General Overview

Corona is Fake News

In many countries, especially in Asia with its history of battling pandemics, mask-wearing has been normalized as a necessary aspect of public health. In places where the wearing of masks and facial coverings is taken as a matter of course, people have been educated about the benefits of using masks to protect both themselves and their communities. In Africa, a continent that has been seriously impacted by zoonotic diseases like Ebola, malaria, and HIV/AIDS, mask-wearing is widely accepted in most countries as a simple and effective way to stop the spread of yet another deadly disease.

Here in the United States, it is a much different story. The wearing of masks has strangely become a political statement rather than a simple strategy for fighting a pandemic. Our leaders at the highest levels of government have ridiculed mask-wearers and declared masks to be a symbol of political opposition. This has facilitated the high death toll in the United States from COVID-19, one of the highest per capita in the world.

Far from being a “power grab” or symbol of government control, mask-wearing is, in fact, a statement of solidarity with and care for one’s community. Masks are worn to protect oneself and others from a highly contagious disease; they are not designed to be inherently political statements.

Masks

Cultural chauvinism and toxic masculinity have played a large role in the resistance to mask-wearing, especially in countries governed by right wing autocrats. For example, those who believe in the inherent superiority and exceptional nature of the United States have been more likely to support Donald Trump and take their cues from him. Trump has referred to his supporters as having “good genes” and otherwise goaded them into believing that they are somehow stronger and better able to withstand the pandemic than their liberal counterparts. In Brazil, right wing authoritarian Jair Bolsonaro has referred to COVID-19 as a “little flu” while insisting that mask-wearing is “for fairies,” deploying a well-known homophobic trope.

Compare Trump and Bolsonaro’s response to the pandemic with the actions taken by Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany. Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan, has presided over one of the most successful COVID-19 containment strategies without the need for a national lockdown; in Finland, Prime Minister Sanna Marin's competent response to the pandemic stands in stark contrast to neighboring Sweden.

Moving Forward

An aggressive PSA campaign highlighting the benefits of mask-wearing and community care would help counteract the impacts of harmful narratives. A conscious effort should be made to include symbols of mutual aid and the benefits of safeguarding public health in pop culture and across all media platforms. For example, to help combat the pandemic the National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health in Vietnam released a catchy PSA jingle entitled “Ghen Cô Vy,” based on the melody of a locally well-known V-pop hit called “Ghen.” The PSA jingle has since been turned by artists into a wildly popular Tik Tok dance, helping to spread the public health message to an even wider audience.

Similar strategies should be deployed to inspire action on climate change. PSA campaigns on the benefits of renewable energy would help build support for necessary political action. Movies, TV shows, theater, pop music, and other artistic media should be used to address the environmental crisis in compelling and engaging ways.

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