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Why are certain individuals so adamant that masks are an instrument of oppression, a threat to our personal liberties? And why are they so resistant to reason and science?
I think there are three main groups of anti-maskers.
A THREAD
I think there are three main groups of anti-maskers.
A THREAD
The first group - certain sections of the political class, media personalities and rent-a-gobs - have build careers on perfecting and performing the part of offensive contrarian or rabble rouser - let's call them the unapologetic 'anti'-heroes.
These individuals may fear that a cloth mask will hide the one they have honed and perfected for so long. A mask takes away a substantial proportion of the performance aspect - meaning their lack of substance might quickly be exposed
Think Farage without his grimace of hate and disdain. Think Johnson without his idiotic grin which encourages people to forgive foibles and failures.. Imagine the posed photos of cabinet members without their well-rehearsed expressions intended to portray authority and strength.
Then there are those members of the public who will respond with outrage to any suggestion that they should not be allowed to do whatever they please at all times. There is, of course, a certain overlap with the first group,. Both dress up unmitigated selfishness as concern for
others - at least their liberties. Which is quite a clever strategy given that they will happily curtail the freedoms of others if it enhances their own (ignoring endemic inequalities to maintain the status quo, ignoring the adverse effects of tax cuts on social structures etc).
There is a third group: the eternal grumpy teenager who opposes things on principle. Again, there is some overlap with the previous group. Some may rationalise their objection on principle by shouting 'insufficient evidence'' - mainly because it passes the onus of proof bucket.
Others will invoke spurious conspiracy theories (mainly because these are easy to remember and require no prior knowledge or training), but they all have one thing in common. The gist of their objection is "we don't need no education, we don't need no thought control"
The last group are effectively victims of infantilisation, a process ably assisted by a culture of a pick-and-mix infotainment in which soundbites and juicy morsels deliver instant gratification, while detail and nuance are firmly relegated to 'urgh, broccoli' status.
Interestingly, the first group are the cheerleaders of this infantilisation by soundbites, as It provides the ideal forum in which to sell what minute morsels of substance they have to offer.
