It's the means, not the ends, that are being criticized here. Fear-mongering is poisonous whether or not you happen to like the end result. Having a big health

It's the means, not the ends, that are being criticized here. Fear-mongering is poisonous whether or not you happen to like the end result. Having a big healthy meal to encourage healthy eating in preference to gorging on junk food is fine; having a big healthy meal so that your kids won't touch candy before you can check it for DEADLY POISONS and RAZOR BLADES is ridiculous and promotes an irrational fear of the community in which you live. Similarly, not wearing a mask because you don't like masks is fine; not wearing one because MASKS MIGHT KILL YOU is deeply silly and strengths the disconnect between perceived and actual likely risks.