"People who object to face masks voted Brexit," caller tells James O'Brien
13 July 2020, 11:15 | Updated: 13 July 2020, 11:47
Caller tells James O'Brien: "People who vote Brexit refuse face masks"
This caller told James O'Brien why he believes people who object to wearing face masks are the same people that voted Brexit.
Caller Cab told James, "If you ask yourself what these two things have in common, it comes down to emotional intelligence and emotional maturity: the understanding that doing something yourself has got an impact in all of those around you and you can't just do things that viscerally feel right.
"It's something that's sort of lacking in both and it really is as simple as that."
The caller said to James that the government do not want to make the wearing of face masks mandatory "because it will upset that diaspora of voters who voted Brexit."
James questioned why Westminster following the Scottish government's enforcement of face masks in public would upset Brexiteers.
Cab replied that certain columnists will react with objection and ignite the fury of their readership.
James pushed for clarity as to why the caller thought this, especially after Boris Johnson said on Friday that the government needs to be stricter on insisting people wear masks in confined spaces.
"The trivial inconvenience is uncomfortable. It isn't as nice as not wearing one and that is sufficient for somebody coming from that perspective to have a visceral reaction to it," he told James.
Cab continued to clarify his view: "It's not even a direct refusal. They lack the emotional capacity to get over the inconvenience and actually do the right thing. They lack the empathy to be able to see this is better for everyone if done universally and done properly."
The caller cited public reaction after smoking was banned in pubs and seat belts were introduced; despite being for the benefit of public safety there was still significant objection.
James observed it would be interesting to see the correlation between those who objected to these measures and those who objected to face masks.
"I bet you pound to a penny that Venn diagram's also nearer a circle," Cab said.
James concluded that while it may be true some people suffer with "emotional immaturity" there may be a "less condescending way of phrasing it."
