As the world continues to hold out for a vaccine amidst rising numbers of new coronavirus infections, people around the world continue to debate the efficacy of mask wearing.
For some, especially those in Asian countries like Japan where they’ve been wearing masks long before the pandemic, it simply makes sense to cover your mouth and nose when these are considered the primary routes of infection.
For others, though, a mask has become akin to a human rights violation, with people citing constitutional entitlements and using unsubstantiated negative health claims as reasons for not masking up.
Admittedly, the World Health Organization added to the confusion early on in the health crisis, by flipping back and forth between advice regarding mask-wearing during the pandemic. Their updated guidelines now state: “The general public should wear non-medical masks where there is widespread transmission and when physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments.”
WHO may be late to the party when it comes to realizing the effectiveness of masks in stopping the spread of the virus, but not everyone has been so slow on the uptake. In fact, Hollywood movie star Brad Pitt stopped a press event in Tokyo last year, months before anyone had even heard of COVID-19, to comment on the use of face masks and share his thoughts on them.
Pitt was in Tokyo for the premiere of "Ad Astra" in Japan, speaking about the movie to the assembled press on Sept 12, when he spotted someone in the crowd wearing a face mask. He unexpectedly stopped the interviewer on stage to comment on the mask in an off-the-cuff moment captured in the video below. It's at the 8-minute mark.
In the clip, Pitt says that when he first came to Japan and saw people wearing masks at the airport he initially wondered why they were being “so paranoid”. However, he then goes on to say:
“I came to understand it’s when you have a cold and protecting others and I think that’s so considerate. And I don’t know why the rest of the world…I don’t know why we don’t do that.”
People in Japan do wear face masks to stop spreading their germs on others when suffering from colds and flu, and there are a number of other times they come in handy as well. During hay fever season, or on high-pollution days, they can stop your airways from becoming irritated, and on cold days they can keep your face warm. And if you’re worried about leaving the house makeup-free or with a giant zit on your face, they’ve got you covered, literally.
Whether they’re used for frivolous reasons or in more grave situations, like during a deathly pandemic, face masks shouldn’t become a serious, politicised issue. They’re simply designed to help you and the people around you. And if you’re handy with a pair of scissors, they really don’t have to be a political statement — you can use them to make a head-turning fashion statement instead.
Source: YouTube/Maidigitv
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- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2020/07/02/brad-pitt-discusses-why-his-view-on-face-masks-changed-in-japan/
18 Comments
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mtuffizi
nice comment on mask, considerate and not selfish.
kurisupisu
Travel broadens the mind, for sure...
sigrid
was wondering why no body wearing a mask ! got it ...old news,
''Japan Press Release © 2019 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp''
rcch
yes, some people don,t realize this, but most of the time wearing a mask is not about you, it,s about protecting those around you ...
interesting the fact that this took place months before this covid mess started... now people all around the world wear masks and it became “normal” but people in Japan have been wearing masks for a long time... i,m sure many westerners and people outside of Asia would often think Japanese people were “weird” because of this “mask culture” but now things have changed and it,s interesting to see how the whole world adapted to this new reality ...
tamanegi
Celebrities always know best!
Kumagaijin
If anyone knows pandemics, its Brad Pitt!!
Hawkeye
So in this interview he is not wearing a face mask???
i@n
Yeah, Brad Pitt gets it but the average citizen doesn't.
almostshat
I could never work out why people in Japan wear masks- to protect themselves or others?
Ike-in-Tokyo-from-89
A mask warms your breath on cold days. A tip from a respiratory physician friend of mine.
gogogo
Just look at the tweets, because the US stance on masks were they increased infection chances up until a few months ago. They were trying to stop hoarding I guess?
commanteer
Maybe it came from having a government that used force and lies to put people out of jobs and businesses, lock them in their homes and demonize those who leave unless they are looting, and then say masks are first pointless and then required.
The governments of the US politicized masks, like they politicize everything else. So... look in a mirror.
lostrune2
"I wear a mask to protect you. You wear a mask to protect me."
carp_boya
I like Brad Pitt. He seems like a good guy.
Peter Neil
It could take two or three generations before Americans can accept the idea that wearing a mask can have a benefit as he said.
I wore them a lot in Japan to keep my face warmer and the moist air helps from getting a dry throat from the icy, low humidity of winter.
The US political debate about masks is insanity.
A sane person would conclude that it is better to wear a mask and be wrong than it is to not wear a mask and be wrong.
wtfjapan
So in this interview he is not wearing a face mask???
September 2019 was the interview, no coronavirus then why would he need to wear a mask