Depends what you mean by ulterior, but it's not debatable whether governments try to influence people's behaviour via messaging:
Mike Robinson | Internal government documents reveal direct psychological operations being waged against the UK population.
21stcenturywire.com
Original pdf from SPI-B:
https://assets.publishing.service.g...ce-to-social-distancing-measures-22032020.pdf
The 'Persuasion' and 'Coercion' sections are of particular interest:
The above is basically saying we need to deliberately scare people, so using fear to control people's behaviour. The document is not related to the effectiveness of any of the measures, only how to get people to adhere to them.
This acknowledges they are playing with fire by creating an outgroup that can be victimised. The strong caveat was not heeded at all and full throated encouragement to shame non-mask wearers was taken from the outset:
Exciting news: Metro.News has merged with metro.co.uk!
www.metro.news
In my view this approach has been disastrous. It has given moral busy bodies, snitches and jobsworths the government approved moral high ground to victimise and attack people who question the government measures, and even asking questions around the effectiveness of the measures as something which is now subject to social disapproval.
I know of one disabled lady who lives locally who is terrified of going to the shops because she has breathing difficulties and cannot wear a mask, but she is scared of the social disapproval and dirty looks she is given.
This would even be an issue if masks work, which there is no strong evidence that they do. The major RCT trials on masks, which are the highest standard evidence we have, are inconclusive other than to say that cloth masks may actually increase respiratory infections.
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12610000887077.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Mandating masks has also been tested in court, and masks lost:
The updated advice on masks was due to political pressure, the WHO told a BBC Newsnight journalist:
Here is another collection of studies on masks that is worth reviewing:
Wisconsin Circuit Court Access. Dane County Case Number 2018CV003122 Leonard Pozner vs. James Fetzer et al. Stamped Summons,
jamesfetzer.org
And a German mask study shows harmful effects on children:
https://imperfectplan.com/2021/01/0...wearing-covid-masks-does-more-harm-than-good/
FunkMiller
, I know you are pro-mask. I am not. I think they are damaging, and have become mostly signs of political allegiance and tools of compliance. I believe I have provided enough evidence in this post to 'show my working' and believe any reasonable person acknowledge that my position is valid, and there should be no government approved social shaming for those who do not want to wear them.
Are you at all swayed by any of this, and if not, why not?