NPR

The Battle Between The Masked And The Masked-Nots Unveils Political Rifts

Wearing a mask has become political as some state officials have faced backlash for mandating mask use during the coronavirus pandemic.

It has become a political and cultural flashpoint, drawing a clear divide between the "masked" and the "masked-nots." The disdain runs between the consciously unmasked president of the United States and his deliberately mask-donning Democratic rival, all the way on down to those crossing paths — and often crossing each other — in the cereal aisle of the grocery store.

"It's selfishness. Complete selfishness," says 57-year-old Tia Nagaki, of the barefaced shoppers she has encountered. A resident of Denver, where masks have been mandatory since May 5, Nagaki concedes she tends to give the side-eye to people like that. But just as often, she says, the sneers come at her, as happened recently when a maskless guy came too close at the market.

"He gave me

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