My Friends are Not Wearing Masks. What Can I Do?
Find out more about Buddoop’s Project and how you can support us at Indiegogo.
We can all agree that seeing people wearing masks on the streets is the new normal. Back at the beginning of the year, this was far from our imagination.
There’s a pandemic out there that stopped the world not so long ago. You’d think that because of the mounting deaths shown in the news and because of the economic crisis we are facing everyone would be wearing masks by now. Well, despite the delay in our global recovery that it might cause, some people simply refuse to wear masks. Some of these people might be really close to you…
Masks are meant not only to protect you but also those around you. It’s a two-sided form of prevention. It’s like driving, it doesn’t matter how good of a driver you are if others in the road have thoughtless behaviours, you are more likely to suffer an accident.
You might have friends that don’t wear them. When you meet them, you follow the rules and you expect them to do the same, not only because of the rules itself but because you expect them to care about you and your health. They do!
You might have tried to shame their choice and list up things like:
- You not wearing a mask affects other’s health too
- Do you want to die?
- No one enjoys wearing a mask. Just do it.
By doing this, you’ll make them stop trusting you. That will lead them to hide their opinions. They might go and hang out indoors with other people to hide the fact that they are not wearing a mask. THIS IS WORSE!
What can you do then?
Well, you cannot force them. Try being empathetic instead. Ask your friend questions instead of telling them what to do. This will build trust. Mirror their statements by repeating the last three words they say to get beyond the “I don’t wear it because I don’t want to”. When people hear themselves out loud sometimes they realise that their reason is not that valid.
This is easier said than done. Their reasons might still make you feel angry because it’s something so simple to do and accessible to get. It doesn’t matter how many facts you might have about the advantages of wearing a mask. Facts is not the battle you are facing.
So what can you do?
- Meet your friends outdoors where the virus does not concentrate that easily.
- Maintain a distance of 2m with others and avoid physical contact.
- Find online activities you can do with your friends.
Because your friends are not wearing a mask it doesn’t mean that they only care about themselves. It’s one of those things that you just have to accept and show empathy towards their choice. Nonetheless, to mitigate the risk of getting the virus try other prevention methods.
We can agree that people won’t just stop their social lives until there’s a vaccine. Masks will still be around for a long time. Some will wear them and some will not. We can only play our part in giving our best.
To know more about Buddoop, be up to date with what we are working on and enjoy some humour, follow us on our social media: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Given the global pandemic and your safety, we are delaying the official launch of our social network. For now, we are giving early access to a small group of people to get feedback on what we’ve built so far.
You can request an invite at https://www.buddoop.com/
If you believe in our cause and would like to support us you can do so at our Indiegogo campaign by clicking on the link below:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/buddoop-make-friends-online-without-swiping/x/24457974#/
We can’t wait to meet you! 💙
