Tag: mask

Categories
Pandemic Vaccine Virus

Dr. Fauci

Dr. Anthony Stephen Fauci serves as the Chief Medical Advisor to the President, a position he has held since January 20, 2021. He has advised many Presidents on local and global health concerns such as HIV/AIDS. Dr. Fauci also serves as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a position he has held since 1984. You can read more about his extensive research into infectious diseases here.

Dr. Anthony Fauci attending a
pandemic update April 7, 2020

Whether you like him or not, Dr. Fauci has become a household name and is the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. He has given extensive interviews in the media concerning the pandemic, mask wearing and vaccinations.

An article published on 22 March 2020 for The Guardian entitled “Coronavirus: meet the scientists who are now household names” discusses how medical experts found themselves in the ‘Covid-19 spotlight.'” Speaking of Dr. Fauci, correspondent Jon Henley writes “Anthony Fauci has earned praise from the US public for telling the truth about coronavirus, even when it means contradicting the president” (Henley).

A new term was added to the dating lexicon in February 2021. To “Fauci” someone is to cut off a relationship with a person who doesn’t take social distancing or the pandemic seriously as this Twitter interview with Dr. Fauci confirms:

Social Media Trends as of May 1, 2022

Facebook #fauci: 53,000 people are posting about this
Instagram #fauci: 103,174 posts
TikTok #fauci: 322.2 million views
YouTube #fauci: 4,000 videos and 1,600 channels

Google Trends: dr fauci achieved peak popularity during the week of October 25, 2020.

dr fauci search term

Sources

“Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID Director.” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. URL: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/director.

HBO Documentaries. “AXIOS on HBO: Dr. Anthony Fauci (Promo) | HBO.” Twitter. February 14, 2021. URL: https://twitter.com/HBODocs/status/1360997229557936128?ref_src=twsrc^tfw.

Categories
Pandemic Virus

Mask up

When mask mandates began in Spring 2020 everyone was encouraged to “mask up” and save lives. Wearing a mask reduced the transmission of Covid-19. Until recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation “[required] the wearing of face masks on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation.” There was even a toolkit on their website that contained “Multi-media assets, social media graphics and messages, and email content to help communicate to the traveling public online” the importance of wearing a mask.

The phrase “mask up” soon found its way into the dictionary. The Macmillan Dictionary’s definition is:
“to wear a mask or facecovering.
– That’s why we are asking all Hoosiers to mask up – and speak up about how wearing your mask can save lives.”

The Urban Dictionary’s definition of “mask up” is:
“A phrase used to tell people to put on their mask:
‘Hey Alex, mask up, man!’
‘Woah there tiger, mask up!
‘Mask up, kids, it’s time to go outside!'”

In an article last updated on February 9, 2021, the CDC encourages Americans to “Continue to ‘Mask Up’ to Help Stop the Spread of the Coronavirus. Austin Powers, Casablanca, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and others are reimagined with characters wearing face masks.”

Social Media Trends as of May 17, 2022

Facebook #maskup: 657,000 people are posting about this
Instagram #maskup: 1,488,539 posts
TikTok #maskup: 780.5 million views
YouTube #maskup: 6,200 videos and 2,700 channels

Google Trends: mask up appeared during the week of March 22, 2020 and peaked during the week of July 12, 2020. By this time the pandemic was in full swing and federal, state and local governments had declared masked mandates and were encouraging everyone to “mask up.”

mask up search term

Sources:

buckshotboi. “Mask up.” The Urban Dictionary. August 25, 2020. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Mask%20Up.

stockmatic. “Man wear face mask vector. Vector Wear Face Mask sign. Warning sign recommend wear of protective face mask in prevention vs virus infection in health care. Coronavirus protection mask.” Shutterstock.com. Standard License. Royalty-free stock vector ID: 1732942073.

“Mask up.” Macmillian Dictionary. 15 July 2020. URL: https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/mask-up.

“Mask up.” The U.S. Department of Transportation. URL: https://www.transportation.gov/maskup.

“Mask Up America.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 9, 2021. URL: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/mask-up-america.html.

Categories
Pandemic

Maskhole

A recent article that appeared in the WestSideRag on March 7, 2022 said a new term had entered the lexicon – “maskhole” – although use of this term was meant to imply “don’t judge” in reference to a story in the New York Post that talked about kids being teased in school if they did/didn’t wear a mask. The article began with the opening statement: “Hey kids, don’t be a maskhole! With the end of school mask mandates around the corner, the city’s elite private schools are warning students not to question or tease classmates over their face covering choices” (Algar).

The term has a more derogatory meaning and goes back to April 2020 when masks mandates were implemented by the authorities to help stop the spread of Covid-19. The UrbanDictionary defines maskhole as “Assholes who don’t wear masks publicly during the Coronavirus/COVID 19 Pandemic. Especially common in NYC and usually of a certain perceived privileged and political party(GOP)” (JGoldStayGold). A May 11, 2020 submission to the same dictionary for maskhole reads “A maskhole jogged right past me in the park today” (Bethinslope).


Wiktionary defines a maskhole as:

“Etymology: Blend of mask +‎ asshole

Noun: maskhole (plural maskholes)

  1. (slang, derogatory) A person who refuses to wear a facemask during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  2.  (slang, derogatory) A person who harasses others for not wearing a face mask.”


The City of West Hollywood defines a maskhole as “a person who refuses to wear a facial covering during a pandemic, despite its ability to help save lives” and produced a short animation. Click the image below to view it.


Social Media Trends as of May 10, 2022

Facebook #maskhole: 6,100 people are posting about this
Instagram #maskhole: 8,174 posts
TikTok #maskhole: 19.5 million views
YouTube #maskhole: less than 100 videos and channels

Google Trends: maskhole first appeared during the week of April 26, 2020 and reached its peak during the week of July 12, 2020.

Maskhole search term

Sources

Algar, Selim. “NYC private schools worry students will be teased over choice to wear masks.” New York Post. March 2, 2022. URL: http://NYC private schools worry students will be teased over choice to wear masks.

Bethinslope. “Maskhole.” Urban Dictionary. May 11, 2020. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Maskhole.

“Don’t be a maskhole” video. City of West Hollywood. 10 August 2020. URL: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=633905637244967.

JGoldStayGold. “Maskhole.” Urban Dictionary. April 25, 2020. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Maskhole.

“Maskhole.” Wiktionary. URL: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maskhole.

“Monday Bulletin: ‘Don’t be a Maskhole’ (Don’t judge).” West Side Rag. March 7, 2022. URL: https://www.westsiderag.com/2022/03/07/monday-bulletin-dont-be-a-maskhole-dont-judge-gales-heli-ride-not-so-fast-teddy.