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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
There is not one individual on the face of this planet who hasn't been affected by this pandemic. Our immediate reaction was to panic. It was to stock up on toilet paper. It was to go out for coffee and pretend like none of this was happening. We did this out of fear. We did this out of ignorance. Now, the world is coming to life as it realizes that it is truly homebound. This sparks a lot of negative feelings of despair. Therefore, I've been finding ways to channel hope. ... Taking pictures is essential in the 21st century. ... So, being the 18-year-old I am, I snapped some pictures. ... "Well," I thought, "If toilet paper is back and Dunkin' is open, maybe the world isn't ending." And the truth is, it isn't. There have been pandemics before us and there will be plenty after this one. Humans are just going to have to adjust and make the best of it. Documenting these small, mundane images serves as hope for me. As I watch the dandelions grow beneath my feet in this ever-changing season, I realize that COVID-19 is not the end-all. I realize that, even in the face of hopelessness, there are small ways to channel faith. It all depends on your outlook.
June 30, 2020
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Let's talk about racism. Have you seen any messages or memes that you thought were racist or offensive? If so, talk about what you've seen or heard.
I'm choosing to write about this issue because this is the first time I'm hearing that there's a racist component to discourse about COVID! I suppose I shouldn't be shocked because so many things are interpreted through a racist lens when it comes to medicine as well as so many other issues. Living in France where no one talks overtly about race, though, has kept me in a bubble--and I would say that here, at least in the media and public discourse, race is really not at all discussed as playing any role in the pandemic, beyond the context of socio-economic disparity (e.g. the virus spreading more quickly in the banlieue where large families live in close proximity to one another; the children in those areas being worse affected by school closing/online learning)--which, of course, often correlates with race. The only connection to race that I've heard has come from the Indian community, where people are speculating about a magic/mythic South Asian gene that can help protect against catching the virus or mitigate its effects.
February 13, 2021