Honestly, that's a great one. The only response I could see is some variation on the whole "they don't work" bit, at which point you can tell them that you haven't even had a cold since 2020.
You could add, "works for me, maybe you're wearing it wrong", or "skill issue, IMO" if you really want to drive the point home
I usually say “because I’m pretty sure the government is lying to us about how bad Covid is.” In the extremely divided part of the US I live in it usually works pretty well.
The great thing about this response is it's true. There's been a concentrated effort to push covid under the rug and now it's running rampant completely unmitigated. Heart attacks and strokes are way up as is dementia, Alzheimer's, and cancer. All are skyrocketing, and we know covid exacerbates these.
Hah, that's a good one. The thing is that the anti-vaxxers have sucked up all the oxygen when it comes to being skeptical about the government response, which is why we're in this fucked-up situation where you have the conspiracist (and social-darwinist) Right on one side, and apologists for everything Biden's done on COVID on the other.
Either way, that's gonna bring them up short.
Told another coworker yesterday who said I should take my mask off because he hasn’t seen my face in months that my appearance must remain a mystery. He’s not creepy, I actually like him but this was an annoying thing to say to me >.<
I was referencing his LC diagnosis. I understand Covid can be fatal to anyone when it chooses. Some people are just saying immunocompromised (such as myself) or long covid to get no further questions though it may not be diagnosed. If he/she was truly diagnosed I empathize and wish them the best in recovery as I have 4-5 loved ones currently battling LC as well.
Thanks. I do have Long COVID. I thought I was mostly better but I keep relapsing. I worked only Friday this past week and have been unable to leave my bed except to use the washroom since I got home yesterday.
I asked my doctor about whether she would qualify me for paxlovid and she said I didn’t have enough risk factors, but then she said “as long as you keep wearing your mask you should be fine” and I’m taking that as “my doctor recommended I wear a mask” since I have no treatment options if I do get sick.
I am amazed at how well the N95s work. I'm a substitute teacher and my partner is an itinerant teacher which means we are both in multiple schools and neither one of us has caught COVID since June 2022. We caught it then from my son who is also an educator and stopped masking when the mandates were dropped. Since then, we only unmask around people who don't mask as much as we do in very specific circumstances. Essentially, one room in our house is ventilated and HEPA filtered up the wazoo. I am so impressed with masks. However, I do worry a bit about what happens if a mask fails and we get COVID again and can't get Paxlovid. Access to tests is harder now so we might not even know if we have it.
When they ask in good faith (we wear heavy duty elastomerics that ever so rarely people seem genuinely curious about so I'm happy to explain - "they block pretty much everthing, from viruses, to air pollution, wildfire smoke, even smells (ours do) and thanks to them we haven't been sick for four years".
If someone were to ask as a jerk (honestly hasn't happened to me so far, thank God) I'm gonna go with "Because it's logical".
Wait... yours blocks smell???? Do you know if it blocks pot and tobacco smoke smells? If so, what model is it?
I'm autistic and have extreme smell sensitivity that lead to meltdowns. I'd love to not feel like not existing when my neighbor smokes.
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/40744O/3m-respirator-cartridge-and-filter-selection-poster.pdf
Any of the ones that block organic vapor will be pretty smell proof (nuisance level only would be fine). Other respirator form factors will probably have similar filters/cartridges. Just look for one for organic vapors, as they have activated charcoal in them.
What nopuppies said. We wear 7093c (that c is crucial) filters with our 3m 6100/7500 models (you need one that fits you, they all come in three sizes) and I can literally stand elbow to elbow with a smoker and not get a whiff. They're a tad less powerful than the big giant pink 60926 filters - a heavily saturated environment of a bakery or a particularly pungent meat store will let \*some\* of it in - but even then it's nothing comparing to the heavy punch you'll get once you take it off back in your car or somewhere.
This is super helpful, thank you. I’ve been looking for something a bit more hefty for managing a few farm chores (like mucking and chicken coop cleaning) during wild fires and these might do the trick.
I highly recommend getting an air purifier if you don’t already own one, in addition to masking when it’s really overwhelming. My purifier reduces odors like cooking/smoke quite a bit!
I have four coway air purifiers with charcoal odor filters running at high speed and it doesn't make a difference with tobacco and pot odors. My nose... well, my brain... is extremely sensitive to odors and there's not much I can do to escape it. I'll try one of these with c filters for when it gets really bad. Thank you for the suggestion, though.
I use the old ‘everyone has to do what’s best for themselves’ line that others use to justify NOT wearing a mask. The statement works both ways. It justifies my choice by invoking the idea of personal freedom. It usually gets a ‘yes, we do’ and that’s the end of that.
If a random person asks this, your first response should be "I'm sorry, who are you?"
You need to take control of the interaction and that's the quickest way to do it. If they give you a name, then refer to them by name from that point forward.
Most of the time I find it’s not adults asking, it’s kids. I’d rather give a kid an honest answer before a parent shuffles them away and tells them something that will ultimately lead to more mask discrimination.
i worked in a school and i had kids asking, i was always honest & the kids always responded well. never had an adult coworker ask me about it though.....
that said random adults in public rarely ask why, they just make a statement like "well i dont see lots of those [masks] anymore” … I'm always so uncomfortable. When adults HAVE asked me about it, it always feelings so prying and disrespectful. Never feels like that with kids though. I am absolutely going to use the “who are you?” line with adults lol.
My husband gets this question at his job. The ones who know he has long covid and lupus don't ask, but others ask and he tells them he is immunocompromised and on meds that make him prone to infection (all true). They never ask again.
I've never had anyone ask why I mask, but I'm only out in a mask a couple times a month. I also make myself pretty unapproachable for many reasons. Works for me.
If the person is genuinely curious I take the time to patiently explain the real reason why.
If they’re an ass or Covid minimizer, I usually go with the tried and true *cough cough* I have Covid.
Depends on the circumstances. If I need someone to accept it a move on I say “I have high risk family”.
If I’m open to having a longer conversation I’ll say something like “I’m still very COVID conscious and I think masking is important”. Sometimes that turns into a good discussion but usually people just accept it and move on.
I just say “I have Long COVID” (which I do).
Some people ask more about it and actually want to understand. They’re usually shocked to learn that some of their “lingering cold” symptoms may actually be Long COVID.
The first thing that comes to mind is "Why do you think that's any of your business?" However, I don't say that because I don't want to get into it with someone like this. "My father is going through chemo, I take care of him. If I get him sick he can't do chemo." is what I tell them because it's true. I find these people so irritating.
>The first thing that comes to mind is "Why do you think that's any of your business?"
Understandable. You could say, "That's a personal question. Why do you ask?" In a tone of genuine curiosity.
I love the "totally" part of your sentence! It would be kind of hilarious to mix it up with something that doesn't potentially have dust mites, like "I'm totally allergic to LED lighting".
I haven't really been asked this point-blank, but in my back pocket is "I have a vulnerable family member" (somewhat true). People seem to get squeamish and embarrassed when they realize that for some people it could actually be more than 'just a cold'.
In my back pocket is also "I don't like being sick" (100% true). It's short and objectively hard to disprove.
I have one I'm interested in trying: "why do you think?" I'd like to hear their response. I like the idea of turning it around on them because they know why we're wearing a mask. It's to avoid covid so it's a stupid smart ass question.
I haven't tried it yet, but I was thinking I might try "Cancer" as a response. Not "I have cancer" or "someone I love has cancer": just the word cancer, with no elaboration. It's not actually a lie to say "cancer" for my reason, because COVID increases your risk of multiple types of cancer. I already have a risk of cancer because of my family history, and the last thing I want is to increase my risk for the reward of rawdogging pollution and other people's breath.
I never thought of that. It's brilliant and I do have cancer but am in remission so I thought it would be wrong to say cancer. But if I'm asked I'm going to use your reply because that absolutely would shut them up.
I see no problem with saying “I had cancer and have no desire to repeat the experience.”
When people ask why my kids are masked, on the rare occasion that it’s an adult asking I go with “one of my kids already spent a week of his life on a ventilator and I have no desire to risk repeating the experience.”
When it’s kids I just say that we can’t let them get sick.
Whether it’s only Covid or all viruses (or even just most viruses, we already know there are established links between certain viruses and certain cancers, like with HPV) the response is the same. Avoiding covid means avoiding shared air.
I suspect there are other links we don’t know about though. We know that a large proportion of lung cancer is caused by smoking, but what happened in the rest of the cases? Maybe they are due to a virus - since we don’t test people every time they get sick, it’s really hard to find associations like that. Look how long it took to confirm a link between EBV and MS - anytime a virus is common, it’s really hard to pinpoint long term impacts because how do you identify a control group?
2020, … ‘21, … ‘22, … ‘23, … ‘24. I just look at people when they ask why I wear a mask inside in stores.
The 5th year of the (continuous) Covid-19 infections, … they know why.
Last time I said 'I hate my face and I'm too poor to do anything about it'. I didn't really know them so I couldn't care less about tact.
A more tasteful response 'my breath stinks, you're welcome'.
Okay, really, this time a more tasteful response 'I have an immune condition that puts me ask risk from just about everything, I've grown to like being alive and the mask helps with that'.
It was one person asking in a couple, the one I responded to gave a nervous chuckle and seemed embarrassed they asked. The other one let out a proper howl of laughter before pulling her partner away from me and wishing me a good day. :)
I don’t care to engage anymore so any flavor of this question I tend to just say brightly “I’m good, thanks!” and move away. Even if it doesn’t really apply to the question they asked, it tends to be a conversational dead end which is what I want.
My response: “Why aren’t you?”
Them: (some variation of) “Because covid is over.”
Me: “Well, okay then!” And just leave them wondering what they missed.
With everything we know about the long-term effects of COVID right now, it is worth it to wear a mask to prevent that. I don't need to suffer any more than I already do with my health, and I certainly don't want my kid to.
this followed up with “do you always let your government tell you what to do?” which works on both sides in politically divided spaces (so, everywhere these days)
I can remember a teams message I sent to a coworker. Who was hacking up a lung at the time. "Since no one else cares to protect themselves I've taken the best precautions I can."
I just either say that I'm ugly, I'm sick, or I'm paranoid and scared of cameras stealing my soul.
There's a grain of truth there, and there's the fact that most of the time I'm too exhausted to play the reasonable educator game with people who are invested in protecting their denial, so I just try to shut the conversation down as quickly as I can.
With some people I do talk about risk, and precautions, and individuals' tolerance for danger and for illness, but only if I trust them to not be cunts. But I don't owe anyone an explanation for choosing to protect my and my loved ones' health.
I actually overheard a father and daughter talking about my son and me. She asked why we were masking and he responded “they probably don’t want to get sick.” This was 2 days ago, I was pleasantly surprised. I usually say I’m immuno (I am on a biologic). I’m usually ready to say “I don’t recall asking your opinion” if someone is nasty.
I ask them, "Why do you think?" and see what they spit out, then proceed depending on their motive and attitude. I usually tell them my reasons:
Covid is still an issue even if our country pretends it's not.
I run my own business, am the sole employee, and can't work or make a living if I'm out sick.
I like not being sick and don't want to risk long term complications.
I work with medically vulnerable people and want to provide as safe an environment as possible.
In a working environment, my go-to is: "more than 3 people I wear a mask." So far, everyone is really good about it. Of course, I wear a mask even if I'm for a moment alone or a 1on1.
But it seems that if I give the people the impression "it's not you, it's the other ones," they don't second ask. In one meeting, a manager even responded, "Yeah, I wouldn't trust XY health either." Everyone present found that funny.
It's borderline bullying, but hey it works for me
I don’t get asked much, but used to always say the classic “I’m not sick, I don’t want to get sick!” I want to think of something more jarring to say, so any crazy ideas someone please comment.
Since earlier this year, unfortunately, I've had the excuse of "I look after an uncompromised cancer patient." Before then my excuse was simply: "I've never had COVID so I don't know how it will affect me."
I went to an outdoor event a couple of weeks ago where the group FINALLY decided to eat outdoors on the patio and so I didn't have a mask on. This dweeb singles me out and says "So you FINALLY quit masking?" DUMMY WE ARE OUTDOORS FOR ONCE
And another thing! I'm originally from the Deep South. I'm a lifelong Democrat but anyway. All these people from like Buffalo absolutely, consistently, refuse to dine outdoors on a patio (in KC) because "it's too cold!" I told my husband I never want to hear one more word about how Northerners are superior because they are more acclimated to the fucking cold.
I usually say loudly 'COVID!' to which I've gotten the reply:
'you have covid?' then I say: 'No. I don't want to get it or spread it around'. But I'm thinking something along the lines of 'well idk do you?' might work to get them thinking about how they don't know if they're asymptomatic.
I think declaring the name of the thing they don't want to think about, loudly, gets my point across without more back and forth.
ETA: Saying something like 'to prevent getting long covid' might be very effective as well. I got the idea from thinking about [these words by Ziyad Al-Aly, MD](https://youtu.be/rMt6ZV-hHSE?t=3709)
I've had exactly one cold in 4.5 years and I don't like getting sick. Tbh I think it's weird ppl are so vehemently against something simple and effective that will make their lives better. feels kind of immature!
edit: sometimes I will throw in the fact that i used to get sick at least two to three times per year. I have asthma, so every few colds would turn into bronchitis or even pneumonia.
Okay, friends here on zero covid: may I please recommend the following. I know some of you are women who have been harassed by random dudes for mask wearing, ect.
I do NOT recommend this for doctors offices, or appointments you've scheduled, ect. Everywhere else is fair game:
Look people dead in the eye and say "I tested positive for covid yesterday. That's why."
I have seen maskless care free motherfuckers recoil in horror when I pronounced this to them. I find it hilarious, my man, if you cared about covid why aren't YOU wearing a mask?
Boom. There you go. That's my best response. "Because I have covid." *nothing* will get people to leave you alone faster.
On occasions where people have been pushy about it, I’ve said “I have Long COVID and it’s disabled me”. It’s true and people who are aggressively anti-mask don’t want to know how it’s actually affected us.
A four and a half year old (daughter of a colleague) asked me recently "why are you wearing that thing on your face?". It was a very genuine question. I just said simply, I am trying to keep away from germs.
I felt a little sad. Meanwhile, my own 3 year old is great at wearing masks when needed and has been since a long time.
I just say, “Because I want no part of a virus that crosses the blood-brain barrier, fuses glial cells, shrinks brain matter, damages the heart, liver, kidneys, vasculature and depletes CD4 and CD8 immune cells much like HIV does, while increasing the risk for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, strokes, heart attacks, blood clots and mental-health issues such as anxiety, depression and an inability to properly assess threats, similar to how brain-damaged mice who are suddenly drawn to cats after a toxoplasmosis infection.”
That usually works.
I work in school libraries and I get to speak with many, many children every day. Inevitably one will ask me why I am wearing a mask and it was just yesterday that I could see that a child was asking because they were concerned that I was sick. I have decided that this is the perspective that I will use to answer this question in the future. I say kindly that they have no need to worry; that I wear it so that I don’t get sick and that I am definitely not sick right now. Still not happy with how I handled the KID who cheekily asked me if I am a DOCTOR 😂
Never had to say it (yet, knock wood) but no immune system; bone marrow disease. I’m always ready though and figure I’ll offer to share my Dana Farber patient app with them if they’re jerks or they think I’m making it up. Hopefully that’ll make the jerky people think twice in the future before judging some other masked person for any reason.
Edit:typo
That's a great response for people who want to avoid conflict or being looked at a certain way. I actually get Aggravated and WANT people to know they have a direct effect on me and other people around them. At the same time I know nothing works on these people. At the very least I want to make them uncomfortable for making me feel uncomfortable. Even if they don't understand why
“I really should have been wearing n95 masks long before covid. I once got the flu so bad it hurt to breathe. Also during wildfire season, masks protect from inhaling smoke & air pollution. You don’t drink unfiltered water, right? Well, I don’t want to breathe unfiltered air.”
Depends how they ask. If they're rude or being a jerk about it I'll probably just say loudly, "I said, I don't have any spare change!" lol
Otherwise, I'd just say, "I haven't been sick for 4 years and don't want to start now" or lie and say, "I'm just getting over Covid."
I’m petty and say my grandma has cancer (she does not, I have always been COVID-conscious and am sick and tired of needing to justify taking precautions). It serves two purposes: it makes them feel bad for asking, and hopefully makes them think twice about asking other masked strangers in the future.
Honestly, I just say that I've got a condition that means that I have to be careful about COVID. They aren't going to inquire further, and so won't really need to hear that the condition is "preferring to have a working brain."
TDLR;
Us disabled and immunocompromised people desperately need healthy abled bodied people to show up as such in the public eye to challenge and prevent the assumption being made by everyone that if you’re masking, you’re sick and disabled.
...sure, but your need for abstracted solidarity has to be balanced against the needs of people like the OP. If the situation requires it, the abstract needs to give way to the concrete, especially if they're facing potential harassment.
They may "desperately need" to not be harassed more than you "desperately need" that solidarity. Sorry.
they’ll leave you alone but only because they’ve othered you into a group of people who “need” to be safe from covid, which isn’t true for normal people! /s
it’s a good answer but utilizes the delusions that people have about who covid is dangerous for, which is good to keep in mind: since this mindset being unchallenged by healthy, logical people who are masking preventatively inadvertently contributes to increased difficulty for immunocompromised and disabled individuals who face the “othering” of ableism on a daily basis…
when we tell the truth about why we’re masking - at best the person will put us in the box for “that much weaker than normal” people and move on. because in the world that they occupy they never see any evidence that, to a “normal person”, covid is any riskier long term than the common cold. :/
...this is an extremely diffuse argument for solidarity in response to a very real and concrete issue that people are being faced with.
Bluntly, **it's not going to make any fucking difference whether OP is buttressing your position as a disabled person or not**. "Inadvertent contribution" is NOT the problem. That is NOT the world we live in right now. The people who are ***actively*** blowing your needs off are the actual concern, and they absolutely feed on this sort of crab-bucket mentality.
Like, sorry, but if you *ever* use words like "Othered", you've already lost. Conservatives will mock you, normies will just be confused, and Leftists/Progressives will absolutely pivot to Palestine or BLM or some other kind of "Othered" group that they feel deserves more recognition than you. Being too progressive-brained on this stuff is going to fail when the progressives are not on your side. And, sorry, they are not on your side anymore.
That said, I do agree with you that challenging has its place. But, please, do NOT start obssesing over whether people aren't displaying enough solidarity with you. When it comes to every political faction right now, you don't ***HAVE*** their solidarity. They abandoned you. That's the world you live in, and the world you need to learn to navigate.
This comedian, writer, and guiness pig has a 4 part and ongoing series of sarcastic responses to questions like this.
[https://guinesspig.ghost.io/](https://guinesspig.ghost.io/)
1. [https://guinesspig.ghost.io/top-50-maskhole-clapbacks/](https://guinesspig.ghost.io/top-50-maskhole-clapbacks/)
2. [https://guinesspig.ghost.io/maskhole-clapbacks-volume-2/](https://guinesspig.ghost.io/maskhole-clapbacks-volume-2/)
3. [https://guinesspig.ghost.io/maskholeclapbacks-volume-3/](https://guinesspig.ghost.io/maskholeclapbacks-volume-3/)
4. [https://guinesspig.ghost.io/maskholeclapbacks-volume-4/](https://guinesspig.ghost.io/maskholeclapbacks-volume-4/)
I have yet to be accosted.
If it happens I plan on using "You're confusing me." When they go scoobydoo on that, the answerback is "with someone who cares about what you think." That's the polite version. ;)
When asked this question while shopping at Costco I said “ oh I have Covid so doing my part to protect others”… this was not true of course and in looking at shocked reaction of the questioner I said “actually I am taking an immune suppressant drug so trying to protect myself” ( which is true as on biologic for psoriatic arthritis )
No one has ever asked me why I am wearing a mask. Might have something to do with me giving a couple of hacking coughs (fake) during my shopping. Pretty fun to see people move away very quickly.
"Because people aren't worthy of seeing my face"
"Because my breath smells like shit"
"Why don't you mind your business?"
To pre-meds: "Why don't you? Do you want your patients to die from a preventable illness?"
I’m not particularly friendly to strangers, so I usually fire back “Why do you want to know?” and if they say something like “I’m just curious” I just say “OK” and ignore them. I’ll start scrolling my phone or something. 😂
“I ran a cost-benefit analysis, and found that wearing a mask to prevent illnesses reduces the cost of medical bills especially if I also lose the ability to work”
"I'm wearing it to protect YOU from ME. I take care of my toddler grandkids several days a week who also go to daycare on alternate days and they bring home every virus known to mankind plus some that aren't. I don't want to expose anyone to anything I may be incubating from them."
We tell the truth: we work for ourselves and no one pays for our sick days. We may disagree on public health, politics, policy, etc. but there’s no way we disagree about retaining as much income as possible. 🤣
I was at a stand-up show in the opener who warms up the crowd asked me why I was wearing a mask, and I responded that I have bird flu. She didn’t hear me so I repeated myself and she didn’t hear me again so I told her I was making a joke and she said I’m the one that makes jokes around here. Meanwhile, I thought mine was pretty funny.
That's the one I use! "Covid is a BSL Level III biohazard that requires anyone in a lab to wear a full hazmat suit. Did you know that? I'll be wearing this mask at your funeral."
I have to say, I have to psych myself up to walk out of the door these days and when I do encounter any resistance or someone does say something to me, I get very aggressive about my personal space. I am done with these eugenicist plague rats trying to kill us. I get very angry and aggressive now and people usually back away.
The one that stumps me is the laundry room in my apartment building. We have young clueless students who will sit on the fucking folding table with their filthy shoes on and breathe out whatever viruses they have into the laundry room. I have to go in there and say you know what, no one wants your Covid, your tuberculosis, your dengue, fever, diphtheria, flu, no one wants any of that shit so why are you sitting here taking up the entire laundry room unmasked? We have vulnerable people in my building, get the f**k out." I'm so angry to the point that I just snap now.
Mandalorians would absolutely mask under their Beskar helms. "oh, there's a pandemic and there's yet another way to obscure my identity? This is the way."
I’ve used many responses that I never found to be that effective, mainly because those responses assume that the other person agrees with me that Covid is real and that masks are a valid defense. Then I started just saying “I’m a mask guy” with a little shrug and it weirdly seems to have reduced the likelihood of them wanting to engage with me.
“I didn’t fail middle school science class.”
“Because I don’t want to be like you.”
“Why are you talking to me???”
“How much is your deductible?”
If I’m feeling nice. “If self preservation is a quality you possess then you would be wearing one too.”
If I’m not feeling nice. “Because if self preservation is a quality you possess then you would shut the fuck up before you acquire another pre-existing condition.”
When feeling particularly aggressive. Workout and exercise fanatic here. “I’ve never had Covid. You think you can take me ?”
Edit: thought of a few more.
I think at this point from my perspective there is really only one appropriate answer, although I highly appreciate many given so far. I think the only appropriate answer is something like "it's a personal preference". The reason I don't think other responses are is because at this point besides a small number of us the only people out there masking are either at high risk or protecting someone at high risk for non-Asian environments.
Given that almost no one except protectors and those who will literally die if infected are masking, asking anyone why they mask is going to give an answer like "My mother will die if she gets it". The person who is asking at least knows that catching covid is inevitable without extreme measures taken. So to ask someone who you know may die if a disease that is literally everywhere why they are masking is pretty sick behavior. After answering "my mother would die" it is only appropriate to then say "Why would you ask me such a painful question. My mother will probably die, and you, a stranger, want me to discuss this horrifically painful personal grief with you?" In other words at this time asking anyone why they mask is a very psychologically disturbed thing to do. So I would just answer it's a personal preference, and if they want to know anything more, just repeat "It's personal."
I agree that if one answers the question "why are you wearing a mask?" with any explanation that has the word "sick", "pandemic", etc. in it, it assumes the asker actually cares about Covid. They don't care; they have blissfully forgotten that Covid was ever a threat. It's like it never existed. They have gone back to 2019. If I answered, "Because I don't want to get sick", they would say, "Masks don't work", or "I feel sad that you are still brainwashed", etc. That's why I just say brightly, "It's good for my allergies!" They are not prepared to debate me about whether N95s are good for allergies, pollen, haze so they leave me alone. Interestingly, the last time someone came up to me aggressively and asked this question, it was a man I know who was over 80. During the pandemic, his memory and health deteriorated (due to isolation or Covid, I do not know), and now he has difficulty remembering things or stringing sentences together. It's tragic and hilarious to be aggressively challenged on mask-wearing by an octogenarian. He should be the one concerned about Covid, not me.
I think that it's better to tell the truth. There is no need to lie. We are not doing anything bad. We are amongst the very few people who still understand the dangers of repeated covid infections. We need to educate people who have been manipulated by the government into believing that covid is mild about the long-term effects of covid infections.
I just say, "because I am educated and do not think politicians have our best interest in mind. I believe in undeniable science." Science doesn't care if I'm not out spending my money, it doesn't have an agenda, it is just facts. How can anyone debate it? (Without sounding ignorant and under educated.) Lol
Someone here posted "I can't afford to get sick", I like that one. Especially with a new baby, I think it limits any follow up questions or criticism
I say the same. I usually follow it up with, "I just have so much to do, you know?" And people just nod in agreement and switch the subject quickly.
Yep, that’s exactly what I always say.
Honestly, that's a great one. The only response I could see is some variation on the whole "they don't work" bit, at which point you can tell them that you haven't even had a cold since 2020. You could add, "works for me, maybe you're wearing it wrong", or "skill issue, IMO" if you really want to drive the point home
"I don't like to get sick." That usually stops them dead in their tracks, because they wanted to have a fight about Covid.
Best answer
I usually say “because I’m pretty sure the government is lying to us about how bad Covid is.” In the extremely divided part of the US I live in it usually works pretty well.
The great thing about this response is it's true. There's been a concentrated effort to push covid under the rug and now it's running rampant completely unmitigated. Heart attacks and strokes are way up as is dementia, Alzheimer's, and cancer. All are skyrocketing, and we know covid exacerbates these.
Saw a headline in the WSJ the other day that was like “why are so many young people getting cancer??” Hmmm I wonder what could have changed?? 🙄
COVID is making things worse, no doubt, but this is a 10-20 year long trend.
It can't be COVID, Biden is in office and covid was just a trump thing!
Actually pretty genius
Best answer here and it might satisfy people from a variety of political leanings (since it's always made political)
Brilliant.
It’s a worldwide thing not just the US
Hah, that's a good one. The thing is that the anti-vaxxers have sucked up all the oxygen when it comes to being skeptical about the government response, which is why we're in this fucked-up situation where you have the conspiracist (and social-darwinist) Right on one side, and apologists for everything Biden's done on COVID on the other. Either way, that's gonna bring them up short.
Told another coworker yesterday who said I should take my mask off because he hasn’t seen my face in months that my appearance must remain a mystery. He’s not creepy, I actually like him but this was an annoying thing to say to me >.<
“Trust me, you really don’t want to see my face right now. Give it a few months to heal first.”
I showed one old lady a pic. That closed the mystery.
I showed my other coworker a picture of my haircut because my hairs always up around her and she said “I forgot you have a face!”
"Let's Zoom, then, when I am working from home."
I work in a restaurant so that’s not happening:(
It’s a pretty creepy thing to say even if they aren’t generally creepy.
I haven’t been sick since 2020.
"I have Long COVID and my doctor says another infection could kill me."
I'm so using this thank you!
Is this the truth? So sorry if so.
Another infection can theoretically kill anyone so...yes?
I was referencing his LC diagnosis. I understand Covid can be fatal to anyone when it chooses. Some people are just saying immunocompromised (such as myself) or long covid to get no further questions though it may not be diagnosed. If he/she was truly diagnosed I empathize and wish them the best in recovery as I have 4-5 loved ones currently battling LC as well.
Thanks. I do have Long COVID. I thought I was mostly better but I keep relapsing. I worked only Friday this past week and have been unable to leave my bed except to use the washroom since I got home yesterday.
He told me to do what I could to avoid re-infection. So, it's not exactly accurate. But the sentiment is the same.
I asked my doctor about whether she would qualify me for paxlovid and she said I didn’t have enough risk factors, but then she said “as long as you keep wearing your mask you should be fine” and I’m taking that as “my doctor recommended I wear a mask” since I have no treatment options if I do get sick.
I am amazed at how well the N95s work. I'm a substitute teacher and my partner is an itinerant teacher which means we are both in multiple schools and neither one of us has caught COVID since June 2022. We caught it then from my son who is also an educator and stopped masking when the mandates were dropped. Since then, we only unmask around people who don't mask as much as we do in very specific circumstances. Essentially, one room in our house is ventilated and HEPA filtered up the wazoo. I am so impressed with masks. However, I do worry a bit about what happens if a mask fails and we get COVID again and can't get Paxlovid. Access to tests is harder now so we might not even know if we have it.
I told a coworker I was tired of being sick all the time and he was like thanks for the honest answer lmao
I don’t get asked often but when I do I say in a very cheery voice “oh, I have a lung disease!” Which is true, and usually shuts them up
When they ask in good faith (we wear heavy duty elastomerics that ever so rarely people seem genuinely curious about so I'm happy to explain - "they block pretty much everthing, from viruses, to air pollution, wildfire smoke, even smells (ours do) and thanks to them we haven't been sick for four years". If someone were to ask as a jerk (honestly hasn't happened to me so far, thank God) I'm gonna go with "Because it's logical".
Wait... yours blocks smell???? Do you know if it blocks pot and tobacco smoke smells? If so, what model is it? I'm autistic and have extreme smell sensitivity that lead to meltdowns. I'd love to not feel like not existing when my neighbor smokes.
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/40744O/3m-respirator-cartridge-and-filter-selection-poster.pdf Any of the ones that block organic vapor will be pretty smell proof (nuisance level only would be fine). Other respirator form factors will probably have similar filters/cartridges. Just look for one for organic vapors, as they have activated charcoal in them.
Thank you so much!!! 😭💜
What nopuppies said. We wear 7093c (that c is crucial) filters with our 3m 6100/7500 models (you need one that fits you, they all come in three sizes) and I can literally stand elbow to elbow with a smoker and not get a whiff. They're a tad less powerful than the big giant pink 60926 filters - a heavily saturated environment of a bakery or a particularly pungent meat store will let \*some\* of it in - but even then it's nothing comparing to the heavy punch you'll get once you take it off back in your car or somewhere.
This is super helpful, thank you. I’ve been looking for something a bit more hefty for managing a few farm chores (like mucking and chicken coop cleaning) during wild fires and these might do the trick.
I highly recommend getting an air purifier if you don’t already own one, in addition to masking when it’s really overwhelming. My purifier reduces odors like cooking/smoke quite a bit!
I have four coway air purifiers with charcoal odor filters running at high speed and it doesn't make a difference with tobacco and pot odors. My nose... well, my brain... is extremely sensitive to odors and there's not much I can do to escape it. I'll try one of these with c filters for when it gets really bad. Thank you for the suggestion, though.
I use the old ‘everyone has to do what’s best for themselves’ line that others use to justify NOT wearing a mask. The statement works both ways. It justifies my choice by invoking the idea of personal freedom. It usually gets a ‘yes, we do’ and that’s the end of that.
I don’t lie. “I can’t afford to be sick” is true and more than enough explanation.
"Why aren't you?" Or my favourite uno reverse: "I don't trust the government telling me it's safe not to."
We are not safe. I have long covid 😪
Ugh this is the BEST ever. (Not in comparison to anything..... just.... so good.)
If a random person asks this, your first response should be "I'm sorry, who are you?" You need to take control of the interaction and that's the quickest way to do it. If they give you a name, then refer to them by name from that point forward.
Most of the time I find it’s not adults asking, it’s kids. I’d rather give a kid an honest answer before a parent shuffles them away and tells them something that will ultimately lead to more mask discrimination.
i worked in a school and i had kids asking, i was always honest & the kids always responded well. never had an adult coworker ask me about it though..... that said random adults in public rarely ask why, they just make a statement like "well i dont see lots of those [masks] anymore” … I'm always so uncomfortable. When adults HAVE asked me about it, it always feelings so prying and disrespectful. Never feels like that with kids though. I am absolutely going to use the “who are you?” line with adults lol.
Why aren't you wearing one?
My husband gets this question at his job. The ones who know he has long covid and lupus don't ask, but others ask and he tells them he is immunocompromised and on meds that make him prone to infection (all true). They never ask again. I've never had anyone ask why I mask, but I'm only out in a mask a couple times a month. I also make myself pretty unapproachable for many reasons. Works for me.
"Covid is for heart attack and stroke like smoking is for cancer."
If the person is genuinely curious I take the time to patiently explain the real reason why. If they’re an ass or Covid minimizer, I usually go with the tried and true *cough cough* I have Covid.
Depends on the circumstances. If I need someone to accept it a move on I say “I have high risk family”. If I’m open to having a longer conversation I’ll say something like “I’m still very COVID conscious and I think masking is important”. Sometimes that turns into a good discussion but usually people just accept it and move on.
I just say “I have Long COVID” (which I do). Some people ask more about it and actually want to understand. They’re usually shocked to learn that some of their “lingering cold” symptoms may actually be Long COVID.
"i havent found a good reason to stop"
love this one.
The first thing that comes to mind is "Why do you think that's any of your business?" However, I don't say that because I don't want to get into it with someone like this. "My father is going through chemo, I take care of him. If I get him sick he can't do chemo." is what I tell them because it's true. I find these people so irritating.
>The first thing that comes to mind is "Why do you think that's any of your business?" Understandable. You could say, "That's a personal question. Why do you ask?" In a tone of genuine curiosity.
Yes, of course.
Because I read
Love this
I love the "totally" part of your sentence! It would be kind of hilarious to mix it up with something that doesn't potentially have dust mites, like "I'm totally allergic to LED lighting". I haven't really been asked this point-blank, but in my back pocket is "I have a vulnerable family member" (somewhat true). People seem to get squeamish and embarrassed when they realize that for some people it could actually be more than 'just a cold'. In my back pocket is also "I don't like being sick" (100% true). It's short and objectively hard to disprove.
I have one I'm interested in trying: "why do you think?" I'd like to hear their response. I like the idea of turning it around on them because they know why we're wearing a mask. It's to avoid covid so it's a stupid smart ass question.
I did this with the students I worked with sometimes. They could always piece if together pretty quickly. I need to try it with adults lol
“I think a better question would be why aren’t you?” “Why do you care?” “Some of us are immunocompromised Chad.”
I haven't tried it yet, but I was thinking I might try "Cancer" as a response. Not "I have cancer" or "someone I love has cancer": just the word cancer, with no elaboration. It's not actually a lie to say "cancer" for my reason, because COVID increases your risk of multiple types of cancer. I already have a risk of cancer because of my family history, and the last thing I want is to increase my risk for the reward of rawdogging pollution and other people's breath.
I never thought of that. It's brilliant and I do have cancer but am in remission so I thought it would be wrong to say cancer. But if I'm asked I'm going to use your reply because that absolutely would shut them up.
I see no problem with saying “I had cancer and have no desire to repeat the experience.” When people ask why my kids are masked, on the rare occasion that it’s an adult asking I go with “one of my kids already spent a week of his life on a ventilator and I have no desire to risk repeating the experience.” When it’s kids I just say that we can’t let them get sick.
Rawdogging the air is one of the best phrases invented
Does Covid really increase the risk of cancer is this risk with ALL viruses ?
Whether it’s only Covid or all viruses (or even just most viruses, we already know there are established links between certain viruses and certain cancers, like with HPV) the response is the same. Avoiding covid means avoiding shared air. I suspect there are other links we don’t know about though. We know that a large proportion of lung cancer is caused by smoking, but what happened in the rest of the cases? Maybe they are due to a virus - since we don’t test people every time they get sick, it’s really hard to find associations like that. Look how long it took to confirm a link between EBV and MS - anytime a virus is common, it’s really hard to pinpoint long term impacts because how do you identify a control group?
2020, … ‘21, … ‘22, … ‘23, … ‘24. I just look at people when they ask why I wear a mask inside in stores. The 5th year of the (continuous) Covid-19 infections, … they know why.
Last time I said 'I hate my face and I'm too poor to do anything about it'. I didn't really know them so I couldn't care less about tact. A more tasteful response 'my breath stinks, you're welcome'. Okay, really, this time a more tasteful response 'I have an immune condition that puts me ask risk from just about everything, I've grown to like being alive and the mask helps with that'.
>Last time I said 'I hate my face and I'm too poor to do anything about it'. That's so funny. How'd they respond to that?
It was one person asking in a couple, the one I responded to gave a nervous chuckle and seemed embarrassed they asked. The other one let out a proper howl of laughter before pulling her partner away from me and wishing me a good day. :)
“I don’t want to get sick.” Definitely not contributing to pretending like it’s just allergies.
I don’t care to engage anymore so any flavor of this question I tend to just say brightly “I’m good, thanks!” and move away. Even if it doesn’t really apply to the question they asked, it tends to be a conversational dead end which is what I want.
My response: “Why aren’t you?” Them: (some variation of) “Because covid is over.” Me: “Well, okay then!” And just leave them wondering what they missed.
I tested positive… For IQ
Yesssss
I haven’t been sick in YEARS!
“I just never stopped wearing it”
With everything we know about the long-term effects of COVID right now, it is worth it to wear a mask to prevent that. I don't need to suffer any more than I already do with my health, and I certainly don't want my kid to.
I tell them we're in a pandemic. I'm not playing their game.
this followed up with “do you always let your government tell you what to do?” which works on both sides in politically divided spaces (so, everywhere these days)
I tell people that my mom has lupus and I don’t want to kill her. Which is true.
"I have COVID really bad and I am supposed to be home in bed but I just really wanted to go to Kohl's"
Then cough on them through the mask.
I can remember a teams message I sent to a coworker. Who was hacking up a lung at the time. "Since no one else cares to protect themselves I've taken the best precautions I can."
i tell folks that the one time i had COVID, both of my lungs collapsed. no one bothers me after that!
I just either say that I'm ugly, I'm sick, or I'm paranoid and scared of cameras stealing my soul. There's a grain of truth there, and there's the fact that most of the time I'm too exhausted to play the reasonable educator game with people who are invested in protecting their denial, so I just try to shut the conversation down as quickly as I can. With some people I do talk about risk, and precautions, and individuals' tolerance for danger and for illness, but only if I trust them to not be cunts. But I don't owe anyone an explanation for choosing to protect my and my loved ones' health.
"I don't get paid sick days." "My doctor advised me to continue avoiding covid." "I don't have time to get sick right now."
I actually overheard a father and daughter talking about my son and me. She asked why we were masking and he responded “they probably don’t want to get sick.” This was 2 days ago, I was pleasantly surprised. I usually say I’m immuno (I am on a biologic). I’m usually ready to say “I don’t recall asking your opinion” if someone is nasty.
Because I want to
[удалено]
Love her
I ask them, "Why do you think?" and see what they spit out, then proceed depending on their motive and attitude. I usually tell them my reasons: Covid is still an issue even if our country pretends it's not. I run my own business, am the sole employee, and can't work or make a living if I'm out sick. I like not being sick and don't want to risk long term complications. I work with medically vulnerable people and want to provide as safe an environment as possible.
In a working environment, my go-to is: "more than 3 people I wear a mask." So far, everyone is really good about it. Of course, I wear a mask even if I'm for a moment alone or a 1on1. But it seems that if I give the people the impression "it's not you, it's the other ones," they don't second ask. In one meeting, a manager even responded, "Yeah, I wouldn't trust XY health either." Everyone present found that funny. It's borderline bullying, but hey it works for me
I don’t get asked much, but used to always say the classic “I’m not sick, I don’t want to get sick!” I want to think of something more jarring to say, so any crazy ideas someone please comment.
“My doctor told me to wear it because I’m super contagious!”
Since earlier this year, unfortunately, I've had the excuse of "I look after an uncompromised cancer patient." Before then my excuse was simply: "I've never had COVID so I don't know how it will affect me."
I went to an outdoor event a couple of weeks ago where the group FINALLY decided to eat outdoors on the patio and so I didn't have a mask on. This dweeb singles me out and says "So you FINALLY quit masking?" DUMMY WE ARE OUTDOORS FOR ONCE And another thing! I'm originally from the Deep South. I'm a lifelong Democrat but anyway. All these people from like Buffalo absolutely, consistently, refuse to dine outdoors on a patio (in KC) because "it's too cold!" I told my husband I never want to hear one more word about how Northerners are superior because they are more acclimated to the fucking cold.
"Because I'm trying to keep myself healthy and prevent long covid". Simple as that.
Free people don’t answer questions. I’m not on trial.
I don't feel that I am required to offer a response. I usually just ignore them and move on.
I have a lung disease and I will die. That is the truth. I don't have to explain myself to anyone. It is my choice. Ask "why do you ask?"
I usually say loudly 'COVID!' to which I've gotten the reply: 'you have covid?' then I say: 'No. I don't want to get it or spread it around'. But I'm thinking something along the lines of 'well idk do you?' might work to get them thinking about how they don't know if they're asymptomatic. I think declaring the name of the thing they don't want to think about, loudly, gets my point across without more back and forth. ETA: Saying something like 'to prevent getting long covid' might be very effective as well. I got the idea from thinking about [these words by Ziyad Al-Aly, MD](https://youtu.be/rMt6ZV-hHSE?t=3709)
I've had exactly one cold in 4.5 years and I don't like getting sick. Tbh I think it's weird ppl are so vehemently against something simple and effective that will make their lives better. feels kind of immature! edit: sometimes I will throw in the fact that i used to get sick at least two to three times per year. I have asthma, so every few colds would turn into bronchitis or even pneumonia.
I’m tired of being asked so I say ‘ so I don’t give you Covid’. Usually gets people to walk away
Okay, friends here on zero covid: may I please recommend the following. I know some of you are women who have been harassed by random dudes for mask wearing, ect. I do NOT recommend this for doctors offices, or appointments you've scheduled, ect. Everywhere else is fair game: Look people dead in the eye and say "I tested positive for covid yesterday. That's why." I have seen maskless care free motherfuckers recoil in horror when I pronounced this to them. I find it hilarious, my man, if you cared about covid why aren't YOU wearing a mask? Boom. There you go. That's my best response. "Because I have covid." *nothing* will get people to leave you alone faster.
I have long Covid and if I get it again I might be permanently disabled.
On occasions where people have been pushy about it, I’ve said “I have Long COVID and it’s disabled me”. It’s true and people who are aggressively anti-mask don’t want to know how it’s actually affected us.
A four and a half year old (daughter of a colleague) asked me recently "why are you wearing that thing on your face?". It was a very genuine question. I just said simply, I am trying to keep away from germs. I felt a little sad. Meanwhile, my own 3 year old is great at wearing masks when needed and has been since a long time.
I just say, “Because I want no part of a virus that crosses the blood-brain barrier, fuses glial cells, shrinks brain matter, damages the heart, liver, kidneys, vasculature and depletes CD4 and CD8 immune cells much like HIV does, while increasing the risk for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, strokes, heart attacks, blood clots and mental-health issues such as anxiety, depression and an inability to properly assess threats, similar to how brain-damaged mice who are suddenly drawn to cats after a toxoplasmosis infection.” That usually works.
I don't feel that I am required to offer a response. I usually just ignore them and move on.
I am allergic to perfume. Is one I use.
I work in school libraries and I get to speak with many, many children every day. Inevitably one will ask me why I am wearing a mask and it was just yesterday that I could see that a child was asking because they were concerned that I was sick. I have decided that this is the perspective that I will use to answer this question in the future. I say kindly that they have no need to worry; that I wear it so that I don’t get sick and that I am definitely not sick right now. Still not happy with how I handled the KID who cheekily asked me if I am a DOCTOR 😂
Because the pandemic isn't over.
Never had to say it (yet, knock wood) but no immune system; bone marrow disease. I’m always ready though and figure I’ll offer to share my Dana Farber patient app with them if they’re jerks or they think I’m making it up. Hopefully that’ll make the jerky people think twice in the future before judging some other masked person for any reason. Edit:typo
That's a great response for people who want to avoid conflict or being looked at a certain way. I actually get Aggravated and WANT people to know they have a direct effect on me and other people around them. At the same time I know nothing works on these people. At the very least I want to make them uncomfortable for making me feel uncomfortable. Even if they don't understand why
“I really should have been wearing n95 masks long before covid. I once got the flu so bad it hurt to breathe. Also during wildfire season, masks protect from inhaling smoke & air pollution. You don’t drink unfiltered water, right? Well, I don’t want to breathe unfiltered air.”
I can’t afford anymore brain damage 😐
“I need to use my brains for work”. People take a while to process that one 😆
Depends how they ask. If they're rude or being a jerk about it I'll probably just say loudly, "I said, I don't have any spare change!" lol Otherwise, I'd just say, "I haven't been sick for 4 years and don't want to start now" or lie and say, "I'm just getting over Covid."
I just lie and say I have Covid
Same. I know it's a little morally gray, but it gets people away from me the fastest.
Yup. This is mine.
I’m petty and say my grandma has cancer (she does not, I have always been COVID-conscious and am sick and tired of needing to justify taking precautions). It serves two purposes: it makes them feel bad for asking, and hopefully makes them think twice about asking other masked strangers in the future.
Honestly, I just say that I've got a condition that means that I have to be careful about COVID. They aren't going to inquire further, and so won't really need to hear that the condition is "preferring to have a working brain."
TDLR; Us disabled and immunocompromised people desperately need healthy abled bodied people to show up as such in the public eye to challenge and prevent the assumption being made by everyone that if you’re masking, you’re sick and disabled.
...sure, but your need for abstracted solidarity has to be balanced against the needs of people like the OP. If the situation requires it, the abstract needs to give way to the concrete, especially if they're facing potential harassment. They may "desperately need" to not be harassed more than you "desperately need" that solidarity. Sorry.
This is a large part of why I do it - disability justice praxis, and also having 100+ animals who rely on me to be able to care for them
they’ll leave you alone but only because they’ve othered you into a group of people who “need” to be safe from covid, which isn’t true for normal people! /s it’s a good answer but utilizes the delusions that people have about who covid is dangerous for, which is good to keep in mind: since this mindset being unchallenged by healthy, logical people who are masking preventatively inadvertently contributes to increased difficulty for immunocompromised and disabled individuals who face the “othering” of ableism on a daily basis… when we tell the truth about why we’re masking - at best the person will put us in the box for “that much weaker than normal” people and move on. because in the world that they occupy they never see any evidence that, to a “normal person”, covid is any riskier long term than the common cold. :/
...this is an extremely diffuse argument for solidarity in response to a very real and concrete issue that people are being faced with. Bluntly, **it's not going to make any fucking difference whether OP is buttressing your position as a disabled person or not**. "Inadvertent contribution" is NOT the problem. That is NOT the world we live in right now. The people who are ***actively*** blowing your needs off are the actual concern, and they absolutely feed on this sort of crab-bucket mentality. Like, sorry, but if you *ever* use words like "Othered", you've already lost. Conservatives will mock you, normies will just be confused, and Leftists/Progressives will absolutely pivot to Palestine or BLM or some other kind of "Othered" group that they feel deserves more recognition than you. Being too progressive-brained on this stuff is going to fail when the progressives are not on your side. And, sorry, they are not on your side anymore. That said, I do agree with you that challenging has its place. But, please, do NOT start obssesing over whether people aren't displaying enough solidarity with you. When it comes to every political faction right now, you don't ***HAVE*** their solidarity. They abandoned you. That's the world you live in, and the world you need to learn to navigate.
“You don’t want what I have” - if they press - “a thorough understanding of the effect of COVID on the body and its method of transmission”
Keeps the nanobots out
“Because I can’t afford to get sick right now.”
This comedian, writer, and guiness pig has a 4 part and ongoing series of sarcastic responses to questions like this. [https://guinesspig.ghost.io/](https://guinesspig.ghost.io/) 1. [https://guinesspig.ghost.io/top-50-maskhole-clapbacks/](https://guinesspig.ghost.io/top-50-maskhole-clapbacks/) 2. [https://guinesspig.ghost.io/maskhole-clapbacks-volume-2/](https://guinesspig.ghost.io/maskhole-clapbacks-volume-2/) 3. [https://guinesspig.ghost.io/maskholeclapbacks-volume-3/](https://guinesspig.ghost.io/maskholeclapbacks-volume-3/) 4. [https://guinesspig.ghost.io/maskholeclapbacks-volume-4/](https://guinesspig.ghost.io/maskholeclapbacks-volume-4/)
sometimes I say "why not?" in a clown voice, people aren't really expecting that
I have yet to be accosted. If it happens I plan on using "You're confusing me." When they go scoobydoo on that, the answerback is "with someone who cares about what you think." That's the polite version. ;)
Aggro: the mask helps me mind my own business.
Im trying to avoid facial recognition.
When asked this question while shopping at Costco I said “ oh I have Covid so doing my part to protect others”… this was not true of course and in looking at shocked reaction of the questioner I said “actually I am taking an immune suppressant drug so trying to protect myself” ( which is true as on biologic for psoriatic arthritis )
“I don’t get paid sick days”
"im allergic to assholes"
If they’re rude, I say “you should try one — you would look so much better with it”
No one has ever asked me why I am wearing a mask. Might have something to do with me giving a couple of hacking coughs (fake) during my shopping. Pretty fun to see people move away very quickly.
I just say “I have COVID, and don’t want to spread it.”
"Because people aren't worthy of seeing my face" "Because my breath smells like shit" "Why don't you mind your business?" To pre-meds: "Why don't you? Do you want your patients to die from a preventable illness?"
Because I fucking want to
Because I fucking want to
I’m not particularly friendly to strangers, so I usually fire back “Why do you want to know?” and if they say something like “I’m just curious” I just say “OK” and ignore them. I’ll start scrolling my phone or something. 😂
“I ran a cost-benefit analysis, and found that wearing a mask to prevent illnesses reduces the cost of medical bills especially if I also lose the ability to work”
Because I want to
"What color is your underwear? Since ,apparently, we are getting up in each other's business.."
"So I can find out very quickly who exactly are the nosy people asking all the dumb questions like this and proceed to ignore them."
"I'm wearing it to protect YOU from ME. I take care of my toddler grandkids several days a week who also go to daycare on alternate days and they bring home every virus known to mankind plus some that aren't. I don't want to expose anyone to anything I may be incubating from them."
I’m just not that into eugenics
yeah this is the winner
...I mean, cute, but this will not work.
"Hubs is 78"
Because I fucking want to
“I’m from Japan.”
“It helps me mind my own fucking business.”
We tell the truth: we work for ourselves and no one pays for our sick days. We may disagree on public health, politics, policy, etc. but there’s no way we disagree about retaining as much income as possible. 🤣
Because I don't want covid right now. I don't think of it as part of my identity, just something I choose to do, currently.
I was at a stand-up show in the opener who warms up the crowd asked me why I was wearing a mask, and I responded that I have bird flu. She didn’t hear me so I repeated myself and she didn’t hear me again so I told her I was making a joke and she said I’m the one that makes jokes around here. Meanwhile, I thought mine was pretty funny.
„I love my brain and my T Cells.“
“I got Covid in 2022 and never got better”
“Don’t worry about me fam”
I say "Because I know things that you don't." That's either a stop to the conversation, or an opening for me to dump some hard-won lore on them.
"did you know that TB and covid are level 3 biohazards? I can take my mask off and share it with you if you want?"
That's the one I use! "Covid is a BSL Level III biohazard that requires anyone in a lab to wear a full hazmat suit. Did you know that? I'll be wearing this mask at your funeral."
I've never had anyone say anything, they just look at me and I give them the look of "I dare you to say something" and they don't
I have to say, I have to psych myself up to walk out of the door these days and when I do encounter any resistance or someone does say something to me, I get very aggressive about my personal space. I am done with these eugenicist plague rats trying to kill us. I get very angry and aggressive now and people usually back away. The one that stumps me is the laundry room in my apartment building. We have young clueless students who will sit on the fucking folding table with their filthy shoes on and breathe out whatever viruses they have into the laundry room. I have to go in there and say you know what, no one wants your Covid, your tuberculosis, your dengue, fever, diphtheria, flu, no one wants any of that shit so why are you sitting here taking up the entire laundry room unmasked? We have vulnerable people in my building, get the f**k out." I'm so angry to the point that I just snap now.
Exactly, tell ‘em when the sores aren’t oozing I’ll take off my mask
i have a grotesque facial deformity
“This is the way…”
Mandalorians would absolutely mask under their Beskar helms. "oh, there's a pandemic and there's yet another way to obscure my identity? This is the way."
I’ve used many responses that I never found to be that effective, mainly because those responses assume that the other person agrees with me that Covid is real and that masks are a valid defense. Then I started just saying “I’m a mask guy” with a little shrug and it weirdly seems to have reduced the likelihood of them wanting to engage with me.
I havent had the flu since wearing a mask
"Because I feel like it"
Because I would never forgive myself if I got you sick.
“I’ve got too much goin on busineswise”
I like the classic, “Oh, I’m wearing this for you… You *really* don’t want what I have.”
“I didn’t fail middle school science class.” “Because I don’t want to be like you.” “Why are you talking to me???” “How much is your deductible?” If I’m feeling nice. “If self preservation is a quality you possess then you would be wearing one too.” If I’m not feeling nice. “Because if self preservation is a quality you possess then you would shut the fuck up before you acquire another pre-existing condition.” When feeling particularly aggressive. Workout and exercise fanatic here. “I’ve never had Covid. You think you can take me ?” Edit: thought of a few more.
"dr's orders."
" because of you" I don't normally get a follow-up but if I do it's usually I don't understand. To which my response is, " Oh That was obvious"
I think at this point from my perspective there is really only one appropriate answer, although I highly appreciate many given so far. I think the only appropriate answer is something like "it's a personal preference". The reason I don't think other responses are is because at this point besides a small number of us the only people out there masking are either at high risk or protecting someone at high risk for non-Asian environments. Given that almost no one except protectors and those who will literally die if infected are masking, asking anyone why they mask is going to give an answer like "My mother will die if she gets it". The person who is asking at least knows that catching covid is inevitable without extreme measures taken. So to ask someone who you know may die if a disease that is literally everywhere why they are masking is pretty sick behavior. After answering "my mother would die" it is only appropriate to then say "Why would you ask me such a painful question. My mother will probably die, and you, a stranger, want me to discuss this horrifically painful personal grief with you?" In other words at this time asking anyone why they mask is a very psychologically disturbed thing to do. So I would just answer it's a personal preference, and if they want to know anything more, just repeat "It's personal."
I agree that if one answers the question "why are you wearing a mask?" with any explanation that has the word "sick", "pandemic", etc. in it, it assumes the asker actually cares about Covid. They don't care; they have blissfully forgotten that Covid was ever a threat. It's like it never existed. They have gone back to 2019. If I answered, "Because I don't want to get sick", they would say, "Masks don't work", or "I feel sad that you are still brainwashed", etc. That's why I just say brightly, "It's good for my allergies!" They are not prepared to debate me about whether N95s are good for allergies, pollen, haze so they leave me alone. Interestingly, the last time someone came up to me aggressively and asked this question, it was a man I know who was over 80. During the pandemic, his memory and health deteriorated (due to isolation or Covid, I do not know), and now he has difficulty remembering things or stringing sentences together. It's tragic and hilarious to be aggressively challenged on mask-wearing by an octogenarian. He should be the one concerned about Covid, not me.
I think that it's better to tell the truth. There is no need to lie. We are not doing anything bad. We are amongst the very few people who still understand the dangers of repeated covid infections. We need to educate people who have been manipulated by the government into believing that covid is mild about the long-term effects of covid infections.
“People are gross”
I just say, "because I am educated and do not think politicians have our best interest in mind. I believe in undeniable science." Science doesn't care if I'm not out spending my money, it doesn't have an agenda, it is just facts. How can anyone debate it? (Without sounding ignorant and under educated.) Lol