2021
DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/237x6
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Mask Refusal Backlash: The Politicization of Face Masks in the American Public Sphere During the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: This research shows how face masks became politicized during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. While differences in mask wearing behaviors between liberals and conservatives declined over the course of the pandemic, masks remained controversial in the American public sphere. We argue that political divisions over masks cannot be understood by looking to partisan differences in mask wearing behaviors alone. Instead, we show how the mask became a political symbol enrolled into larger patterns of affect… Show more

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Cited by 5 publications
(5 citation statements)
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“…Workplace environments in which workers were not able to stay home when sick were associated with diminished feelings of safety for Trump and Biden voters alike. One possible explanation for this pattern is the idea that working while sick is a more tangible and less contested threat to health and safety compared with the more politicized discourse around masking as impinging on personal freedoms ( Scoville et al, 2021 ).…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Workplace environments in which workers were not able to stay home when sick were associated with diminished feelings of safety for Trump and Biden voters alike. One possible explanation for this pattern is the idea that working while sick is a more tangible and less contested threat to health and safety compared with the more politicized discourse around masking as impinging on personal freedoms ( Scoville et al, 2021 ).…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Masking emerged as a highly politicized topic early in the pandemic, with partisans and elected officials on the political left in the U.S. expressing support for masking and mask mandates, while for many conservatives, masking became a symbol of "unfreedom", oppression, and social control (Kahn, 2022). Masks and the practice of masking soon became "a symbol of partisan animosity enrolled into larger patterns of affective polarization" (Scoville et al, 2022), serving not only to reflect existing divisions but also to reinforce them.…”
Section: Semiotics Of Masking During Covid-19mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Despite many sophisticated techniques for measuring digital material, it remains difficult to correctly interpret language like allusions, inside jokes, and sarcasm, especially when observed independently of threads or exchanges between users. Furthermore, even if activity or content are correctly classified, researchers must often assume their interpretations are not significantly altered by (unmeasured) other activity or content on the platform (e.g., Scoville et al 2022). The Parler database, in contrast, offers a collection of observations that approximates uniformity and consistency in HRSM activity.…”
Section: Hard-right Social Media Activitymentioning
confidence: 99%