On April 28 2020, US Vice-President Mike Pence refused to wear a mask during a visit to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. From a position of great power, he rejected both public health advice and the institution’s specific policies. Widespread criticism ensued, but among the Trump Administration’s supporters his action was celebrated as a show of strength.
Pence is not the only public figure determined to appear invulnerable to COVID-19. Not wearing a mask has become a perverse sort of virtue-signalling for some, and around the world political leaders have been willing to put themselves and others at risk in their scramble to appear more macho. Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Jair Bolsonaro and Vladimir Putin are ‘strongmen’ with no need for the masks that we have been desperately trying to obtain or fashion for ourselves.
Patriarchy creates a world full of men who reject vulnerability outright. From the outset, boys are shamed for showing any sadness, fear or compassion. All feelings except for anger are to be rejected, but fear is particularly suspect to the patriarchal mind. Fear is for girls.
