According to a survey conducted in June by Gallup, 98 percent of Democrat respondents had worn face masks in the past week, while only 66 percent of Republicans did so (Brenan,2020). America has long been a nation divided, with people’s behaviours and ideologies being strongly tied to either the Republican or Democrat parties (Gerzon, 2016). With mask wearing becoming one of the most strongly recommended actions to thwart the Coronavirus, this division in rates of use poses a potential harm to the health and wellbeing of Americans. Unfortunately,the current precautions being taken are not sufficient as the United States Coronavirus death count recently reached 300,000 lives lost (Mocheng, 2020). Mask usage in the United States has become polarized based on political affiliation as a result of ideological differences between the Republican and Democrat parties, the “infodemic”, and the modeling of masks usage by politicians.
Although the American culture is often perceived by foreigners as one which focuses on personal interest, there are strong ideological differences which distinguish each political party.The Republican party operates more strongly on this individualistic principle, cherishing personal freedom and autonomy. In contrast, Democrats have more of a collectivist orientation,creating policies which are intended to improve the wellbeing of all individuals, including those who are marginalized. The division in mask-wearing aligns with key messages and values of each political party as Republicans are less likely to adopt the use of masks since they can be seen as infringing upon their freedom. In contrast, Democrats are more likely to don masks as this action has the potential to improve the health of fellow citizens. This is evident with mask mandates as states governed by Republicans were slower and less likely to implement mandatory usage compared to their Democrat counterparts (Brewster, 2020). In short, the cultural differences between political parties have led to the political polarization of mask wearing asRepublicans prioritize personal freedom while Democrats value collective wellbeing.
Along with the pandemic, the world is also in the midst of an “infodemic” whereby there is a plethora of available information, both factual and non-factual, making it difficult for people to distinguish the two (Islam, 2020). As neoliberalism is pervasive in the United States, there is alack of government regulation of this content, enabling misinformation to spread (Starr, 2019).Citizens often turn to the leaders of their respective political parties for guidance, believing that these individuals will provide them with accurate information. A number of politicians from both the Democrat and Republican parties have utilized their platforms to discuss their views on the efficacy and use of masks. For example, in October Donald Trump grossly misrepresented a new report from the Center for Disease Control falsifying, “CDC comes out with a statement that85% of the people wearing masks catch it” (Dale, 2020). In the same month, Scott Atlas, a medical adviser for the Trump administration tweeted, “Masks work? NO” (Natter, 2020).Donald Trump and his party’s unbridled and often non-factual messages are typically perceived by their followers as being credible, encouraging further disapproval of masks. In contrast,leaders from the Democratic party have strongly endorsed the use of masks in alignment with evidence-based recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. Based on this research, Joe Biden recently announced that he will begin his time in office with a 100-day mask mandate as he believes that this will significantly reduce rates ofCOVID-19 transmission (Merica, 2020). In summary, due to the world’s “infodemic”, many Americans have sought out advice from the leaders of the political parties which they affiliate with. However, the conflicting information regarding the efficacy of masks presented by each party has contributed to the contrasting adherence to mask wearing based on political affiliation.
Beyond seeking evidence about the efficacy of masks, Americans have also become influenced by the mask wearing behaviours modelled by the politicians from their affiliated parties. On many occasions Donald Trump has hesitated to have the media photograph him wearing a mask, frequently choosing to remove his when cameras appear (Bennett, 2020; Smith,2020). Upon his return to the White House after receiving treatment for COVID-19, Trump removed his mask to pose for the media (McNamee, 2020; Smith, 2020). His insistence to not be seen wearing a mask even when infected with the coronavirus sends a message to his followers that masks are not necessary or important. Conversely, Joe Biden has been very intentional with his mask usage and modelling as he is typically seen wearing a mask while in public, an action which Trump has publicly mocked him for (Houston, 2020). These high-profile politicians possess immense power as their own behaviours greatly influence public opinions and actions.With the leader of the Republican party choosing to model anti-mask behaviour and the leader of the Republican party modelling mask usage, these respective actions are more likely to be embraced by their followers. As a result, the dissimilar modeling of mask usage by leaders from each political party has enabled mask wearing in the United States to become affiliated with partisanship.
Clearly, the politicization of mask wearing has led to an ununified front in the UnitedStates (Milosh, 2020). Cultural differences between parties, the “infodemic”, and mask use by politicians have led to the increased polarization of mask wearing behaviour based on partisanship. Many avoidable deaths have occurred as individuals feel that wearing face coverings conflicts with their political ideologies. Due to inadequate rates of mask wearing and other preventative strategies, the United States has become a site of necropolitics where marginalized populations such as the elderly and racialized individuals have become victims ofCOVID-19. However, with the majority of Americans selecting Democratic representation in the most recent election, the country has voiced their desire for evidence-based leadership inspired by the principle of collective wellbeing. With this upcoming change in leadership there is hope that mask wearing may become more common so that Americans can unite to protect each other.
References
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