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  2020

  Politics during a Pandemic

  I chose this graphic as my second artifact because it references not only the global symbol of COVID-19 – a mask – and its impact on decreasing the spread of the virus, but also the political unrest our country has faced in response to this pandemic. In addition to other social injustices that continue to plague America, the Coronavirus has caused significant debate and division between Americans, notably between political parties. Our current president has time and again proven that controlling the virus is not his priority, constantly placing the blame on others while simultaneously denouncing the legitimacy and severity of COVID. Upon contracting it himself, Donald Trump downplayed COVID by Tweeting an enormously insensitive message saying, “Don’t be afraid of COVID. Don’t let it dominate your life,” as if the hundreds of thousands of deaths on his hands could have been prevented by the power of sheer will and determination. As this graphic suggests, the mishandled pandemic should not be an issue of political preference, but rather about human character and our moral obligation to treat others with respect by avoiding placing others in danger knowingly and without regard.