Ethan Hawke Laments Masks, Vaccines Have Made U.S. ‘Most Divided Nation’

Actor Ethan Hawke recently lamented that when it comes to coronavirus vaccines and masks, he has noticed a difference between the United States and other countries while working on a film in Hungary, noting that the U.S. has “politicized” the vaccine, while Hungary has not.

“I have just worked in Hungary. You could write an entire essay about their government but they haven’t politicized the vaccine. The U.S. has,” Hawke said at Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic over the weekend, according to a report by Variety.

The actor has been in Hungary to shoot the Marvel series Moon Knight.

“There are stores in America where you walk in, thinking they might be mad at you for wearing a mask. In others, they might be mad at you if you don’t. It’s the most amazing example of a divided nation,” Hawke added.

One probable reason for why the issue of the coronavirus has become politicized in the United States could be due to the ever-increasing blurred lines between a reasonable response to the virus and the loss of individual liberties.

A mother in Illinois, for example, was recently stripped of her parental rights over her refusal to get the coronavirus vaccine.

Additionally, the ability for people to choose whether or not to get the jab appears to be dwindling in schools and workplaces — including hospitals, and even in the U.S. military.

Last week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a memorandum directing the military services to begin full vaccination of all service members following the FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.

Additionally, hospital workers — who were hailed as heroes last year — are now being suspended or fired for choosing not to get vaccinated against the Chinese coronavirus.

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Another likely reason why coronavirus-related conversations have become politicized in the U.S. could be due to the eerie online censorship regarding the topic.

A stifling of open dialog and discussion could be causing millions of people to become suspicious of the intensions of tech giants that ban people from freely speaking about the issue 0n their platforms.

On Saturday, Twitter permanently banned science writer and former New York Times investigative reporter Alex Berenson, after he questioned the efficacy of the coronavirus vaccine.

The tweet that got Berenson banned reads as follows:

It doesn’t stop infection. Or transmission. Don’t think of it as a vaccine. Think of it — at best — as a therapeutic with a limited window of efficacy and terrible side effect profile that must be dosed IN ADVANCE OF ILLNESS. And we want to mandate it? Insanity.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.