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anti-maskers

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In July of 2020, National Geographic published a poll showing that more Americans than ever thought we should all be wearing masks. Women between the ages of 18 to 34 and 65 and up were the mostly likely to say they always wore a mask out of their homes. In general, the sensibility at the time was to mask up. Now, about one year later, Morning Consult conducted a poll that found that, when it comes to masks, Americans are kind of over it. It showed that 23 percent of Republicans and 22 percent of unvaccinated people say they will never wear a mask in a public space. Yikes. It seems many of the unvaxxed are the unmasked.

Who would have ever thought that a little piece of cloth could become so politicized? A mask represents so much more than a piece of fabric. It represents a willingness to work together to stop a pandemic that has devastated our country emotionally, physically and financially. It represents an acknowledgement of science. So when you encounter an anti-masker (literally, because their face is exposed), it can be hard to know how to respond. Here are some tips on what to do (and not do) when dealing with anti-maskers.

 

Avoid patronizing

Many Americans ignore the facts because they just don’t have the proper information. Being misinformed about certain issues is usually not a choice, so try to avoid a patronizing conversation.

Don’t resort to anger

Trying to get someone to listen to you while you’re yelling is usually a dead end approach, too. When someone yells at you, the underlying assumption is there’s no fixing this issue  – there’s no way to appease them.

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