It seems that those opposed to helmets want to turn their use into a fashion issue (a fad). I don't see anything "cool" about their use, given the backlash (only Smittys use them).
For me it is purely a functional issue. I simply have a better/wider field of view using one. Things that were obstructed from my view with my old mask (for instance some batted balls hitting the batter) I can see with my h/s mask.
I wonder how the New View masks compare to the h/s mask wrt field of view. Really the only reason the h/s mask has a better view is that your face is closer to the bars. This concept is probably what is being used for the New View mask. Perhaps if conventional mask provide the same (perhaps better) view as a h/s mask, then the h/s mask may resemble a tired fad and disappear.
But you can only go so far before this concept becomes a danger. Check out this picture from a high-speed camera of a baseball being shot a mask at about 100mph.
Scary, eh. I remember Eric (can't remember his last name, from Florida) saying how he got a broken nose from a baseball in the mask.