Mask Hysteria Not New

"What happens to us in the future? Do we become assholes or something?
--Marty McFly (Back to the Future)

When we look back at it retrospectively, the CV19 pandemic may have spawned some of the most unintelligent and ill-advised public policies in history. Mandatory mask wearing seems the poster-child for the hysteria. Although both supporting theory and evidence are marginal at best, mask mandates have become centerpieces of public health countermeasures. 

However, mask hysteria is not a new phenomenon. During the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, people similarly gravitated toward mask mandates...

Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising. People see a respiratory virus, and they believe that covering mouths will help--theory and evidence be damned. Or maybe its simply about virtue signaling--institutional pressure to conform for the 'common good.'

This time around, mask wearing includes a political element. Surveys suggest that the vast majority of Democrats regularly wear masks while far fewer Republicans do so.

Why should this be? Not sure, but it would be interesting to research whether similar political divisions regarding masks existed during the Spanish flu.