In this global pandemic, many Americans refuse to follow the mandated wearing of masks to prevent further infection. This is an exceptionally different reaction than most other first-world countries in the world. After reading BBC’s “Coronavirus: Why are Americans so angry about masks?”, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a part of American culture to have a strong sense of individualism and limitation of the power of the state. Many Americans believe that with civil liberties and personal freedoms, they shouldn’t have to wear a mask if they don’t wish to do so.
Majority of Americans that don’t feel comfortable wearing masks are Republican men, following the ideologies of the president of this country. Donald Trump has been very outspoken about his attitude regarding masks. Trump believes they are “unnecessary” and “limiting”; he was not seen publicly wearing a mask until early July of 2020, several months after COVID-19 had spread globally. In other countries, citizens have a great deal of trust and confidence in their government, something the United States lacks. Officials from both sides of mask-wearing are becoming concerned with how science and politics are in opposition.
I agree with you, Alexandra! In such a time like this, wearing a mask can protect life. Whether you know them personally or not we as a nation should take one for the team and wear a mask when in public spaces or gatherings for the safety of our fellow Americans at high risk. When discussing the topic of nationalism or trust in our national government I think it absolutely starts with the presentation of our president. Mr. Trump is the leader of this nation and if he isn’t taking this seriously and promoting wearing a mask then why would millions of our public disagree? With knowing the effects and number of fatalities in the world today, we should be aware of how our actions affect others around us. Believe it or not, we are all tied together from some kind of connection whether it be friends, family, co-workers, deliveries, manufacturing…etc. We all depend on each other for one reason or another and it’s safe to say we have poorly responded to the global pandemic when it comes to initial prevention.
Thank you Alexandra for your informative post! I look forward to your future writings and comments
This is a very interesting topic. It’s crazy to me to see people not wearing a mask and to also see poeple not wearing a mask at big gathering spots. I do wish we as a nation had more trust in our national government to take care of this.