I found this funny Guardian article about wearing a mask as a fashion statement vs toxic masculinity. As the pandemic drags on we'll be confronted with more attempts to make virus-related news entertaining. đ theguardian.com
"Last week, our social media feeds were flooded by the image of Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, telling US senators that the country was âgoing in the wrong directionâ. The image had a vivid, layered power. Not only did it feel like a national death knell, but Fauciâs appearance â in an imperial-red face mask emblazoned with the insignia of baseballâs Washington Nationals â seemed to signal another culture war. Fauci was making a comment about how to maintain oneâs masculinity while wearing a face mask.
Fauci apparently isnât the only one anxious about face masks impeding his masculinity. The shock jock Joe Rogan, known for his massive following of male listeners, recently suggested that only âbitchesâ wear masks. Donald Trump Jr was photographed at a packed party in the Hamptons, like a baddie from a John Hughes film, conspicuously sans mask.
[...] It gets worse: not wearing a mask hasnât just become toxic masculinity, it has become a form of weaponised masculinity. Donald Trump has said he is âchoosing not toâ wear a mask. When Mike Pence visited the Mayo Clinic, he ignored the safety protocols asking that he wear a face mask. And former pro baseball player and self-described âprotector of toxic masculinityâ Aubrey Huff tweeted: âI will no longer wear a mask inside any business. Itâs unconstitutional to enforce. Letâs make this bullshit stop now! Whoâs with me?â
This superspreader mindset seems to overlap with the eyeroll-inducing âOK, boomerâ attitude epitomized by Boris Johnsonâs decision to continue shaking hands as coronavirus spread, and the Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaroâs claim that his athleticism would prevent him from getting a virus. For men like this, ego itself has become a figurative â and, they seem to believe, literal â shield." đđ
Joe Rogan is not the Official SpokesPERSON (see what I did there? :P) for masculinity. He may be the spokesperson for comedians who lack talent - I've seen his act, and IMO he's never been remotely funny, just bitter and sad.
If I owned a business and a visiting dignitary refused to protect my staff and customers by wearing a mask, I'd kick his/her ass out of my store and tell him/her to get off my property before I have him/her arrested for trespassing. Don't care who it is, Trump, Pence, Biden, or Playboy's Miss July.
I suspect Fauci's only agenda is protecting the health and safety of people in the USA. Reading subtext into a sports logo on his mask is merely a fantasy ginned up by idiots who like to scream.