I'd like to put forth a sociological theory that I've spent very little time considering, and if any sociologists would like to point out what are almost certainly critical flaws, please do.
https://twitter.com/Convolutedname/status/1382007422202613771
Max Weber's Protestant Work Ethic is predicated on the simple idea that everyone wants to know they're good people. For Catholics that's easy, you tell a priest what you've done and they'll tell you if you're good or not. But Protestants faced a new dilemma.
Protestants had to figure out if they're good people by themselves. They decided you can tell if a person is good based on how you contribute to society, i.e., how hard you worked. Thus was born the Protestant Work Ethic.
America's state religion is liberal democracy. We believe it underpins the legitimacy of any large-scale institution. We know an organization or country or company is good based on how much they let people vote.
It stands to reason for us that the same applies to individuals. How do we know we're good people? We let our countrymen vote on it. We have to constantly convince others what we're doing is right, because their votes are what matter.
People wearing masks when you want to be maskless is a vote against you. Every masked person is a reminder that your lifestyle does not have popular support. And so we have people increasingly vocal about how they're doing the right thing, because it only counts if others agree.
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