Interesting that so-called preppers are more worried about how a mask looks than whether or not it is effective. I've always kept a few cases of N95s around because they seem to be the best all around preparation for an NBC attack or accident. The pandemic started when the virus went airborne in China. The same thing could happen anywhere in the US as long as there's interstate and/or international travel. When a respiratory virus goes airborne, most likely the transportation medium is respiratory droplets, the same as with other kinds of flu. The mask doesn't have to stop the virus, it only has to stop the droplets that carry the virus.
Most of my attitudes came from a paper I wrote in college that detailed the mathematical basis of how respiratory viruses are spread. Most of my citations came from documents published by the CDC.
If you choose to get your info from a failed New York real estate huckster or a flopped eye doctor from Kentucky instead of from people who have studied and treated epidemics for decades, go for it. Ignorance is bliss, right up until the bug grabs you and you're struggling for that last breath.
BC, when I got in my truck, I'd wear a seat belt. When I rode my bike, I'd wear a brain bucket and leathers. Now, before I put on my belt or helmet, I drop my N95 around my neck.
On the other hand, if you're incapable of getting your breath if you're wearing a mask, if things really go to shit and you have to do some hard work, you'll probably die of a heart attack anyway, so what the heck, right?