I believe the obvious counterpoint is that if you are that terrified of getting sick and dying then maybe you shouldn't place yourself on a crowded confined plane for a few hours.

Asymptomatic people don't spread it. Masks are completely pointless for that reason. He's not sick and not coughing. It's not about politics. Masks do nothing on a person just breathing normally/eating.

The only effect will be to strengthen their belief they are right. It can be...challenging to respect elders that blatently disrespect you.

Okay, but even then, why should he have to wear a face masks when he isn't sick? Asymptomatic spreading was debunked a long time ago. When were people ever required to wear face masks in public in flu season, sars, etc?

Besides all that, you've have a faulty premise in your belief which is that masks protect you from viruses. They don't. One could argue about the n95 masks and how if someone wears it correctly with no gaps they will lessen the risk, but no one is required to wear this and besides that, when you put the theory into practice, the reality is they don't lower the risks of exposure. Researchers have done dozens of studies for decades on the n95 masks that have demonstrated it doesn't make a difference whether you wear an n95 mask or not. The amount of people getting sick from airborne viruses is the same.

So who is the real jerk here? The old brainwashed people. If they were really worried about their health they wouldn't be travelling around. They definitely wouldn't be entering airports or sitting in cramped airplanes for hours.

If anything, the unvaccinated who old or have a compromised immune system and who have never gotten covid and have no immunity to it should be worried about the vaccinated shedding on them.