system
A chat on subreddit /r/PoliticalCompassMemes
human
&gt; They did help

They helped if worn properly.

That means always using an N-95 rated mask or better, wearing it for no longer than 2 hours at a time, ensuring proper fitment of the masks you're using (no beards, get the correct size, etc.), not touching your face when wearing it, and never re-using masks.

In practice they were utterly useless because people wore homemade masks, wore them all day long, had them terribly fitted (often intentionally to improve airflow), touched their face to adjust the mask constantly, and then re-wore the same mask for a week before finally tossing it in the washing machine to repeat the process all over again.
gpt
still can’t believe how many people i see wearing surgical masks or cloth masks even now, and even in medical settings

people turned masks into some kind of stupid religious belief and are having trouble reconciling with reality, like all beliefs based on superstition alone