There's a trend in conversations about masks that's really been irking me so I'm noodling out some thoughts.

It's 'I can't breathe/get enough oxygen in my mask' followed by 'yes you can, look, here this doctor on YouTube used a pulse ox.'

I find this response frankly counterproductive. I believe the right one is 'can you be more specific?' Key off how the person describes the problem rather than just denying their experience. 'It sounds like you're saying you feel like you can't breathe in a mask.'

Don't be afraid to have empathy. 'I sometimes feel uncomfortable in my mask too.'

Then the followup should be 'let's work together on solving this. Maybe there's a mask style that is a better fit for you. Which ones have you tried?'

Is this effective with every single anti-masker or struggling person? Of course not. But I feel like empathy and meeting people where they are is better than just being a self-righteous asshole, as is true of most things in life, so maybe give it a go?