What has been the role of social media, not only as a contributor to 2020, but as a looking glass from which we can examine the lifetime and legacy of this historic year? Has social media obstructed hindsight 2020, or has it served to clarify the complicated mess of our recent history?
In normal times, Harvard, like most elite and diverse institutions, harbors a host of inequalities on its campus. But on a campus with unprecedented social restrictions, the pandemic — as it has everywhere else — exacerbated already existing socioeconomic inequalities amongst its student body.
Many factors, from wealth and racial inequalities to the accessibility of healthcare and more, all played a role in causing the American coronavirus pandemic to reach this scale. But one factor few have considered, yet which may have had the largest impact, may be what could be called the “structural fragility” of American scientific and governing institutions.
While Belarus is no stranger to rigged elections, the sheer magnitude of fraud in the 2020 election mobilized the populace to demand change. A new generation of Belarusians who do not know anything other than the Lukashenko government feel left behind by a stagnating economy, and Lukashenko’s abysmal response to the COVID pandemic mobilized civil society to fight it in his stead.
In many ways, this “new genre” spurred on by the coronavirus — a sort of “pandemic pop” rooted in themes of isolation and uncertainty — is not so much a genre in the traditional sense that it has a unified musicality and instrument base. Instead, it is a genre formed from the combination of an introspective creative process and relatable, empathetic messaging — and one that proves uniquely positioned to reflect and serve the COVID era that artists now create in.
The stories of right-wing resilience in both Brazil and Uruguay are a testament to the importance of proper political leadership and attitude towards public health policy. Uruguay’s successful empowerment of scientists has allowed it to handle the COVID-19 crisis relatively well, especially compared to Brazil’s politicization of the topic.
In order to address skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccine we must understand what makes it different from other anti-vax movements. Namely, this group of skeptics is more diverse, and they have a better argument.
This past year, nature punished California in two ways: through the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed almost 18,000 Californians, and one of the worst fire seasons in the state’s history. So far, California’s fires have burned more than four million acres, caused damages in excess of $10 billion, and killed 32.
