The arguments against wearing a mask are often rooted in this idea of stripped freedom and individualism. First we had to stay at home, now we cannot go out without face coverings, what is next? But this logic — or lack thereof — discounts the pandemic of it all. The problem with politicizing a health mandate is that it runs the risk of dehumanizing the issue. There can be many motivations behind why people choose to wear or not wear masks. That doesn’t change the statistics supporting a mask's effectiveness or transmission rates, but it does help us understand why some people can put on a mask and others see it as a violation of their rights.