A text label which says "Awarded" is emblazoned on the conversation thread containing evidence and community discussions of a third party's anti-COVID mitigation positions and their subsequent death.

[1] The concept is associated with the subreddit r/HermanCainAward, where posts about people who have "made public declaration of their anti-mask, anti-vax, or Covid-hoax views"[3] are marked as "nominated" if the person is hospitalized with COVID-19.

One month after his death, his Twitter account stated, in a since-deleted tweet, that "It looks like the virus is not as deadly as the mainstream media first made it out to be", which was met with considerable mockery online.

[14] According to Business Insider, the subreddit "was originally focused on people who were against wearing masks or didn't believe the deadly virus was dangerous" and that "Early posts created by founder and moderator FBAHobo were about politicians like Nashville Metro Council member Tony Tenpenny and Arkansas GOP county chair Steven Farmer, who both died from COVID complications.

"[5] According to Le Monde, "In its early days, HCA was primarily fueled by articles found in the press", but that "in recent months, the examples have been drawn directly from a Facebook page of Covid-19 victims.

[1] Slate also says award winners compare themselves to lions who are proud and free, or share tips on arguing with waiting staff at restaurants that require guests to wear masks.

"[16] According to Gita Jackson of Vice, "Although the Herman Cain Award wasn't created to encourage people to get vaccinated, it's helping anti-vaxxers change their minds.

"[17] According to Deccan Herald, the subreddit "has been at the centre of debates and discussions on ethics and morality, with many calling for Reddit to take it down" and that "The award is seen by many others as dehumanising anti-vaxxers/maskers as they too grieve the loss of their loved ones who died from not masking up or getting jabbed.

"[5] F. Diane Barth, a psychotherapist writing for NBC News, described the subreddit as "A dark and sardonic corner of the internet" that "captures the rage and outrage of presumably vaccinated, mask-wearing individuals, many of whom have either been infected with Covid-19 in the past or have watched friends and family become ill — and even die."

[16] On September 27, 2021, a Reddit spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement that they were "closely reviewing the COVID-related communities on our platforms for violations of our policies, including r/HermanCainAward.