there is tons of good commentary on how american individualism / general refusal to accept social responsibility is driving COVID transmission in the US. however! consider this: the conflation of illness with guilt/dirtiness is also pernicious.
there are people who think being asked to wear a mask is an insult. there are people who, if they like you, will make a show of waving away precautions because they trust you! they trust that you’re not dirty! you don’t have to wear a mask with them! it’s a mentality that, in my experience, can transcend political affiliation.
this attitude keeps people from accurately assessing and then mitigating risk. it keeps people from reporting what risky contact they have had. it keeps people from seeking testing or treatment. illness shouldn’t be moralized in this way.
My mother is outright refusing to wear a mask around her friends because “she trusts them,” and she still hugs them because she doesn’t want them to feel rejected. I have two friends I’m able to be unmasked around, because we’ve all been isolating so carefully, but that’s where it stops.
This moralism is going to kill a lot of people.