How Wearing a Mask Became Political: The Politicization of Masks

Somehow, a simple covering that goes over your mouth and nose and which helps drastically reduce the spread of coronavirus/COVID-19 has become a source of major political debate in America. The looming question, though, is why. Why have masks become so political? Let’s find out in today’s post.

The United States arguably possesses some of the world’s top medical experts. As coronavirus continues to ravage through untold numbers of communities all across America, experts have continuously given one suggestion to curb the spread: wearing a simple face mask.

Part of the problem can be attributed to a sudden U-turn in the attitude toward mask-wearing from groups like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When the virus first got to America in March, they advised against wearing masks, due to “a lack of evidence” proving masks worked and for fear of causing a shortage of mask supply for medical workers. However, in early April, as the number of virus cases grew dramatically, the CDC quickly reversed its guidelines, recommending people to wear face coverings.

Funnily enough, this sudden U-turn in mask-wearing guidelines perfectly sums up America’s pandemic response: always changing, no solid plan in place, and generally being very disorganized and leaderless.

The issue of wearing a mask has become extremely politicized. Polls conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that Democrats were way more likely than Republicans to wear a mask (88 percent compared to 72 percent). Although some Republican leaders have worn masks, the President, among others, has continually refused to wear a mask and even made fun of presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for wearing one.

Unfortunately, this has resulted in mostly conservative-identifying people into believing that wearing masks was bad for them, and even going as far as to believe that it was a way that “freedom was being eroded.” Others believed that it was a hoax by the Democrats and liberals, while still others said it was a “communist dictatorship order.”

Despite continuous scientific studies proving the effectiveness of masks and refuting claims that masks hampered breathing, as well as other countries, especially Asian countries, demonstrating that masks do, in fact, slow the spread of the virus, people have refused to believe so.

Why might President Trump (and other Republican officials like Florida’s governor) be so against wearing masks? One possible explanation is that they have continuously tried to downplay the severity of the pandemic. The president has continually tried to peddle claims that it was safe enough to open the economy and schools. By suddenly asking citizens to wear masks, it would damage this “image” they have tried to build up. In addition, the Trump Campaign probably sees the economy as major to its 2020 reelection bid (it was why he was elected in 2016). If he could “get” the economy to open up faster, it could convince voters that he was, in fact, the right person to rebuild the economy.

Unfortunately, the continuous refusal to wear masks has not only made it more difficult and dangerous to reopen the economy, but it has also painted a very negative picture of President Trump and his aides. Along with his continuous tries to discredit Dr. Fauci, his refusal to force Americans to wear masks has been seen as very irresponsible and selfish, almost certainly hurting his reelection chances in November. In fact, based on our analysis here, we rate it as highly unlikely for President Trump to be reelected, with the handling of the pandemic as a major reason why.

To fix this issue, the president must stop acting like the economy can reopen quickly and accept that it will take weeks, if not months, to open the economy safely. The Republicans need to know that by trying to rush things, it will only hurt their campaign(s) for reelection. A nationwide mask mandate should be implemented immediately, with harsh fines and penalties for not complying. Unfortunately, at this rate, President Trump acting sensibly to handle the pandemic seems highly unlikely. We need to listen to the advice of top medical experts, like Dr. Fauci, and start taking this pandemic seriously.

Luckily, though, Dr. Fauci and the CDC’s warnings were heeded by many people. Large retail chain store giants like Walmart, Home Depot, CVS, Target, Best Buy, Costco, and more have all mandated mask-wearing in-store despite Republican governors like those of Georgia and Florida, two of the worst-hit places by the pandemic, have continuously refused to issue a mask mandate. It will be interesting to see how those “Karens” react to these mandates.

Please, for the sake of yourself and those around you, wear a mask. Wearing a mask not only stops YOU from catching the coronavirus, but it also prevents you from spreading the virus to others