The stuff I see ... I complained often on MR about what I saw and what I keep seeing.
To be honest, I am also fairly disturbed that now all face coverings are considered a "mask". While I agree that a bandana is better than nothing, I have serious issues in calling it a "mask".
I didn't spot this one earlier.
The reason or at least a significant reason why people started using random coverings traces back to the start of this thing. Initially, any and all masks were sold out everywhere. Part of that was people stocking up on supplies for themselves and family members. Some amount of it seemed to be caused by random jerkwad scalpers, who may have been trying to cover losses on event tickets in the wake the zombie apocalypse.
Some counties and municipalities started requiring masks indoors around February to early March, but masks were largely sold out at this time in stores and online. Medical facilities would generally provide them to patients with appointments entering their premises, but there wasn't a reliable retail supply through consumer channels.
It's also worth noting that the discussion on the role of masks has changed over time. Initially it was stated that the virus was much smaller than holes in any mask, so it wouldn't do much good. The practice was still put in place, partly because it discourages people from touching their face, then touching something else. The experiments involving droplets were largely published after that point.
At this point, I am looking for a source of high quality masks myself, since I want to be prepared for the fall and winter. Aside from having caught both the flu and bronchitis more times than I would like, doctors haven't raised any concerns about my lungs. Breathing is smooth and capacity is slightly above average according to the tests they have run. I would probably get through it without significant complications, but I really really don't want to find out. Some of my relatives are up to five decades older and therefore in higher risk groups.
Yeah, I think these dipoles are mostly nonsensical at this point. Biden isn't a liberal and Trump isn't a conservative, but yet they're representing those two wings? Trump is an egomaniacal fascist, while Biden's largely a central-leaning corporatist. It's how we have Bush-era intelligence officers stumping for Biden, while Trump's wing is gun nuts, white supremacists, and evangelicals.
If someone classifies Biden as an ultra-left liberal, I will probably immediately classify them as a dishonest person. It's a completely ridiculous notion. It's like they just needed to reach a consensus on what attack ads to run and so they went with this, figuring that their base will buy anything.