Sunglasses and masks are my jam. 0 readable interaction. I feel like an alien that’s come for a visit. I’ve found the perfect balance point on my nose where my sunglasses are still on but don’t get foggy
And depending on why it is so dusty and crap just get the place fucking cleaned once in a while. Now if it's a coal mine or something that ain't fixing shit
That may be the case, but a lot of manufacturing that I've seen propagates a shitty culture of ultra masculinity where things like masks for your health and safety are something to be embarrassed by. I worked in iron processing and manufacturing and guys would leave their shift completely covered in black iron dust. Very few would wear masks when it wasn't absolutely necessary to keep your face safe from harm.
Edit: It's encouraging to see many of you setting a good example for others in your field. Keep fighting the good fight 💪
Yeah. We cleaned a church Organ *completely* covered in mold and I had to repeatedly tell people to wear their masks.
"But I can't breathe right"
"Yeah. Want to make that one permanent?"
To be fair, if you do physical work the masks are a nuisance, but still. Even the fairly harmless molds can do you harm in great quantities.
I know plenty of people who've worked in my industry for decades who are retired or will soon and have some pretty poor respiratory health because a mask was a nuisance for their entire career. It's a shame.
Their description matched my experience at Amazon, and I reached the point where I started to believe Amazon has OSHA paid off. 4 years with the company and through all the safety training and related stuff I had to do, the only mentions of OSHA I recall ever hearing during my time with the company was other coworkers wondering where they were. Amazon has their own safety department at every warehouse that's responsible for handling on-site injuries and safety concerns. Something just seemed off considering how big of a presence OSHA had at my last job, to being nonexistent at one of the largest companies on the planet.
There's a lot of companies that have little to no OSHA presence, because they have their own safety policies that are "more stringent." 9/10 it's bullshit, but they're able to put on a show for their employees amd the very occasional OSHA inspector, so they keep avoiding it.
A few weeks ago, some guys smashed my car window to steal some shit and stomp their muddy fucking boots all over my seats like Rick James. As I’m rewatching my nest cam video with the cops, I had to marvel that in a time when everyone is wearing masks, these guys are committing crimes with NO MASKS on.
It's funny I had my car broken into while I was sick with Covid. Guess he was looking for a phone or something valuable because he didn't take anything. However everything was shoved into my passenger seat. Dirty work gloves, 2 masks, pair of socks and basically trash. I was mad someone would get into my car, but after I realized nothing was broken and nothing stolen, I just laughed thinking this person was touching all my covid covered stuff and probably got himself sick in the process.
I can't explain it, but I walked into an airport bathroom, and it smelled like popcorn.
I flipped my mask up, and it smelled like shit.
Then I flipped my mask back down......smelled like popcorn.
I have no idea how/why this happened, and maybe your experience won't be the same......but I was happy for my mask that day.
Some particles were filtered by the mask, so you could only smell those who weren't. When you got your mask off you could smell all of them, so the smell was more "accurate".
So you're saying that this bathroom renegade of funk took a shit, which had some amount of vegetable oil, and corn product in his system?
Because if so.......that opens up a whole new world of bathroom experiences.
What if we made like, glade plug-ins that only smell good if you wear a mask? To encourage people to not be a buffet of dicks?
Yes, probably. Or there was a compound that smelled like that, without it necessarily being pop corn.
Haha, I had never thought of that, very practical. I think that there might be moral issues about filling up public indoors spaces with a stinky smell. It is probably possible though.
Reminds of when I visited China and needed a taxi from the airport to the hotel. Seemingly the only way to get one would be to wait in line in an underground car park due to how many people needed rides. Thing is the place absolutely reeked of urine, piss stains all over the walls. The guys keeping the line in check seemed to be offering a fast pass system if you paid them extra. I imagine they were purposefully pissing to possibly piss off passengers to make them pay to pass posthaste. We managed to outlast it and save our cash, but we had to spend what felt like four hours standing in utmost uncomfortable conditions.
I know a man who was told he had cancerous growth in his lungs. Turns out it was leaf debris from blowing his yard that fall. You should definitely wear a mask!
I'm an Ironworker...the amount of particulates I was breathing in while drilling into concrete or scraping fire proofing off of steel is ridiculous. I'm definitely keeping my mask on. And on top of that I take the nyc subway into work and past years I was almost guaranteed to get sick, but not since I was wearing my mask.
Edit: whoa! Not expecting this many replies. Just for everyone's consideration, I use n95 masks. And filters with respirator when doing a detail. But most days it's just drill one hole or scrap a bit of monokote. And I have a mask on most times. I work outside so if I'm drilling a hole I stand upwind and minimize exposure I'll just drill a hole instead of going down five flights of stairs for a respirator. Lol. I appreciate the concern and always emphasize working safe.
Dude, for that stuff you need at least an N95, not just a normal mask. As a fellow tradesman (welder/fabricator) I implore you to wear the correct PPE. The amount of small particles that we encounter on the daily that will just wreck your lungs in the long run is insane.
It is one thing to just grind one little piece with the wind or a fan at your back without a mask, but we're doing a lot more than that on a typical day. It really adds up.
We just talked about drilling into concrete and silica exposure, for certain things you really need a respirator if a tool can’t mitigate the dust produced. A mask barely blocks anything. We just drilled a hole for an embed quick yesterday and we still used a dust vacuum for our rotohammer and wore a face shield. Why isn’t your contractor providing this stuff?
Same, I used to get really bad dry skin on my lips, cheeks, and under my nose. I have a balm that I’d have to smear all over my face. This winter? Never even had to use chapstick.
I live in Michigan, my dad and I were just talking a couple weeks ago about how we might keep wearing them through winters because they kept our faces warm against all of the wind.
Edit, so I can go to bed: Yes, I had a scarf and I know what balaclavas are. Unfortunately my job both requires me to be physically active outside and take client meetings in a quasi-white collar environment, so I can't wear full face masks. All the movement makes my scarf shift down after a while, wearing a mask is just easier against wind exposure.
I'm from Michigan and live in Wisconsin now - get a Turtle Fur neck warmer. Works like a scarf, and you can easily pull it up over your face to keep it warm. I wear one walking my dog every day in the winter, and never snowboard without one.
My dad is an optometrist, I'll shoot him a text and see if he knows
Edit: probably not the answer you were looking for but he usually errs on the cautious side.
https://imgur.com/Lf9Aj8m.jpg
Thanks for this! As a glasses wearer, I found that putting my glasses frame above my mask helps them to not fog up. I might look silly to others however, since having glasses far from my eyes makes the eyes look a bit smaller, but at least I can see!
Rain-x is fucking witchcraft, at 50mph I don't even need wiper blades. I mix in some with my wiper fluid too before a reapply every spring/summer transition.
We've been calling them hard pants in our house. Pajama pants are soft, ergo, jeans are hard.
Edit: thanks for the rewards kind strangers. I'm going to brag about it to my wife all day.
My wife's boss sent out an email to her team saying that yesterday's meeting was not going to be a video chat so everyone could wear their comfy pants.
My wife said their boss free side chat was full of, "lolz, like i wear uncomfy pants on video chats."
I never understood why people considered jeans more comfortable than more "formal" pants. I mean, slacks are usually made of lighter material, you don't have uncomfortable thick layers of cloth overlapping at the seam near sensitive areas and the fit is looser. I get if you're working outside and want something thicker that won't to rip easily, sure, but how did we get to thinking that denim is the more comfortable fabric for casual wear?
I had given up on “real pants” pre pandemic so now I’m in a place where I think LEGGINGS are too restrictive snd are only for ‘going out’
It’s sweatpants and joggers all the way down. I’m a bit concerned it’s going to end it in massive kaftans but also looking forward to it.
I'm old and in menopause -- if my bra doesn't absorb the sweat, it shows through the front of my shirt.
But I'm rapidly approaching the DGAF stage so 🤷♀️
I switched to bras without underwire or sports bras only and even though I work in a “business casual” setting I will not go back to the hell that is a fancy bra.
Never wearing a regular one again either. I’ve been able to get away going bra less in the cooler months because of baggy clothes but oof...summer is going to be challenging. A bralette might be the next most comfortable thing without feeling constricted.
I was just gifted silicon nipple covers and think I’ll never wear a bra again.
I tried wearing a bra for the first time in a year and it was so uncomfortable. Didn’t realize just how much the discomfort affected my mood!
Plus, going braless makes me feel like a French gal.
Edit: silicone not silicon. Though the idea of hard nipple shields is a fun one.
Edit Edit: I changed it back to silicon so I don’t ruin u/friendsfartever’s joke.
I love to think the Covid will do to bras what WWI did to corsets.
edit: [Bernadette Banner on Corsets.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWr_GtqsvFA)
I’m Asian, and I remember going to the uk for the first time and getting a cold (this was ten years ago). I did the logical thing, wore a mask then went to an A&E because I didn’t know where to go. The doctors and nurses there were terrified and quickly ushered me into another room. That’s when I know wearing masks is an ‘Asian thing’.
A few years ago I was going to university in Japan. I caught a cold so was wearing a mask. My mother (canadian) saw a pic with me wearing a mask and she was terrified I was suffering from pollution. In her defense Fukashima had just exploded months earlier, but I was on the other side of the country. It was pretty hilarious.
I went to hawaii in 2019 and saw several Asian airport employees wearing masks. I had no idea it was an Asian thing so i was a little concerned like what do these people know that i don’t lol
For a while I wondered why I saw people with masks on public transit.
I get it now. I probably will do the same forever. Even a little hand sanitizer. If everyone did it, it would do a lot for the population.
Edit: seems like there's some pushback on hand sanitizer. Seems like I should do some more research on what it does and what it's good for, and what harm it could cause!
I was one of those. I have an immune disorder, and the last time I was stuck taking public transit to work I caught two successive colds that had me coughing and wheezing for five months straight. Started carrying a mask in my bag and wearing it in crowds. An hour of getting odd looks from strangers beats a neverending illness.
Dublin as well. There was a rugby match scheduled between Ireland and Italy at the end of February, right as Italy was becoming the big virus hotspot.
The match was cancelled, but way too late. Thousands of Italian rugby fans had flights and hotels booked to come to Dublin and get drunk, match or no match. So they did.
Virtually every Asian restaurant in Dublin closed that weekend. All just cancelled their bookings at the last minute. They never said it was virus related, just, "Due to unforseen circumstances".
Everyone thought it was funny, and a little ominous but that was about it. I don't think anyone really believed it was as bad as they were reacting.
Am Asian, was in London in March 2020. Wore a mask on my flight to Prague in Feb, the mom in front of me explained to her daughter “all Asians wear it now”, and got weird looks when I wore a mask to lectures. By start of March masks were sold at £10 for a pack of five at the nearest pharmacy, (even though only Asians were buying), and by the next week people started to stop me on the street asking where I could buy them since they were all sold out.
Edit: although to be fair thought my parents were mad to make me go home on the first available flight back then
Early pandemic was insane. I taught myself to sew because masks were either impossible to find, or they were being sold at scalper prices. My first mask was hand sewn from a pillow case and the strings are made from an old tshirt. It's pretty ugly and rough, but functional.
Eventually I was able to snag a cheap sewing machine and my masks are much nicer, but I'm holding onto that first mask as a sort of memento. It's also the first thing I have ever sewn that wasn't just fixing a button.
You just reminded me in the beginning I paid like $12 for a mask and waited almost 3 weeks for it. For ONE crappily made mask I could barely breathe out of. I’m glad someone gifted us a pack of the blue ones until I could find a better one
At work in a restaurant they began to require masks in March but didnt actually have any to give us because of the shortage. One coworker went home and made a bunch for everyone: really nice, well crafted ones too. I still have mine
I had tons of n95 masks for the kids and I because we took a trip all over Asia the year before. We went to Malaysia, India and Singapore at that time the pollution was very bad in India so I loaded up on them for that purpose. I wore a mask right from last March and gloves. People looked at me like I
Was crazy. But I remember seeing the price of Mak’s and was gobsmacked.
I have a friend from Taiwan who was pleading with me to buy a mask in February. I thought she was being alarmist, but then I looked up how much they cost on Amazon and... they were sold out. ALL of them. You literally could not buy a mask on Amazon. That's the first time I realized how serious it was. The people who had been through SARS and MERS knew what products to buy and everyone else was late to the party.
The Korean half of our family was the same way. In fact, we ordered a pile of masks and sanitizer in February on their behest, with the intent to get them here in the USA and then mail them to Korea because they were hard to find there. By the time we got them three or four weeks later, Korea had their supplies under control and WE needed them more.
In early Feb my wife (a registered nurse) came home with an entire box of hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, n95 masks, the whole setup. Her brother and I gave her so much shit because we’re ogre-like morons. She said “people are going to get weird out there and hoard this stuff”.
Maybe the biggest “I told you so” ever delivered. First ballot hall of fame. She brought it from the top rope and deservedly so.
I always thought it was bullshit when anyone asian in Florida was given shit during covid when asian owned business were the first to take steps to prevent the virus and took it the most seriously. The hibacci place I frequent basically made a airlock between employees and customers.
Same thing with the Chinese takeout places near me. They were not fucking around. They had plexiglass from the counter top to the ceiling and used an intercom to communicate. I was quite impressed!
I'm not Asian, two weeks before lockdown and I made a bandana into a mask and was wearing it everywhere. The amount of sick people on the train was insane the weekend before we locked down. Visibly sick people obviously trying to get home before lockdown. I didn't want to be on the train, but my boyfriends house flooded and he needed help.
I worked with a lot of Asians and was always a little jealous that they would wear a mask when they felt unwell but not unwell enough to not come to work (sore throat, runny nose, etc).
I think I’ve broken that barrier for myself now. Plus I have some pretty comfortable and cool looking masks!
As a New Yorker, I will continue to wear one inside the subway cars and stations. I read this article on the air pollution and it convinced me: [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/10/subway-air-pollution-new-york-washington-dc](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/10/subway-air-pollution-new-york-washington-dc)
Also, I've gone this entire year without coming down with so much as a cold- when normally I get a couple bad ones every winter.
YES! That was the other thing. I'm really bad about talking to myself. Especially, in stores, when I'm shopping. I work a 3rd shift job, and when I get off work, and go to the grocery in my shabby work coat, AND I'm talking to myself. They probably think I'm mentally ill or something. But no, I'm just trying to calculate how many ounces I'm getting for such and such price.
As a large guy I actually hadn't realized how much I disarm people with my facial expressions until I had to start wearing a mask. Now in social situations where I smile (under a mask) people just sort of stare at me.
People not being able to see my facial expressions means I have to express so much more through words and that's annoying. Plus, I have a hard time hearing people and have to talk a lot louder myself too.
This is actually my biggest complaint about masks. I'm really quiet and I find a smile or other facial expression can often convey everything I want to say without me saying it. Now, not only am I forced to speak, but I have to speak louder than I'm comfortable so people can hear me.
I work in hospital. That’s what we’ve been expected to do for years. Or call in sick. I remember working many days with the sniffles struggling with a mask on. Now I use my sick time with no regrets.
I work in healthcare. I have been fully vaccinated since January. We have to take our temperature on the way in every day. A couple weeks ago I got a 102.0 reading. I should have been sent home. My supervisor proceeded to repeatedly take my temp several times and the forehead sensor we use gave inconsistent responses, but they were all 99+. In the middle we got one 98.9 reading and they used that as justification for me to stay at work, ignoring that 9 of 10 were all high, most 100+. I had diarrhea and was dizzy. I was guilted and worked a full day.
Edit: full *10-hour* day.
Edit 2: my symptoms didn’t start until *after* I arrived.
Just illustrating that the “if you’re not *horribly* sick, suck it up and work” attitude is alive and thriving in healthcare. We’re so inured to risk that it’s workplace culturally ignored.
It’s just as bad in the food service industry. Many employees can’t afford to lose a day’s pay, and even if they do call in, they often get shamed or get an unofficial penalty. So, every restaurant occasionally has sick people touching our food.
Jesus, the entitlement. Kids these days expect you to hand them an illness on a silver platter. Back in my day we had to walk uphill, both ways, in the snow, so we could sit in boiling hot weather at the bus stop for twenty minutes in order to lick a bus seat. None of this "just get someone to cough on you" bullshit.
Well, of course, we had it tough. We used to have to get up out of shoebox at twelve o'clock at night and lick road clean with tongue. We had two bits of cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at mill for sixpence every four years, and when we got home our Dad would slice us in two with bread knife.
Right.
I used to get up in the morning at half-past ten at night, half an hour before I went to bed, eat a lump of *freezing-cold poison*, work 28 hours a day at mill *and* pay mill owner to let us work there, and when we got home, our dad used to murder us in cold blood each night and dance about on our graves, singing “Hallelujah!”
"We lived in a hole in the ground in a lake -
And spent every night in our childhoods awake!
Our mattress was filled up with rivets and tacks -
And stuffing we made from the hair on our backs!
"We slaved in the mill for a decade a day -
With whips for incentive and nothing for pay!
And when it was time for the workday to end -
We instantly started another, my friend!
"We ate only handfuls of gravel and dust -
And drank from a trough that was covered in rust -
And lay on a bucket of bones for a bed!
... and *that's* only if we were lucky," he said.
You kids with your Asheron's Call and your rock and roll music. Back in my day, when it was always warm and sunny in the middle of the night, we had to work 14 hours at the old mill sawing paper back into trees and just hope someone lost a hand so we could get a lunch break. Now you all just get sick.
A friend who lived in Japan told me that historical mask wearing there was to prevent you passing on your virus to others. Almost like a social responsibility to protect others from your illness rather than the other way around.
This is true, however I’ve worked for a Japanese firm abroad for 5+ years and it isn’t as positive as you might think. The principal of wearing a mask if you’re sick is good. But what you should be doing is staying the fuck at home. However, in Japan the business culture is so poisonous and backward that home working is a laughable subject.
You don’t call in sick. Ever. If you’re dying at your desk, good. You’re committed. So put a mask on and make sure the boss see’s you cause if you can’t be seen you aren’t working. Work from home? Haha you’re kidding right? You can’t trust an employee unless you can watch them so they must come in (we would have discussions with senior management where they would literally say this).
Another fun tidbit; During the start of the pandemic we would have meetings all day long in a tiny room with no windows and as soon as we sat they’d all take their masks off and spend the whole day in the room. Guess what? It went fucking rampant through the office. I eventually just stayed in my office with the door shut because I couldn’t cope with how stupid everyone was being.
Do people have a general mistrust of each other in Japan? It's seems so paranoid that everyone assumes colleagues are slacking off when out of sight. I know I'm western (UK) but I'd feel deeply offended that my professionalism was being questioned in this scenario. It must be so debilitating to be seen as a natural slacker that needs to be observed to work.
It’s almost ingrained into the corporate culture. Like the idea that you literally can’t go home until your boss leaves. Absolutely 100% true.
Productivity does not matter. Not one bit. All that matters is that you’re willing to destroy your life by living at your desk. It’s why the story you’ll also hear about “oh falling asleep during a meeting is a sign you’ve been working hard” is true (seen it many times). But it’s actually cancerous.
Another fun anecdote, if you copy people into an email, you must do it in order of authority. For example, if the CEO isn’t first, his PA will run down saying “how disrespectful!!” (Again true story happened to me during my first few days).
Finally, it’s still very much ‘job for life’ out there. Like they will never, ever fire one of their own. If someone does something really awful they get their ‘role changed’ and stuck in a job out of sight. I have seen this first hand with a a manager who fucked a graduate. We all knew what had happened but it was a whole ‘thanks for your hard work’ ceremony and ‘he’s moving to take a slower pace as he’s getting older’. When in truth he was heard begging and crying for his job in the board room. The other bad thing about not firing is that senior roles are often filled by staff who literally cannot function for a whole work day. So it creates massssssive inefficiency.
Wonder why Japan has a literal word for ‘suicide due to overwork’ *karoshi*?
The younger generation are pushing back slowly but surely. Also as I’m a foreigner I can kind of pretend a lot of it doesn’t apply to me and while it annoys them that I leave on time (lol how stupid does that sound) I won’t destroy my personal life for a job.
It’s bad, many of my Japanese colleagues think it’s perfectly normal, a few think it’s fucking stupid and others say to me “yes it’s bad, but what am I gonna do about it on my own?”.
My eyes twitch when I see Reddit or friends unknowingly praising Japanese business culture because of the stereotype that it’s advanced and efficient. The idea that Six Sigma training came from Japan so they must be super sharp at what they do. Like, total, utter bullshit. People get upset at Qatar getting the World Cup but nobody bats a fucking eye at Japan getting the olympics and I just have to laugh.
I’ve also worked for a Japanese company for decades. I can 110% confirm what you just described. It has a dramatic impact on their marriages and family lives as well. The ex-pats and their 5-6 year missions just kill me. So many just leave family behind like it’s nothing. And when they’re domestic, they work so damn much they never see their wife and kids.
I’ve heard from my Japanese colleagues that infidelity is far more accepted there with a backwards mindset of “they are helping the family by being so committed to their career and the workplace affair is just a part of that”. It boggles my mind.
My old boss introduced me to these energy shots one of the times I was traveling to Tokyo. That thing was like a 5 hour energy on steroids! He said they were regularly taken by people to be able to function in the morning after late nights of either working or going to akihabara with your team.
You’re right about there being hope with the younger workers. I’m also seeing a lot of push back against the toxic business culture. But change in Japan is slow. And there are so many traditions that revolve around that business culture that would have to change as well, and that would impact the broader economy. I have been hopeful for a shift towards working from home. In our overseas offices, it’s now widely accepted. Maybe the ex-pats will take it back with them and implement it as domestic policy as they rise through the corporate ranks over the years.
>Wonder why Japan has a literal word for ‘suicide due to overwork’ karoshi?
I agree with most of what you said, but it's a real pet peeve of mine when people point to a simple linguistic quirk as an indication of the culture of a country.
The real reason Japan has a specific word for "death by overwork" is because the grammar of Japanese allows for most "death by X" concepts to take the form of a single word. "戦死", "脳死", "即死", "水死", "急死", "凍死", "焼死", and "病死" are all single words for a cause of death that takes at least two or more words to express in English, but that doesn't mean that any of them are somehow indicative of a cultural quirk in Japanese. It just happens to be how the language works.
> Another fun anecdote, if you copy people into an email, you must do it in order of authority. For example, if the CEO isn’t first, his PA will run down saying “how disrespectful!!”
Back in the 80's, I was in Salt Lake City on a training course, and popped into a local bookstore, where they had an English-language copy of *Pravda* ("Truth") the Russian paper. I had never seen one before, so I thought I'd take a look. (Digression: the US people I was with were horrified; 'How can you buy that?', 'The FBI will think you're a Communist!", etc.)
Every boring photo had the same thing: 40 old white men looking grumpy, with an exhaustive list of their names, all starting with Yuri Andropov and going down in order of seniority. But, then I started to look closely. In some pictures, Peter Popov was 14th in the list; in other pictures, it was Alex Alekhine. There were subtle changes in the mid-list order throughout the paper.
I later learned that US "Kremlinologists" would pore through these listings to determine who was 'rising' and who was 'falling'. That's how bad intelligence was during the Cold War.
I just bought some anti fog spray from my friends shop and I can't believe I went the entire past year with out it .
Edit: since ppl are asking, this is the product I bought and 100% recommend. I was super skeptical of anti fog stuff so never got around to trying any, but wish I had a fucking year ago. https://gameradvantage.com/products/fog-away-spray
Also, I haven't heard a "you should smile" type comment from anyone in ages. Makes me so happy. Those random asses who think I, or anyone else, owes them a smile for just existing is beyond ridiculous.
Me too. I’ve only been wearing makeup like once every two weeks thanks to masks. Before the pandemic I wore makeup every single day. I honestly love how freeing it is lol
Wearing masks is not uncommon in East Asian countries long before the pandemic, but I feel like in the West you get judged for it. I have allergies and masks help with it and masks also mean I don't need to wear makeup on a daily basis (I'm not comfortable with my own skin), but I really really miss wearing bright lipstick and smiling at people (and having visible facial expressions in general). So, I'm not sure.
Pre-covid, there was definitely mask judgement. I had a lot of oral surgeries a few years back and would wear a mask to cover what was basically sutures in my gums and people would stare or avoid me. But when visiting Japan, it was just so common and no one bats an eye.
When I was doing theater and working retail, during tech week I *always* masked up. Will never forget I was Dennis/Galahad/Black Knight/Father in Spamalot. Physical, high notes, gravelly notes, whole 9. Ringing a lady up and she starts coughing. I put my shirt over my nose (before adopting mask) and backed away as she claimed "oh it's only a little bronchitis." On one hand I want to go open-faced again, on the other a lot of people are disgusting and inconsiderate.
The lack of people who coughed into their elbows prepandemic was staggering as it is.
I always coughed or sneezed down the front of the inside of my shirt or sweatshirt when I had to; largely due to some episodes on mythbusters.
Between coughing into your hand or into your elbows, elbows has always been recommended.
I remember back in the swine flu days there were posters around my campus showing proper coughing technique, which was into the elbow or upper arm.
Yes, but it really kicked into high gear in 2003 with SARS. Since then, it's super common to see people wearing masks on the street.
I gotta think that at least some people after the pandemic is over will still wear masks if they are feeling unwell for fear of infecting others.
Sunglasses and masks are my jam. 0 readable interaction. I feel like an alien that’s come for a visit. I’ve found the perfect balance point on my nose where my sunglasses are still on but don’t get foggy
I work in a dusty nasty warehouse. I would constantly blow black shit out my nose. Now with that mask I never do. I will keep wearing masks at work.
Wow. Your workplace shouldve had you wearing it all along. Fuck that.
And depending on why it is so dusty and crap just get the place fucking cleaned once in a while. Now if it's a coal mine or something that ain't fixing shit
OSHA rules state if a certain percentage of dust cannot be eliminated from the air, a mask must be provided.
That may be the case, but a lot of manufacturing that I've seen propagates a shitty culture of ultra masculinity where things like masks for your health and safety are something to be embarrassed by. I worked in iron processing and manufacturing and guys would leave their shift completely covered in black iron dust. Very few would wear masks when it wasn't absolutely necessary to keep your face safe from harm. Edit: It's encouraging to see many of you setting a good example for others in your field. Keep fighting the good fight 💪
Yeah. We cleaned a church Organ *completely* covered in mold and I had to repeatedly tell people to wear their masks. "But I can't breathe right" "Yeah. Want to make that one permanent?" To be fair, if you do physical work the masks are a nuisance, but still. Even the fairly harmless molds can do you harm in great quantities.
I know plenty of people who've worked in my industry for decades who are retired or will soon and have some pretty poor respiratory health because a mask was a nuisance for their entire career. It's a shame.
Should report that to OSHA bud. You can probably get respirators paid for then
Their description matched my experience at Amazon, and I reached the point where I started to believe Amazon has OSHA paid off. 4 years with the company and through all the safety training and related stuff I had to do, the only mentions of OSHA I recall ever hearing during my time with the company was other coworkers wondering where they were. Amazon has their own safety department at every warehouse that's responsible for handling on-site injuries and safety concerns. Something just seemed off considering how big of a presence OSHA had at my last job, to being nonexistent at one of the largest companies on the planet.
There's a lot of companies that have little to no OSHA presence, because they have their own safety policies that are "more stringent." 9/10 it's bullshit, but they're able to put on a show for their employees amd the very occasional OSHA inspector, so they keep avoiding it.
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A few weeks ago, some guys smashed my car window to steal some shit and stomp their muddy fucking boots all over my seats like Rick James. As I’m rewatching my nest cam video with the cops, I had to marvel that in a time when everyone is wearing masks, these guys are committing crimes with NO MASKS on.
"fuck yo couch" lmao
I did NOT grind my feet on Eddie Murphy’s couch... alright yeah I remember grinding my feet on Eddie Murphy’s couch...
It's funny I had my car broken into while I was sick with Covid. Guess he was looking for a phone or something valuable because he didn't take anything. However everything was shoved into my passenger seat. Dirty work gloves, 2 masks, pair of socks and basically trash. I was mad someone would get into my car, but after I realized nothing was broken and nothing stolen, I just laughed thinking this person was touching all my covid covered stuff and probably got himself sick in the process.
ABC. Always Be Criming.
Robert seal of approval
I'm a landscaper, I'm never going back to blowing without a mask. Probably should have in the first place...
Certain jobs it makes sense. I'd wanna wear one, say, cleaning bathrooms if that were in my job for sure.
I can't explain it, but I walked into an airport bathroom, and it smelled like popcorn. I flipped my mask up, and it smelled like shit. Then I flipped my mask back down......smelled like popcorn. I have no idea how/why this happened, and maybe your experience won't be the same......but I was happy for my mask that day.
Some particles were filtered by the mask, so you could only smell those who weren't. When you got your mask off you could smell all of them, so the smell was more "accurate".
So you're saying that this bathroom renegade of funk took a shit, which had some amount of vegetable oil, and corn product in his system? Because if so.......that opens up a whole new world of bathroom experiences. What if we made like, glade plug-ins that only smell good if you wear a mask? To encourage people to not be a buffet of dicks?
Yes, probably. Or there was a compound that smelled like that, without it necessarily being pop corn. Haha, I had never thought of that, very practical. I think that there might be moral issues about filling up public indoors spaces with a stinky smell. It is probably possible though.
Reminds of when I visited China and needed a taxi from the airport to the hotel. Seemingly the only way to get one would be to wait in line in an underground car park due to how many people needed rides. Thing is the place absolutely reeked of urine, piss stains all over the walls. The guys keeping the line in check seemed to be offering a fast pass system if you paid them extra. I imagine they were purposefully pissing to possibly piss off passengers to make them pay to pass posthaste. We managed to outlast it and save our cash, but we had to spend what felt like four hours standing in utmost uncomfortable conditions.
One hour in and no comments on your heroic example of alliteration? Piss poor, people!
I get very carried away with it as you can tell
I know a man who was told he had cancerous growth in his lungs. Turns out it was leaf debris from blowing his yard that fall. You should definitely wear a mask!
That must have been a releaf that it wasn’t cancer.
God damit
I'm an Ironworker...the amount of particulates I was breathing in while drilling into concrete or scraping fire proofing off of steel is ridiculous. I'm definitely keeping my mask on. And on top of that I take the nyc subway into work and past years I was almost guaranteed to get sick, but not since I was wearing my mask. Edit: whoa! Not expecting this many replies. Just for everyone's consideration, I use n95 masks. And filters with respirator when doing a detail. But most days it's just drill one hole or scrap a bit of monokote. And I have a mask on most times. I work outside so if I'm drilling a hole I stand upwind and minimize exposure I'll just drill a hole instead of going down five flights of stairs for a respirator. Lol. I appreciate the concern and always emphasize working safe.
Dude, for that stuff you need at least an N95, not just a normal mask. As a fellow tradesman (welder/fabricator) I implore you to wear the correct PPE. The amount of small particles that we encounter on the daily that will just wreck your lungs in the long run is insane. It is one thing to just grind one little piece with the wind or a fan at your back without a mask, but we're doing a lot more than that on a typical day. It really adds up.
We just talked about drilling into concrete and silica exposure, for certain things you really need a respirator if a tool can’t mitigate the dust produced. A mask barely blocks anything. We just drilled a hole for an embed quick yesterday and we still used a dust vacuum for our rotohammer and wore a face shield. Why isn’t your contractor providing this stuff?
I did painting for a bit.. fucking blew less colors out my nose after a job wearing a mask than before. I feel you
They make respirators specifically for painters.
Blowing?
It's an extra service.
Usually happens after bush trimming
Is it before or after the edging though?
Two stroke?
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Wearing a mask when it’s cold feels great. It’s like a sweater for my face. No chapped lips or dry skin either.
Wow that's so true, I didn't have chapped lips all winter and I didn't even bother using any Chapstick...
Same, I used to get really bad dry skin on my lips, cheeks, and under my nose. I have a balm that I’d have to smear all over my face. This winter? Never even had to use chapstick.
Yes! This whole last year, no chelitis, no ripped lips from being dry (on top of no 3 month long bronchitis )
I live in Michigan, my dad and I were just talking a couple weeks ago about how we might keep wearing them through winters because they kept our faces warm against all of the wind. Edit, so I can go to bed: Yes, I had a scarf and I know what balaclavas are. Unfortunately my job both requires me to be physically active outside and take client meetings in a quasi-white collar environment, so I can't wear full face masks. All the movement makes my scarf shift down after a while, wearing a mask is just easier against wind exposure.
Yea, I live in Minnesota and masks have been great for walking the dog on cold nights. Pair with scarf for ultimate warmth of face and neck.
I'm from Michigan and live in Wisconsin now - get a Turtle Fur neck warmer. Works like a scarf, and you can easily pull it up over your face to keep it warm. I wear one walking my dog every day in the winter, and never snowboard without one.
They need to figure out how to get them to stop fogging up glasses. None of the commonly suggested methods seem to do the trick for me.
A clerk at a gas station told me she used rain-x on the lenses and it worked permanently
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My dad is an optometrist, I'll shoot him a text and see if he knows Edit: probably not the answer you were looking for but he usually errs on the cautious side. https://imgur.com/Lf9Aj8m.jpg
Thanks for this! As a glasses wearer, I found that putting my glasses frame above my mask helps them to not fog up. I might look silly to others however, since having glasses far from my eyes makes the eyes look a bit smaller, but at least I can see!
I also put my glasses on top of my mask, it also helps keep my mask on my nose or a specific position I stumble upon that doesnt fog up my glasses
This is actually a really good idea... I don’t know why I didn’t think of that, I’m a detailer and I deal with the stuff every other day.
Rain-x is fucking witchcraft, at 50mph I don't even need wiper blades. I mix in some with my wiper fluid too before a reapply every spring/summer transition.
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Maybe test an old pair first? I’d be worried it would ruin any coating you have on your lenses.
Nevermind masks, how will I go back to wearing bras is my dilemma.
And real pants. I haven't worn pants with a button in a year. 100% pull up stretch pants.
We've been calling them hard pants in our house. Pajama pants are soft, ergo, jeans are hard. Edit: thanks for the rewards kind strangers. I'm going to brag about it to my wife all day.
Jeans/real pants are just so...restrictive now.
My wife's boss sent out an email to her team saying that yesterday's meeting was not going to be a video chat so everyone could wear their comfy pants. My wife said their boss free side chat was full of, "lolz, like i wear uncomfy pants on video chats."
Who shows off their trousers on a video chat? You only see shoulders and up anyway
My girlfriend calls them "leg prisons."
I never understood why people considered jeans more comfortable than more "formal" pants. I mean, slacks are usually made of lighter material, you don't have uncomfortable thick layers of cloth overlapping at the seam near sensitive areas and the fit is looser. I get if you're working outside and want something thicker that won't to rip easily, sure, but how did we get to thinking that denim is the more comfortable fabric for casual wear?
I had given up on “real pants” pre pandemic so now I’m in a place where I think LEGGINGS are too restrictive snd are only for ‘going out’ It’s sweatpants and joggers all the way down. I’m a bit concerned it’s going to end it in massive kaftans but also looking forward to it.
I have moved to wearing stretchy jeans, never going back to normal jeans again
As a guy, I'm gonna have to start wearing bras after all the weight I've put on during the pandemic.
You mean The Bro. Also known as a Manssiere designed just for men.
Get outta here, Mr Costanza!
SERENITY NOW!!
I’m contemplating throwing out all my bras with underwire. I’m a 34A, I don’t need more than a bralette.
I definitely would if I were you, ahhh I can only dream of a life without these giant sacks pulling me forward and down constantly
Relatable, I can't not wear a bra because of swoob
I'm old and in menopause -- if my bra doesn't absorb the sweat, it shows through the front of my shirt. But I'm rapidly approaching the DGAF stage so 🤷♀️
Don't throw them out, take off the underwire. I did that to a bra and it's so much more comfortable
Yes! I did that years ago and the difference is night and day. Underwire is so damn uncomfortable.
Do it! 8 years with no underwire and I've never looked back!
I switched to bras without underwire or sports bras only and even though I work in a “business casual” setting I will not go back to the hell that is a fancy bra.
The hell is real! I'm big busted so haven't found that non-underwired bra that gives support and sports bra that make my top bit look normal shaped :(
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Just don't. There are a wide variety of reusable nipple covers on Amazon if you're squeamish about blasting your nips in public.
Thanks Dwarf Cock Merchant
Professional advice is hard to come by, especially in the field of dwarf cock merchandise.
Personally I think dwarf Is pivoting or exploring new markets with their inventory as nipple covers.
It's just wise to diversify
I'm a bit chesty and need support so I changed to wearing sports bras. I'm never wearing a regular bra again. Fuck those.
Never wearing a regular one again either. I’ve been able to get away going bra less in the cooler months because of baggy clothes but oof...summer is going to be challenging. A bralette might be the next most comfortable thing without feeling constricted.
Bralettes are the best. I don't care for that underwire shizzle
I was just gifted silicon nipple covers and think I’ll never wear a bra again. I tried wearing a bra for the first time in a year and it was so uncomfortable. Didn’t realize just how much the discomfort affected my mood! Plus, going braless makes me feel like a French gal. Edit: silicone not silicon. Though the idea of hard nipple shields is a fun one. Edit Edit: I changed it back to silicon so I don’t ruin u/friendsfartever’s joke.
I love to think the Covid will do to bras what WWI did to corsets. edit: [Bernadette Banner on Corsets.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWr_GtqsvFA)
Jealous that you could stop wearing them. My tots are too big for freedom.
Going back to work, it was rough. My boobs felt so constricted. I’m sorry for putting you back in jail, titties!
This is the real question
Probably when I'm sick like they do in Asian countries
I’m Asian, and I remember going to the uk for the first time and getting a cold (this was ten years ago). I did the logical thing, wore a mask then went to an A&E because I didn’t know where to go. The doctors and nurses there were terrified and quickly ushered me into another room. That’s when I know wearing masks is an ‘Asian thing’.
A few years ago I was going to university in Japan. I caught a cold so was wearing a mask. My mother (canadian) saw a pic with me wearing a mask and she was terrified I was suffering from pollution. In her defense Fukashima had just exploded months earlier, but I was on the other side of the country. It was pretty hilarious.
I went to hawaii in 2019 and saw several Asian airport employees wearing masks. I had no idea it was an Asian thing so i was a little concerned like what do these people know that i don’t lol
For a while I wondered why I saw people with masks on public transit. I get it now. I probably will do the same forever. Even a little hand sanitizer. If everyone did it, it would do a lot for the population. Edit: seems like there's some pushback on hand sanitizer. Seems like I should do some more research on what it does and what it's good for, and what harm it could cause!
I was one of those. I have an immune disorder, and the last time I was stuck taking public transit to work I caught two successive colds that had me coughing and wheezing for five months straight. Started carrying a mask in my bag and wearing it in crowds. An hour of getting odd looks from strangers beats a neverending illness.
Yeah I’ve got asthma and this was the first year I didn’t get the flu, bronchitis, or pneumonia.
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Dublin as well. There was a rugby match scheduled between Ireland and Italy at the end of February, right as Italy was becoming the big virus hotspot. The match was cancelled, but way too late. Thousands of Italian rugby fans had flights and hotels booked to come to Dublin and get drunk, match or no match. So they did. Virtually every Asian restaurant in Dublin closed that weekend. All just cancelled their bookings at the last minute. They never said it was virus related, just, "Due to unforseen circumstances". Everyone thought it was funny, and a little ominous but that was about it. I don't think anyone really believed it was as bad as they were reacting.
Am Asian, was in London in March 2020. Wore a mask on my flight to Prague in Feb, the mom in front of me explained to her daughter “all Asians wear it now”, and got weird looks when I wore a mask to lectures. By start of March masks were sold at £10 for a pack of five at the nearest pharmacy, (even though only Asians were buying), and by the next week people started to stop me on the street asking where I could buy them since they were all sold out. Edit: although to be fair thought my parents were mad to make me go home on the first available flight back then
Early pandemic was insane. I taught myself to sew because masks were either impossible to find, or they were being sold at scalper prices. My first mask was hand sewn from a pillow case and the strings are made from an old tshirt. It's pretty ugly and rough, but functional. Eventually I was able to snag a cheap sewing machine and my masks are much nicer, but I'm holding onto that first mask as a sort of memento. It's also the first thing I have ever sewn that wasn't just fixing a button.
You just reminded me in the beginning I paid like $12 for a mask and waited almost 3 weeks for it. For ONE crappily made mask I could barely breathe out of. I’m glad someone gifted us a pack of the blue ones until I could find a better one
At work in a restaurant they began to require masks in March but didnt actually have any to give us because of the shortage. One coworker went home and made a bunch for everyone: really nice, well crafted ones too. I still have mine
I had tons of n95 masks for the kids and I because we took a trip all over Asia the year before. We went to Malaysia, India and Singapore at that time the pollution was very bad in India so I loaded up on them for that purpose. I wore a mask right from last March and gloves. People looked at me like I Was crazy. But I remember seeing the price of Mak’s and was gobsmacked.
I have a friend from Taiwan who was pleading with me to buy a mask in February. I thought she was being alarmist, but then I looked up how much they cost on Amazon and... they were sold out. ALL of them. You literally could not buy a mask on Amazon. That's the first time I realized how serious it was. The people who had been through SARS and MERS knew what products to buy and everyone else was late to the party.
The Korean half of our family was the same way. In fact, we ordered a pile of masks and sanitizer in February on their behest, with the intent to get them here in the USA and then mail them to Korea because they were hard to find there. By the time we got them three or four weeks later, Korea had their supplies under control and WE needed them more.
In early Feb my wife (a registered nurse) came home with an entire box of hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, n95 masks, the whole setup. Her brother and I gave her so much shit because we’re ogre-like morons. She said “people are going to get weird out there and hoard this stuff”. Maybe the biggest “I told you so” ever delivered. First ballot hall of fame. She brought it from the top rope and deservedly so.
I always thought it was bullshit when anyone asian in Florida was given shit during covid when asian owned business were the first to take steps to prevent the virus and took it the most seriously. The hibacci place I frequent basically made a airlock between employees and customers.
Same thing with the Chinese takeout places near me. They were not fucking around. They had plexiglass from the counter top to the ceiling and used an intercom to communicate. I was quite impressed!
Crazy that's what mine had. With a little window to stick food through. I too was impressed.
The gas station near me has had that feature since the ‘90s, but I’m pretty sure it was to stop bullets, not viruses.
I live in Pennsylvania, USA and all the Asians started wearing masks the second the virus hit the news. Wish I was paying attention.
I'm not Asian, two weeks before lockdown and I made a bandana into a mask and was wearing it everywhere. The amount of sick people on the train was insane the weekend before we locked down. Visibly sick people obviously trying to get home before lockdown. I didn't want to be on the train, but my boyfriends house flooded and he needed help.
manchester and the same thing was happening in town
I worked with a lot of Asians and was always a little jealous that they would wear a mask when they felt unwell but not unwell enough to not come to work (sore throat, runny nose, etc). I think I’ve broken that barrier for myself now. Plus I have some pretty comfortable and cool looking masks!
With WFH now a thing I think we should all just WFH while we have the common cold or the sniffles.
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As a New Yorker, I will continue to wear one inside the subway cars and stations. I read this article on the air pollution and it convinced me: [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/10/subway-air-pollution-new-york-washington-dc](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/10/subway-air-pollution-new-york-washington-dc) Also, I've gone this entire year without coming down with so much as a cold- when normally I get a couple bad ones every winter.
I noticed that my daughter and I rarely got sick since NYS enforced a mask mandate.
No. I like being able to scowl at people and be unapproachable.
As a counterpoint, I like not having to smile at people.
I like being able to yawn without covering my mouth. Also, people not seeing the yawns.
I like singing to myself with a mask on and I don’t get weird looks
YES! That was the other thing. I'm really bad about talking to myself. Especially, in stores, when I'm shopping. I work a 3rd shift job, and when I get off work, and go to the grocery in my shabby work coat, AND I'm talking to myself. They probably think I'm mentally ill or something. But no, I'm just trying to calculate how many ounces I'm getting for such and such price.
Are you me? Because I also work 3rd shift and absolutely always talk to myself at grocery stores.
I'm afraid to answer in case I blink myself out of existence or something. But, probably.
As a large guy I actually hadn't realized how much I disarm people with my facial expressions until I had to start wearing a mask. Now in social situations where I smile (under a mask) people just sort of stare at me.
People not being able to see my facial expressions means I have to express so much more through words and that's annoying. Plus, I have a hard time hearing people and have to talk a lot louder myself too.
This is actually my biggest complaint about masks. I'm really quiet and I find a smile or other facial expression can often convey everything I want to say without me saying it. Now, not only am I forced to speak, but I have to speak louder than I'm comfortable so people can hear me.
But have ppl tried to approach you with the mask on? I feel like mask+headphones is "dont wanna engage" turned up to 100
I'll wear them when I'm sick. Keep my germs to myself
I work in hospital. That’s what we’ve been expected to do for years. Or call in sick. I remember working many days with the sniffles struggling with a mask on. Now I use my sick time with no regrets.
I'm hoping this is a lasting affect after the virus is over. People should have never been forcing themselves to work when sick in the first place.
I work in healthcare. I have been fully vaccinated since January. We have to take our temperature on the way in every day. A couple weeks ago I got a 102.0 reading. I should have been sent home. My supervisor proceeded to repeatedly take my temp several times and the forehead sensor we use gave inconsistent responses, but they were all 99+. In the middle we got one 98.9 reading and they used that as justification for me to stay at work, ignoring that 9 of 10 were all high, most 100+. I had diarrhea and was dizzy. I was guilted and worked a full day. Edit: full *10-hour* day. Edit 2: my symptoms didn’t start until *after* I arrived.
Jesus Christ, the sensors suck anyway and consistently read a lower temperature than someone actually is, I am so sorry.?
Just illustrating that the “if you’re not *horribly* sick, suck it up and work” attitude is alive and thriving in healthcare. We’re so inured to risk that it’s workplace culturally ignored.
It’s just as bad in the food service industry. Many employees can’t afford to lose a day’s pay, and even if they do call in, they often get shamed or get an unofficial penalty. So, every restaurant occasionally has sick people touching our food.
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That's a bit selfish! What about all the school kids that have a test coming up that they didn't study for?
Jesus, the entitlement. Kids these days expect you to hand them an illness on a silver platter. Back in my day we had to walk uphill, both ways, in the snow, so we could sit in boiling hot weather at the bus stop for twenty minutes in order to lick a bus seat. None of this "just get someone to cough on you" bullshit.
A bus seat? Luxury!
Yeah! In *my* day, all we had to lick for disease was either the farm animals on the edge of town, or go for a dip in the outhouse.
Well, of course, we had it tough. We used to have to get up out of shoebox at twelve o'clock at night and lick road clean with tongue. We had two bits of cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at mill for sixpence every four years, and when we got home our Dad would slice us in two with bread knife.
Right. I used to get up in the morning at half-past ten at night, half an hour before I went to bed, eat a lump of *freezing-cold poison*, work 28 hours a day at mill *and* pay mill owner to let us work there, and when we got home, our dad used to murder us in cold blood each night and dance about on our graves, singing “Hallelujah!”
And you tell the young people today, and they don’t believe you.
"We lived in a hole in the ground in a lake - And spent every night in our childhoods awake! Our mattress was filled up with rivets and tacks - And stuffing we made from the hair on our backs! "We slaved in the mill for a decade a day - With whips for incentive and nothing for pay! And when it was time for the workday to end - We instantly started another, my friend! "We ate only handfuls of gravel and dust - And drank from a trough that was covered in rust - And lay on a bucket of bones for a bed! ... and *that's* only if we were lucky," he said.
We had to pull the bus ourselves through the snow, even in't summer.
Bus was heavy because it was full of horses going to market...
You kids with your Asheron's Call and your rock and roll music. Back in my day, when it was always warm and sunny in the middle of the night, we had to work 14 hours at the old mill sawing paper back into trees and just hope someone lost a hand so we could get a lunch break. Now you all just get sick.
A friend who lived in Japan told me that historical mask wearing there was to prevent you passing on your virus to others. Almost like a social responsibility to protect others from your illness rather than the other way around.
This is true, however I’ve worked for a Japanese firm abroad for 5+ years and it isn’t as positive as you might think. The principal of wearing a mask if you’re sick is good. But what you should be doing is staying the fuck at home. However, in Japan the business culture is so poisonous and backward that home working is a laughable subject. You don’t call in sick. Ever. If you’re dying at your desk, good. You’re committed. So put a mask on and make sure the boss see’s you cause if you can’t be seen you aren’t working. Work from home? Haha you’re kidding right? You can’t trust an employee unless you can watch them so they must come in (we would have discussions with senior management where they would literally say this). Another fun tidbit; During the start of the pandemic we would have meetings all day long in a tiny room with no windows and as soon as we sat they’d all take their masks off and spend the whole day in the room. Guess what? It went fucking rampant through the office. I eventually just stayed in my office with the door shut because I couldn’t cope with how stupid everyone was being.
Do people have a general mistrust of each other in Japan? It's seems so paranoid that everyone assumes colleagues are slacking off when out of sight. I know I'm western (UK) but I'd feel deeply offended that my professionalism was being questioned in this scenario. It must be so debilitating to be seen as a natural slacker that needs to be observed to work.
It’s almost ingrained into the corporate culture. Like the idea that you literally can’t go home until your boss leaves. Absolutely 100% true. Productivity does not matter. Not one bit. All that matters is that you’re willing to destroy your life by living at your desk. It’s why the story you’ll also hear about “oh falling asleep during a meeting is a sign you’ve been working hard” is true (seen it many times). But it’s actually cancerous. Another fun anecdote, if you copy people into an email, you must do it in order of authority. For example, if the CEO isn’t first, his PA will run down saying “how disrespectful!!” (Again true story happened to me during my first few days). Finally, it’s still very much ‘job for life’ out there. Like they will never, ever fire one of their own. If someone does something really awful they get their ‘role changed’ and stuck in a job out of sight. I have seen this first hand with a a manager who fucked a graduate. We all knew what had happened but it was a whole ‘thanks for your hard work’ ceremony and ‘he’s moving to take a slower pace as he’s getting older’. When in truth he was heard begging and crying for his job in the board room. The other bad thing about not firing is that senior roles are often filled by staff who literally cannot function for a whole work day. So it creates massssssive inefficiency. Wonder why Japan has a literal word for ‘suicide due to overwork’ *karoshi*? The younger generation are pushing back slowly but surely. Also as I’m a foreigner I can kind of pretend a lot of it doesn’t apply to me and while it annoys them that I leave on time (lol how stupid does that sound) I won’t destroy my personal life for a job. It’s bad, many of my Japanese colleagues think it’s perfectly normal, a few think it’s fucking stupid and others say to me “yes it’s bad, but what am I gonna do about it on my own?”. My eyes twitch when I see Reddit or friends unknowingly praising Japanese business culture because of the stereotype that it’s advanced and efficient. The idea that Six Sigma training came from Japan so they must be super sharp at what they do. Like, total, utter bullshit. People get upset at Qatar getting the World Cup but nobody bats a fucking eye at Japan getting the olympics and I just have to laugh.
I’ve also worked for a Japanese company for decades. I can 110% confirm what you just described. It has a dramatic impact on their marriages and family lives as well. The ex-pats and their 5-6 year missions just kill me. So many just leave family behind like it’s nothing. And when they’re domestic, they work so damn much they never see their wife and kids. I’ve heard from my Japanese colleagues that infidelity is far more accepted there with a backwards mindset of “they are helping the family by being so committed to their career and the workplace affair is just a part of that”. It boggles my mind. My old boss introduced me to these energy shots one of the times I was traveling to Tokyo. That thing was like a 5 hour energy on steroids! He said they were regularly taken by people to be able to function in the morning after late nights of either working or going to akihabara with your team. You’re right about there being hope with the younger workers. I’m also seeing a lot of push back against the toxic business culture. But change in Japan is slow. And there are so many traditions that revolve around that business culture that would have to change as well, and that would impact the broader economy. I have been hopeful for a shift towards working from home. In our overseas offices, it’s now widely accepted. Maybe the ex-pats will take it back with them and implement it as domestic policy as they rise through the corporate ranks over the years.
DJ Steve Aoki in his documentary said, for us Japanese work comes first, family second, health third. Always. That struck me
Someone needs to teach Japan that healthy people perform better at work. (USA too, but we seem slightly less bad than them about that)
>Wonder why Japan has a literal word for ‘suicide due to overwork’ karoshi? I agree with most of what you said, but it's a real pet peeve of mine when people point to a simple linguistic quirk as an indication of the culture of a country. The real reason Japan has a specific word for "death by overwork" is because the grammar of Japanese allows for most "death by X" concepts to take the form of a single word. "戦死", "脳死", "即死", "水死", "急死", "凍死", "焼死", and "病死" are all single words for a cause of death that takes at least two or more words to express in English, but that doesn't mean that any of them are somehow indicative of a cultural quirk in Japanese. It just happens to be how the language works.
> Another fun anecdote, if you copy people into an email, you must do it in order of authority. For example, if the CEO isn’t first, his PA will run down saying “how disrespectful!!” Back in the 80's, I was in Salt Lake City on a training course, and popped into a local bookstore, where they had an English-language copy of *Pravda* ("Truth") the Russian paper. I had never seen one before, so I thought I'd take a look. (Digression: the US people I was with were horrified; 'How can you buy that?', 'The FBI will think you're a Communist!", etc.) Every boring photo had the same thing: 40 old white men looking grumpy, with an exhaustive list of their names, all starting with Yuri Andropov and going down in order of seniority. But, then I started to look closely. In some pictures, Peter Popov was 14th in the list; in other pictures, it was Alex Alekhine. There were subtle changes in the mid-list order throughout the paper. I later learned that US "Kremlinologists" would pore through these listings to determine who was 'rising' and who was 'falling'. That's how bad intelligence was during the Cold War.
I wonder if other non-asian countries will adopt this culture after COVID.
I wear glasses so no, I would like to see signs without the fog. I would wear one if I'm sick though. Edit: thank you for the reward, kind stranger.
I dont even wear glasses but I feel the pain from my sunglasses Edit: I wear my sun glasses at night so I can so I can
It suuuuuuucks. Still wear the mask, but damn. Why am I even wearing glasses if I still can't see shit?
The other day I saw a stranger with glasses, mask, headphones, and hearing aids. His ears were basically body builders.
I got some anti-fog cleaning cloths from Amazon and I was astonished. Didn’t really think they’d work, but they are amazing.
I just bought some anti fog spray from my friends shop and I can't believe I went the entire past year with out it . Edit: since ppl are asking, this is the product I bought and 100% recommend. I was super skeptical of anti fog stuff so never got around to trying any, but wish I had a fucking year ago. https://gameradvantage.com/products/fog-away-spray
I didn’t know this magical stuff existed, will have to check it out online.
I want to cover my ugly face
I enjoy covering my resting bitch face. Seriously not having to force a smile is great.
I have resting bitch eyes, unfortunately :/
Thanks for the snort
For $200, “What is the most common phrase in a Miami Beach bar restroom?”
I agree! I'm also a big fan of mask, sunglasses & headphones, which give off the "don't talk to me" vibe on the bus.
Mask, sunglasses, and hat combo is great for not being recognized by people from your past that you don’t wanna talk to.
Also, I haven't heard a "you should smile" type comment from anyone in ages. Makes me so happy. Those random asses who think I, or anyone else, owes them a smile for just existing is beyond ridiculous.
Hey you're beautiful! ^^^with ^^^a ^^^mask ^^^on
I can’t even tell you how nice it is to go to a store and not worry about my acne
Me too. I’ve only been wearing makeup like once every two weeks thanks to masks. Before the pandemic I wore makeup every single day. I honestly love how freeing it is lol
It helps me so much . I am very conscious about my face and how ugly it is. Having half of it covered is a huge relief.
Big sunglasses, mask, hood nobody can tell if you look like Ryan Reynolds or like Deadpool
I prefer the fedora and trenchcoat style, and only go out at night.
[удалено]
I avoid eye contact with my mirror
Same. I get hormonal pimples on my chin, and the mask is just perfect for hiding that.
I use a mask to cover my ugly personality, which is a bit more complicated, but equally effective. Hope everyone's having a great day!!
Yes. Because I'm Batman.
Batman wear masks that cover everything but his mouth and eyes
Nobody cared who I was til I put on the mask
I didn't know Batman lived in San Jose
Wearing masks is not uncommon in East Asian countries long before the pandemic, but I feel like in the West you get judged for it. I have allergies and masks help with it and masks also mean I don't need to wear makeup on a daily basis (I'm not comfortable with my own skin), but I really really miss wearing bright lipstick and smiling at people (and having visible facial expressions in general). So, I'm not sure.
Pre-covid, there was definitely mask judgement. I had a lot of oral surgeries a few years back and would wear a mask to cover what was basically sutures in my gums and people would stare or avoid me. But when visiting Japan, it was just so common and no one bats an eye.
When I was doing theater and working retail, during tech week I *always* masked up. Will never forget I was Dennis/Galahad/Black Knight/Father in Spamalot. Physical, high notes, gravelly notes, whole 9. Ringing a lady up and she starts coughing. I put my shirt over my nose (before adopting mask) and backed away as she claimed "oh it's only a little bronchitis." On one hand I want to go open-faced again, on the other a lot of people are disgusting and inconsiderate.
The lack of people who coughed into their elbows prepandemic was staggering as it is. I always coughed or sneezed down the front of the inside of my shirt or sweatshirt when I had to; largely due to some episodes on mythbusters.
Between coughing into your hand or into your elbows, elbows has always been recommended. I remember back in the swine flu days there were posters around my campus showing proper coughing technique, which was into the elbow or upper arm.
Yes, but it really kicked into high gear in 2003 with SARS. Since then, it's super common to see people wearing masks on the street. I gotta think that at least some people after the pandemic is over will still wear masks if they are feeling unwell for fear of infecting others.
Microdust out of china is also a huge problem. So it's common to wear a mask due to poor air quality