Polarization in the US: How the Mask Became Political

Friday, August 27, 2021

Polarization in the US
How the mask became political

From Katharina Spreier

While in Germany people have mostly got used to the mask requirement, in the USA it has become a political object of controversy between Democrats and Republicans. Now at the start of school, the mask debate is boiling up again.

Franklin is a tranquil city in the Republican-ruled US state of Tennessee, not far from the capital Nashville. One evening in mid-August, the parents of the local school district met to discuss organizational matters. Curriculum, school trips, sports activities – a typical parents’ evening. But there is also a controversial topic on the agenda: The school district has announced that it is compulsory to wear a mask in the school building. Thereupon loud protests break out. Dozens of parents rant loudly against the masks that are supposed to protect their own children from the virus. One mother even threatens to sue the school. “No more masks!” shout the parents leave the gathering in a row.

Similar videos have appeared on social media since the beginning of the pandemic: mask opponents refusing to leave stores, shouting loudly or even becoming violent. Am I wearing a mask or not? A question that has acquired enormous political weight in the United States and has largely detached itself from the facts. But why is that so?

The states deal with the mask requirement differently because they have the last word in the federal system of the United States. At the beginning of the pandemic, republican-ruled states tend not to impose mask requirements and to loosen them earlier. But even in democratically governed states, which for the most part adhere to a strict mask requirement, some Republicans take to the streets and demand their freedom – for example in Michigan in April 2020.

Currently, the war over the mask is becoming more prevalent, because with the end of the summer holidays there is a dispute about whether children should wear a mask in class or not. The Center for Disease Control (CDC), the American epidemic agency, advises this. But again, not all states are sticking to the recommendation. Eight Republican-led states even prohibit schools from requiring masks by law. And that despite the rapidly increasing number of infections, even among children.

In the Republican-dominated state of Florida, where the corona virus is particularly raging in the second summer of the pandemic, there is a bitter battle over the mask requirement in schools. Now that Governor Ron DeSantis has prevented schools from introducing compulsory masks by law, several school districts are protesting against it. It follows: a Litigation, Threats, and a public mudfight between DeSantis and President Joe Biden. There are still no signs of an end to the debate in Florida.

How do the different perceptions arise?

Professor Curd Knüpfer from the Kennedy Institute at Freie Universität Berlin researches political polarization and the American media system. Alternative legal media, which spread misinformation, are for him the biggest cause of the division during the pandemic. “There are different media systems in which alternative facts circulate,” says the political scientist. “People don’t always act for ideological reasons, they are simply informed differently.” Alternative media exploit this again and again in the course of the pandemic, according to Knüpfer. They benefit from the division in the country and deepen the rifts even further: “It pays to only show one perspective – it is a business model”.

But is this ignorance also consciously exploited by politicians? According to the political scientist, this is a chicken and egg problem. It is difficult to say whether people allow themselves to be influenced by politicians in their attitude to masks and the seriousness of the virus, or whether they are merely oriented towards the already prevailing mood.

What role did Donald Trump play?

During the first pandemic summer of 2020, the presidential election campaign will enter the hot phase: a premiere during pandemic times. The stronger the signal that the incumbent President Donald Trump sends to his supporters by inviting them to large election campaign events without wearing a mask or distance, despite the high number of infections. His opponent Joe Biden relies on the opposite: he leads a largely digital election campaign and is always masked.

But what responsibility does Donald Trump have for the mask refuse scene in the USA? According to expert Knüpfer, the corona pandemic is an event that has shaken the former president. While his position was always clear on other issues, he often changed his mind about the pandemic. Even if he largely did without a mask in public appearances, he could not be classified as a corona denier, according to Knüpfer. Although he downplayed the risk several times at the beginning of the pandemic, he later invested in the vaccination campaign and had himself publicly vaccinated. Later he was seen wearing a mask more and more often. However, by this time the anti-mask scene had already gained momentum, encouraged by media such as FOX News or Newsmax. A spiral developed: “Where more Trump is elected, there is also a lot of FOX being watched and one is more likely to watch FOX when one has the opinion anyway that the state cannot tell one,” says Knüpfer.

In addition, there is a very crucial point, according to Knüpfer: the typically American idea of ​​freedom, which is deeply anchored in the Republican electorate. This is largely responsible for the fact that some Americans resist wearing masks. “This basic understanding of freedom ensures that it becomes a rallying cry ‘I don’t wear a mask, as a symbol that I am a free citizen who loves the constitution’.” The refusal to wear a mask has become a political signal from the Republicans to position themselves clearly in favor of freedom and against alleged paternalism.

This feeling is particularly pronounced in the rural areas, where predominantly Republicans live. In these areas, a lot contributes to the rejection of masks. First of all, there is the great importance of the “community”, i.e. the immediate community environment. This feeling is particularly pronounced in rural areas; people feel more committed to the laws of their own state than to the rules of the game, which are often cynically called “elite” federal policy in Washington. At the same time, these states are often sparsely populated, which is why it may seem less dangerous there to be without a mask than in a full New York subway.

The fact that masks have become symbols and signals is not only true of the Republicans, but also of the other side. Although the CDC exempted those who were fully vaccinated from the mask requirement in May, Some vaccinated Democrats continue to wear masks – out of concern, “otherwise being taken for Republicans,” says Knüpfer.