Mandatory masking and the changing face of liberalism
Masks symbolize a commitment to collective goals and a growing desire to reimagine the role of government
The most symbolically-poignant image of the Covid-19 pandemic has come to be the ubiquitous sea of face masks in public. Almost overnight, we went from an unmasked population to one that could not leave home without one and be accepted as one of the herd. The face mask has come to represent our common plight and collective struggle, and it did so remarkably quickly.
The magnitude of this fundamental change in human behaviour is not lost on Frank Graves, president of EKOS research, who has studied this phenomenon extensively and has repeatedly asked, “Have we ever seen such a major transformation in adopting safe practices in such a short time period?” If only to make conversation, I might suggest that we have, during the Spanish Flu, which might only reinforce his point. This is a one hundred year event.
The lowly face mask has not been without its critics, which is an odd testimony to the power of the symbol. When grown adults staunchly refuse to participate in what is, to be sure, a relatively innocuous behaviour, that is the first clue that something else must be the problem. Because face masks are the symbol, of course, and they represent some profound social and political disruptions.
A mask is a symbol of collective concern and respect. It indicates that not only do I care about my own welfare, but that I am interested in safeguarding the welfare of others. I have chosen to defer to scientific expertise and consensus in order to optimize the well-being of my community. This isn’t just about me (anymore), and so my decision to wear a mask is in conflict with the strict liberal ethos of individuality and self-interest. And that is what is getting some of the adults so worked up about the masks.
Michael Ignatieff told us in his Rights Revolution that the biggest challenge to western-style liberalism would be the moment when we looked to Asian societies and saw governments that were capable of providing safety and security. I might be so bold as to suggest that a school in South Korea looks like a rather safe place for children, and so I am not particularly reluctant to don a mask or download a contact tracing app. My liberalism is complicated.
As the pandemic grinds into the colder months, the strength of our public institutions is going to be further tested. The lessons from our egregiously poor handling of long-term care and our tepid reopening of public schools have become indicative of just how threadbare the government cupboards have gotten. In many cases, we even sold the cupboards.
Which brings us back to our idea of liberalism. It is getting increasingly difficult to argue for the merits of individualism and self-interest when the world’s most pressing problems all require concerted, collective actions. Our idea of liberalism isn’t faring as well as expected during this pandemic stress test. We understand the tragedy of the commons better than we ever did, and so the concept of liberalism as the collective pursuit of the common good is suddenly back in fashion.
The face mask, thus understood, is a symbol of a societal contract that is being rewritten. There are many more signatories to our new political understandings, and the dialogue is much more inclusive. For anti-maskers, it is not about underlying health concerns or ambiguous science, nor is it about individual liberties or the right to die of stubbornness. They are deeply afraid of a conversation where their voice is merely equal to those of all others. So if I were them, I’d probably be scared, too.
A society peering at itself from behind a mask is, ironically, a society that is ready to talk. The conversation might be muffled, but it is one driven by a curious mixture of fear and hope. We are looking to our governments to deliver us from evil, even if it takes a few emergency orders to get there.
The emerging vision of liberalism is one that would move the emphasis further from the individual and closer to society, writ large. There is no small amount of historical and ideological baggage here, and if one peers deep enough through that lens, the bare-faced Walmart shopper’s tantrum seems just a tinch more forgivable. We’re not just asking the crowd in aisle five to wear a mask, we’re making revisions to the familiar script of liberalism.