>>121703796because the masks are as much a symbol as anything.
it's a known, proven fact, that masks are dehumanizing. Humans need to see each other's faces. it's how we recognize each other, a lot of our communication is based on facial movements. It's one of the reasons government agents wear sunglasses as a trope and in real life. Hiding your face puts you outside of humanity. in some cases its an act of superiority, but in the case like now, it's also an act of submission.
remember, we were only supposed to be "locked down" for two weeks. We have now passed the one year anniversary of the two week lock down. Millions of people have lost their jobs, some have lost their homes, many have lost their businesses and everything they've worked for much, if not all, their lives.
and instead of the lockdowns being lifted now that the vaccine is being rolled out (like they promised), we're now being threatened with tougher lockdowns, being told to double mask (or triple mask!), and that there's new, even worse versions of the virus that started this whole thing.
So people strike back at what they can. You'd think they'd riot in the streets, but after the whole "domestic terrorism" thing after the protest on jan 6, people figure they'll get capped if they take to the streets. So, they fight back against the masks, the symbol of their dehumanizing treatment.
