> Meanwhile, all those deplorable schmucks in the trades, who've been lectured to death about choosing the right respiratory protection for the job, were able to comprehend that big mask hole and tiny virus is a Bad Choice. You want the mask holes to be smaller than the Bad Thing. Therefore, "Masks Don't Work".

It's interesting that you stop here, and not go further to the next level of relevant knowledgeableness, which is that the virologists and materials engineers who work on masks know something the tradespeople don't, which is a) that viruses rarely travel around as single viral particles and b) that this is why we make surgical and N95 masks electrostatically charged. (https://www.wired.com/story/the-physics-of-the-n95-face-mask...)

(For a clear example of why a) matters, try peeing through your pants. The water molecules are, after all, far too small to be blocked!)

> A clear explanation of the different modes of operation, and framing it as a polite thing to do (akin to covering your mouth/nose when you cough or sneeze), probably would have been sufficient.

This was very widely attempted.