31570324

The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.

johan rebel

Oh yeah, sure. But only if you believe every single scientist always gets it right every single time.

Believing that science is true by definition just because it is science is on par with believing that experts (imaginary or real) are always right just because they are experts (real or imaginary).

A couple of recommendations:

Science Fictions - Exposing Fraud, Bias, Negligence and Hype in Science, by Stuart Ritchie

Calling Bullsh*t - The Art of Scepticism in a Data-Driven World, by Bergstrom and West

The Invention of Science, by David Wootton.

Don't get me wrong, I think modern western science is one of the greatest things mankind has ever come up with, and it is certainly at least zillion times better than "other ways of knowing", "lived experience" and all the other claptrap that's so popular in certain quarters these days. Yet science involves a lot of trial and error. An open mind and a healthy dose of skepticism come in very handy.

Johan

31570324

Most if not all scientist agree that masks are a good way to protect people. So if a user don't believe in masks he can do that, but it has nothing to do with the facts.

johan rebel

Seriously?

For starters, most scientists, let alone all of them, have no expertise whatsoever when it comes to answering that question.

Secondly, there is no conclusive proof either way when it comes to protection allegedly offered by masks. Testing the hypothesis that they do offer protection is fraught with problems. Comparisons between countries or US States with strict and lax or no mask mandates offer no support for the hypothesis. If anything, they indicate that masks make no difference.

Here's what I do know: wearing a mask isn't fun. I have yet to meet a single person who disagrees. I live in Sweden. I don't have to wear a mask. So I don't. When I travel (which I've done even more during the pandemic than before) I do everything I can to keep mask wearing to a minimum. I can be very creative when I want to. Whether wearing a mask will protect me or not, I do not know. I suspect not, but I couldn't care less anyway. I don't need to wear one to protect others, as I pose no threat.

Those who want to wear a mask until their dying day should by all means go for it. Doesn't bother me. I have no objections to hiding in attics or basements either. Every person is at liberty to let fear rule his or her life. And ruin it. Any which way. Not my idea of fun, but it's all fine by me. In the meantime, I subscribe to Stonewall Jackson's maxim: never take counsel of your fears. Life is just so much more enjoyable that way. (And yes, I know, mentioning Stonewall will drive SJWs apoplectic with rage. That's OK too).

Johan

CPH-Flyer

Meet me, I have absolutely no negative view on wearing a mask. I wear one in Tokyo summer heat, I wear one in the gym when required, I wear them on planes. I really don't understand why people find it so troublesome.

I do find the gym requirements quite absurd, as once the mask is sweated through any positive effect is certainly gone. And paper masks tend to fall apart in shorter time than a standard gym session. But actually wearing a mask is not a burden.

31570324

Wearing a mask don't have to be fun. It protect people from getting infected. We all can see that they help as in countries where they are mandatory even other kinds of virus infections doesn't occur since everyone wearing a mask, e.g. I don't know anyone who had a flue or a even a cold in the last months.
Why health workers wearing masks if they don't proctect themself and others from getting infected? Of course it's important that people wearing masks correct and not let hang their nose out of it.

view

And how exactly can you be certain of that? It seems from your post that you are merely trying to live up to your nickname.

nussle

I could have written all this, have to agree in every manner. But, this starts to become a argument like bicycle helmut laws or speed limits. Simply its almost impossible to prove the mask has any value whatsoever and you can pull statistics from wherever and I can always find some that show its wrong. Vaccinate, distance where possible but that mask is just silly. But, in all truthfullness, SAS can make these rules as are all airlines but enforcement is so varied across the industry I just prefer to choose airlines that enforce it in the most lax manner possible. Please, if you believe in the mask idea then go for it, fly a high enforcement airline but dont get upset in ones that dont.

31570324

As distance in a plane is very limited it need other options to protect people from getting infected. As long as not everybody had a chance to get vaccinated you can't lift the obligation of weare a mask, if you are unable to keep two meter distance from each other at all times.

nussle

To be honest, pretty much everybody on board that plane has had a PCR test in last 72 hours, all of them have had to state that they do not feel ill and have no cough, sniffly nose and in many countries you even get temperature tested before boarding. As far as I can tell none of this is happening when I visit my local mall and in the grocery store.

Boeing and airbus keep telling me how clean the air is on board, its changed so often its cleaner after a flight than when I got on board so they say. I am told by the airline company's they do a special deep clean after every flight and each flight attendent is fully trained to spot covid at 100 yards and knows exactally what to do.

How much safer do you want ti to be and does the mask really improve my safety so much.

Again, you can stick to the airlines that really love the mask idea and I will do my best to aviod them.

Gone4Weeks

That sounds a bit like AA. You may "briefly" lower your mask to take a drink or a bite of food and then must put it back in place. What crap!

ahirshon

This is currently the standard practice in the U.S. United Airlines regularly makes this announcement throughout the duration of domestic flights.

bloomz

I don't mind wearing a mask a single bit. I like/love, doing my small part, even tho I am fully vaxxed.

And, even tho I am fully vaxxed, there's still some I want nowhere near me without a mask.

You know who they are.

oliver2002

Not for regional and domestic flights on SAS. In Sweden they never had a mask mandate and an ambitious plan to reach heard immunity of the young and healthy without vaccination. the only place you wear a mask in Sweden is on a plane and maybe on public transport. More here: Coronavirus in Sweden

GUWonder

Beside not testing for regional/domestic flights, there are those who have been relying upon misleading test results — and that also includes those who were just too cheap to pay for a real test result and have been instead cheating around the requirement in order to try to save money and yet still fly.

At ARN, other than some airline employees and select other workers at the airports, it’s pretty much a given that the vast majority of others wandering the terminals and lounges are without a mask — although it varies a lot with passengers and is way higher percentage of travelers at ARN than is seen on public ground transport vehicles in Stockholm and the surrounding municipalities.

Stockholm public transit mask wearing has been less than 1/20 passengers for going on nearly two months now. This week, it’s been less than 2%; and it seems more like 1% or maybe even less on some routes.