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Comment by drcode | Hacker News Reader

I tried to give away cloth masks (not medical masks) to people in my area and nobody wanted one, and I live in a very liberal, highly educated part of the country. I'm hoping this attitude can be changed, I'm just pointing out that there seem to be some uniquely American psychological issues associated with mask wearing that need to be taken into account.

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There have been doctors in the US in TV, articles, etc that have been recommending people not to wear masks. Doctors who work/worked for CDC, not just random doctors. Some say it's because masks don't work. Some say don't because Americans don't know how to wear masks properly. There have even been doctors saying masks will make spreading/getting infection easier.

People are probably just following their advice and once the advice switches, they will probably follow that advice too.

I would wear a mask I bought from a reputable vendor. I would not wear a mask given out on the street by someone I never met. Maybe it's a matter of trust and not attitude or education.

Just launder the mask.

I live in Austin and people are wearing masks here.

Well... this is why I said "you and I probably have different ideas about what those subcultures are". With my priors, "liberals" not wanting to wear masks doesn't surprise me at all.

Consider watching something like https://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_the_moral_roots_of_... , and then ask yourself: Which groups would you expect to accept and even enforce mask wearing, and which will reject it?

Thanks for the link to the video. Wouldn't ultra conservatives wear masks because of 'Ingroup', 'Authority', 'Purity', and only when it becomes law? Wouldn't ultra liberals wear masks because of 'Harm', 'Fairness', as it becomes clear scientific consensus? Thanks

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