That wasn't my experience in Floriduh.

It depends heavily on the location. It was basically split right down party lines. Blue areas were like 90% masked, red areas were like 90% unmasked.

Just use the tiniest bit of imagination....

I’m trying not to stoop to the level of conspiracy theories. Even so, I don’t think your explanation makes any sense. How would the younger generations, especially those without money, contribute to the right wing propaganda that championed anti-masking ideas? Not to mention that most people care about their relatives for more than just their money.

The whole anti-masking things makes more sense to me as part of the long-running trend of anti-science propaganda from the right. Maybe that’s driven by oil companies because anti-science attitudes drive climate change denialism. But it also might just be the effects of the social issues that spun off of these things.

One curious anechdote - my dad was heavily questioning masking during COVID but I don’t remember him questioning masking when our town was full of smoke from wildfires from a few hundred miles north.