Items

• 
  2022-05-12

  Covid-19 narrows long-standing Latino mortality advantage, study finds

  This is a news story from NBC News by Nicole Acevedo. Latinos have been shown to have lower mortality rates compared to non-Hispanic whites, where they live an average of three extra years. This changed with the virus. In a study published by the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion, COVID-19 has been shown to kill Latinos 65 or older at 2.1 times the rate of whites in 2020. This number decreased slightly in 2021, which was at 1.6 times the rate of whites. So far this year, it has been at 1.2 times the rate of death. In total, COVID has killed 124,000 Latinos since the start of the pandemic in the United States, which accounts for 17% of deaths. The reason the Latino death rate is high is debated, but some say it is because Latinos in the United States are less likely to have access to quality healthcare or have jobs that would expose them to the virus more often.
• 2022-04-28

  Reflection

  During the pandemic, many people were able to see a huge shift in the public and the way we all interacted with one another. We saw huge changes in racism and power. One of the biggest examples was the Trump presidency. This was a huge shift in power when it came to the democratic and republican parties. We also saw much racism and violence regarding police brutality and the black community. Furthermore, we saw racism towards the Asian community as well when it came to COVID 19 and the backlash that surrounded its origin. We can all agree that the pandemic was not enjoyable for anyone involved. Many even lost multiple loved ones, or people they once knew. People were leaving jobs, schools were closed, parents had to work from home and teach their students simultaneously, while essential workers continued working in uncertain conditions. Any way we look back at it, those times during the pandemic were difficult. When It came to religion, I think it was a way for people to come together. Although churches were closed to the public for over a year, religious followers adapted. We saw many churches and other religious entities providing prayer or gatherings through streaming services online. People were able to participate in prayer, and even attend mass virtually from the comforts of their home without the risks. This goes to show that no matter what the world endures or changes that come, followers will always find their ways to their religions.
• 2022-04-26

  The Digital World and COVID-19

  The pandemic caught us all by surprise. At the end of the year 2019, a global event started that none of us were prepared to confront. A new, unknown virus was killing people all over the world, and it was making its way to the United States. As we prepared in whatever way we could, with what we knew at the time, the world started to shut down. Local mandates were advising us all to stay at home and to only leave if we needed to get necessities. With this, we all had to rely on technology to stay connected and to know what was happening in the outside world. We were all connecting through various platforms to work from home, attend classes, or simply to talk to our loved ones. The comfort of doing everything from home turned into a personal prison for many that were not used to being isolated. As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, people were anxious and desperate for a sense of normalcy. With technology, we also got information and found resources that would help us navigate through this pandemic, and at the same time, we received misinformation that would eventually turn deadly for many. There was a huge focus by certain political parties to diminish the severity of the virus. In the United States, the conservative population (lead by former President Trump) believed that the virus was not dangerous, and they kept comparing it to a common flu. This conservative population was asking the rest of the population to not believe what the media was informing at the time. This created different perspectives linked to conspiracy theories that spread quickly through different social media platforms. For example: like COVID-19 being a production of the government to control the population, or simply that the virus did not exist at all. At this point, there was a huge part of the population that did not trust the guidance provided by local health authorities. There was information regarding a vaccine that could minimize the damage caused by the virus, and this was great news! Unfortunately, the vaccine encountered the same type of resistance that the previous prevention guidelines encountered. People did not believe in the effectiveness of the vaccine, and again, theories regarding the development of the vaccine started making their way through the internet. For example, some people believe that the vaccine is a chip implanted in our bodies so that the government can track us. In times of uncertainty, those who practice religion tend to turn to religion for comfort and guidance. In some cases, certain religious groups were advising their congregations to put all their trust in God, and that he would protect them from the virus, without the need of a vaccine. The clash of religion and science made it more difficult for the population to come out victorious from a very challenging time. More than 2 years later, and we are still seeing the effects of the pandemic in society. There is an emotional divide that lingers in our communities, not just a physical distance. Communities want to have their normal lives back but fail to realize that these are their normal lives now.
• 
  2020-07-20

  A monument to the suffering

  A comic strip about Covid-19
• 
  2022-04-26

  HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 140

  Republican/ Democrat warfare
• 2022-04-25

  Being Asian During COVID-19

  I think many people in the US have similar experiences with the beginning of COVID-19. I worked at Walmart at the time, so I saw first hand the progression of seriousness that took place. Thinking back on it now, it was like a movie. It started out like a movie; rumors of some deadly virus in China was spreading rapidly, and everyone is in danger. The world could be affected by this sickness. Most didn't really take it seriously, but one day, everyone decided that it actually was that serious. Walmart has never seen busy like COVID-19. The shelves were emptied like an apocalypse. It really did feel like a movie. I do think that my experience during COVID-19 was different than others in a few ways. I am Asian, and COVID-19 reminded me of that constantly. Asian hate is underreported and normalized for many reasons, but COVID-19 was the biggest recent occurrence where Asian people were discriminated against brutally. News posts were going around where Asian Americans were attacked on the streets, even though they were born and raised in the United States and have never stepped foot in China. Many, like myself, weren't even Chinese. The ignorance was at an all time high, and typical racist comments were more prevalent than ever. “Go back to China” was used more than ever, and Donald Trump encouraged the hate with “Kong flu” and the “China virus.” Racist comments hurt, but the fact that people were being attacked sparked a new fear in the Asian community. It’s crazy to think about the day when my family gathered and talked about the violence that was going on; they told me to be careful and aware of my surroundings because people like this were everywhere, and anyone could be a victim. The Asian community was heavily impacted, but somehow, some people to this day still don't know that this kind of hate was occurring during COVID-19. Asian hate was still underreported and normalized, as it always is. It’s always sad to be reminded that no matter how American you are, and no matter if you were born and raised here or not, your race will always be the most signifying thing about you, and people will use it to segregate you whenever they want to.
• 
  2021-09-30

  For Marc, Another Needless Covid Fatality

  I feel bad that my mom's boyfriend died back in September, but he was also an idiot who did it to himself. I have complicated feelings here and I hope they're worth sharing.
• 
  2021-11-05

  HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 131

  Analyzing Democratic election
• 
  2020-01

  Plague ? Diary

  This is day by day account of the early stages of the pandemic.
• 
  2022-02-17

  Elon Musk Compares Justin Trudeau To Hitler In Bizarre Response To Canadian Trucker Protests

  This is a news story from Your Tango by Isaac Serna-Diez. This is about a Twitter rant, where Elon Musk, owner of Tesla, compares Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Adolf Hitler over the Canadian Trucker Protests. In January, both the United States and Canada imposed vaccine mandates. According to the American Trucking Association, only 50-60% of all truckers are vaccinated. The truckers have created a convoy that blocks traffic across the US-Canada border in response to the mandates. Trudeau's response to this was to invoke the Emergencies Act, which has't been used since 1988. The Emergencies Act allows for freezing of bank accounts and funds in order to take money away from those protesting. These freezes would also impact things like GoFundMe and the ability to raise funds from that site. It also allows for military involvement, but Trudeau says that he has no plans of doing so. Musk's response to what Trudeau imposed economically on protesters prompted him to promote cryptocurrency more.
• 
  2022-03-08

  Florida Will Urge Parents Not To Vaccinate ‘Healthy’ Kids, Going Against CDC Advice

  This is a news story from Scary Mommy, written by Lauren Levy. This story deals with Florida's position on vaccinating children and going against CDC guidelines. The author, Levy, is very against this and thinks it is irresponsible to be contrary to what the CDC suggests, claiming that it will make things more dangerous for kids if they don't take the vaccine. Some have been raising concerns that people are taking politicians words over those of doctors. Opponents have reminded parents that this is just a suggestion from Florida politicians, and not a mandate, meaning that they can discern for themselves if the vaccine is right for their kids. Ultimately, Levy believes parents should ignore what Florida politicians say and listen to doctors instead on what to do.
• 
  2022-03-10

  Politics wrecked America’s response to COVID. Don’t let it put transgender kids in danger, too

  This is a news story from The San Francisco Chronicle, written by Stephen M. Rosenthal and Diane Ehrensaft. This is an opinion piece comparing the government response to COVID and the politics surrounding it to ruining the response. The authors warn that following politics over science is dangerous. It later goes on to talk about the anti-trans legislation being passed through different states, such as: Idaho, Texas, and Florida. The authors believe that science proves that trans kids have no real threat from puberty blockers. A study is also quoted, where it says that gender affirming care for trans youth is linked to lower instances of depression. The point of this article is not so much about COVID itself, but fear of what was done during the peak of COVID being repeated on other types of legislation, and in this case, using politics over science with trans kids.
• 
  2020-09-23

  Iran: The double jeopardy of sanctions and COVID-19

  This article discusses the effects of Covid-19 on Iran and how the sanctions imposed on Iran by the Trump administration exacerbated Covid’s effect on Iran’s already weak economy. It highlights Iran’s attempts to reduce the fatality rate despite a shortage of medical supplies. Additionally, the article posits that lifting sanctions during the pandemic might have reduced the death toll by thousands. While there is speculation that the true number of Covid deaths in Iran has been reduced and even misreported, this article highlights the connection between U.S. politics and the effects of sanctions imposed on countries during a public health crisis.
• 
  2022-04-03

  Man in Germany gets 90 COVID-19 shots to sell forged passes

  This is a story by The Hill about a German man from Magdeburg getting the COVID vaccines a copious amount of times in order to make forged vaccine cards. The man in question is 60 years old and was caught in Eilenburg in Saxony. The article states that we do not know what effects will happen after getting the vaccine 90 times. The German government has been trying to crack down on forgeries of vaccine cards. This probably speaks of a bigger nationwide issue, where people will want forgeries if forced to get the vaccines that they see as against their will. With that, brings people like this man who will get the vaccine many times in order to make money off of selling forged vaccine cards.
• 
  2022-03-26

  Coping with the Pandemic--A Personal Look at Mental Health and COVID-19

  According to the Center of Disease Control, in June of 2022, US adults reported considerably elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19. Out of a survey they did on 5,412 people, 40.9 percent of respondents reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health conditions, including symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorder which were around 31 percent. One of the causes of this is due to increase sedentary behaviors and low levels of physical activity due to quarantines and lack of business operation. Over the past two years, government mandated quarantine, work from home, and online schooling has caused me to stay at home for longer periods of time than what I use to. Because of this sedentary behavior, I had dealt with the negative effects of isolation, stress, and anxiety on both my mental and physical health. According to the World Health Organization, 150 minutes of moderate exercise or physical activity is usually recommended per week, however, with working a full-time job and being in school, the question that remains is how that is possible? I have learned to accommodate these physical needs indoors, by taking active breaks during the day and exercising at home. While this does not necessarily help with isolation and loneliness sometimes, I have learned to take these matters one day at a time and not shun myself for feelings them. CDC argues that from a recent comprehensive review that the impact of COVID-19 on mental health particularly seems to affect more young women disproportionally than any other group. Therefore, I recommend any young adult or women facing severe mental health to take advantage of online support or mental health services through telehealth such as ZocDoc. It is important to highlight COVID-19's impact on mental health in the United States and my personal life because it shows how the pandemic changed the means and the ways we received mental health services in the past. As the pandemic ventures on, people like myself will continue to have to find ways to cope and receive services for our problems. Thanks to the pandemic, much of our mental health problems have come more to the forefront due to us having ample amounts of time now to navigate and deal these issues unlike never before.
• 
  2022-03-11

  The Hanover County School Board, in partnering with an anti-LGBTQ outfit, has declared war on its transgender students.

  This news article is from the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond, Virginia. The article contains a recent review of the Hanover Country School Board seeking legal advice from a well-known hate group that disguises themselves as "Christian conservative legal group" also known as the Alliance Defending Freedom. Back in December of 2021, the ACLU of Virginia filed against Hanover County for discriminatory policies against transgender students. The pandemic has bought out numerous laws against the safety of LGBTQ students and individuals. This is just a small example of what queer children have been facing since the start of the pandemic.
• 2022-03-15

  Passionate and (mostly) respectful recent debate in the waning pandemic

  While the all-encompassing strength of the COVID-19 Pandemic is waning, it still persists and lingers. This is a critical time where countries can either dreamily and abruptly attempt to return to idealized pre-pandemic existence or continue to return to their visions of normalcy through steps found in scientific methodology. Debates that focused on safety, health, and personal freedoms (especially about masks and vaccines) were constantly in the news the last two years, with some deteriorating into disheartening and embarrassing public displays. Surely, these debates will continue indefinitely, and all perspectives will be important to history. While browsing this archive, many of the stories are of those who subscribe to the reality of the pandemic, who trust and listen to science, and who have highlighted the way their lives have changed during the pandemic. I am from Arizona, born and raised. I often find myself to be the lone liberal or democrat, particularly at work, in a state formerly known as a red state, now perhaps purple. While Arizona is well represented in this archive regarding life during a pandemic, it has many people living in it who dispute the pandemic's origin, virulence, and the government's attempt to control personal freedoms, as much as I personally disagree. The attached YouTube video shows a meeting of the Kyrene School District Governing Board from January 25th, 2022. The relevant background is that before the 2021 Winter Holiday break this district emailed parents that masks would no longer be mandatory after the new year. By the end of the break, Omicron infections had increased, and the district regressed back to mandatory masks after the holidays. Please watch, specifically from minutes 20:35 through 38:28. To me, a person who reads a diverse group of news sites daily, this clip has brought me hope. Of all the ugly comments I have read on far right or left news sites, debate like the one in this video is instead mostly constructive, passionate, and respectful. I may not agree with everything discussed in this sample, but I respect people's right to debate their beliefs. I believe studying other perspectives is useful for future generations. Historians one hundred years from now may wonder why certain people thought masks were useless in schools. Hopefully, between this J.O.T.P.Y. archive and the articles that exist on the internet, a thoughtful sample of diverse perspectives can be researched. Additionally, I hope this video adds to material in this archive that demonstrates the anti-mask perspective to historians who could research and educate future generations on state and federal authority during health crises to hopefully prevent conflicts as we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic. This video is owned and uploaded by the Kyrene School District to YouTube.
• 
  2022-03-05

  War and pestilence

  I saw this on facebook. In most people’s minds, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is just a continuation of the rolling crises marked by the pandemic.
• 
  2022-02-25

  Russian invasion of Ukraine Ruins Everything

  I (and many others) am feeling like disasters just keep compounding one another since March 2020. I know a lot of folks around my were anticipating a “return to normal” this summer but it feels really difficult to just celebrate “normal life” when innocent Ukrainians are suffering and the whole world is watching.
• 2021-10

  The Division of Covid-19

  Since the pandemic started life has definitely changed in plenty of ways, not just for me but for everyone. From the way we learn in school and work jobs to the way we interact in public and meet people. One thing covid brought that I saw prevalent in a few different aspects of my life was a new reason for division amongst people. This new reason for division is almost a political thing, where there are people that are nervous and scared that covid is harmful and then the people who do not care and believe covid is blown out of proportion. I see this division in things like media, politics, family, and friends. It makes a lot of things confusing for me because I never know which side to listen to. The crazy thing to see for me is how a pandemic can come around and cause so much separation. At a point it started to seem like it was the only thing I heard people talking about and it would drive me crazy. If I put on the news, it was always someone saying everyone needs masks, then I flip the channel and the next station is saying mask are bad and should not be on all day. Then it came to my family, my dad would tell me I needed all the vaccines and booster but my mom on the other hand told me to do whatever I wanted and did not care. Seeing all of this back a fourth throughout this time would frustrate me because it made making my mind up so difficult. This eventually even got to my friends, and I saw friends that would argue about whether people should get the booster or not, and I thought it was so ridiculous. The reason I bring up this point of division is because I believe it is interesting how everyone has reacted to covid. I also feel like it has made people feel the need to push their opinions and ideas onto other people, it is something I have seen first-hand in my life. Similar to the way Hitler or Stalin pushed their ideas on everyone, but on a very different level. Maybe one day people will just let each other choose for themselves.
• 
  2022-02-01

  hermit HERALD, ISSUE 137

  Putin vs NATO
• 
  05/07/2021

  Janice Hughes Oral History, 2021/04/22

  Janice Hughes, currently living in Madison, WI, is a medical abstractor for UW Health. Within the interview she talks about how the workplace has changed, along with day to day life during the COVID pandemic. She talks about her experiences with COVID and how her community around her has been dealing with it. She talks about how mental health has been affected with the pandemic along with physical health. Janice Hughes discusses what it was like to receive the vaccine and some of the lessons she has learned overall with the pandemic.
• 
  02/22/2021

  Bryan Gilbert Oral HIstory, 2020/10/05

  HIndiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis student Shanda Nicole Gladden interviews Bryan Gilbert for the COVID 19 project in hopes of collecting stories about racial justice movements in the context of COVID 19. In this interview they discuss noticeable changes in his neighborhood and work place. The reputation of the Eastside of Indianapolis and personal concerns surrounding COVID. The interviewee spoke about his personal concerns surrounding COVID as well as politics, the importance of voting and rising racial tensions. They spoke about the Black Lives Matter movements, protests and demonstrations and art installations that have followed that. They also spoke about hopes for the future, predictions on how COVID will impact the future. How COVID might change relationships (family, friends, community and society as a whole). The interviewee also touched topics of the LGBT+ community, getting married during a pandemic and the hopes he has for the progression of the community in the future.
• 
  04/29/2021

  Kristina Jordan Oral History, 2021/04/08

  This interview was recorded as part of The Covid 19 Oral History Project, a project of the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute associated with The Journal of a Plague Year: A Covid 19 Archive. Tina is an essential worker, working as a paramedic for an ambulance service in Southern Wisconsin. She is also a full-time faculty at the technical college where she trains EMS students. Her husband is also an essential worker as a volunteer firefighter. In this interview she discusses changes to clinical hours for her students, transitioning to using human simulators. Issues with PPE shortages. Transitioning to online learning and how teaching was different. How her local Governor response affected her and her community. Changes to her day-to-day life with family and friends. Fear for her parents getting covid, staying isolated and missing family during a years’ worth of missed holidays and getting vaccinated. The effects on her community and the political aspect that crept into the COVID pandemic. Frustration with COVID deniers, mask refusal and social media blasting false information. Seeing the realities of COVID as an EMS driver and transporting COVID patients. Her feelings for those who lost loved ones during covid and their grieving process. Political, both state and federal, response to COVID. News outlets and how she chose to receive news. Comparing COVID to other world events like 9/11 and Desert Storm. Living in a rural area. Her hopes for the future and the lessons she hopes we have learned.
• 
  2022-01-16

  hermit HERALD, ISSUE 136

  U.S. taking a knife to a gunfight
• 
  2022-01-01

  HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 135

  Dems and Republicans, down the rabbit hole
• 
  2021-12-21

  HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 134

  Anger devours the angry
• 
  12/08/2020

  Jackie Weber Oral History, 2020/12/08

  Jackie Weber was born in West Bend, Wisconsin. She now lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and works as an occupational therapist in one of the major Milwaukee hospital systems. In this interview she dives deep into the affect that Covid-19 has had on her workplace such as staffing issues, equipment shortages, and burnout. She also talks about the emotional weight of working in such a stressful situation and not being able to help people in the same ways as pre-pandemic. She also speaks on the ways in which hospitals are changing how they treat Covid and often cites an ever-changing set of policies. Throughout the interview she intertwines her views on policy proposals, and anti-maskers into her strong points about safety.
• 
  12/15/2020

  David Huber Oral History, 2020/12/15

  C19OH
• 
  12/01/2020

  Wade Pitrucha Oral History, 2020/12/01

  Wade Pitrucha, Marine Corps veteran and butcher, was raised in Texas and lived in California for several years, and currently works as a butcher and lives in Barron, Wisconsin. In this interview, Wade discusses the political and economic developments he has observed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wade gives an inside look at the COVID-19 meat shortage, and explains some of the causes, as well as the impacts on farmers and families. Wade also shares some of his personal experiences and frustrations with the local handling of the pandemic, and how he feels the federal government and the Trump administration has contributed to the massive spread of COVID-19 in the United States. In an entertaining and sometimes darkly humorous interview, Wade’s military experience and personal beliefs provide a unique and well-balanced view of the COVID-19 pandemic and modern American society.
• 
  2021-12-10T11:53

  COVID-19 Archive Interview Part II - Northeastern University

  In this interview we discussed what we learned in our History of Global Pandemics class and how that has affected our perspective of pandemics, including COVID-19.
• 
  2021-12-10

  COVID-19 Interview (Global Pandemics) (One semester later)

  A discussion with a peer about what we have learned about the COVID-19 pandemic through learning about other pandemics.
• 
  2021-11-26

  HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 133

  Kamala Harris, dazed and confused
• 
  04/25/2021

  Tamara Harris Oral History, 2021/04/25

  Tamara Harris was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and raised in Black River Falls, Wisconsin and is now a retired teacher of the Chippewa Falls Middle School living in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. In this interview, Tamara describes how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected her daily life, relationships with long-distance family, and participation with the community. Tamara also describes how attitudes have changed during the pandemic and how she has dealt with these changes. Tamara has 7 adult children, 9 grandchildren, as well as many other family members spread throughout the Midwest.
• 
  12/08/2020

  Mark Kompsie Oral History, 2020/12/08

  C19OH
• 
  2020-10-06

  Geels_Bernd_

  C19OH
• 
  2021-11-13

  Anti-Vaxxers in the Family

  I have a minimum of 2 resolute anti-vaxxers in my extended family. We try to avoid conflict but sometimes their ignorance is just too much for me to bear and I feel like I have to set the record straight. Here's a summary of what's going on in these screenshots from a FB post. 1. Great aunt posts a meme using the experience of the Polio vaccine to promote the COVID vaccine. (meme included) 2. Anti-vax aunt (orange) posts snarkily that in the case of the polio vaccine, it was only rolled out after 60 years of research. 3. I step in (as a historian of public health) and comment that she's mistaken, the polio vaccine went from lab to roll out in 25 years. While mRNA (on which the COVID vax is based) was first discovered in a lab 35 years ago so it stands to reason that the amount of time between lab and roll out is similar. 4. Meanwhile... anti-vax second cousin (purple- daughter of great aunt who made the original post and also resolutely anti-vax) tags anti-vax aunt (orange) and says "amen." as in... she lends her support 5. Anti-vax aunt (orange) responds to my initial rebuff in #3 and says "wrong. it took 35 years to discover it was a virus" (as if that, added to the 25 years of development constitutes 60 years of "research" 6. I step back in and repeat... polio vaccine research began in 1930, and it rolled out in the US in 1954. Surely she doesn't want to go back to the "good old days" when it took 30 years to discover whether something was a virus, really...?? 7. I was wrong. Anti-vax aunt (orangs) DOES want that. She says, "Yes, really" 8. pro-vax cousin (light blue-an oncology NP) comments "Wow. That's sad to think about" 9. Anti-vax aunt (orange): ? 10. pro-vax cousin (light blue): is we were not able to identify viruses like we can today. It's sad to think about all of the people that would die unnecessarily. This exchange went on but I just don't have it in me to continue with screenshots. Great aunt (original poster) chimes in and says she doesn't care what people's beliefs are but both of her daughters (one of them the anti-vaxxer in purple) families have COVID right now and she's in her 70s and was exposed to both and never caught it. She firmly believes it's because the vaccine works. Anti-vax aunt claimed she "didn't post a belief, she posted a fact" I said "no. you posted an incorrect fact that was skewed to make it look like the polio vaccine underwent 35 more years of research than it actually did and I corrected you." It's amazing to me that technology that has been in development for 35 years (mRNA) is seen with such suspicion because the virus it's being used with COVID-19 is new. So the assumption is that the vaccine is "untested" even though the technology behind it has a robust research history. I'm even more amazed by people who are anti-covid vaccine even though they had their full slew of childhood vaccines on schedule. I have two very close family members who refused to get vaccinated (different family members than the two distant family featured above) and they had all of their childhood vaccines. One of them even told me she fully expected that everyone who was vaccinated with the COVID vaccine will die in a few years or even "sprout dicks" for all she knows.... yes... It's imperative that we, as a society, figure out how to address misinformation and disinformation. Certainly, facts/statistics/"Research" are open to interpretation to a degree but much anti-vax info out there is politically motivated. It's not coming from scientists who spend their whole lives studying this stuff.... it's coming from PACs and anti-establishment groups who have beef with the US government and/or "Big Pharma" or Western medicine.
• 
  2020-09-29

  Is This the End of Contemporary Art As We Know It?

  Artist Liam Gillick and a writer for ArtReview, J.J. Charlesworth talk about the changes brought by the pandemic and the many ways that everything will most likely remain the same. Interestingly, they examine the beginning and end of “contemporary art” and the complex web of economic, social, political and cultural factors that are shifting and breaking down in different ways from our current crises. 

In the end, the feeling that art will survive but the idea that this particular period of art and the art world has reached its end is contemplated.
• 
  2021-09-19

  HIST30060 Misinformation

  This image I took down the St. Kilda pier. Someone had left various stickers that spread misinformation about covid, lockdowns and the vaccine. My friends and I decided it was best to remove these stickers as they are quite harmful. Living in Melbourne it has been so tiring watching ‘freedom protestors’ and people from far-right groups constantly spread misinformation and attend protests during stage 4 lockdowns (where we can only leave the house for the essentials). The fear-mongering these groups do its quite upsetting as I’ve seen my friends and some distant family members share their information on social media. The ‘anti-vaxxers’ and covid deniers even compare wearing a mask, getting vaccinated and being in lockdown to the Holocaust, which is so harmful and upsetting
• 
  2021-04-22

  HIST30060: Anti-Lockdown Pub Menu

  This screenshot of a pub's 'freedom menu' captures the way that people's opinions lockdown measures have been expressed in strange ways. It also highlights the unusual propensity for anti-lockdown opinions to elevate their struggle to that of great civil rights movements of history with their persistent use of terminology like segregation.
• 
  2021-09-21

  HIST30060 Footage of smoke on the Westgate Bridge during anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne

  This video was taken on 21 September 2021, capturing the view of the Westgate Bridge from Williamstown, Melbourne, as anti-lockdown protestors fill several lanes and disrupt traffic. The footage shows smoke coming from the bridge and all traffic brought to a standstill. There were also helicopters hovering and police car lights joining the scene later on. I was on a walk with a friend along the Esplanade at the time this footage was taken. It felt quite scary to be seeing aggressive, violent attitudes manifest so close to home. We knew what was going because of news updates coming through our phones. After the initial shock and fear at witnessing this happening on a few kilometres away, my friend and I walked the rest of the way in silence, too appalled by the behaviour to do more than shake our heads in dismay.
• 
  2021-08-02

  A complex decision: Deferring International Students

  In the Center of International Programs, during Summer 2021, some decisions had to be made in the office. Due to internal changes, some applications could not be processed, and I-20s could not be developed. Between 10 to 20 undergraduates and graduate students had to be deferred to have more time to issue their visas. This impacted students as some had already made arrangements to come and each case had to be taken into consideration and also be taken personally. The Center of International Programs has over 20 students preparing to go to the university by Spring 2022.
• 
  2021-10-18

  Don't Forget Your Mask!

  The mask has had a huge impact on our sense of touch and smell. For one, breathing with a mask on was an adjustment. Tuna sandwiches became something to avoid at all costs because of the smell you could be stuck with all day by wearing a mask. There is also something to say about the feeling of a mask around your ears and over your nose. The constant practice of grabbing a mask and putting it around one's ears has become a ritual of protection or habit as we are now bound to this object like that of a cell phone which is now always on our person. The sense of touch also adapted to various kinds of masks that were promoted and the variety of masks that would be marketed for commercial value. The mask, one of the few things that forces us to run back inside the house because we forgot it. The mask, a true measuring stick for how quick we can adapt and change society for better and for worse.
• 
  2021-09-20

  HIST30060: Vaccination Sticker

  The image is of a sticker I was presented with upon receiving my first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, Pfizer. I received my vaccine in regional Victoria and was given the sticker after checking in for my appointment. I was then shown the way to a vaccination booth which was located in the ballroom of a Hotel that had been converted for widespread vaccination. I had been eligible for the Astrazenica vaccine previously in my age bracket, however, I waited until Pfizer was available as there had been less side effects with greater efficacy reported. The vaccines been a contentious issue in the Australian media after delays in our vaccination program and domestic politics overshadowing health advice. These have contributed to a sense of mistrust and paranoia in some.
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  2021-10-01

  HIST30060: White Rose

  I found this sticker while I was walking to pick up a click-and-collect order. I was struck by it because of its reference to 'The White Rose', an anti-Nazi movement begun by Sophie Scholl in 1942 Germany. The insensitivity and total misunderstanding of what constitutes oppression is a touchstone to the anti-lockdown and anti-vaxxer movements. It made me wonder how they could appropriate histories of discrimination - do they simply not understand the Holocaust, or do they genuinely believe that their situation is similar to it?
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  2021-03-14

  Paradigm Shifts

  The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many paradigm shifts; everyone I know has undergone a lot of change in themselves, their beliefs, and in how they view and interact with the world. There is a lot of grief these days but there are changes worth being happy about.
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  2021-09-18

  Biden Administration Sends More Agents to Texas Bridge to Move Haitian Migrants

  It is utterly dismal that this is taking place, and being written about, as if it were compartmentalized from the crisis of mass death facing the entire planet. Face masks are required on all U.S. public transit and on all flights, yet migrants seeking asylum are treated without regard for even their bare minimum safety.
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  2021-02-19

  Absurdist (pandemic) humor

  Sometimes I feel as though the people grifting off of the pandemic and people willingly sharing misleading information for political reasons just do not care about the harm being caused. It is also strange because many people seem to enjoy, like Squidward here, being a bearer of “fake news”.
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  2021-06-05

  Someone else on the internet told me different!

  This is what I imagine people doing when they turn off NPR’s latest COVID vaccines update before heading to the feed store to buy Ivermectin for COVID treatment.
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  2021-10-14

  Biden Says Port of Los Angeles Will Operate 24/7 to Ease Logjam That’s Fueling Inflation

  The global supply chain crisis has led to some unprecedented steps to regain efficiency. How much more recourse do the public and private sectors have?