Corona Letters #36

You know when you're watching a horror movie and things are seemingly getting back to normal but the music tells the audience that something very bad is about to happen?

It seems like this is where we are in our movie titled "2020".

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I haven't written a blog for three weeks and SOOO much has happened in those weeks.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention George Floyd's death in what can only be described as an act of overt and intentional police brutality.   His death unleashed a wave of protests and riots in this country that hasn't been seen, if ever, for a very long time.  The Black Lives Matter movement is finding its' way into very white suburbs and forcing white people to look at both the history of racism and it's present presence in a way that has never been done before.   Thanks to social media, there is finally a platform that reaches millions of people, people that might have previously been able to hide from the brutal truths of racism and white privilege in this country, and forcing them to take a good, hard look at the realities of being black in 2020.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention this, but I also don't want to delve into a discussion of race and racism here.   I am a woman of white privilege.  I am well aware.   I am working to educate myself, become a more active anti-racist, and most of all to listen, really listen to black voices.

Black Lives Matter.

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I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the current movement to defund or disband the police.

With the awareness of what it means to be black in 2020, one must acknowledge the existence of police brutality and the impact that has on the black community.

I am no expert on this movement and continue to educate myself, but it seems apparent that the time has come to re-evaluate the role that police have in our society at this point in history.   Also, the time has come to evaluate where local and state funds should be allocated so that the most people can feel safe and protected.

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The last blog I wrote was on Memorial Day and it was probably too emotionally filled with a lot of anger about people deciding not to wear masks.   They were done with the pandemic and wanted everyone to know it.

They just wanted life to go back to normal.

This kind of seems funny to me now that this made me so angry.  Who knew what was to come?  There is so much more in the world to be angry about.

That being said, I think it's still important to wear masks.

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So back to our movie.

The audience has been watching us experience the pandemic and the protests and riots and things have been really exciting and keeping them (the audience) on the edge of their seats.

Now comes the quiet part of the movie.  The eye of the storm. The unnerving quiet.

The people are so "done" with the pandemic and just want life to go back to normal so they take off their masks and go to the beach, the park, and even Disney world.  They are having fun again.  The audience hears a lot of laughter and splashing and jolly good fun.

The white people, as their usual privileged selves tend to do, get tired of the Black Lives Matter movement and stop listening and stop pushing for change because at some point they realize that real change requires them to step out of their comfort zone and give up some of their privilege.   It's easy for a white person to "turn things off" that make them uncomfortable.  So they do.

I'm not sure what's going to happen next in our movie but I'm pretty sure as we listen to kids playing at the beach, splashing in the water, we are going to start hearing ominous music in the background.  Just like in Jaws, before the Great White attacked.

The music is so un-nerving.

The audience is screaming, "Go back to quarantining!  Go back to wearing your masks!  Go back to listening to the people who have been oppressed for too long! You are all one mankind! Create community!  Care about each other!  You really need to care about each other!

Quick!  It's almost too late!"

Will we listen?  Or will we be as stupid as the kids who go into the garage filled with chainsaws to hide from the murderer on the loose?

Stay tuned................

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Wow.  That was way more political than I expected it to be.

Oh well.