Dennis Ruhnke shares a message after being awarded a bachelor's degree at Kansas State University. He sent his extra N95 mask to New York Gov.
Andrew Cuomo in March for a nurse or doctor to use. The decision to wear a mask in public is becoming a political statement — a moment to pick sides in a brewing culture war over containing the coronavirus.
While not yet as loaded as a “Make America Great Again” hat, the mask is increasingly a visual shorthand for the debate pitting those willing to follow health officials' guidance and cover their faces against those who feel it violates their freedom or buys into a threat they think is overblown.