Despite there being scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of mask-wearing to curb the spread of COVID-19, many people have shown strong resistance to this movement. They became commonly known as “anti-maskers” (Pollet, 2020). When you think of the anti-mask movement, what kind of individuals do you think of? For many, the conservative, Republican, Trump-supporting American comes to mind. But what does this look like in the Canadian context? Are we immune to this mask-resistance? And what is the reason for this refusal? A factor could be the ideological roots of one’s political affiliation. The connection between supporters of the anti-mask movement, and those who identify with right-wing political views in Canada and America can be attributed to how individualism and collectivism is addressed in their underlying political ideology.
Let’s dive deeper into mask-wearing tendencies in America, where masks have rapidly garnered attention as a controversial item. Thousands of Americans gathering to passionately protest against mask policies have become a common sight. And at these protests, a resounding voice suggests that masks infringe on personal freedom.Interestingly, there is a clear political divide as to who supports and opposes the mask.This is evident from the 98% of Democrats that reported wearing a mask compared to66% of Republicans (van der Linden, 2020). Republican President Donald Trump has had a strong influence in this split since he himself refused to wear a mask in the majority of his public appearances for his 2020 political campaign. His resistance to mask-wearing was driven by the desire to downplay the severity of the virus to avoid causing panic in the country (Victor et al., 2020). As a result, this influenced many of his political followers to adopt resistance against mask-wearing that still persists today.
But is mask-resistance just as strong in Canada? The connection between political affiliation and mask-resistance may be more prevalent than we realize in our own country. Canadian data demonstrated that 94% of left-wing identifying individuals opted to wear a mask compared to just 68% of those identifying with right-wing ideologies (van der Linden, 2020). This connection was almost identical when comparing specific political parties, with 95% of Liberals and 92% of NDPs (traditionally left-swaying parties) wearing masks compared to 67% of Conservatives (van der Linden, 2020). Canadians’ resistance towards masks have equally been connected to feelings of oppression against personal choice as seen at anti-mask protests inCanada’s metropolitan cities. In a stark contrast to Trump’s mask-resistance, LiberalPrime-Minister Justin Trudeau was quick to endorse the face mask, which may have influenced his political followers to do the same. The connection between anti-maskers and their right-wing political affiliation has also been proven in North America as a whole, demonstrating that mask resistance stretches farther than just America (Janzwood & Lee, 2020). Therefore, anti-mask sentiments are evident in both America and Canada, but what about political affiliation is driving this?
Perhaps, the interests of anti-maskers are guided by the underlying societal values associated with political ideologies. But what might be these values that drive anti-maskers? And what makes them different from pro-maskers? The pro-mask movement focuses on prioritizing the collective well-being of the community over individual needs, while anti-maskers emphasize personal liberty in their ability to choose whether or not to don a mask. In other words, anti-maskers have socially constructed mask-wearing as a violation of individual freedom, while pro-maskers see it as a selfless action to protect the needs of the collective community (Tomasky, 2020).
A large part of this connection can be attributed to the tendencies of theRepublican and Conservative parties to act more individualistic rather than collectivistic.Both of these parties emphasize the needs of the individual over the community needs.For example, in enacting cuts to social programming, such as with long-term care, theConservative values seem to support capitalistic tendencies over social needs (Frketich,2020). The right-wing ideology values personal liberty, influencing individuals to perceive the mask as a direct violation of this ideal, given that personal comfort and individual freedom takes precedence over collectivism (Tomasky, 2020). On the other hand, the left-wing emphasizes the communal benefit, viewing mask-wearing as a form of social responsibility. Social psychology suggests that when Conservative values place individual autonomy above the collective societal experience, there is a greater tendency to resist mask mandates (Walsh, 2020). These differing socially constructed views on the significance of a mask therefore results in a “self-defeating paradox” in which either free choice or community health will suffer, with both anti-maskers and pro-maskers failing to achieve either end goal (Brown, 2020). But how can we as a society expect to be productive in overcoming this current pandemic with two opposing forces?How can political ideologies instill collectivism in mask-wearing practices to solidify the practice as a social norm?
The face mask therefore has complexities entangled in power, politics, political alliance, self-preservation, and collective behaviours. When information or misinformation is fueled by politics, mask resistance is not simply an act of avoiding adorning an item of clothing on their face, but a means of protecting one’s identity that is reinforced by political affiliations. So how can we get anti-maskers to change their ways? Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. But what we can say is that the societal values that direct political ideologies can greatly impact mask-wearing behaviours. Does your political party see society as disjointed individuals that prioritize their self-interest or as fundamentally intertwined communities? Because that could be a driver of how you adopt the mask. Leading by example can also be persuasive. Trump’s eventual decision to don a mask in public was a groundbreaking act that could have encouraged otherwise resistant individuals to do the same. Public figures with strong political influence should be wary of how misinformation that they promote can easily translate into misinformed behaviours. Both left-wing and right-wing politicians should takeCOVID-19 seriously, listen to scientific experts, and encourage their followers to do the same. With this in mind, to unmask the mask, we must address the systemic and foundational means of what contributes to mask resistance. Let us look forward to seeing how the mask politics arena unfolds across time and space.
References
Brown, N. (2019). Spherologies of Immunisation. In Immunitary Life (pp. 169-214).Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Frketich, J. (2019, August 16). Cuts by Doug Ford Conservatives leave city's long-termcare homes short $550,000. The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved fromhttps://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2019/08/16/cuts-by-doug-ford-conservatives-leave-city-s-long-term-care-homes-short-550-000.html
Garber, M. (2020, October 9). Atlas Coughed. The Atlantic. Retrievedfrom https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/10/donald-trump-mike-pence-coronavirus-dangerous-mask-trap/616670/
Janzwood, S., & Lee, M. (2020). Behind the mask: Anti-mask and pro-mask attitudes inNorth America. Cascade Institute. Retrieved from https://cascadeinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Janzwood-and-Lee-ISC-Brief-6-v3.0-Sept15.pdf
Kiglore, E. (2020, April 20). Are Masks Just for Liberals? Intelligencer. Retrieved fromhttps://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/04/are-masks-just-for-liberals.html
Pollet, M. (2020, September 16). The 'anti-mask' movement: who are they and is one ofthem you? Euronews. Retrieved from https://www.euronews.com/2020/09/16/the-anti-mask-movement-who-are-they-and-is-one-of-them-you
Tomasky, M. (2020, October 17). There’s a Word for Why We Wear Masks, andLiberals Should Say It. The New York Times. Retrieved fromhttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/17/opinion/covid-masks-freedom-democrats.html
Van der Linden, C. (2020, August 13). Canada is not immune to the politics ofcoronavirus masks. [Photograph]. McMaster University. Retrieved fromhttps://brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/canada-is-not-immune-to-the-politics-of-coronavirus-masks/
Walsh, B. (2020, June 24). Polls show politics, not public health, drive Americans'attitudes toward coronavirus masks. Axios. https://www.axios.com/political-divide-coronavirus-masks-1053d5bd-deb3-4cf4-9570-0ba492134f3e.html
Victor, B., Serviss, L., & Paybarah, A. (2020, October 6). In His Own Words, Trump onthe Coronavirus and Masks. The New York Times. Retrieved fromhttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-masks.html