Faceoff: Does mask shaming change public behavior?
The Messenger’s writers debate on the effectiveness of social media’s new surge in public judgement.
Graphic by Meghana Ramineni, Editor-in-Chief
Yes:
Madisyn Signal, Staff Writer
In 2020, a major pandemic appeared all over the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has created change in many aspects of life, sparking many Americans to enforce such changes in their lives forever. As people tried to adjust to the new lifestyle, wearing masks in public has become a new practice. As the pandemic has progressed in the country, more and more public locations enforce a mandatory mask rule as a safety measure, including restaurants, clothing stores, shopping markets, and malls.
It's been challenging to get Americans to wear their mask in public in addition to practicing social distancing. Social media is a great way to persuade and encourage children and adults to do both. Kids are more likely to wear a mask and social distance if they see their favorite celebrity icons doing so as well. If they see a picture with a celebrity in public not wearing a mask, they are going to think it's appropriate to do so. That’s why it's important for people with a big following on social media to be called out if not wearing a mask in public. Through mask shaming, if social media stars see that people are coming after them for not wearing a mask, they will start wearing them once they realize how dangerous it is not to. Also, if you do something wrong on social media, you are more likely to lose followers because you are not being a good influence. When a celebrity starts losing followers for not wearing a mask, they will be more encouraged to do so because they don’t want to lose their following.
Influencers should use their platform to promote wearing masks and if they do just the opposite, they deserve to be called out on it. Not only influencers but if you are walking around in public places without a mask you deserve to be called out on it if such confrontation leads to change. Walking around with no mask is putting lives, including yours, in danger. Not wearing a mask in public is selfish and inconsiderate. If people don’t take wearing masks seriously cases are going to rise rapidly. Masks are able to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading to others, and therefore should be worn by any means necessary; mask shaming is a means to do so.
Everyone should encourage people to practice social distancing, staying at home, and wearing a mask for the safety of others. People who don’t wear a mask should be called out on and or removed from public places for putting lives in danger; facing such consequences may educate such people on the safety measures in place against COVID. The spread of COVID-19 has taken the world by shock, with cases rising every day; however, if we ensure that others wear their masks- for the protection of all people- through social media, in-person and socially distanced interactions, we may be able to make an impactful change in public behavior and fight the pandemic.
No:
Reagan Horne, Staff Writer
The 2020 global COVID-19 pandemic was strong enough to shut down the world, yet wasn’t enough of a tragedy to unite the people. After months of dealing with a global pandemic, certain people have yet to allow the fear of contracting the virus to set in.
To prevent the spread of this pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidance stating people should wear masks and practice social distancing; warnings issued by the World Health Organization have also been released, however, the enforcement of wearing masks has been met with opposition and debate.
Although many people all around the world have done almost everything to keep from contracting the highly contagious disease, the controversy of whether masks should be worn or not and the public battle of mask shaming have been dividing our nation since the outbreak began. With several people questioning the reality of COVID-19’s existence, there’s no evidence that convinces me that public behavior will change because of mask shaming.
Mask shaming is essentially the act of making a spectacle of those who fail to wear a mask in public. There are situations in which mask shaming is completely uncalled for, to the point where such confrontation is ineffective in creating change. Other situations involve those who feel wearing a mask isn’t necessary, in doing so putting others at risk of catching COVID-19. To avoid any confrontation with the “Mask Police,” those who don’t believe in wearing a mask would in turn keep one handy on their chin, wrist, or ear.
Mask shaming isn’t changing the public behavior; if it were, we would see a slight decrease in COVID-19 cases. Wearing masks may be a larger part of the public behavior now, however being cautious with common sense isn't “normal” for people who haven’t changed their way of living since the virus outbreak. We are living in a new norm.
Anyone seen in public, sans a mask of some kind, will be met with judgmental frowns. The shaming, however, doesn’t stop the careless people from walking mask free in the public. It just solidifies their conviction that we don’t even need to wear a mask.
For such carelessness, it is almost as if those who defend their actions by not wearing masks are attention seekers in disguise. The ‘Karens’ of the world have been truly exposed through this mask shaming situation. Let’s first break down who potentially can be a ‘Karen.’
What started as an inside joke within Generation Z that has now transformed into a word of heavier importance, the term ‘Karen’ represents people who exhibit an elevated sense of privileged behavior. This privilege has been found within various social issues, including racism prior to the pandemic; such racism is still prevalent in instances of mask shaming, such as when claims indicate a Black person is endangering their lives by not wearing a mask at a restaurant when video evidence shows otherwise. The stagnant change in racism is attributed to an intense hold on the principles of America’s history, and although we have made great strides in regards to this, the fight against racism has a long path ahead. The same response to mandatory mask wearing has been met with fierce opposition, however with the structure of our society currently, I see no pattern that shaming will create this change.
A common reasoning behind such mask confrontations is the claim that one can’t wear a mask because of health issues. People will stop at nothing to get their point across, even resorting to baseless excuses to justify not wearing a mask. Fighting invalid reasoning with factual confrontation is simply a meaningless interaction that does not have the capability to impact the unmasked party.
Petty retaliations, such as why someone should care if another person isn’t wearing a mask because their mask works, have greatly increased in regards to mask shaming; this is frequently seen in public as well as on social media.
It is well known that many people believe COVID-19 doesn’t exist, and some believe their youth is a deterrent to keep them immune to the deadly virus. The severity of the situation has almost lessened throughout these past few months of the pandemic, and people’s long lived quarantines are hopefully coming to a slow end. Through social media, even the slightest slip up with abiding by the necessary precautions is a reason to call people out. Scrolling through social media posts, viewers refuse to let the absence of a mask slide; although some comments are harmless, some even resort to expressing their anger more directly. However, forcing anger and shame upon those who are against the CDC’s guidelines won’t get the world through this pandemic.
Despite the worldwide threat, people have yet to understand the importance of their own safety. If mask shaming is unable to create change within our society even during the pandemic, the new norm we are living in may persist due to those who feel they do not need to wear masks; the consequences of this are already being seen in the increasing numbers of deaths from COVID. If we don’t find a collaborative way to mend the divisions of our country, while minimizing the spread of this disease, the future looks bleak. Mask shaming isn’t the solution but only a veil that hides the real issues at hand; change cannot be created by calling others out, it instead happens when each individual makes the effort to change. And so, the world must work towards finding alternative methods that may help get us one step closer to freedom from wearing masks altogether.
