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Social Issues
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2020-05-29
The Unseen Harm of Western Spirituality
My friends and I had agreed that 2019 was one of the worst years we had experienced. As 2020 rolled in, we made the resolution that this year was going to make up for the last. I devoted myself to spiritual study, enrolled in college to study clinical psychology and went to every concert, show and party that I could get myself to. I intended to live as hard and as fast as I possibly could. That all changed in March of that year when lockdown went into effect. In late 2019 I had already lost much in my life. I was on my second failed marriage, homeless for the third time and was separated from my child, with no idea if or when I'd see her again. I took consolation in spirituality. I dug into Hindu mantras, Wiccan spellwork and Buddhist mindfulness practices without much concern of where they came from or their cultural contexts. I gave up on my spirituality because it didn't give any answers as to why life was becoming so difficult and didn't reconnect with my spirituality until the Black Lives Matter protests overtook Seattle. I initially joined the protests because I wanted to be part of something bigger and meaningful. After several days of getting tear gassed and almost getting arrested, I was determined to figure out what the movement was really about. Being in lockdown gave me the time to research. I learned about the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and just how far reaching the consequences of it were. I learned how nearly every industry in the Western world has its roots in the slave trade, how racism is still alive and powerful today, how there are no easy solutions to this problem that was started hundreds of years ago. The hardest lessons were the ones I learned about myself. My deep dive into spirituality didn't exist without some damage of its own. Much of the spellwork I had practiced had its own roots in various African traditions, many of which had been compiled and processed into a warped Westernized version of themselves. The vaguely Pagan practices I followed picked apart deities from various cultures to suit the needs of White people who couldn't care less what the actual practices were intended for. I had chanted those Hindu mantras without knowing their cultural context. I found it difficult to talk about my practices, not because I couldn't find a community that shared my values, but because I didn't understand what I was practicing or the harm I was doing by following a stripped down version of them. By failing to understand the cultural context of these practices, I wasn't honoring them and in turn, I wasn't honoring the people and cultures that they came from. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade took more than just people from their homelands. It took and often destroyed entire cultures. That which didn't disappear became watered down to suit white tastes as entertainment or a fad. It removed all of the context from many spiritual practices, leaving the cultures they belonged to stripped of autonomy and history. In the modern day, this continues to be a problem. White people continue to consume other cultures for their own gain, often by adopting and reshaping them in a strange attempt at virtue signaling. We are nowhere near finding justice for all of the people that colonialism damaged. A large majority of nations are still considered developing, primarily due to colonialism and capitalism determining that these nations and their people only have value if they can provide something to first world nations. The road to reparation is a long one but it has to start by no longer centering white people and the developed nations and listening to those that have been hurt. -
2022-04-29
An ~Interesting~ Time to Say the Least
After living through it for the past two years, there is SO much to say about the COVID-19 pandemic, and I don’t even know where to begin. I guess the main takeaway is that it really forced everyone’s true colors to show. At the beginning in March of 2020, everyone was so uncertain of what was to come, and that alone made it so scary, that most people had no choice but to make light of the situation. I remember not only the grocery store shelves being empty because of everyone over-stocking their pantries and shortages in general, but also the hobby sections of Walmart and Target being empty, which was truly a really beautiful thing to witness. People were taking the time in quarantine to learn more about themselves whether that meant learning new skills or trying out new hobbies and spending time with their families doing puzzles and playing games as well. For me personally, I taught myself how to sew, which is depicted in the attached photo, as I needed to make face masks for my boyfriend and me (out of an old t-shirt) so we could safely go to the grocery store, before masks were widely available. I also learned how to bake really delicious treats, got back into reading, and even painted a few pictures here and there. Aside from these positives, it also brought out a lot of negatives as well including built up anxiety and anger that came out in the form of a new equal rights movement: Black Lives Matter after George Floyd's murder. It was scary at the time because protests and riots got very violent, but any movement for equal rights is a good movement, so it was a positive in the long run. I would say COVID-19 also played a role in the insurrection at the capitol on January 6th of 2021, and more division between political parties regarding vaccines and mandates. One could go on for hours listing all the positive and negative aspects that came about from the pandemic, but it's most important to recognize how resilient we as humans are. I'm proud of how far we've come. -
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. -
2022-04-28
Xi Jinping Is Betting It All on Zero Covid
This is a news story from The Wall Street Journal by Eyck Freymann. This article is about President Xi Jinping's zero COVID goal. The author argues that this is a risky move for President Xi, as enforcing a zero COVID policy could have many economic ramifications. As of Monday, 45 cities with 373 million people, representing 40% of China’s gross domestic product, were under partial or full lockdown, according to Nomura estimates. More cities and counties are under “static management,” a euphemism for quasi-lockdown. President Xi's COVID policy gets compared to Chairman Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward, where it can start with a noble intention, but turn deadly for the population. Just like Mao faced great food shortages after the Great Leap Forward, locking down centers that produce a lot of the country's GDP is a risk too. -
2022-04-28
What Musk's free-speech Twitter could unleash
This is a news story from Axios by Ina Fried. This is about the ramifications that could happen with Elon Musk's Twitter buyout. The author is worried about both election and COVID misinformation becoming more common on Twitter again. Other things added to this list include: sharing of manipulated media, impersonating others, increase of spam content, hateful conduct, and forms of violence being allowed. -
2020-04-06
2020 is One for the Books
This collage represents the main events going on in our lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. Like one of my pictures says "2020 A Year Like No Other." I wanted to represent the election of Trump vs. Biden because it will more than likely go down as one of the largest and craziest elections in history. It divided the country like no other and is still an ongoing battle of Republicans vs. Democrats. I wanted to show the black square and the protests for George Floyd along with The Black Lives Matter movement. I added the air pollution of Los Angeles before the pandemic vs during. With everyone staying inside and not driving around, air quality improved tremendously. We gave the Earth a minute to breathe and heal. A quick photo to shoutout the flight attendants who have had to deal with some craziness on board for the last couple years. It has not been easy, and everyone needed a vacation after 2020. The media has been a huge factor and enemy for this pandemic. I wanted to show an illustration towards facts and fake news. A huge debate on that especially with my final photo of the protests on the vaccine mandates. The world is divided more than ever and hopefully one day we can reunite we can reunite and look back on this pandemic and remember to love each other and this planet. There were many lives lost to Covid, to suicide, and addiction. Rest in peace to everyone who didn't make it and my prayers with the families who lost someone. -
2022-04-27
Minorities & Covid-19
This text is about the BLM movement & how I believe Covid-19 aided the movement. -
2022-04-21
Does Free Speech Protect COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation?
This is a story from Standford Medicine's Scope Blog by Sharon Beckstrand. This is an opinion piece on free speech and misinformation as it relates to COVID-19. Beckstrand goes over some of the reasoning some might resist getting vaccinated, such as political beliefs. Some of these beliefs can come from well-intentioned individuals thinking they are spreading good information, or from intentionally misleading sources. Both of these examples are classified under misinformation. The author of this asks: how can the spread of misinformation be stopped without quashing free speech? To get an idea on how the United States approaches this with the First Amendment is though Supreme Court cases. The Supreme Court has upheld that false statements are still protected under free speech. A 2012 case of United States vs. Alvarez struck down a law that made it a criminal offense to lie about receiving military medals, as a false statement is still protected under the First Amendment. Other types of speech are not protected, such as: lying in court, making false statements to the government, impersonating a government official, and defaming someone. Beckstrand lays out some of the dangers that can come from the government trying to police false claims. One thing she asks people to consider is that a scientific statement claimed as false today could be considered verifiable at a different time, especially if it is something that has not been studied yet. Additionally, many do not trust the government to not abuse power when deciding what is misinformation. The article ends by saying that if something becomes politicized, they are more likely to view messages from groups they don't identify with as suspicious, regardless of how much evidence there is to back it up. At the end, Beckstrand closes with saying that if we cannot make sound decisions on how we interact with information, we can't make sound decisions about health. -
2022-04-26
HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 140
Republican/ Democrat warfare -
2022-04-26
The world seen inside out
During the pandemic, I felt isolated from everyone. I didn't know how much of that impact that could have brought me. There are things that helped me from that loneliness which is a contributing factor to many people I know. That factor, being Tiktok. The whole world has a sense of unity when posting on social media, but like the picture I added, it is like being inspected under a lense. Many people have received fame and glory from the app. They have a sense of belonging and that gives them power to wield us into thinking the same way they do. I don’t think they are even aware of the power they hold over a crowd. This is similar to Tumblr and the way it led a whole group of people to dislike each other. TikTok has brought interesting ways of bringing people together. It taught a plethora of people about different religions and culture. This is by introducing us with different foods, clothing and traditions. In the beginning people were mad, of course deeming it as ‘cultural appropriation’. Now that changed, and people are shifting to calling it ‘cultural appreciation’. I think if you are not insulting a whole religion or don’t intend to and you like something it’s fine to use, wear or eat. I’m Mexican and Catholic and if someone were to ask me questions of both I would be happy to answer them questions and I wouldn’t care if they ate the food I ate, if anything it’s a good thing. I realized how much people take a lot of things to heart, and I do it too. I’m still learning how to not let the little things get to me. However with religion/culture I don’t think anyone is out to get each other. If anything it makes me happy to see people being curious and exploring new ways of living. -
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. -
2021-01-01
How was life like before covid 19 impact happened
before the pandemic happened I didn't have to worry about getting sick with my weak immune system but when covid happened I had to take extra precautions on what I do so I wouldn't catch covid -
2022-04-23
#rel101 covid reflection story
this is a short reflection about the changes that happened during the covid-19 pandemic and the divide that occurred amongst American people -
2022-04-21
Effects of COVID - even in April 2022
This a screenshot of a Twitter post. In the post, @DrumUltimA describes how even in April 2022, COVID-19 is still having major effects on different aspects of his life. He also points out that he disagrees with so many precautionary measures being dropped. These viewpoints are important as it shows that even though many mandates, regulations, and laws meant to prevent COVID-19 have been lifted, COVID-19 is still around and causing many problems for people. -
2022-04-19
Twitter post in response to masks no longer being federally required on planes
A Twitter user, who works in a hospital, shares her frustrations after masks are no longer federally required on planes. Many people are happy about this ruling, but others, especially those on the "frontlines" in the hospitals, are expressing their frustrations with people acting as if the pandemic is over. -
2022-04-15
Why the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Disproportionately Impacted BIPOC and Women With Autism
This is a news story from Now This News by Talia Smith. The author says that over the course of the pandemic, BIPOC and autistic women have been disproportionately affected. BIPOC parents who were not able to work remotely struggled to support their autistic children. One study led by the NIH analyzing the impact of the pandemic on BIPOC and low-income populations shows that families with a child living with autism witnessed an increase in sleep issues and behavioral problems, in addition to increased conflict between children and adults and the use of more severe disciplinary methods. In a study published in “Molecular Autism,” researchers revealed that for adults with autism, the pandemic brought relief from certain stressors like “sensory overload” and ultimately led to an “increase in solidarity.” -
2022-03-31
Suicide Statistics Against Queer Youth
Suicide statistics against queer youth released by the CDC in the first half of 2021. According to the CDC, 1 in 4 queer children attempted suicide. -
2022-01-18
Is ‘fat positivity’ healthy or dangerous? COVID puts the question in stark relief
This is a news story from New York Daily News by Cathy Young. This is an opinion piece questioning what body positive activists have been claiming about obesity and COVID, with many claiming weight has little to no effect on recovering from COVID. Quoting the CDC, Young says that obesity puts people at greater risk of dying from COVID than those of normal weight. Other parts of this opinion piece deal with the language surrounding the body positive movement, and how there is no distinction made between listening to medical advice and getting harassed. The author says that this is a major issue because it makes it so people reject sound medical advice at the expense of their own health. She says that while outright harassment is cruel, genuine concern and wanting people to improve their well-being is not. There is also criticism towards feminist writers in this article, such as Kate Manne, a philosophy professor from Cornell University, that claims all dieting is "morally bad." Young acknowledges that dieting can be unhealthy, but it is not unhealthy in and of itself. She thinks that if you have realistic goals, maintaining a healthy weight is not impossible. At the end, Young explains that this body positivity movement is destructive towards people, and that those struggling with weight issues should be met with compassion, but not "acceptance." This essay shows some of the social impacts of COVID. With some people reporting weight gain during lockdowns, it is easy to see why body positivity would be encouraged as a result. Though, since obesity puts one at higher risk for more complications with COVID, or any other disease for that matter, it should not be encouraged, in my own opinion. It is one thing to be shaped differently, it is quite another to accept being obese when it poses many health risks. -
2021-11-05
HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 131
Analyzing Democratic election -
2022-03-28
A Voter Registration Rally & Vaccine Clinic
This is an Instagram post by whitneyfordekalb. This is an advertisement for people to attend a voter registration and vaccine clinic. It is calling on a few Black organizations in addition to unions to join the rally. Below are a few sponsors of the event. This event is in Georgia. -
2022-04-11
Custom Black Lives Matter Masks
This is an Instagram post by shopdashofk. This is a post on custom masks with the words "Black Lives Matter" and "I Can't Breathe" written on them. These masks are meant to send a message on racial disparities between Black people and those of other races. Writing messages on masks has been a trend across all political spectrums, with some choosing different slogans or symbols to use, in order to send messages much like the masks featured here. This evokes some of the larger culture surrounding mask wearing in general, where they have been used much like graphic t-shirts to say messages people want heard. It is a new social phenomenon that has come with the pandemic, and it is still popular among some people. -
2022-04-07
Segunda Dose
This is an Instagram post by brunaemirella. This post is in Portuguese. This is a picture of a little girl that just received her second Pfizer dose. -
2022-04-07
Fact Checkers Have Proven This False
This is an Instagram post by labrini_angelidou. This is a parody of the Adam and Eve story in the Bible, but it uses the fruit in place of the vaccine. The snake is representative of those encouraging you to take the vaccine, because the fact checkers have proven death from vaccines to be false. In the tags, many vaccines are listed, such as: Johnson and Johnson; Astrazeneca; Pfizer; and Moderna. -
2022-04-05
Truth Serum
This is an Instagram post by namastou, and is partly in French. The comic posted in addition to the caption is by Ben Garrison, a political comic artist based in the United States. The comic shows how "truth" is being injected into "medical tyranny", and with that, the truth is that the masks are akin to making you slaves to the government, the vaccines cause gene alteration, and that PCR tests can come out as a false positive. -
2022-04-05
Medical Tyranny
This is an Instagram post by namastou. This post is partly in French. The picture depicted are people part of the European Union signing a deal with Pfizer, one of the vaccine producers. The 2030 Agenda that is referenced is about the year 2030 being the year all the problems COVID has caused will be solved. An article is linked to this post in order to give more context to the 2030 Agenda and what it means for this comic. The conspiracy theories surrounding the 2030 Agenda also have to do with the New World Order, which has been a long-standing conspiracy theory even before the pandemic happened. -
2022-04-06
The Pass Wars
This is an Instagram post by namastou. This post is partly in French, and it is a satire on Star Wars. The post references President Emanuel Macron, the current French president in the tags. It also uses the tag #plandemie, which is a French way of saying "plandemic", which is the belief that this pandemic was planned out by the rich in order to get richer and control their populace. They also say #liberté, or "liberty", possibly referring to their side being the side of freedom. #thegreatreset is another tag that is about the pandemic triggering a "great reset" where the rich have almost near control of the population through things like vaccine passports, which would limit freedom of movement if some refused to get the vaccine, thus creating discrimination between the vaccinated and unvaccinated. -
2022-04-06
Pfizer Loyalty Card
This is an Instagram post by 4kron2. This user posted few tags, but the picture does give a lot of information. There has been a controversy on if booster shots are even needed, with some believing that this is a ploy by Big Pharma to get more money from the pandemic. This picture is a parody of loyalty cards some places have where if you buy a certain product or service enough times, you will get a reward. -
2022-04-07
The Elephant in the Room
This is an Instagram post by resistance_awakening_5d. This user posted a picture in reference to the "elephant in the room" regarding vaccines. This being that the unvaccinated are not dying. The user added tags like #pureblood, which means someone that has not gotten the vaccine, and is therefore "pure." Other tags include #depopulationagenda, which references the idea that the vaccines are meant to depopulate the world. #clotshot refers to the user believing the vaccines cause blood clots. These are just a few meanings of the tags used by the author of this post. -
2022-04-07
Brainwashing
This is an Instagram post by we_stand_together_uk. The post shows a comic of a man and his brain full of different narratives, with the man looking fearful. Quite a few of the narratives depicted are COVID related, such as: "masks work", "trust the science", and "get boosted now." The poster themselves in the tags says #saynotothevaccine and #wewillnotcomply, making me believe that they think that everyone that has taken the vaccine has been brainwashed in some way to accept it, when they believe it is dangerous. -
2022-04-02
The Globalist Vaccine Agenda
This is an Instagram post by epochtimes. The Epoch Times is a news organization. According to this post, it says that the vaccine passports are ways to limit freedom from government leaders. From my own experience with these arguments, a lot of it is not based on the vaccines themselves, but the fear of less rights to movement and more government spying. The vaccine passports would just be a way for the government to exert more control over the populace, using vaccines and public health as a facade to that. When I was searching for items to add, I used the #vaccine to find this. Noticeably, I had to click past a few things to even look under this hashtag, and it didn't allow me to see past a few posts, as Instagram has blocked from view many of the search results that come from this hashtag in particular. This was one of the few posts Instagram allowed me to see. -
2022-03-14
Weak Sauce
This is an Instagram post by chrischuckry and it is a political comic on the incompetence on part of the Canadian government and the handling of the pandemic. Obby Khan, who is referenced in this post, is a Pakistani-Canadian politician. This user is accusing him of using the same excuses as Heather Stefanson, who is the premier of Manitoba, a Canadian province. The political comic is upset about politicians in Manitoba "not listening to experts" and allowing the pandemic to become more dangerous. -
2020-06-11
Defund this
A comic strip about Covid-19 -
2020-06-10
Protest Love
A comic strip about Covid-19 -
2022-02-02
Engaged Couple Decide To Require All Wedding Guests To Be Vaccinated — Now Family Is Refusing To Comply
This is a news story from Your Tango by Dan O'Reilly. This is about a couple that required all family members attending their wedding to be vaccinated. The issue with this is that the family does not want to comply to those wishes. This story was originally found in r/wedding on Reddit. According to the bride, her fiancé's family was on board with imposing vaccines, but the bride's own family is 50% vaccinated, with the unvaccinated thinking this is a dumb idea. This has been part of a controversial issue on if vaccines should be imposed. Most of the Redditors had sympathies for the engaged couple and believe it is what was needed for a safe event. -
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. -
2022-03-07
There’s A ‘Vibe Shift’ On Reddit—People Are Sharing Heartfelt Stories Of Loneliness And Isolation Due To The Pandemic And Working From Home
This is a news story from Forbes by Jack Kelly. This story is about loneliness felt from isolation that people are discussing on Reddit. Subreddits like r/antiwork and r/wallstreetbets, a lot of these conversations are sharing details about their feelings they might not want to share elsewhere. Since Reddit allows people to submit anonymously, it gives others an environment they can give more details on subjects they maybe wouldn't tell to even their family members. Some of these discussions are about those that are single and work from home, which creates a very solitary experience. One woman, 27, on Reddit describes trying to join Facebook groups and do online dating to have more interaction during the pandemic. She says she felt a slight panic seeing her other friends get married, have kids, or engaged, which made her feel even lonelier. Others describe the challenges with finding remote work and needing support to help cope with that hardship. The lack of socialization has had massive effect on young adults just starting out in life, and it has given some worse mental health as a result. While some might thrive with being alone, others have suffered. Another woman, 32, says that prior to the pandemic, she was a 'social butterfly' and outgoing, but is now antisocial and a shut-in. She says that she lacks the motivation to go places like she used to. In addition to this, her place of employment is considering permanent work-from-home for employees, making some of those social struggles even worse. Some Redditors ended up giving advice for people that shared stories like these, such as smiling every day towards someone, or going outside for 15 minutes or longer. Simple things like this were common suggestions to help with some people's mental health issues induced because of the pandemic isolation. I think that this story helps show some of the negative effects young people have had with readjusting their entire lives, and then feeling lost once they get too used to it when things are starting to go back to "normal." -
2022-02-03
Study: COVID Vaccination Rates Higher Among Gay, Lesbian Adults
This is a news story for US News by Steven Ross Johnson. This story is about a study on how LGBTQ+ people are more likely to have been vaccinated compared to the general population. In a survey published by the CDC, 85% of gay and lesbian adults received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine compared to just 76% of heterosexual adults. Within the LGBTQ+ community, gay men had the highest vaccination rates at 89%, compared to 81% of women. Nearly 76% of trans and nonbinary adults report having had at least one dose. This study also noted income disparities among LGBTQ+ adults. Those with a $75K income or above and LGBTQ+ had a 94% vaccination rate. For those LGBTQ+ adults below poverty level, the vaccination rate was 74%. Along racial lines, White LGBTQ+ individuals had a 92% vaccination rate. Black LGBTQ+ adults reported vaccination rates of 67%. Overall, this article shows that LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to have less vaccine hesitancy compared to the general population, though income and race make a difference when those elements are combined. -
2022-03-10
Why have women been so disproportionately affected by Covid-19? Experts explain
This is a news story from CNN by Alice McCool. This story talks about the inequalities women have faced during COVID-19. In a CNN poll, women in the G7 countries (US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Japan, and Italy) felt less supported by their leaders than men did. Some of these inequalities include women being more likely to lose their jobs or take on more uncompensated care work. Other things, such as abortion services, were considered non-essential in some countries during COVID. Minority women and poor women were also more likely to work low-paying jobs and bear much of the economic strain. Additionally, trans healthcare was also viewed as non-essential in many places. In places like Uganda, many women lost their safety net provided from schools, resulting in rising teen pregnancies and early marriages. This article continues showing more examples of the hoops women had to jump through compared to men and demonstrates the social issues that got worse as a result from COVID lockdowns. -
2020-12-10
Analysis of Racial Disparity in COVID by CDC
CDC page outlining racial disparity in the transmission and treatment of COVID-19. There are explanations given for the discrepancies pertaining to economic disparity as well. This illustrates the knowledge of the discrepancies in the transmission of COVID-19 across different racial backgrounds and social classes and possible solutions. -
2021-04-08
Did COVID doubters' perspective get lumped in with deniers?
I believe we all know someone during the worst days of the pandemic who doubted that it was as serious as it really was. Perhaps they willingly discussed their perspective, reluctantly talked about it if pressed, or just did not even want to talk about it. I am not talking about the people seen in the attached article that were out protesting masks or vaccines, pushing conspiracy theories on 5G and Bill Gates' love of vaccines. I am thinking of the people we work with, are friends with, or very likely are in our families that just really just wanted life back to normal and did not think the global reaction was justified. A casual search of the internet for the perspectives of COVID doubters, or those who thought that the reaction to the pandemic was over-the-top, immediately sends you to articles and stories about the horrors and idiocy of the COVID deniers who pushed crazy theories about world dominance. Wouldn't it be nice to understand how the middle ground of the pandemic felt, lived, and reacted to the reality of the pandemic, if at all? We owe it to future generations to not only highlight the worst in the deniers, as seen in the attached article, but to also illustrate the everyday people who just were not sure who to believe, fake news or science. One thing is for sure, it is not fair to lump everyone in the middle into the far right. I would like to hear the stories of people who doubtfully lived in the pandemic, their trials, frustrations, and tribulations and if they had any change of heart or ideals. Their perspective will give a further understanding of the sociological impact of the pandemic. -
2022-03-30
President Biden Pressures Congress for Emergency COVID funds
This is a news story written by Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Emily Cochrane and Noah Weiland for the New York Times. The article writes of how President Biden believes this is not a partisan issue, but a matter of health. President Biden is said to have received his second COVID booster prior to making this announcement. Another aspect this story brings up is how BA. 2, a new COVID variant, has made itself known, raising concerns for once it gets to the United States. President Biden has made it known that as these new variants pop up, we will be in our "Next Normal", where masks and other such requirements will be used when needed. In other words, there is no real "end" to the pandemic. -
2022-03-31
How the Pandemic has Helped Working Mothers
This is an opinion piece by Erin Loder for the Pacific Daily News. This opinion piece details the benefits that COVID-19 has brought for working mothers. Loder, a working mother herself, describes having a more flexible schedule to help take care of kids. She says that in the workforce, women often get penalized for having kids much more often than men do, and with working from home, she is allowed to take more time for her kids and save money by not having to pay for daycare as often. Overall, she sees this as a positive turn for working mothers, since the pandemic has given women opportunities to raise their families more as they work. I found this opinion piece a nice take, as it brings out some of the positives women have experienced due to changes having to be made in work-life balance for many people out there. -
2021-06-27
Pandemic lockdown gives a new opportunity towards homeless mental health. A study from Spain
While the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered mental health, see https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/page/mental-health, I hope that there could be benefits to mental health as COVID rates around the world drop. It is now more convenient than ever to partake in counseling services from the comfort of your room, especially if you have social anxiety or pandemic anxiety. Unfortunately, statistics are not out as of March 2022 that demonstrate that mental health is improving with waning COVID rates, instead counselors, psychiatrists, and psychologists seem busier than ever. While telehealth meetings are convenient, wait times and schedules are full of the backlog of people whose mental health was affected by the pandemic. I wanted to find an example of a positive outcome on mental health through COVID's global sweep, especially as COVID wanes. Attached is an example of a study in Spain that focused on a group of homeless in Spain that were in lockdown. "More than 60% of them presented mental disorders and within 8 weeks they were visited in person 2–3 times...Finally, 51.8% were linked to social and health care services and 37% to mental health resources, which can constitute a step forward in their reintegration and normalization." They argue that if it was not for COVID and these efforts, these homeless people may not have been diagnosed and helped. The paper concludes that this study is useful for the future because it shows how under immensely stressful situations, primary and secondary interventions worked. This can be repeated without a pandemic. While the pandemic was very stressful, it reaped some benefits such as a new focus on mental health, new methods of talking with trained professionals, and studied like this that show data of improving mental health in times of stress. -
2021-05-07
The Invisibility of the LGBTQ+ Community in the age of COVID-19
This is an article form the New York Times detailing the views of a transgender woman and her views on the invisibility of Queer people when collecting data regarding vaccines. There has been extensive data highlighting the disparity of President Biden's vaccine rollout along racial and socio-economic lines. Racially diverse and poorer communities have faced some of the greatest struggles when dealing with COVID-19, yet disproportionately have received less vaccines and vaccine availability. While the disparity is recognized, little seems to be done to change it. Further related to the article, the transgender woman in question, Josie Nixon, expressed her fears that Queer people arguably face a greater disparity and fears that the community will become faded in the attempt to quickly roll-out vaccines. Nixon asserts that while there is an abundance of data associated with racial and economically impoverished groups, data related to the LGBTQ+ community is miniscule, which presents a danger of that vulnerable community being left behind. The article's ultimate assertion and conclusion is that Queer people must have greater inclusivity in data collection in order to give a clear picture to the government to aid in the distribution of vaccines. Failing to do so, Nixon argues, places an already at-risk community to greater issues. -
2020-11-17
Punawai Rest Stop For Homelessness
KHON2 News Story on the Punawai Facility. The facility aims to help the community combat homelessness and aid those experiencing homelessness bringing hope to everyone. -
2022-03-26
Locked In and Locked Down: Surviving COVID-19 in FCI Edgefield BOP
The COVID-19 crisis has impacted mass incarcerated facilities at an exceeding rate, exacerbating existing staffing shortage and leaving those housed in large numbers increasingly vulnerable to COVID-19. The Federal Correctional Institution in Edgefield, South Carolina is no exception to this hardship. FCI Edgefield has be forced to expand its use of a practice called "augmentation" or allowing those in non-correctional roles at the prison to work in correctional officer roles. This is because staff members are getting sick an exceedingly high rate, causing some staff to have quarantine for several days while others have chosen to retire early out of the fear of high exposure and incentives losing way due to the crisis. Since the pandemic has taken off, only a small number of inmates have died from COVID-19, about 50 in total. Yet, due to less experienced staff on site due to shortages, one inmate died due to undermined symptoms on January 27, 2021. Overall, stories like these are important because they show how state officials, lawmakers, and policymakers have made little strides in reducing and slowing down the spread of the coronavirus in state and national prison systems. People like my mother, who works at FCI Edgefield, have preexisting medical conditions that put them at a heightened risk for complications if they were to catch COVID-19. Thus, we should make aware that these state officials have waited too long to make strides towards reducing the prison population, routinely rotating staff, and increasing social distance measures in the jail populations. As the pandemic wears on, much is still needed to be done in prioritizing staff and prison populations for vaccination matters. While this idea has generated some wide societal debate, I find it hard to argue that people who work and live in correctional facilities are at a major disadvantage in this crisis. Therefore, it is only fair to consider these high-risk groups first when prioritizing phases and measures of the vaccines and health and well-being. -
2021-09-08
Robert E. Lee Statue Removed from Richmond, VA
The removal of the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, VA was removed because of the racist history of Lee and how he failed to represent the many people living in Richmond today. Richmond, VA was once the capital of the south, but today, it is an eclectic city full of rich history. The removal of the statue was because of the many BLM protests that took place during the summer of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. -
2022-03-21
In Hanover, the anti-LGBTQ school board needs discipline, not protesting students
This story is about the school board of Hanover County in Virginia needing discipline instead of letting it's students protest and participate in walk-outs during school hours because of the policies against their transgender students. The school board is accused of having no intentions of supporting the non-binary and transgender students of Hanover. This is important because it is once again showing discriminatory policies that the school board keeps bringing up against transgender students during the COVID-19 pandemic. -
2022-03-16
School Shootings, I don't miss them.
This is a ParentSquare message from the superintendent from the school district that I work at. A student from the Online school that our district provides as an alternative for students because of COVID-19 decided it was a good idea to shoot at fellow students. This is particularly frustrating for me as a school employee because this student put other students in danger and ended the life of at least one student. Actions like this also put the school employees or outside civilians in danger if they get caught in the crossfire. Gang activity has become an issue in this town and I fear there will be more retaliation and the cycle of violence will continue. This will likely interrupt the student's education even more because of fear or fascination, probably just as much as COVID has. It has become increasingly difficult to engage some students with their students because they are behind maturity-wise after a year of being online due to COVID and this school shooting is not helpful. -
2022-02-16
Destruction of COVID signage/safety equipment
This email chain documents a series of incidents in my workplace where an anonymous individual has engaged in acts of vandalism against COVID safety signage.