Political polarization, the pandemic, and mask-wearing (1A)

This is the first post dealing with political polarization within the COVID-19 pandemic. This post focuses on the influence of right-wing populism and the fight against mask-wearing. The next post in this series fleshes out many of the themes and contexts developed in this post.

Why do many if not most Trumpists/Republicans refuse to wear masks remains for me one of the imponderable facets of the coronavirus pandemic. Wearing masks not only protects others from being infected but also, according to recent research, probably helps the wearer as well. Wearing masks in nearly costless and a minor convenience but remains a significant action that reduces the rate of infection.… Read the rest