Our ancestors, historians, and those of us who happen to still be alive, will refer to this moment—the year 2020—with an as-yet-to-be-coined term, the meaning of which will be similar to: the watershed.
The bubonic plague years in the 1300s were not called the Black Death until centuries later. It was the middle-ages. Religions were governments; they blamed any faction of "outside group" who they deemed deserving of death (the only thing they didn't do was blame the fleas or their deity).
The world war of over a century ago, was not called either the Great War nor the First World War until decades later (for obvious reasons) but it was referred to as the war to end war in its time, allegedly as a call-to-arms and a reason to be proud to fight the Germans (after the Second World War, it may have retained the label 'the war to end all wars' in a sarcastic manner).
The 1918 influenza pandemic, which—coincidentally—overlapped the first world war years, was mis-labelled the Spanish Flu because Spain was neutral during the first world war and, therefore, had no reason to prevent their press from reporting its serious death toll.
A few months ago, a large percentage of the world's population was correctly directed
not to go outside, nor to work, nor to school—so as to slow the rate of infection of the virus, which would allow the health care systems of the world to keep up with the expected increase in the rate of infection. Many disregarded this guidance; especially the ignorant sociopaths who supported and continue to support the current federal administration's policies. Today, many
health care systems are so over-burdened they are forced to choose who is too sick to receive their dwindling supplies. Death panels are a
thing in the US today (so far, the press is too kind to label it that).
I wonder. Are we all too deep in the weeds to step back and see the forest from the trees (I like mixing my metaphors)? I think we're actually standing on the top of the watershed, looking over the top of that weedy-forest.
Behind us are all the past horrible US political administrations which scorned its citizens; all the previous times a police officer murdered a black man; all the past memories of people who died during a plague when their governments blamed others; every historical government which bailed out a bunch of corporations and let their average citizens go bankrupt.
Ahead of us are . . . all up to you . . . (
my crystal ball is for ornamentation purposes only).
Tens of millions of your neighbors are on unemployment and can't pay their rent / mortgage.
The government would rather point its finger at the
protestors and demonstrators (who just want their governments to change their law enforcement officer's behavior and stop murdering citizens).
The administration has already provided hundreds of billions to corporations to keep the stock market from crashing; today it seems poised to allow banks / landlords to evict, and wants to drastically reduce you and your neighbors ability to collect enough unemployment to feed your/themselves.
Hurricane season has begun. Did wildfire season ever leave? Floods will be back soon (and never left in many places). Earthquakes and tsunamis could be just over the horizon. Terrible events will overlap this terrible pandemic; we all must do everything in our power to support each other and work together for all of our futures. Together. I say it this way, because . . .
Plagues of the past have always lasted years—not months—three to four years, on average. That's either the entire Biden presidency or the entire second Trump term. And you think things will be different in today's world? Why?
A 2021 vaccine will (likely) only be able to provide the same protection that the normal flu vaccine provided/provides. Look backwards to the past-side of this watershed moment, in your rear-view mirror; did you routinely get your flu vaccine? Every year? Did everyone you know? How many anti-vaccine people live in your community? How many people you know already refuse to wear a mask today? Do you actually think anything is going to change?
Pessimism 101 teaches that, statistically, Trump will be re-elected.
The sped-up approval process for the vaccine will not work very well, and be given out in a much too-little and much too-late manner; consequently, the world-wide death toll in a few short years will be difficult to pin-point (many countries like China have already drastically under-reported) but a softball estimate is 100 million; the US death toll will be (slightly) more accurate: at a little over twenty million.
Because of massive homelessness, unemployment, systemic racism, a broken criminal justice system, unfettered militaristic police agencies, and very-poor recovery of several major sectors of industry and commerce the US will undergo a real constitutional crisis—some will call it a coup.
But. Optimism/realism 101 teaches that, intelligence prevails and Biden is elected.
The vaccine works ok, but needs to be booster-shot every 90 days. The new administration passes a law: every employer, school, hospital, and restaurant/store, is required to check every employee, student, patient, and customer's up-to-date shot record before they can be paid, get a report card, check-in, or buy anything. World deaths top 6 million; US deaths reach slightly more than 1 million.
The US congress and senate, with Biden's administration, begin to make changes in the legal system (Police unions are banned nation-wide). Many laws are thrown out; things which were once illegal are now legal. Police who murder are sent to prison; smaller, better-trained police departments actually protect all classes and races of their citizenry and are required to adhere to a new service oath (two-time violators of this oath are terminated). A series of massive WPA-level retraining- and work-programs boost the economy. The world begins (by 2023) to limp back to its feet.
