The surgical mask is a bad fit for risk reduction

The following article was written for CMAJ by Canadian physician and poet, Shane Neilson. Written in 2016, Neilson exposed the fear-based messaging proliferated by mask wearing. He says that mask wearing prepares us for a future pandemic. In addition, Nielsen says, mask wearing is aimed at cultivating collective anxiety which rationalizes the intensification of risk management, many of which can curtail some of our individual freedoms. 

Editor’s Note: Everything that Nielsen has said 4 years ago has now come true. Despite the lack of evidence for its effectiveness, many populations are now being required to wear masks, regardless of an individual’s state of health [read Mandatory Masking Interferes With Personal Autonomy to understand the concern].

As it turns out, lockdowns were only the beginning. Mandatory mask wearing will alienate us from each other, and it will normalize a society where we are suspicious of one another. We have called prey to fear mongering and external control. Whether this was planned or not, the reality is that we are slowly losing our humanity. [The good news is that we are not powerless against this increasing dehumanization. Read END THE LOCKDOWNS! Stop It Outside By Ending the Lockdowns Inside Us].