I've got a handful of friends who insist they are better humans because they are willing to wear masks. I've told them I respect their decision to wear masks, and that if they think they are at risk of catching or transmitting COVID-19, they should take all precautions, including staying at home, washing their hands, wearing masks, and socially distancing themselves from everyone.
I'm going to step it up a notch. Since COVID-19 has a similar (if lower) death rate than the flu and pneumonia, I'm going to encourage my virtue signaling friends to wear masks from now on, since they care about transmitting deadly viruses.
Can anyone dispute the validity of my scientific theory?