Items

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  2021-04-12

  Corona Vocabulary

  This is a comprehensive (but not exhaustive) list of the most common Corona themed vocabulary used by in the U.S. While a definition of each term is not provided, linked websites provide context and explanations of many of the words. Culled from a variety of real world sources, what is most important about these terms is what their use says about the culture they created/were used in. From the use of everyday pandemic language, researchers can gain a window into the COVID experience in a way that is inaccessible even in photographs. These terms also show the United States was undergoing dramatic social and cultural change and some terms highlight the political conflict that was often meshed with Corona in the U.S. The vocabulary also shows a degree of conformity in U.S. culture as all of these terms became part of most Americans' vocabulary. The case of the work "healthcare worker" and "virtual" are two examples of this. Before medical staff, nurse doctor, EMT, online, distance learning, etc. were used to refer to these things, but now Americans have dropped them for the COVID versions. This shows how powerful Corona vocabulary has become.
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  2021-01-21

  Corona Culture Products

  These pictures are a collection of Corona themed products from summer 2020 to January 2021. As you can see, there was a great variety of products and some of the most unusual appeared starting 2021. Of particular note is the coffee mug and a small wall plaque. Even the infant phrases "Social distancing" and "Healthcare worker" had crept into daily items in real stores. By fall, masks were being advertised in stores on long plastic hangers and had become just as common on random aisles as dish gloves, scrubber pads, and dryer balls. By January 2021, companies had begun to get creative with masks and shields. The final picture shows a set of children's face shields encased with the features of animal heads. This was likely to appeal to children who like to pretend to be animals. One company also began to make masks in small, medium, large, and extra large, to accommodate the variety of face shapes among the public (not pictured). The most important thing about all these products is that they show how deeply embedded Corona had become in United States culture despite the fact that it was not even a year since the virus appeared in the U.S. This indicates that companies were actively involved in both creating and maintaining a COVID consumer culture that tied what people experienced to what they could buy. Although more difficult to determine, it also shows a demand for such items both out of necessity (masks) and for leisure or fun (mug, animal shields). These items also reveal that COVID-19 was a highly unique event in that it was so marketable. No other event in the 21st century generated as much cultural/societal presence as Corona. These products should be further studied to see what better understanding about Corona can be gained from them.
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  2020-05-28

  One Way Only Signs in Texas Stores

  These are pictures of one-way-only signs posted in a Texas Walmart on May 28th and June 11 2020. Many stores such as HEB, Target, and Sam's Club also had similar signs in there stores. The purpose of these signs was to encourage the public to walk in only one direction on each aisle of the store. Stores created an elaborate zig zag pattern using this method. At the time, it was thought that the risk of contracting COVID could be minimized by keeping people from congregating in the same space such as going in and out of the same aisle entrance. Some peopled followed the signs, but it was not a state law so others did not. These photos are important because they show the great extent stores took to try and minimize the spread of COVID. Stores were very concerned about projecting the image of a safe shopping experience in their stores. However, they also hint at the legalistic bent many COVID precautions were beginning to take on. Another implied effect of this arrangement was that by encouraging all people to go in the same direction, stores increased the risk that their customers might catch COVID-19 as everyone was to follow the exact path the person in front of them had. This was the type of situation these signs were supposed to prevent.
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  2021-04-05

  The Holderness Family's Corona Culture Parodies

  The following music videos cover different aspects of the 2020 COVID-19 experience through a family's hilarious parodies of popular songs. In "Wash or Dang Hands" (March 2020), "End of the Roll" (April 8 2020), and "Quarantine (is Not Quiet Over)" (May 4 2020) the Holderness family uses humor to lift the spirits of people affected by increased sanitization, toilet paper shortages, and a longing for the pandemic to end. The videos take the everyday pandemic experiences of millions of people to produce funny lyrics that resonate with listeners because of their light-heartiness, and truthfulness. While all fun and games, these songs also help people to begin to crystalize their thoughts about Corona Culture and develop a better understanding of their experiences and the experiences of the world they live in. "Quarantine (is Not Quiet Over)" in particular serves as both a much shared expression of hope and a sort of prophecy for the future. It expresses the fatigue the world is experiencing due to the demands of COVID-19 and also expresses wishful hope (and doubt) that 2021 will see the end of the pandemic. These songs merit more study because of their immense cultural value during the Corona era.
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  2021-03-10

  At Home COVID Easter Egg Hunt Supplies from the City of Pflugerville Texas

  This photograph shows an advertisement from the City of Pflugerville in the State of Texas. It announces that in lieu of its annual Easter Egg Hunt, the City of Pflugerville is offering families $5 at home egg hunt kits containing 20 eggs prefilled with "candy and toys" for children. Although this advertisement is for the 2021 Easter season, one year after COVID became a problem in the United States, many cities, towns, business, individuals, and other groups still wished to avoid in-person gatherings because they believed doing so would prevent additional hospitalizations and deaths (despite precautions such as masks, social distancing, and increased vaccinations). The advertisement communicates the sense of "cautious caution", in other words hesitation and apprehension, that many people still have about large gatherings, yet it also shows the strong desire to continue age-old traditions. This is also an excellent example of modifying public activities and events for at home enjoyment and performance. This became a mainstay during the spring and summer 2020 lockdowns and continued, for the most part, throughout spring 2021.
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  2021-03-02

  A Song in Honor of the End of the Texas Mask Mandate

  These lyrics were composed by an anonymous individual to celebrate Governor Gregg Abbott's March 2 2021 announcement that he was ending the Texas state-wide mask mandate on March 10th. The person who created this song composed it in a state of happy exhilaration and surprise. The song communicates a couple of things about people who do not like wearing masks everywhere they go when they are outside their homes. First, it captures a deep sense of longing to return to prior days when people did not wear masks and the comforting sense of normalcy that experience will bring again to the individual. Secondly, the last two verses express vigilant expectation and a sense of celebration for a day that the person was not sure would ever come again. The song as a whole is meant to be a positive statement of hope and a celebratory goodbye to a long-distained, yet new, custom.
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  2020-09-24

  Corona Clothing #3: "We're All in This Together"

  This is yet another example of Corona themed clothing from a Ross in Round Rock TX. This shirt boasts the popular phrase "We're all in this together" which was a widespread "rallying cry" so to speak for people to unite in weathering the COVID-19 pandemic. The shirt shows smiley faces surrounding the phrase. The shirt is intended to comfort people by letting them know their are not alone while they experience the changes COVID has caused in around the world. The phrase also serves to motivate people to be strong and focus on willingly bearing the changes that need to be borne to defeat the virus.
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  2020-09-24

  Corona Clothing #2: "Social Distancing Queen"

  This is another COVID-19 inspired shirt from the same Ross in Round Rock TX. It shows an African American woman with an afro wearing a orange, yellow, pink, and purple mask. written on her hair is "Social distancing" and beneath her is written "queen". This is the first example I had seen of Corona themed vocabulary appearing on a clothing item. This shirt states that the woman in the picture, and the wearer of the shirt, are social distancing experts. It also implies by the word "expert" that the person wearing the shirt is very diligent in making sure they follow the proper social distancing requirements because they want to do their best to protect others. The term "queen" according to Lilian Esene is a specific cultural reference to "a collective effort to overwrite the negative connotations [of certain terms] that, historically, have often been associated with" undervaluing and demeaning "black people". "It’s all done to contrast the way that our history and our persons have been portrayed in school curriculums, books and the media" she states in her article on The Gazette website.
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  2020-09-18

  Corona Clothing #1: "Staying in is the new Going Out"

  I took this picture in a Ross store in Round Rock TX last summer. It reads "Staying in is the new Going Out". This is the first instance I had ever seen of a clothing item referencing COVID-19. The shirt implies that with all the stay at home orders, lockdowns, and closures taking leisure time at home is the new way to have fun and enjoy yourself. Noticed that it is also lounge wear. I did not realize it at the time, but many items of Corona themed clothing are casual or lounge wear likely both as a funny gesture and to suit the natural desire to wear comfortable clothing when confined at home for extended periods.
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  2021-03-06

  The Unsung Spreader: Touch and Coronavirus

  This story tells about a overlooked aspect of the pandemic. It offers some background into why this person thinks this issue is important and uses eyewitness and second hand accounts as evidence for her position
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  2021-03-06

  Stepping into a New World: Embarking on the COVID Journey

  This story relates how Corona began for me. It is a valuable primary source covering a person's lived experience with how Corona began and covers a unique circumstance.
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  2021-02-26

  Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition's Message About the Importance of Masks in the Black Community

  This twitter post by the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition features a video explaining (interestingly with some subjectivity) the importance of wearing masks for the Black community in Boston Mass. It briefly explains the successful triumphs the U.S. African American community has had in fighting for their quote "civil rights" and "lives" and that they now cannot allow quote "the air" to kill their people and destroy their communities. A topic that came up in one of our weekly meetings a few weeks ago was the impact of "shame" on the behavior of people. This is exemplified by the elderly woman who stares disapprovingly at the young man who did not wear his mask. The subjective impression conveyed is that you should wear your mask because it is a shameful disregard for human life if you do not. This twitter post shows the efforts of the Black Community of Boston to raise awareness of the importance of mask use and shows the care and concern of the Black Boston community for its members.
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  02/23/2021

  Beverly Van Note Oral History, 2021/02/23

  I recorded a mini oral history with my former professor Dr. Beverly Van Note.
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  2021-02-07

  3 More Vaccine Differences by State Stories

  Shows the differences in individuals included in vaccine phases in different states. It is important because it lets people see the official categories and who should have been when.
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  2021-02-07

  2021 ASU Graduation?

  This story tells of my experience of hoping for a spring 2021 graduation. It is important because it captures my feelings about it and shows how closures are still happening in 2021 like they did in 2020.
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  2021-02-07

  Lost 16th Birthday Gift

  This document recalls my sister's cancelled 16th birthday present and her perspective on the closure of events in 2020-2021. It is important because it captures a unquiet perspective from a teens point of view.
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  2021-01-26

  Documents that Explore Vaccine Differences Between States

  It shows the differences in vaccines between states which will be valuable in the future.
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  2021-01-17

  5 Positive Things That Help Me Deal with the Culture of COVID-19

  This documents are important to me because they show what I do to help me deal with the pandemic. They are also important to me because reveal a unique perspective and way of interpreting events that I believe will be valuable for the archive. Description of Images: An abandoned glove and mask in a parking lot. Such sights became as common as other forms of litter. A shield hat to protect against Corona. I never dreamed these existed. This tag shows store associates that this item (which was returned to the store) is officially sanitized and can be put back on the sales floor. This is not a tag shoppers were supposed to see, but it must have been missed.
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  2021-01-17

  Old and New: Holidays in Round Rock Texas

  These documents tell the story of my COVID-19 Holidays. It is important to me because it shows what changes I experienced in my holiday plans and offers a unique perspective. Description of images: 4th of July Concert at the Dell Diamond Baseball Park in Round Rock TX. Note the 4-person "Pods" on the grass indicated by the blankets. The blankets were brought by people who had purchased a Pod. Google Santa Tracker Dec. 24th, 2020.