[Oratam]

So how come the elephant in the room is the only one without a pwecious widdle maskie-waskie on?

Conditioning.

In imperial China, men had to grow their hair long and braid it. This was imposed by China's Manchu rulers and was perpetuated by subsequent dynasties as a mark of the peasantry's subservience to the Emperor.

The first thing a Chinese man did when emigrated to America was cut off his queue. (A brisk trade in attachable queues evolved for Chinese returning home to visit loved ones.)

Think of the mask as our "queue."

[bagster]

In imperial China, men had to grow their hair long and braid it. This was imposed by China's Manchu rulers and was perpetuated by subsequent dynasties as a mark of the peasantry's subservience to the Emperor.

[kallisti]

I look at the masking/isolation/distancing as a Chinese Fire Drill.