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Comment by mandmandam | Hacker News Reader

> They will manage just fine because they are exposed to enough maskless people at home and in other social settings

The wealthy kids have that opportunity. Kids with natural social skills may be fine too.

However, kids with two parents that are working 4 jobs won't reach their full potential. Many kids already have issues from this; and it's awful that their voices and their parents voices - and their psychologists voices - aren't being heard.

Myself, I find it abhorrent that people are casually brushing aside a clear major developmental impact on an entire generation of growing children. The cost benefit ratio seems awfully bad.

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Yes, times are tough for everyone, including children. I find it even more abhorrent to single out masks because "you can't see people's faces", while ignoring what their purpose is and what can they prevent. We've seen enough idiots decimate their family and friends while repeating this exact same argument.

This sort of over-the-top rhetoric gives anti-maskers their ammo.

I am unaware of a single family, anywhere on the planet, that was "decimated" by Covid. I hope you really mean "devastated," because then at least you'd be making some semblance of sense.

Also, to ignore that there are studies and experts that back their opinion is a little rich. Sure, you can say you think your studies and your experts are better, but to assume those who disagree with you are "idiots" is, again, pretty over-the-top, and exactly the sort of thing someone can point to and say: "Look, these pro-maskers are projecting."

Why not try to be a little more understanding and share some of this knowledge with people? Do you really need to stoop so low?

"Decimate" is kill one in ten, which is probably a not uncommon number for those who had atleast one fatality in the family.

Nobody uses that word that way in common conversation.

> I am unaware of a single family, anywhere on the planet, that was "decimated" by Covid.

Then perhaps this is a good time to start paying attention to your surroundings.

Masks that are worse than a well-fitted N95 help with limiting spread when you go into a shop for 15 minutes. When you spend 8 hours in a crowded building with no ventilation, they do exactly nothing -- you will get full exposure regardless. Masks in schools are health theater.

What do they prevent?

Normal human interaction

This might sound a little callous, but I wonder if it's a long term net positive.

In the short term, it's a detriment; they will have to struggle more and will encounter more difficulties in socialization. But that's not necessarily a Unique problem, there have always been kids with these kinds of problems, if not at this rate. And on this short term we're decreasing mortality from covid and hopefully keeping hospital resources available to minimize mortality from other causes.

Over the long term, decreased mortality is generally a net societal gain. An increase of people with issues socializing will result in an increase in the market for solutions, tools, community, and support that help with this kind of problem. These solutions would help both the pandemic babies And those who would normally struggle, and would be available to future generations too!

I think the problem you're missing is that these are two different groups. Mortality is decreased, sure, and people get social problems, sure, but the people getting the increased social problems are not the ones getting the lowered mortality.

Well yeah, it's a trade off. Maybe mentioning the mortality thing distracted from my point;

The Point is that in the short term there's an increase in the number of people who have trouble socializing, but in the long term society develops better support systems and tools to help people who have trouble socializing, because there's an increased need. These tools help both people who developed problems as a result of the pandemic, And people who would Normally have problems socializing not just now but in the future as well.

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