Why are masks in schools causing such contentious fights across the country?

Some people have such strong beliefs in things (right or wrong) , that they will go to these barbaric acts of violence and rebellion.
Remember Jan 6th?

Yes, I think there is some deeper issue that makes people think that violence is the only way to voice their opinion or feeling. They certainly are not being respectful of others, the law, or the science

Same old crap. Parents don’t trust ‘the government’ and schools are part of ‘the government’. Add that to a bunch of ignorant uneducated buffoons that are afraid of science because they don’t understand it.

Remember the movie ‘Idiocracy’? Seems like we’re moving that direction.

We Americans are idiots.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder?

Maybe they feel that kids wearing masks in a social environment is harmful to their social development?

If everyone is wearing a mask they all have the same “hindrance.”

- Slippery slope arguments
– High value on personal freedoms
– Concerns about infectious diseases dwelling within cloth masks
– Concerns about communicating with others
– Concerns about social development and reading emotions and needs of others
– Belief that masks do not curb the spread of disease
– A “you can’t make me” attitude
– Belief that the intervention (masks) are more dangerous/harmful than the disease (covid)
– Belief that children are not susceptible to covid or have low-level infections without risk of death or complications
– Person (or self)-centered viewpoint instead of community-centered viewpoint

“You can’t tell me what to do and I’ll be damned if I’ll let you tell my kids what they have to do.”
Or something like that.
People, generally speaking, are stupid.

So they don’t stop for red lights either, or what?

I’m baffled that they don’t want to be told what to do and they want an autocrat, a despot, for their leader.

It became political, that is why. When this happens common sense is left behind.

It’s “worldview defence”.

They’re people broadly united by an irrational scepticism of the government and form potentially conspitarial beliefs based on that scepticism (the anti-government view is largely promoted through right-wing propaganda that seeks to diminish the role of government in order to free private capital from the burden of regulations and worker rights.)

The emotional reactions are because they’re actually terrified, and they seek solace by reaffirming and strengthening their beliefs and through shared belief and connection with their in-group.

@Kropotkin Sounds about right.

I think for many people it’s about control. The reality is we don’t have control over many facets of our lives. The pandemic just hammered that in by restricting our lives even further and showing us all just how little control we actually have. Masking and vaccines are things people can have some agency over, so they really fight to maintain that agency and not have it be yet another compulsory measure. I see similar behavior when people refuse to evacuate their home during a wildfire. “It’s my health, my child, my home, my life…I’m tired of being told what to do.”

Don’t know
It’s clearly a diversion away from some other more important issue

Just to clarify, I’m not here to argue or defend in any way. I’m going to answer the question as I see it.

Why has it become so political?

It all (schools, vaccinations, masking, etc) became a political issue because trump made it political. He decided he was right and, out of personal pride which would not allow him to let go, made it into a mini-war which still affects us. I’m not at all sure it’s ever going to be straightened out. He single-handedly polarized America, imo. Those who were for him became anti-mask, anti-vaccinations, anti-CDC, anti-Fauci, and more anti-Democrat than ever. Those who were against him became supporters of masks, vaccinations, CDC, science, and more anti-Republican than ever. Add to that the strongly held beliefs that were already in place on both sides, and you end up with hatred, intolerance and violence. Sadly, none of us can win this mini-war, we’re all losers because we’re losing our humanity.

At first I found masks uncomfortable, but after time It became bearable.

My guess is that some people really find masks uncomfortable to wear.

At the heart of anger is fear.

Fear that things are changing. Fear that there are things beyond their control.

Like what @TJFKAJ?