Pandemic Politics
This time allows perplexity at certain issues. I found a handful of captivating phenomena in the political realm. The astounding symbolism behind face mask use, for instance. Supply shortages for first responders and essential workers seem to be an organic consequence on the lack of coordinated actions at sub-national levels. However, what strikes unequivocal is political partisanship symbolized through its use or lack thereof among citizens. Generalizations aside, it can truly serve as a marker on views about lockdown deadlines and re-opening processes.
In overnight discussions with Argentinian fellows, coming from in-our-twenties-Latin American- protest culture’s expectations, we wondered about American political culture. And just as our inquiring claims settled, May Day brought a crash course on current protest landscape. On one hand, essential workers protesting by staying inside and not attending workplaces. I’ve sensed the “heroism” rhetorics is becoming instrumental to over applauding and less actual engagement with worker’s rights. Amazon, Whole Foods, Instacart, and Target among some of them (all of whose delivery services I only learned about in the U.S.). I never had groceries delivered in my life.
On the other hand, Michigan protests with armed individuals inside the Capitol building. Needless to say, not wearing any form of actual protection against the virus other than weapons and hate. Blatantly upholding white supremacist symbolism. In response, armed black citizens escort a black woman local lawmaker. Meanwhile, as Georgia attempts what seems to be a premature reopening, citizens protest with a mock funeral procession. Finally, both contemporary lynching and concentration camps represented by Ahmaud Arbery’s assassination and Carlos Escobar Mejía, the first ICE detainee to die from COVID19.
I’m trying my best to remain hopeful, but there’s a fine line between staying positive and frantically negating truth. I do not wish to participate in the form of femininity that requires me to be a passive monolithic apolitical being. I firmly believe that those preconceived notions have encouraged the study of politics to concentrate for too long on who’s the best candidate to uphold power. This pandemic politics is proof of a need to go beyond compulsory fixation over electoral races in the conceptualization of politics.
