An Avalon facemask poll

[Bill Ryan]

This is a purely neutral poll: meaning, I'm simply curious what the views of the community might be.

I'm well aware that the vast majority of active members have chosen not to dive into the Do you wear a face mask discussion, where maybe half a dozen people have been dominating the thread on a near-daily basis. (I know of several members who feel there's little point in posting there any more.)

There seem to be 4 distinct basic positions one might take. I have no strong idea which one might be the most favored.

[Billy Vasiliadis]

I would personally feel more comfortable picking something along the lines of 'I really don't know how effective masks are and will exercise some common sense. If I'm in a crowded place and if there are laws in place I will probably acquiesce and wear a mask. If I'm out where there are few to no people I won't wear one'.

Here in Melbourne face masks are going to be mandatory when out. I probably won't wear one if I am walking where there aren't many people, but probably will if I'm at a busy supermarket. Seems reasonable in my mind, although I run the risk of a fine even if I'm walking but distant from others. I'll have to wait and see. I really hope the police here are reasonable.

[TomKat]

I voted ineffective/not willing, but I have to wear one to enter many businesses. After which I pull it down below my nose so I can breathe.

[norman]

Next week masks will become compulsory in shops in England.

My first thought was, how will I get into a shop to buy a face mask ?

Quite by chance, yesterday, a bloke running a market stall accosted me with an offer to buy a black washable face mask for 2.99, I thought about it for a few seconds and grabbed the coins out of my pocket.

It doesn't matter what I believe, I have to get through this coming nuttery somehow.


I didn't vote in the poll because it doesn't have an option that fits where I'm at with all this stuff. It was similar when the original covid thread was replaced by the 3 or 4 categorised replacements chosen at Bill's best librarian discretion. For weeks afterwards, I was confused about which thread to post stuff in because I could hardly relate to any of them.

[EFO]

Posted by Billy Vasiliadis (here)
I would personally feel more comfortable picking something along the lines of 'I really don't know how effective masks are and will exercise some common sense. If I'm in a crowded place and if there are laws in place I will probably acquiesce and wear a mask. If I'm out where there are few to no people I won't wear one'.

Here in Melbourne face masks are going to be mandatory when out. I probably won't wear one if I am walking where there aren't many people, but probably will if I'm at a busy supermarket. Seems reasonable in my mind, although I run the risk of a fine even if I'm walking but distant from others. I'll have to wait and see. I really hope the police here are reasonable.

Same for me and also almost the same regulation in Romania with exemption that if we are in closed spaces it's not quite mandatory to wear a mask if we keep the distance - at this point the regulation is ambiguous as any other Romanian law.

I don't want to wear a mask if is not a real danger.I want to breath air freely.

Lack of any quantity of air/oxygen lead to more illnesses.Oxygen participate at oxidative processes in human body.

I wear gas mask in the army during training and superiors run us until we could't breath and some mask's valves stuck and I saw camarads with their masks filled with a mixture of blood,saliva and other stuff getting out form mouths and noses.

So,as long as I can avoid wearing a mask,I will not wear it not even in my dreams.

[hohoemi]

Given that "masks are effective" can be read as "when wearing a mask, neither the wearer nor those around him will get infected", I'd prefer more nuanced options, such as: Masks reduce infection risk if everyone wears them, so I'm willing to wear them when everyone does.

Basically, except for FFP masks, I don't believe that mask will do much to protect individual wearers, but wearing them lowers the infection risk for others since the wearer will breath/cough out fewer droplets into the air. If everyone wears a mask in warranted situations (closed rooms, public transport etc.), I believe the infection risk for everyone is lowered to some degree, even if not eliminated, so I consider it a reasonable precaution to take. If no one else wears them though, there's not much of a point for a few individuals to wear them, since the benefits are likely to be minimal.

Here in Austria, currently masks only have to be worn in public transport, however even there I often see people without masks or wearing masks incorrectly, such as below their noses. Still, most people comply and I consider this regulation perfectly reasonable, so I'm happy to cooperate with it.

[pyrangello]

For the elderly like my dad who is 88 and has a heart condition , for sure yes, for people who have underlying health conditions , yes , for the healthy to build herd immunity say 65 years and younger I say no. Am I gong to any mass gatherings in the future NO. For the stores where employees are in a very tough spot, I will wear one periodically depending on the store out of respect for these people. If this virus comes around much more here in michigan I may change my position a bit more but will see.

[Delight]

Posted by norman (here)
Next week masks will become compulsory in shops in England.

My first thought was, how will I get into a shop to buy a face mask ?

Quite by chance, yesterday, a bloke running a market stall accosted me with an offer to buy a black washable face mask for 2.99, I thought about it for a few seconds and grabbed the coins out of my pocket.

It doesn't matter what I believe, I have to get through this coming nuttery somehow.


I didn't vote in the poll because it doesn't have an option that fits where I'm at with all this stuff. It was similar when the original covid thread was replaced by the 3 or 4 categorised replacements chosen at Bill's best librarian discretion. For weeks afterwards, I was confused about which thread to post stuff in because I could hardly relate to any of them.

The cognitive whirlpool is spinning and the people who believe any item outside of oneself will be necessary for health etc. will feel fearful when unable to access that item.

Fear increases when people believe their well being is dependent on what others do/think. OTHERS will not agree and those others are "refusing to be good citizens". The belief means fearfulness will seek to eliminate the threats to one self from others through any means thought necessary.

It is CLEAR to me that these polls are unable to shed light because there is no grounds for consensus. The ground was already split by "scientific materialism"..

I KNOW already that there is a schism between those who have faith (in the body, the SPIRIT, nature and SELF) and those who have no faith. I am keeping a low profile and clinging solidly to my SPIRIT ROPE. It is not "out there". It is in me and is a real life line. I will wear masks when I must and believe that no matter WHAT I am SAFE.

NO ONE CAN BE TRUSTED TO TELL US WHAT WE SHOULD DO. They all are only good for telling themselves where their limits bound them (and that is the trick for us to grok). All around we see the shattering of common ideas by way of EXPERT obfuscations.

[greybeard]

Polls are an opinion and valid for the voter.
Facts are a different matter.
Chris

[ClearWater]

I selected the first option, though it doesn't EXACTLY represent my position. And the more I investigate, the less sure I become of what my position actually is. I'm not convinced that masks are effective or ineffective, and I'm not even sure what those two words really mean in this context. I certainly don't believe that masks prevent viral particles from making their way into the air. I also don't believe that masks do nothing to reduce the spread of viral particles. So I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. Based upon what I've read and seen, it's my opinion that the potential harm of wearing a mask (especially for 'long' stretches of time) is worthy of consideration also. I can't say with any certainty that the possible protective benefits of wearing one outweigh the potential risks of wearing one. I think it very much comes down to the health status of the individual.

My strong preference is to not wear a mask, as I have great difficulty breathing when wearing one, and sometimes get light headed quickly. That said, when going to places that request patrons to wear a mask, I will do so. If given a choice though, I am more likely to go to stores that don't request/require patrons to wear them. It's to the point now though that virtually everywhere near me has signs requesting patrons wear masks, so I find myself wearing it more often than not when I go out. I make my trips out as infrequent and as short as possible.

I've also made a concerted effort to spend more time outside in 'fresh' air, taking multiple walks and bike rides each day, along with regular weight training. Also eating as best I can and taking vitamins to make up for deficiencies in my diet. In other words, a mask is only one aspect of ensuring we maintain our health. I try to do as much as I can to assure my own well being, which in turn significantly decreases the chances of becoming sick and potentially transmitting that to others. Of course, it's possible that I could be exposed to a virus and pass it on without experiencing symptoms, but I feel it's important not to RELY upon masks without also taking a variety of other steps to encourage well being.

This post may actually be more appropriate in the Face Mask thread, so feel free to move it if it's out of place here, but I wanted to add some more explanation to my vote in the poll.

[Conaire]

In Ireland it is now mandatory to wear 'face coverings' while using public transport. Mask wearing is ineffective in my case due to the fact that I have a beard. A mask won't seal on my face, unless I become cleanly shaven, which I'm unwilling to do. However, if I want to take a train etc I must use some form of a face covering. So, I use a handkerchief instead of a mask. It's also as ineffective as a mask but a handkerchief is a lot more comfortable to wear. Nither option are ideal but at least I can get from A to B.

The result of this poll will be very interesting because, in my opinion, the whole mask wearing conversation has been one of the most confusing over these last 4 months or so.

[Sarah Rainsong]

Y'all.... this is a poll! It's not a contract. Don't take it so seriously. There is no way anyone could possibly list all the possible opinions. Just pick the one that most closely aligns to yours and then explain it further in a post.

[christian]

Masks are effective but not necessary to avoid a corona catastrophe, so I'm not willing to wear one.

I think with the current pandemic, face masks do more harm than good.

[Kryztian]

"Masks have a certain level of effectiveness, N95s being much higher than normal masks. I am willing to wear one out of courtesy to people concerned about COVID, and so that I can enter supermarkets and other public places without getting arrested, although I would prefer to take the additional risk of getting Covid than restrict my breathing and separate myself from society and nature. There is much I object to about the reaction to COVID in the media and political arenas, BUT not wearing a mask is not a sensible way to protest this."

[DaveToo]

Thanks for the poll Bill.

Interesting that almost half of 68 voters (so far) have voted:

"Masks are ineffective, and I'm not willing to wear one."

or

"I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"


Masks are an effective tool to limit your oxygen intake.
Use them at your own peril !

[bobme]

I will not ever wear a mask. They do not work, and they take your freedom away from you.

Even if it becomes manditory to wear one, I willnot. I choose freedom,always.

[thepainterdoug]

i voted ineffective and i am willing to wear one, because i have to wear one only because food store owners demand i do in order to get food.

[Cognitive Dissident]

https://filebin.net/0pbnryue58ex7kbd

I wear a mask when I go outside, I find them uncomfortable for long periods but on balance I will wear them - I agree with Chris Martenson who has many many videos on COVID-19 and addressed this topic many times.

Yes, there is a inhumanity to communicating with others wearing a mask, but there is an inhumanity to 5G, the technocratic takeover of society, mandatory vaccinations, modern education, consumer culture - it is a long list. Let's keep our eyes on the big picture.

[prc]

I have no choice in my country. It is mandatory in public places, in the streets, inside shops, supermarkets and business in general and depending on the city you live there is a fine to pay for those not wearing it.

[Sadieblue]

I think a mask is ineffective, and I didn't wear one until our governor made it mandatory. It is required to enter any place of business and I do have to get groceries, therefore I wear one when I really need to go out among others.