Yes, 2020 Has Been One Big, Glorious Hot Mess

I was born in 2002, making me a proud member of Generation Z. My high school graduation year is 2020, and with how the year was going, it was missed. I never really cared about school activities. Like Jughead Jones said “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m weird. I’m a weirdo. I don’t fit in, and I don’t want to fit in.” Despite the irony in a poor script and my cringe to it, this is truly how I felt.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, I initially thought it was going to be resolved within a few days because staying inside seems easy enough. It was a mistake on my part for placing such high expectations on Americans. I think it is rooted from the European ancestors many have and the harrowing itch to steal what is not theirs to claim. Hence the ongoing replication of The Black Death.

The beginning of the quarantine seemed nice: baking bread and Tiger King. 

My district had decided on a drive-by graduation, a drive-in slideshow, and our photos taken. All events dreadfully scattered from May to July. I understand the sentiment of wanting to bring about an important event in our lives the best way possible with a pandemic going on. However, I could not stand another speech beginning with “No one has had it worse than the class of 2020.” The day of the drive-by graduation was during the global Black Lives Matter protests, right at the beginning. More than ever had my feelings of insignificance lingered. My reason for such could stem from hopelessness watching as repercussions not be delivered, despite the outcry. However, such feelings could be rooted in exhaustion and realization. Exhaustion for seeing a community hurt for so long, and the realization of the severity of issues regarding race and new ones being brought into the discussion. It is heart wrenching, but necessary to observe. The Black Lives Matter protests paved the way for many issues regarding POC to gain such fierce attention and intolerance to the problems impacting us for too long. It is an honor to be witnessing this in real-time.

I also got headaches trying to understand why people would defend an organization that has been broken since its birth. ACAB, bitches. 

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Then the anti-maskers! Holy fucking shit, stop it! God damn it! It is not that hard to not be an idiot or selfish because you don’t want to wear a piece of fabric over your face. Then the audacity to protest this. Go drink mountain dew and fuck your cousin away from large crowds. 

Alas, I’m preaching to the choir, I hope.

Despite my anger and disgust continuing for months, there were some silver linings: Hozier reading poetry on Instagram live a few Fridays, and Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix.Through the lenses of a young gal, I came to the conclusion that I have more common decency than most of America, so at least I have that going for me. Being in high school during a historical time was very odd. It felt like being in Inception. Except instead of dreams within dreams, it was an on going purgatory. I cannot really give much more insight into how I see the world through my cataract free eyes. It was, and still is, a very reflective time. It is amazing to see change, though long overdue. 

I make jokes out of my frustration, but it really is a privilege to have financial stability during this time. It is a privilege to be white-passing. I recognize the fortunate life I have. 

With this said, a closing statement: Black Lives Matter, ACAB, Abolish ICE, and Fuck Trump.