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Hard to Wear a Mask? Here Are Other Habits People Found Hard to Adopt in the Past

Many are puzzled by the opposition of some Americans to wear a face mask in this pandemic. Looking at the past, this opposition to “do what you are told” is not that unprecedented.

Karina Montoya G.
FAQ World
Published in
6 min readJul 22, 2020

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Seen in New York City, the former COVID-19 epicenter in the U.S. (Credit: Karina Montoya G.)

It is 2020 and some social norms are widely accepted and encouraged to become habits. You get into your car and fasten your seat belt. You don’t smoke indoors or, at best, you don’t smoke at all.

Anyone opposing these rules could come across as reckless, unconsidered and tends to be corrected by societal controls, for example, in the form of a fine.

Come to think of wearing a face mask and then everything is different, right? We are not sure if the people who just “don’t want to wear it” should be socially pressured to do so. In the United States, this harmless habit that has been welcomed in many countries as a matter of public health, soon turned into a matter of political stance.

“We don’t live in a communist country! This is supposed to be America,” said a Texan bar owner who did not only oppose wearing a face mask herself, but who had banned customers from wearing one at her bar, reported The Guardian. The reasoning does not only…

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FAQ World
FAQ World

Published in FAQ World

Questions and wanna-be answers about the economy, finance, technology and media. Geographical focus: Latin America and the U.S. Dose: once or twice a week. Warning: contains unapologetic Latina views. Welcome to (my) FAQ World.

Karina Montoya G.
Karina Montoya G.

Written by Karina Montoya G.

Journalist. Stops: Lima, NYC, and now D.C.| Columbia Journalism School alumna (2019) | Cares about tech disruption, public policy, business, U.S. & LatAm.

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