What you said.
Plus, as I’ve pointed out to some people making comments on the number of people not wearing them outside, the vaccine does not visibly mark us in any way so there is no way to know if someone outside not wearing a mask is an anti-masker OR someone who is fully vaccinated and feels confident following the CDC’s statement about fully vaccinated individuals being safe to unmask outside when not in a large group.
You see one thing when you see someone wearing a mask. Others see it the same as you.
I do not.
I was shocked the other day when my 28 year old son told me he thinks he will continue to wear a mask/gaiter in public for the rest of his life. His explanation? He has never felt better. He works in a school and he has not been sick, at all, even though he has been in a classroom every day.
He doesn’t look at masks the same way as I do. He doesn’t look at masks the way you do.
If we cannot learn acceptance about masks. How do we move forward?
I don’t care if other people wear masks the rest of their lives. I don’t want to wear them one more second than I have to.
What I’m saying is if our leaders want those of us uninterested in the vaccine to join the ranks of vaccinated, they need to change up the message.
that is what almost everyone I work with is saying also…masks from Nov-March. People can not believe that there has been such little illness and we have been full in-person all year. nurses who work in the hospitals are saying the same thing; it used to be only the people who didn’t get a flu shot had to be masked now most of then plan on wearing masks.
I missed this upthread.
I’m not sure it would work here, either.
I don’t know what it will take TBH.
The vaccine is readily available here for anyone who wants it.
But this can’t start until more are vaccinated - right? To me the logic is … we can relax restrictions when case numbers come down and stay down. We need to get people vaccinated so case numbers will fall and stay low. Vaccination isn’t the goal - low to non-existent case numbers are the goal. Vaccination is the means to that goal.
Here case numbers have been on the rise. My county is seeing it’s biggest wave except for the winter wave. Vaccinated or not, lots of people are getting sick right now, so masks are necessary, in my view, regardless of your vaccination status. Because let’s face it, people will and do lie about that kind of thing. I can’t wait to ditch the masks! But mostly I want people to not get sick and that’s still happening here at an alarming rate.
I can see what you are saying. And in theory, this could be an incentive. Except it isn’t.
I keep typing and deleting.
The point of my jumping into the conversation today was to represent people who have opted not to be vaccinated. As many have opined that the goal is to encourage more people to get vaccinated, I’m just sharing my perspective.
I get it. But really, if the president had not worn a mask on that zoom, I don’t think it would have changed your mind. 
I just keep hoping that the next couple of months will bring many positive changes for all of us.
No. Not on one single occasion. Definitely not. 
(Frankly, it wouldn’t even be noticed if he didn’t wear it on zoom bc it is generally expected that people don’t mask for zoom.)
But if they started pushing the optic, “Look at us, we are vaccinated and happy and mask-free,” it would help to change the tone.
Honestly - as a mostlySAHM I don’t have to wear the mask that much. I wear it into stores, into church and restaurants til I get to my seat, and when I am in patient’s rooms at work. I truly don’t know what would encourage me to get the vaccine at this point bc even the promise of not needing a mask isn’t likely that life-changing. DH might be willing to get the vax if it meant he could stop wearing a mask at work, though. DS18 said he’d potentially get one for a missions trip.
I have no doubt that mask wearing in my hospital will be a permanent thing. DD7s school is also talking about masks during school for the same reason…less spread of other germs!
Likely themselves and their kids being fully vaccinated.
I won’t go that far (though I respect his choice), but the other day I said to my wife, I would see myself wearing a mask in crowded places during future flu seasons.
I feel like this is the answer for me. We certainly have been out and about (went to Disney 3 times over the past year) but I was a little nervous each time. DH and I are both vaccinated and I am just waiting for the first appointments to show up for DS12 and we will be all over it. I will breathe a huge sigh of relief as soon as he is vaccinated and we can go about life without that black cloud hanging over us.
I’m still reading about vaccinated people not doing things. 
Isn’t that, in part, personal choice? Since many limitations are being lifted, it is up to any of us to judge if people should be doing more or less?
Sure.
(Hit save too fast.)
If it’s because they want to, vs don’t trust the vaccine.
I can’t speak for people other than those I know personally, but the vaccinated people I know who still “stay home” are waiting until their kids are also vaccinated (some concern that a vaccinated person may still be able to spread to an unvaccinated person in the event of a breakthrough infection).
I trust the vaccine, just like all the other vaccines I’ve had. But I wear a mask because my children aren’t vaccinated yet and won’t wear one if I don’t in public spaces. There is also still a mask mandate in PA anyway. Around my extended family, we do not wear masks, but most of them are vaccinated at this point as well. If PA lifts the mask mandate, then we probably won’t bother with them anymore. But at that point a good bit of the population in PA is supposed to be vaccinated.
Personally, I don’t care if people want to wear masks, vaccinated or not. I also don’t care if the President does at this point. If he does wear one, what does it matter?
I guess I may as well bow out again. But not before I say something:
Has anyone else noticed how many people have bowed out of this conversation since last January? Oh, people occasionally say that they are happy to hear dissenting opinions, but then when they are offered it is like open season again.
I am not compelled to get a vaccine for an illness that I was never at high risk for complications and when I did contract it, it was thankfully very mild. I have antibodies which may or may not be good enough and as yet I have found no persuasive reason to change my mind. But while vaccine-hesitant people are painted with large brush strokes, it might help to understand their thoughts vs just castigate and sneer.
Three quarters of my household is vaxed, the 15yo is not… yet. We won’t do much more than safely go food shopping or dine at a restaurant (masked except while eating) until he is fully vaxed. After that we will continue to follow local rules calling for masking indoors and when in outdoor crowds.
Dh and I have been working remotely since last March and that isn’t changing until at least the fall (offices aren’t open or are at limited capacity). I am pretty happy to not have to deal with my hour commute each way so not overly eager to return to the office!