Dr. Lucky Tran 
Saying "we can't mask anymore, because at some point we have to get back to normal" is racist. Asian countries have been masking for years. What is normal is taking collective action in order to protect others, especially those most vulnerable. #BringBackMasks
White people who are claiming "this is a reach," Asian people, have been violently attacked in Western countries for wearing masks. Western leaders have said that "wearing masks isn't in our culture." A lot of anti-mask sentiment is deeply embedded in white supremacy.
And polls consistently show white people are far less likely to wear masks than people of color.
Poll from Oct: Have worn a mask at least some of the time in the past seven days:
White 39%
Black 77%
Hispanic 63%
(Source: https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/3vmufv6ya9/econTabReport.pdf#page46)
This is also important:
"White people who assumed the pandemic had a disparate effect on communities of color were less supportive of safety measures."
Studies show white supremacy plays a role in the opposition to public health protections.
(via https://washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/19/covid-deaths-us-race/)
Josh Barocas, MD@luckytran this is fascinating. as a white person (admittedly an ID doc and public health person), i am incredibly supportive of safety measure (and think i have a bit of empathy) precisely BECAUSE it had a disparate effect on communities of color. i was at ground zero for covid in boston in 2020, which shaped my entire perspective of WHO was going to get the worst outcomes. it's sad that this is our reality though.
@jabarocas I appreciate that and your work! Yes, it is a very heartbreaking reality to see that talking about disparities can actually decrease empathy of white folx. I think this is why trusted community messengers are so important for public health messaging in the short term, but also, if we want to change the empathy gap in the long term, there's a lot of work we need to do addressing structural racism throughout society.
@luckytran trusted community messengers AND trusted community practitioners. and in the meantime, we need other white folx to step up their game and help breakdown the culture of white supremacy. a delicate balance of calling people in and calling people out...
@luckytran too often, trusted community messengers are limited in their own upward mobility. a vaccine ambassador does not get to move beyond a vaccine ambassador (for example). would love for a true public health corps that develops people with lived experience, etc into public health experts!
@luckytran and #publichealth leaders as opposed to just rich, white guys who got a MPH at harvard.
Tatiana Trifan@luckytran @jabarocas I find the more privileged people are, the touchier they are regarding less privileged complaining. It might be due to guilt, it might be due to entitlement, to feeling superior and not linking to have others point out potential flaws. But it is always a staple for the privileged to tone-police others regarding expressions of being discriminated, abused, etc. Where I live ethonationalism is rife and this fuells all kinds of racist attitudes.
hiding from plagues ☣️♿@luckytran white people out here hardwired towards genocide
ChloeHow it started: 2022 Mar 29 "Highlighting COVID-19 racial disparities can reduce support for safety precautions among White U.S. residents"
How it's going: October 19, 2022 "Whites now more likely to die from covid than Blacks: Why the pandemic shifted" ("Covid seemed like other people’s problem — until it wasn’t.")
quotes & links here:
https://teamshuman.substack.com/p/public-hearing-oversight-covid-19
Nulla Crux Nulla Corona@luckytran I wonder if there is a way to test neuro typical vs neuro divergent folks... Because at my work it seems every single person who wears a mask is an ND person.
RDS (shawphd on Twitter)@luckytran @ABrightGreenCity I’ve noticed in my circles that the people who are still masking are those with experience being “different” or “weird” and thus with negotiating the peer pressure to conform. Maybe a related dynamic?
@shawrd773 @luckytran I wouldn't shock me.
Honestly after 40 years of not drinking I have become very very good at shrugging off peer pressure.
Rich@ABrightGreenCity @shawrd773 @luckytran I never got into drinking either. Totally autistic here. And I wear a mask whenever I go into a public place.
Nathanael Nerode@ABrightGreenCity @shawrd773 @luckytran
Likewise. After walking out of spaces where people were smoking for 45 years, I have no trouble walking out of unventilated, unfiltered rooms with unmasksed people
@shawrd773 @ABrightGreenCity Yes, I think that's absolutely true. I've noticed that the comic con community and punk rock community often have better covid safe policies for their gatherings than even scientific conferences!
Punks explained this to me: Punks are all about non-conforming in ways that inclusively welcome EVERYONE into the community. Masks make spaces more accessible and inclusive.
@luckytran @shawrd773 @ABrightGreenCity
The boardgame and D&D communities are also much better at Covid safe policies. I attribute *this* to rolling so many dice that they understand probability, and understand that a 1% chance of death is actually very high.
KittyKittyWeaselFish
Mary@Minerva101
elizabeth veldon@ABrightGreenCity @luckytran i'm ND and have never stopped wearing a mask.
Cristine 🗺 💉🧜♀️🐾🌮@luckytran Disappointing poll. I’m a nomad, currently on a ship in the Adriatic, after a month in Italy. I can say that VERY people are masking here. Those who do are seniors, or Asian tourists. It’s frustrating as we are seniors (USA) who exclusively mask when inside, and often when outside if there are a lot of people. Even on our recent Tuscan wine tour! Anyway, mask up 😷
John Mark 
☑️@luckytran not surprising but still disappointing
Xerz 💗@luckytran interesting how the US ends up highlighting how racist it is because of how plural it actually is, making conflicts unavoidable… in Spain there’s a clearly autochthonous majority and I’m the only one who even thinks about wearing a mask outside a bus anymore these days
is that racist or just foolish pragmatism? I would say the latter in this one case, but it can change on other similar topics ‒ in the US things are much clearer, though
Devo Incognito 🪴🌮🍣🧄🥃@luckytran I was reading an article on this last week. It's deeply harrowing as someone with autoimmune issues and really drives the reality of white privilege home in a lot of ways, from perceived ease of access to medical care to complete disregard for others. I'm white and I've been wearing one since the get go, but it's made me question a lot of my friendships in the last couple of years. On a whole it speaks volumes.
@luckytran i find this hardly suprising but deeply sadening.
@luckytran And 41% of white people voted for Biden in 2020, 65% of Hispanic people, and 87% of African-American people.
Mask wearing is practically tracking party ID.
https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/how-groups-voted-2020
Politically, Democrats should hand out masks and require masks -- they're popular among YOUR VOTERS, Democratic politicians
smells of bikes@luckytran I was at the pharmacist yesterday. All the staff wearing masks, both the Asian customers wearing masks, nobody else but me wearing one.
Scientific Frontline@luckytran
No mask, yet they'll put a hood over their head.
Still masking here.
costrike@luckytran I get plenty of funny looks for wearing a mask as a white person. Layering being othered (or worse) on top of that... It needs to stop.
Sheana Ochoa@luckytran Not a reach at all. Makes sense.
(moved to plush.city) jimothy, the raccoon@luckytran really well said, doctor!
Victoria@luckytran absolutely, yes!
parallelarts@luckytran thank you - my life has by necessity gotten incredibly limited - my extant chronic health issues make me terrified of #LongCovid - don't want to add to the burden I am already bearing. Appreciate and am also saddened to read your reminder that other nations have made different, more compassionate and more socially responsible choices. #BringBackMasks #publichealth #compassion
Mayee, MD (INACTIVE)@luckytran Agree! I’ve had relatives who live in the US discriminated because of their masks
Jason B 🧙♂️@luckytran Where I'm at they are seeing an influx of flu patients and the news stated that people should mask to protect themselves.
EDITED out questions as I didn't see your reply to yourself.
Thank you for the elaboration.
@luckytran @jkb It implies that the way Asian people live their lives is “abnormal.”
@shawrd773 yes I understand after reading the doctor's reply.
Thank you
Bill, organizer of stuff@luckytran
A) this is spot on
B) we need a widely accepted and simple way to drink beer while masked for this to work in the states (I have given this a lot of thought and will defend this hill reasonably enthusiastically)
A) this is spot on
B) we need a widely accepted and simple way to drink beer while masked for this to work in the states (I have given this a lot of thought and will defend this hill reasonably enthusiastically)
The Duality of Xan@luckytran This whole thing has really highlighted that there are many who care more about their constructed view of "normal" than they care about other people's well being.
Vegetable Gremlin ⍼👻@luckytran wouldnt it be cool to live in a society
Mason Loring Bliss@luckytran I visited a box store yesterday in New Hampshire, a decidedly "purple" state, and I was surprised and pleased to see well over 50% of the folks there (including me) wearing masks. It's definitely not a lost cause. A lot of us don't want our bodies to be the petri dish that gives rise to the next aggressive variant.
matsuko (they/she)@luckytran reminds me of the white immunity concept I read about in The Viral Underclass:
https://disabled.social/@missmatsuko/109339859755780263
https://disabled.social/@missmatsuko/109339859755780263
matsuko (they/she) (@[email protected])
"White immunity: the misconception that white people are totally exempt from health risks, particularly viral risk. This myth tricks white people not only into making themselves needlessly susceptible to viruses, but also into refusing to see how at risk they are from all the harms and violence of society." - The Viral Underclass, @[email protected] #COVID #COVID19 #MaskUp #PublicHealth #SocialJustice #Racism