My Germ Mask

So one of the things that's always confused me is why Koreans are often seen wearing protective face masks. It's something that I have never seen anywhere else that I've lived or traveled, except one time in grad school a Japanese friend came to class with one on when she had a cough. I see Koreans wearing these masks all the time - you can get surgical-type masks, even ones with supposedly advanced filtration technology, and of course, this being Asia, you can also get adorable masks with kitty faces or Sponge Bob or 2N1 (a pop music group) or whatever. I can think of a few reasons people might do this. Perhaps the wearers of these masks are infected with some type of virus and want to avoid spreading their germs. Or perhaps there is a nasty bug going around and folks want to avoid infection. There were certainly more masks on the streets than usual last fall, during the multiple H1N1 scares here.
I personally think these masks seem pretty useless to prevent spreading infection. It seems that they'd just trap warm air and germs, and be like a little petri dish right next to your face. Maybe I'm wrong about that; what do I know? But until Koreans start WASHING THEIR HANDS WITH WARM WATER AND SOAP, I don't wanna hear bullshit about how masks are keeping them healthy.
Anyway, today, this happened:
I assure you, there is a logical explanation!
Well, sort of.
For like the 12th time since I moved here, I have a cold. The students and their viruses - what can I say? So I'm sneezy, congested, and snotty, and my nose is sore and sensitive, and the cold air was really hurting my nostrils. I was constantly holding a tissue to my face, or my scarf, or my shirt, just to breathe into it to have some warm air, and then it struck me, that that is why so many people wear those stupid masks! So I bought a couple at a convenience store where I was picking up some ice cream and immediately put it on. And the thing is, it totally works. I can breathe warm, moist air, and it makes my nose feel a lot better. So it might be Germapalooza by my mouth, and as my friend Ivan tells me, I look like I am wearing underwear on my face, but it's a great temporary solution for my tender honker. Plus, now when I cough or sneeze in public I don't get as many dirty looks because I'm wearing a mask. (Or perhaps I can't see the looks because this thing hampers my peripheral vision. Enh, same diff.)
Obviously, though, I wash my hands with soap more than ever!