Problem: Many Americans are still wearing masks—on a bicycle, at the gym, in the car. Why? How do you talk to them? What do you say to them?
Solution: People are still wearing masks because they are addicted to fear. As I explain in my book Freedom From Fear: A 12 Step Guide to Personal and National Recovery, the cause isn’t lack of information; rather, this foolish behavior is due to the rational faculties being overwhelmed by emotion—fear—that has led to an addictive behavior, similar to reaching for a cigarette to quell anxiety.
Before confronting someone with a fear addiction, it’s important to assess for one critical capacity: curiosity. Without it, no degree of empathy or information will be enough to reach this pathetic soul. To do this, ask a simple yet vague question, such as, “Why do you think that things are still the way they are after more than three years?” This should stimulate a response that reveals whether the individual can inhabit a stance of curiosity, interest, or desire to understand. If he says something like, “I don’t know. I wish I knew why it still feels so unsafe to breathe fresh air,” then it may be possible to engage him in a conversation about the health risks of living 24/7 with a diaper over his face. If, on the other hand, you hear, “Well, obviously, it’s because of Donald Trump,” then your best course of action is to simply walk away. There is no curiosity. There is no interest in learning. There is no possibility of change…not right now, anyway.
This simple test of assessing for the presence or absence of curiosity is essential not only to determining whether a productive conversation is a possibility but also to protecting your own well-being. Repeatedly engaging with fear addicts who have no curiosity (or motivation) to look in the mirror is akin to hitting your head against a brick wall again, and again, and again. You will not break through the wall, and you will damage your head.
Before engaging with a mask-wearer (or anyone who displays irrational behavior), first assess for curiosity. Then proceed accordingly.
Mark McDonald, M.D.
Co-host of the Informed Dissent podcast
Psychiatrist and author of United States of Fear: How America Fell Victim to a Mass Delusional Psychosis and Freedom From Fear: A 12 Step Guide to Personal and National Recovery
Dissident MD Solutions--Guest Dennis Prager