Item
Reid’s reflection on the pandemic 19 May 2020
Title (Dublin Core)
Reid’s reflection on the pandemic 19 May 2020
Date (Dublin Core)
Creator (Dublin Core)
Contributor (Dublin Core)
Type (Dublin Core)
Text
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
English
Emotion
English
Education--Universities
English
Recreation & Leisure
English
Health & Wellness
English
Politics
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
05/19/2020
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
02/21/2021
Date Created (Dublin Core)
05/19/2020
Language (Dublin Core)
English
Text (Omeka Classic)
As perverse as it is, I’ve been happier during pandemic than I have over the last few years. Certain things have nothing to do with the pandemic. My partner moved in with me a week before Wisconsin locked down, I’ve been in my dream graduate program (ASU’s World War II Studies MA), and I got a new job (despite the lockdown). However, the lockdown has also given me a lot of time to reflect on my old habits, helping me realize which relationships I value and which hobbies I want to continue after the pandemic. I’ve also been able to accomplish a few personal projects that I’ve had on the back burner for the last few years. I’ve read over 14 books for fun over the last two months on top of my readings for my program. I’ve also been working with some friends in Britain to put together a ‘Living History’ trip to France to recreate the US 1st Infantry Division’s breakout from St. Lo in July 1944 scheduled for 2022.
On the other hand, I wonder how much of this has to do with the underlying fear I feel. Last Friday (May 15), my grandpa tested positive for Covid. My partner’s mom nearly died from it, but thankfully got to the hospital before her organs started shutting down. My Mom and her partner live in NYC, the hotbed of the pandemic. The images of mass graves in public parks and ersatz hospitals set up in Central Park are gut wrenching. My Dad and his wife are in Rochester, NY and are still in danger. I’m so thankful for video and voice chats (especially FaceTime, Zoom, and Discord), they’ve been helping me keep sane.
It’s also affected my career. I don’t own a car and have been relying on public transit since I moved to Madison in 2014. I was working as a technical writer (authoring instruction manuals and regulatory documents) for a medical device company. When cases started appearing in Wisconsin, I expressed my concern to my company and was generally scoffed at, though my boss eventually let me and another coworker who takes the bus work from home. This certainly played a factor in my decision to pursue an opportunity at a different company where I could permanently work from home.
This pandemic has made clear how little certain people value American lives. Fuck companies that don’t look out for their workers. I’ve been so angry at big corporations like Amazon that are literally sacrificing their workers’ lives for profit. Similarly, fuck the Republican leaders and talking heads who have said that money is more important than human lives. It’s a blight on this great nation that these politicians would try to profiteer off a global tragedy. In Wisconsin, they tried to steal an election by restricting voting stations and mail-in ballots to try to win a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat. They lost, but it’s criminal that they would put their citizens’ lives in jeopardy for their own political games. Is this anything new in America? Of course not. But the thing that offends me is that these so-called leaders are so shamelessly profiting off of human suffering while feeding bullshit lies to the people that depend on them to live healthy lives. Is this not a fundamental breach of the Social Contract described by the philosophers who inspired America’s founding fathers? While I had been somewhat losing interest in being engaged in politics before the pandemic, I’ve been inspired to do everything in my power to advocate for some serious change in this country. Those who run this country, this state, and the corporations that we work at need to take responsibility for the people who report to them. If they buck doesn’t stop with them, what are we supposed to do?
As part of my desire to get more politically informed as a result of this pandemic, I’ve been listening to a lot of YouTubers. Previously, I’ve been a little skeptical of YouTubers as they had the reputation (at least in my head) of being infotainers more than a legitimate source of critical analysis and serious political thought. I’ve been listening to a lot of Shaun, Hbomberguy, Lindsay Ellis, Some More News, Jim Sterling, and Folding Ideas. It also probably doesn’t help that I can’t blow off steam with my friends like I normally can through camping trips, board game nights, etc, so I’m left to stew around my own apartment.
Overall, I guess the lockdown and the pandemic have been mixed for me. I’ve had some great and some sad events in my personal life and have been incredibly frustrated with my state and national leaders. This sentiment, of course, is just a snapshot of my daily thoughts so I hope it’s helpful. It’s definitely a bit more radical than I normally am these days, but this week I’ve been particularly angry about things. I hope this helps someone down the road. I’d definitely be interested to hear your thoughts, future reader.
On the other hand, I wonder how much of this has to do with the underlying fear I feel. Last Friday (May 15), my grandpa tested positive for Covid. My partner’s mom nearly died from it, but thankfully got to the hospital before her organs started shutting down. My Mom and her partner live in NYC, the hotbed of the pandemic. The images of mass graves in public parks and ersatz hospitals set up in Central Park are gut wrenching. My Dad and his wife are in Rochester, NY and are still in danger. I’m so thankful for video and voice chats (especially FaceTime, Zoom, and Discord), they’ve been helping me keep sane.
It’s also affected my career. I don’t own a car and have been relying on public transit since I moved to Madison in 2014. I was working as a technical writer (authoring instruction manuals and regulatory documents) for a medical device company. When cases started appearing in Wisconsin, I expressed my concern to my company and was generally scoffed at, though my boss eventually let me and another coworker who takes the bus work from home. This certainly played a factor in my decision to pursue an opportunity at a different company where I could permanently work from home.
This pandemic has made clear how little certain people value American lives. Fuck companies that don’t look out for their workers. I’ve been so angry at big corporations like Amazon that are literally sacrificing their workers’ lives for profit. Similarly, fuck the Republican leaders and talking heads who have said that money is more important than human lives. It’s a blight on this great nation that these politicians would try to profiteer off a global tragedy. In Wisconsin, they tried to steal an election by restricting voting stations and mail-in ballots to try to win a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat. They lost, but it’s criminal that they would put their citizens’ lives in jeopardy for their own political games. Is this anything new in America? Of course not. But the thing that offends me is that these so-called leaders are so shamelessly profiting off of human suffering while feeding bullshit lies to the people that depend on them to live healthy lives. Is this not a fundamental breach of the Social Contract described by the philosophers who inspired America’s founding fathers? While I had been somewhat losing interest in being engaged in politics before the pandemic, I’ve been inspired to do everything in my power to advocate for some serious change in this country. Those who run this country, this state, and the corporations that we work at need to take responsibility for the people who report to them. If they buck doesn’t stop with them, what are we supposed to do?
As part of my desire to get more politically informed as a result of this pandemic, I’ve been listening to a lot of YouTubers. Previously, I’ve been a little skeptical of YouTubers as they had the reputation (at least in my head) of being infotainers more than a legitimate source of critical analysis and serious political thought. I’ve been listening to a lot of Shaun, Hbomberguy, Lindsay Ellis, Some More News, Jim Sterling, and Folding Ideas. It also probably doesn’t help that I can’t blow off steam with my friends like I normally can through camping trips, board game nights, etc, so I’m left to stew around my own apartment.
Overall, I guess the lockdown and the pandemic have been mixed for me. I’ve had some great and some sad events in my personal life and have been incredibly frustrated with my state and national leaders. This sentiment, of course, is just a snapshot of my daily thoughts so I hope it’s helpful. It’s definitely a bit more radical than I normally am these days, but this week I’ve been particularly angry about things. I hope this helps someone down the road. I’d definitely be interested to hear your thoughts, future reader.
Accrual Method (Dublin Core)
4629