# Chinmask rant **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 21, 2020, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265 "2020-05-21T22:55:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/21 "2020-05-22T02:04:34Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > In the case of facemasks and muzzles you can’t say you will always be far enough away from others. You might come around a corner or turn into an aisle in a store or be entering/leaving an elevator where you might come close to someone else. Oh yeah, I completely agree that as soon as you set foot in a building with other people in it, or are walking along a street that has more than one pedestrian per block, you should have that mask on irrespective of whether you’re within six feet of somebody right that minute. ---
**Author:** ![Happytree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happytree/32/3555_2.png) [@Happytree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happytree)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/22 "2020-05-22T03:16:51Z")
I’m working 12 hour shifts, and riding public transit to and from work. That’s 13+ hours a day that i am expected to have a mask on. I’ve lowered my mask to breathe or see through my glasses and forgot to put it back up. I’ve caught myself with an upside down mask in the restroom mirror. I’ve let my mask sag below my nose. I don’t think I’m an idiot or horrible monster. Cut me some slack. I’m trying ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/23 "2020-05-22T04:11:11Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I’m with you one hundred percent. > > However, I am in your camp, sporting an enormous bushy beard because I cannot go to a barber for a trim. And I refuse to go at it with my moustache scissors because my face is reflected in a two dimensional mirror, and my head is in three dimensions. > > I’m nervous that my various masks…both homemade from tee shirts (DRINK WINE) and decorative…don’t seal properly. You could do what this guy did… [![](https://i.redd.it/pwzqi0ae8zu41.jpg) ](https://i.redd.it/pwzqi0ae8zu41.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/24 "2020-05-22T05:24:27Z")
Come to Beijing! I swear it’s rather comical, some of what I’ve seen here. There is the usual “fashion statement” mask covering just the chin or even just the throat. But the best I’ve seen yet is the old dude walking down the sidewalk while smoking and wearing the mask properly. “How on Earth can that be,” you ask? Hah! The wizened one merely cut a small circle out of the mask so he could stick the cigarette in there. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/25 "2020-05-22T05:29:45Z")
People should never drink and drive, but they do. Some people just do the wrong thing, regardless. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/26 "2020-05-22T06:08:39Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > “How on Earth can that be,” you ask? Hah! The wizened one merely cut a small circle out of the mask so he could stick the cigarette in there. The most convenient way to achieve that useful modification is to stick the cigarette in the wrong way around just once. Then you’re all set for the day! It’s useful to carry around a spray bottle of water just in case of an unintended conflagration. Otherwise the more timid types should use a pointed stick in the shape of a cigarette to make the necessary mask adjustment. 😉 Masks are not mandatory here but a few stores have started to require them for customers. I’ve only seen the chin-mask phenomenon in the parking lots outside such stores, which is wide open spaces and fair enough, IMHO, as many people find them uncomfortable. I leave mine on til I get in the car, sanitize my hands, then take it off altogether. In many other stores neither customers nor staff are required to wear them. In the government-run liquor stores which have some of the strictest rules around, only about half the staff wear masks. The cashiers are behind plexiglass shields and the stock staff keep their distance. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/27 "2020-05-22T06:11:15Z")
I’ll never tell you secrets again! So don’t ask! ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/28 "2020-05-22T06:51:09Z")
elbows: > [@](#): > > Y’know people with asthma type conditions can only tolerate a mask for a short time. Like perhaps while actually IN a shop. Longer can trigger an attack which can end at a hospital. > > Consider giving people the benefit of the doubt. Kind of like seeing someone step out of a wheelchair and take a few steps, and declaring them a fraud. It’s not cool to my mind. > > Something to think about anyway. Something to think about, I suppose. I wouldn’t bet the rent on it, but anything’s possible. Elmer J. Fudd: > [@](#): > > If a person is outside away from people, it should be acceptable to pull your mask down and leave it hanging over your chin until you need to put it back over your mouth and nose. If only. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/29 "2020-05-22T07:01:50Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > It is driving me crazy that I am constantly seeing people walking outside with masks worn on their chins and necks. I want to take their mis-used masks and strangle them with them. Perhaps OP is under the influence of the stereotyped notion that everybody breathes through their nose or mouth. Perhaps the people he complains of actually have tracheotomies and breathe through holes in their necks. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/30 "2020-05-22T08:48:44Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Y’know people with asthma type conditions can only tolerate a mask for a short time. I have asthma (mild) and manage to wear mine correctly for an eight hour shift at work so I somewhat doubt that when I hear that particular excuse. Someone with severe asthma, yeah, or uncontrolled asthma, yeah, but it’s not universal. And someone with asthma of that sort should be a lot more careful about picking up covid. I think that some people _perceive_ the mask as suffocating when it actually isn’t because covering their breathing holes is strange, new, and uncomfortable. Their distress is real, of course, but it’s not due to actual breathing problems. > [@elbows](#): > > Consider giving people the benefit of the doubt. Kind of like seeing someone step out of a wheelchair and take a few steps, and declaring them a fraud. It’s not cool to my mind. > > Something to think about anyway. Well, sure - except someone taking a few upright steps away from their wheelchair doesn’t endanger other people. Being in close quarters without a properly worn mask these days _does_. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/31 "2020-05-22T11:13:35Z")
I work retail, and in our store everyone is required to wear a mask or some kind of face covering. Most of our customers are complying willingly, there are a few grumbles but not many. We do have masks to give people who don’t have one, or we will do curbside service for them. All that said, I wear the mask when we have customers in the store. If the store is empty I pull it down or take it off completely, mostly because we use the phone a lot and the mask does muffle me a bit. I do have asthma, but the mask doesn’t seem to bother me _IF_ I’m wearing one that fits. One that is too small or improperly adjusted is not much fun. I’m not sure that people realize that different masks fit differently, and you don’t HAVE to suffocate under one. I am indeed touching my mask and a bit of my face, but I don’t then go and rub my nose or eyes or chew my nails. I’m forever washing my hands or using sanitizer, and if I do need to rub my face for some reason I use a tissue. I also periodically wash my face during the day (big advantage of not wearing makeup! 😛 ) ---
**Author:** ![slalexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@slalexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slalexan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/32 "2020-05-22T11:50:16Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I think that some people _perceive_ the mask as suffocating when it actually isn’t because covering their breathing holes is strange, new, and uncomfortable. Their distress is real, of course, but it’s not due to actual breathing problems. Every once in a while, while wearing a mask, it’ll crinkle in just the right way that my brain suddenly thinks I’m suffocating and panics. In those cases, it is deeply uncomfortable to keep my mask on because my brain is convinced I’m imminently dying. However, I still manage to keep it on most of the time. Unlike a lot of the people at work who cover only their mouths with their masks. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/33 "2020-05-22T12:02:37Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > It has been 30 years now but I recall being in some European country (France or Switzerland…maybe Austria) and I saw all these people walking their dogs who had muzzles hanging off their collars. > > I asked someone what the deal was and they said it was the law that all dogs had to have muzzles. The law said nothing about how they had to be worn, just that they had to have them when out and about. So this ridiculous charade played out all over the city every day. And, for whatever reason, no one pointed out how stupid it was and changed it. > > It’s just what they did. > > This seems a lot like that. I was in New Orleans shortly after they passed a law requiring places that sold liquor to post a “Pregnant women shouldn’t drink alcohol” sign on their premises. After attornies reviewed the wording of the law, bar owners all posted the warning sign in their men’s rooms. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/34 "2020-05-22T12:11:46Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I was in New Orleans shortly after they passed a law requiring places that sold liquor to post a “Pregnant women shouldn’t drink alcohol” sign on their premises. After attornies reviewed the wording of the law, bar owners all posted the warning sign in their men’s rooms. 😕 Not to hijack but not seeing what’s wrong with that, unless you mean to say that the men’s room was the **only** place they put the warning. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/35 "2020-05-22T12:19:27Z")
The mask fogs up my glasses. I have tried every remedy I can find on the internet, and none of them work. So when I’m driving, it comes off. When I’m walking the dog, I don’t wear one (I need to read street signs), but I also have very little reason for opening my mouth. If I go into a store, I put on the mask, and wear my glasses on my head. I can pull them down if I need to read a sign or fine print, and hold my breath for half a minute. Fortunately, I see well enough without them, that I don’t bump into things. ---
**Author:** ![Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/aca169/32.png) [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inbred_Mm_domesticus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/36 "2020-05-22T12:25:58Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > The mask fogs up my glasses. I have tried every remedy I can find on the internet, and none of them work. So when I’m driving, it comes off. When I’m walking the dog, I don’t wear one (I need to read street signs), but I also have very little reason for opening my mouth. If I go into a store, I put on the mask, and wear my glasses on my head. I can pull them down if I need to read a sign or fine print, and hold my breath for half a minute. Fortunately, I see well enough without them, that I don’t bump into things. I set my glasses farther down my nose than usual and that prevents them fogging up. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/37 "2020-05-22T12:32:24Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > 😕 Not to hijack but not seeing what’s wrong with that, unless you mean to say that the men’s room was the **only** place they put the warning. Yes, this. They were required to post one sign with specific language, and posted it in their men’s rooms, where [del]no[/del] few women would ever see it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/38 "2020-05-22T12:38:59Z")
Nm ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/39 "2020-05-22T12:54:46Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Come to Beijing! I swear it’s rather comical, some of what I’ve seen here. There is the usual “fashion statement” mask covering just the chin or even just the throat. My favorite was a clear eye shield worn upside-down across the mouth by a woman who clearly wanted everyone to see her smile. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > …I also have very little reason for opening my mouth. You do understand that you exhale the same amount of breath from the same respiratory tract whether you breathe from your mouth or your nose, right? Outside, distant from people, and especially in any kind of breeze, your breathe is going to be dispersed rapidly, so there is a rationale for not having it in place over the nose and mouth. Of course, your exhaled breath is going to contaminate your face, hands, et cetera, but [POST=22230904]this is also true for non-sealing masks and fabric face coverings[/POST]. (I’ve since run similar experiments with a fabric face mask with and without filter element and a non-N95 surgical mask with similar results.) I strongly suspect the efficacy of non-sealing face covering is vastly overstated in preventing aerosol transmission, but they do at least stop large droplets from being forcibly ejected over long distances, and perhaps more importantly they signal to others whether or not you are aware of the problem and the extent to which you understand guidelines. If you see someone not wearing mask in a grocery store or with a mask ‘on’ but pulled down to expose their nose or mouth, you know that they do not understand or care about any other guidelines, either. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265/40 "2020-05-22T13:24:51Z")
My understanding is that breathing quietly through the nose expels less virus less far than breathing through the mouth. quiet nose breathing \< quiet mouth breathing \< breathing hard ~ talking \< talking loudly \< yelling ~ singing \< coughing \< sneezing Or something like that. And while I suspect there is an aerosol component to the spread of this virus, I also guess that the large droplets are more contagious, and lead to more serious infections. (As this disease does seem to be dose-dependant.) I am very grateful that you did that experiment, which I found really interesting. But I also observe that countries with a lot of mask-wearing seem to be faring better than countries where people don’t wear masks. I’m frankly surprised we don’t have more studies and better data by now. The only one I’ve seen was one where researchers put a sheet of material (surgical mask material, maybe?) between two cages of hamsters, and found it decreased the transmission between cages as compared to no material. But the abstract I read was woefully lacking in details. (Were they mimicking a sealed or an unsealed mask?) Still, I’m betting on masks reducing transmission. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinmask-rant/854265.md?page=3)