Ya, early on during COVID the messages were a bit mixed or imperfect regarding masks because we didn’t have enough high quality masks to go around.

The surgeon general tweeting, “STOP BUYING MASKS!” and Fauci going on 60 Minutes and agreeing with a claim that masks could increase your chance of catching it are a bit more than “imperfect” messaging, if you ask me. Early on, their response was to lie and tell people masks don’t work in the hopes that it would leave more masks available for healthcare workers, it didn’t work and was a complete betrayal of public trust. It wasn’t just mixed messaging about cloth masks, they were putting out overt lies, many of which would become staple talking points of the anti-mask movement.

Anecdotally, I have a brother who’s a bit of a weirdo politically but he was 100% on top of shit with COVID and early on he had liberal coworkers making fun of him for wearing a mask to work because it went against CDC guidelines. When the CDC did a 180, it not only discredited them but also discredited ordinary people who were trying to do the right thing and follow the science and pressure others to do so. If you’re bullying people for wearing masks in February and then bullying people for not wearing masks in March, people stop listening to you and start pushing back, and “pushing back” often meant becoming antimaskers.

Yes it was generally also privileged reactionaries but as someone who cares about science I find it outrageous that these institutions peddled anti-mask nonsense and in a sane world they’d be held accountable to restore public trust. Unfortunately the only people looking to hold them accountable are the reactionary anti-maskers, for all the wrong reasons. Individuals should also be condemned and shamed for not complying with the correct guidance, but scientists and health officials also have a responsibility to act with a higher level of integrity.