandate clothing in the form of public exposure/indecency laws. And that doesn't even have any tangible effect on anything. Technically we could all be running around naked but I don't see any uproar about that either. I can at least somewhat understand wanting freedom and/or autonomy but the people complaining aren't even consistent about it.

Oh it was the same uproar (it's uncomfortable, it will harm me, we've never had to do this before, I can't breathe, my religion says I shouldn't, etc.) but at least that was a bit more in face about saving your life.

Masks... Ugh.

Interesting choice of words because masks are literally in your face about saving your life, lol.

There was absolutely an "uproar," against seatbelts when they were mandated.

It wasn't able to get the same level of traction because you didn't have social media echo chambers or the president and other influential "leadership" shitting all over the idea of mandates.

When I brought up seatbelts to anti maskers they usually told me they didn't think the government should be allowed to tell them to wear a seatbelt either. These people are idiots who will fight against self preservation on principle, bless their hearts.

I'm not even joking my boss stopped wearing a seatbelt during the mask drama

I have a feeling they don't care. Just because cars have seat belts doesn't mean people use them correctly, or at all.