Real men do wear masks and chivalry is not dead

When I go for mail at the Post Office, I notice two things: most females are wearing masks and most males aren’t. What is this gender gap all about?

First, we all spit when we talk. And when we spit, the moisture-loving C-19 virus rides out into the air on our spit. Most of the time it’s not real spit, like a loogie, but a fine spray, barely noticeable, and finer than a sneeze or a cough. At any rate, out it goes and the virus can linger for up to three hours.

Second, more than a third of coronavirus patients (testing positive) have no symptoms at all, and 40 percent of the transmissions occur before folks even feel sick. So the reality is you may feel fine, but you may be a walking, talking Typhoid Mary, freely infecting all around you while not showing any signs of illness yourself.

Third, a mask stops your spit from floating in the air where other people can breathe it in, and therein lies its value. If we all wore masks C-19 transmissions and the resulting number of cases (and deaths) would be slashed dramatically.

Fourth, but what’s in it for me, you ask? Well, if you are standing with your mouth closed, normally breathing close to a C-19 carrier as they are speaking to you, you have a probable 20 percent chance of getting sick from that exposure. If you are wearing a mask, that chance drops to 4 percent. Add social distancing and the risk drops to somewhere around one percent. Great, you say, especially since more men die from C-19 than women. However, add repeated exposures from other infected people and your risk gets worse. That’s why crowding is not such a good idea. Of course, if everyone in your crowd is wearing a mask, your odds of staying healthy improve again.

Fifth, a cloth mask helps you keep your dirty hands away from your mouth and nose. It reduces the amount of viral spit hanging in the air you are exposed to, and it reduces the chance other folks will be infected by you when you are sick and don’t know it.

Lastly, wearing a mask has nothing to do with being manly and everything to do with being kind, considerate and respectful of others. By being chivalrous, you also increase your own protection rate by lessening your exposure. The considerate thing to do for your friend and neighbors, particularly the elderly, is to wear a mask and keep your distance. Wear a mask, save a friend. Wear a mask, save a neighbor. Wear a mask, save a grandmother. Others will thank you.

Pam Dorris, Grand Marais