The topic of mask wearing received attention from Tucker Carlson recently when he told his Fox News audience to harass people on the street wearing masks. If they saw a child wearing a mask, they should call the police and contact child protective services.
‘With his mix of sarcasm and indignation, it is difficult to discern to what extent he really believes what he’s saying. He will often make incendiary remarks and say later that he was joking. However, whether he is delusional or intentionally devious, he has an audience that listens to him intently.
American conservatism is changing
Carlson’s diatrade illustrates the possible change in the attitudes of many American conservatives and a shift in the way they view their moral obligation. At first, he describes mask wearing as excessive and then calls it abusive. He says the response to seeing a kid wearing a mask outside while playing should be no different to seeing someone beating a kid in Walmart. He defines this as child abuse and says people have a moral obligation to prevent it.
Taking him seriously and calling the police or child protective services is obviously not going to end well. They are likely to ignore calls, and if people call repeatedly, they risk charges of filing false claims. In other cases, a call may end poorly for the parents of a child wearing a mask. The news is full of examples of police called to respond to petty or imagined offenses that end up injuring or even killing people. Detroit personal injury lawyers from Mike Morse Law Firm handle many cases of wrongful death.
The problem is that fans of someone like Tucker Carlson may feel morally obligated to take matters into their own hands when the authorities don’t seem to be responding.
The argument is not really about masks
Carlson refers to the difference between a government mandate and a personal choice. He says that masks are a sign of political obedience as science shows there is no reason to be wearing them. He says that the only people who wear masks outside are zealots and neurotics and forcing children to wear masks outside should be illegal.
This is certainly a different attitude to conservatives applauding the due process of government to prevent the abuse of its citizens. In fact, the CDC announced recently that people who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks while running outside, sitting in small groups, or spending time with members of their own household.
The personal choice to wear or mask or not wear a mask is a choice that conservatives are likely to have firmly defended in the past. Carlson must know that telling citizens what they should or shouldn’t wear is taking away their free choice.
It is not his or anyone else’s business to tell them not to wear masks. Unlike a government mandate to wear masks in the interests of public health, he is suggesting the government needs to punish people for wearing masks.
Dangerous incitement
Carlson’s rant is particularly disturbing when it’s about children. Conservatives have always believed that parents should be able to parent their children without too much state interference. Carlson does not seem to mind the state exercising such power, as long as it’s directed against his enemies.
A number of people are urging for him to be taken off the air or sacked for these comments. He has moved from passively inciting people to asking them to act against others. It’s very concerning that a news platform is encouraging viewers to harass strangers