"It’s a way of saying, “I, like you, fellow mask wearer, am visually displaying my willingness to sacrifice for the greater good.”" Yes! I, I think this is how I operate, but I've never thought about it in such a way. Thank you for this.
Been in Japan nearly 17 years and I think you wrote a nuanced article about the many reasons people are still masked up. However I think the primary reason goes back to “the nail that sticks out, gets hammered down.” The majority of people in Japan don’t want to stand out from the crowd. It’s a sad and pitiful state of affairs, but it’s similar to so many other things. I took my mask off on Monday and celebrated.
My fiancé recently quit her job as a nurse in a large hospital after months of harassment over her choosing to have ever so slightly ash blonde highlights in her hair. Not the same as masks of course but still good evidence of one of the few negative points of living in Japan.
One thing I noticed early on is that if you're the only one wearing a mask in a room full of people, there's a certain level of awkwardness that arises that makes you want to take the mask off.
The same is true if you're the only one not wearing a mask in a room full of mask wearers.
In some ways, I associate it with being over or under dressed for an event. You can't stop thinking about it! You want to match those around you for the simple reason that we're social apes who want to be like everyone else in most situations.
Interesting read. Curious to know how things have developed since you wrote this. Are you still wearing a mask? When we ventured to Seattle a few weeks ago, I was surprised to see many people still wearing masks in public. They're virtually non-existent in Toronto/ my workplace.
"It’s a way of saying, “I, like you, fellow mask wearer, am visually displaying my willingness to sacrifice for the greater good.”" Yes! I, I think this is how I operate, but I've never thought about it in such a way. Thank you for this.
Been in Japan nearly 17 years and I think you wrote a nuanced article about the many reasons people are still masked up. However I think the primary reason goes back to “the nail that sticks out, gets hammered down.” The majority of people in Japan don’t want to stand out from the crowd. It’s a sad and pitiful state of affairs, but it’s similar to so many other things. I took my mask off on Monday and celebrated.
My fiancé recently quit her job as a nurse in a large hospital after months of harassment over her choosing to have ever so slightly ash blonde highlights in her hair. Not the same as masks of course but still good evidence of one of the few negative points of living in Japan.
One thing I noticed early on is that if you're the only one wearing a mask in a room full of people, there's a certain level of awkwardness that arises that makes you want to take the mask off.
The same is true if you're the only one not wearing a mask in a room full of mask wearers.
In some ways, I associate it with being over or under dressed for an event. You can't stop thinking about it! You want to match those around you for the simple reason that we're social apes who want to be like everyone else in most situations.
Interesting read. Curious to know how things have developed since you wrote this. Are you still wearing a mask? When we ventured to Seattle a few weeks ago, I was surprised to see many people still wearing masks in public. They're virtually non-existent in Toronto/ my workplace.