We’re living in a world that has come to almost a complete standstill in the face of a deadly pandemic. This is a fact. Numerous economies have screeched to a halt and millions are unemployed. These are also facts. The ability to reopen countries and allow international travel to resume is hindered by outbreaks. This has been demonstrated time and time again. Social distancing and the wearing of face masks are proven to help prevent the spread of this virus. This is a hard fact.
So why is it that when provided with a temporary solution to avoid getting sick, infecting others, and overwhelming the health system, there is significant backlash?
For many people, information and scientific approval was more than enough for them to mask up – and honestly, it’s genuinely hard to find reasons to justify choosing not to. That is, unless you’re from the USA.
We’ve all seen the videos and stories circulating the internet – grown men and women throwing tantrums when asked to put on a mask when shopping or in areas that require them. The situations vary but have included reactions from:
- Flashing a gun and claiming they had an exemption from a state-wide mask requirement;
- Publicly urinating on the floor of a Verizon store;
- Screaming abuse at staff and shoppers in a grocery store;
- Screaming at elderly staff and claiming that they’re being threatened;
- Throwing all items out of their cart while yelling profanities;
- Threatening a store clerk with legal action and 3-5 years of prison time from a fake agency called ‘Freedom to Breathe’;
- Physically assaulting a store clerk;
- Intentionally coughing on customers;
- Threatening to call the cops;
And sadly, the list goes on.
While some have expressed their reasoning for not wearing a mask as a fear of losing their freedoms, many have excuses that hold no merit – claiming their doctors don’t allow them to wear one, that they have antibodies, or that they can’t breathe. But most people don’t even attempt to produce a thinly veiled lie for their actions – they just plainly refuse.
Quite frankly, it’s no surprise that there’s been such a significant opposition when the president himself refused to wear a mask until just recently. In fact, it took him about 3 months before he wore one in public and actually endorsed them. Not to mention, he openly mocked Joe Biden for wearing one – further politicizing the face coverings and promoting a narrative that shames those for listening to health suggestions.
The issue we’re facing across the country isn’t a lack of education – because in light of this being a global pandemic, information and preventive measures are in abundance. It’s more so a blatant disregard for education and a distrust for any entity that is suggesting particular health measures are a necessity.
For a country like the USA, which has built itself on individualism, nothing could have been more dangerous than Trump fanning that selfish fire during a pandemic. Perhaps many people haven’t quite registered that the masks are actually there to protect the people around them, but in an every man for himself type culture – would that even matter?
It’s interesting observing the reach of Trump’s rhetoric. Here in Guatemala, there’s an extensive American Expat community – many who live and breathe the democratic party. Despite masks being government mandated for months now, with a hefty fine if you’re caught without one, many expats have been vocal with their complaints about the government’s actions being Draconian and either blatantly refuse to wear masks or won’t wear them properly – defeating the purpose of them altogether. A common misconception of anti-maskers is that they’re Trump supporters, but the American individualist attitude stems from a deeper place than a political affiliation. This attitude, coupled with constant exposure to Trump’s scientifically baseless, nationalist hyperbole is evidently enough for any American to consider themselves exempt from something as simple as wearing a face covering.
The lack of consideration for others is inherently American – and I say this in the sense of taking actions to support or better the lives of others. We’ve seen it time and time again, whether it’s healthcare, the justice system, or financial support. While there will always be backlash regarding new restrictions and regulations, the far-reaching spread of the anti-mask movement could have been minimized by an administration that valued scientific research and placed a higher value on the lives of Americans versus having a controversial edge in the upcoming election.
It’s always important to question institutions in order for there to be progress – but it seems that many people have chosen to question and defy these health restrictions rather than listening to why they exist in the first place.
There are countless studies that have proved wearing a mask can significantly help prevent the spread of the virus. You can see some of them here, here, here, and here. It has been repeatedly cited as one of the key ways to reduce the spread of the virus and help communities slowly reopen while avoiding a second wave of infections.
The fact that hoards of people contesting mask wearing is quite honestly, ridiculous. Would you argue against wearing a seatbelt or going through airport security? Probably not – because these things are in place to keep us safe. Would you ignore a sign at a restaurant that said ‘no shoes, no shirt, no service’? Any reasonable person would understand that a business is free to implement requirements like these for their patrons. Unfortunately, if Americans continue to lash out against science and argue that this goes against their constitutional rights – wearing a mask will soon be the least of their problems.
