One of the roots in antitruth right-wing extremism was the violent defiance of environmental limits on grazing cattle.

Indeed, people should be free to do as they wish, unless they are doing harm. Those people's actions do harm.

The problem with their actions is like that of the anti-maskers: their individual activities add up to predictable and big harm to the world. One rancher who insists on grazing cattle in an area with wildlife can safely do so; the cattle and the wildlife can coexist. But there are thousands of ranchers in the US and they aim to increase their herds. Without something to limit the herds they put on protected lands, they will predictably wipe out wildlife.

If only one man refused to wear a mask, he might at some point catch Covid-19 and then infect some others. But they, with their masks. would not re-transmit the infection very far. Indeed, if others take the proper precautions, our one man will probably never catch Covid-19 and his lack of mask won't hurt anyone.

However, to extend this to millions of people is covidiotic. It was entirely predictable that they would overload the hospitals and cause hundreds of thousands of deaths.