Anti-Maskers May Have Psychopathic Traits

The next time you have a debate with someone on whether or not as a country we should adopt the simplest of precautions, such as mask usage, social distancing, and cautious reopening of communities, do not make the mistake of assuming that the person on the other side of the issue actually has some interest in your continued survival.

It is important when we have a conversation on the issue of mask usage versus non-mask usage, that we bear in mind that according to NIH research, almost 4% of the US population is comprised of persons with antisocial personality disorder.(1) This refers to what is often called psychopathic or sociopathic behavior, which is, the behavior of showing significant disregard for the wellbeing and rights of others, and the callous violation of the rights of others, and often includes verbal and/or physical tendencies towards violence. Almost 4%!

Many of those persons function in normal society, many seemingly normal, and based on the sheer numbers, they include your neighbors, your co-workers, and some of your friends. Their actions include severely anti-human, and sometimes violent opinions and behaviors. We also have to consider that there are evolutionary biology/psychology forces at work in all social interactions and in all social decision-making. When we juxtapose the evolutionary pressures that still unconsciously affect human behavior, with the high rate of antisocial personality disorder, we realize that in the US, and likely in many other populations as well, there is a relevant number of people who are very OK with the concept of violence, and with the concept of others dying, so long as this strengthens their own position in the human social hierarchy.

Recognize, that everyone in society does not act in good faith, nor with high ethical standards. Quite the opposite. There are many people who are completely comfortable to have others weakened, injured, or even killed, in order to serve their own interests. We see this in individual behavior, and we see this in the behavior of some corporations, and some foreign governments. This cannot be overlooked. One should not naively assume that when another person has taken a dangerous position on a topic where the issue of life, wellness, and health, are at stake, that the person is taking their erroneous position due to ignorance, or from non-understanding. Do not assume that the person is online telling everyone not to wear masks, because they genuinely believe that such is the best approach in the interest of human health. Unfortunately the reality is much darker than that. There are many persons who are deeply cynical, and some either consciously or unconsciously are deeply malevolent.

In the evolution of species, we observe that the ultimate objective of all organisms is reproduction. Specifically, the objective is the reproduction and propagation of genetic code that is most similar to one’s own. Throughout the hundreds of millions of years of animal evolution, we acknowledge that the reproduction and propagation of each organism’s genetic code is done both through individual acts of reproduction, and also, unfortunately, through acts that suppress the propagation of the genetic code of dissimilar others. To state that differently, from this evolutionary perspective, it is not that we want to simply reproduce as much as possible, it is that we want to reproduce as much as possible both in aggregate terms and in relative terms. Mathematically, reproduction in relative terms, includes the suppression and destruction of others.

Ensconced in the DNA of the human being, and all organisms, is a willingness to compete at the ultimate level, which unfortunately, includes this annihilation and destruction of competitors. This has been done through various means throughout history, but it is more automatic for some persons than others. “Take your Plandemic mask off, and breathe the fresh air,” they may tell you. At one moment they tell you that “wearing a mask restricts respiration,” but in the next breath they will tell you that “the mask will not stop a disease that is spread through respiration.” What they will not tell you, is that whether you live or die, and whether a million people live or die, is not really their concern – so long as they are alive and doing well, that is all that matters. Only their life, and those closest to them, genetically, are the lives that matter. Are you elderly, or in a vulnerable group? Then they say “A mask will not keep you 100% safe, stay home if you are frail and afraid.” Those words are a symptom of the increasingly common antisocial personality disorder.

As a species, human beings are just as willing to consume and destroy, and to devour others whole, in a manner that resembles every other predator on this planet. This consumption with humans is often through financial destruction and the exploitation of others. We typically save the worst of our predatory behaviors for those who are not in our “in-group,” however even on those closest to us, the competitive nature can sometimes emerge.

It is an illusion that we exist in a civilized society, where each of us has a high moral and ethical code, and a general benevolence towards others, and a general care for humanity. We might imagine that all of our fellow human beings actually want to solve the big social problems, and that they actually want their fellow humans to have healthcare, to be educated, to be financially stable, to achieve their worthy goals, and to survive when they get sick. Sure, some of us care about each other, I certainly do, and that is why I write, and many of you reading this care as well. Unfortunately though, the reality is that society, and apparent civilization, is too often a thin veil which serves to mask the aggressive and violent nature that is encoded in our DNA.

The persona is the real mask, exhibited in the pretense of an anti-masker who says that they care about you, but are just “not sure about the science of masks,” they claim that there is a compelling case against mask usage, and that they actually want to keep you safe from re-breathing your exhaled CO2. The truth is that the anti-maskers do not want to wear a mask because they are already wearing a mask which hides their violent, anti-human, malevolent nature. For them, wearing two masks would be very uncomfortable; wearing two masks would restrict breathing; wearing two masks we can all agree would start to feel oppressive. Every case an anti-masker uses, starts to make sense once we realize that they are already wearing one mask, and do not want the inconvenience of another.

References

1. Grant, B. F., D. S. Hasin, F. S. Stinson, D. A. Dawson, S. P. Chou, W. J. Ruan, and R. P. Pickering. 2004. Prevalence, correlates, and disability of personality disorders in the United States: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 65 (7):948–58, 952.

2. American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.

Kevin L. Michel is a Performance Psychology Consultant based in New York, with an MSc. in General Psychology.