No, Face Masks Aren’t Dehumanizing

Abstract

Wearing facial coverings has become a key element in the fight against COVID-19. However, deep partisan divisions have arisen over the adoption of face masks, with Democrats more supportive than Republicans in the United States. Among opponents, a common argument is that facial coverings serve to dehumanize the wearer. Using an experimental study, I find no evidence, using a nationally diverse US sample, that face masks are dehumanizing, whether worn by a White or Black person. In addition, I test for moderation by partisanship, which shows a lack of dehumanizing effects and provides some suggestive evidence that face masks can humanize the wearer, for Democrats, though these effects are small. Under no circumstances do I find evidence that face masks dehumanize the wearer, even among Republican respondents.

From 100-Year-Old Women’s Motoring Masks to Contemporary PPE: A Socio-Political Study of Persistent Problems and Inventive Possibilities

“…For some, wearing a medical style mask is an act of solidarity aimed at protecting vulnerable people from infection and public health systems from collapse by slowing the spread of COVID-19 (see #ItsNotTooMuchToMask). Conversely, anti-maskers regard the practice as part of draconian and restrictive government mandates that limit their individual rights and freedoms (Klinenberg and Sherman, 2021; Utych, 2021). In their analyses of the mass-scale anti-government protests that took place in Hong Kong from 2019 to 2020, both Kwok (2021) and Pang (2022) argue that masking became a key element of resistance.…”