Be Proactive Post-Pandemic
By Nyles Pollonais
Rest In Peace George Floyd, and all those who have died at the hands of corrupt public servants. I stand with you, now and forever.
Alright, now that you’ve started your reinvention journey, there’s only one direction you can look — ahead. There’s been so much bad news about our present situation, so join me as I look into our future.
Social distancing has taken a toll on me and my life, as I’m sure it has yours. It’s extremely privileged to be able to stay home, to work from home, and to have a roof over your head without a care in a situation like this. I salute those who work because they must. I also empathize with those whose life has not changed much, and if anything has gotten progressively worse as a result of our circumstances. This pandemic has highlighted the already staggered socio-economic differences this country and its citizens faced. As we approach unfamiliar territory, I ask you to set aside today’s worldly limitations, and to adopt a hopeful view of what our future could look like…one day. We must apply what we’ve learned in these few months to the design of our new world.
Our Current Situation
Like many of you this year has been more than a test, it has been a trial on the sins of our old world, for crimes that many of us did not commit. As protests erupt all over the globe, and nations reckon with their inadequate handling of the pandemic, we anticipate a change for the better. However, in situations like these in the past it seems like things have only gotten worse. Most recently, the killing of George ``Big Floyd’ Floyd has sparked massive unrest across the United States against white supremacy, police brutality, and institutions that allow these murders to evade any legal or judicial correction. That tied together with the impending economic crisis, climate change, the 2020 presidential election, and much more leaves many to wonder where our country will be in the months to come. I hope that we are able to use these lessons to create a world with our leaders and officials that we can all be proud to be a part of.
The Past
In 2016, after receiving the results of our presidential election, I decided to share my thoughts with the world. It was not from a place of academic chauvinism, rather it was from a place of courage — an unpopular sentiment. Many of my liberal counterparts correctly feared the destruction of the American way of life as we knew it at the hands of President Trump. My conservative counterparts figured that there would be a redesign of our political structure at the hands of the president. In a piece published on Medium titled A Ticket on the Trump Train, I hypothesized that our society might be on the brink of unity (at least on the left). I foresaw groups that viewed themselves as separate causes, but on the same general side, coming together for the common good, for the good of the nation. In a sense, I was correct then. We are realizing that all of our problems seem to stem from a common origin. I’m hoping that today, that unity could be extended to all parts of the country as we fight an enemy that we cannot see as well as the enemy who is sworn to protect us.
Human Relations
The preparation for this paper began before Big Floyd was murdered, but since the horrific event has taken place, I thought it only right to include hopes for the future that take into account community policing and race relations. I look at the situation in Central Park with the black man, white woman and dog. For those who aren’t familiar with the situation, the man asked the woman to leash her dog, she refused and called the police on the man, accusing him of threatening her. As a result of their encounter and her weaponizing of the police, she has since lost her job. While many praise her employer for firing her, I look at their handling of the situation as childish and uninformed. This woman will only be forced into the depths of ideological immorality leaving her susceptible to developing more racist thoughts. Instead of isolating this woman, and people like her, it’s important to look at their irrational fear and racist behaviors as a mental health issue. Rather than adopting the oppressors' ways of isolating people who violate social norms (incarceration) we should look into rehabilitation as a way to help re-integrate these people into our world.
Furthermore, as we become increasingly aware of the largely peaceful protests around the country, we also notice the drastic measures states’ have implemented to quell the events. Curfews that try to undermine the first amendment’s right to petition the government for a redress of grievances, excessively militarized police forces with unknown vigilants who harass peaceful protestors, and censored documentation of these situations proves to us that our democracy has become something else. The cause of these demonstrations started with Black people, but I don’t believe it should or will end with us. If we don’t believe that police brutality can and will spread to every group of this country, we will be sadly mistaken. Our government is becoming more and more fascist by the day, and if we do not criticize the response to our peaceful demonstrations, then police brutality will become a norm in a country that touts liberty and justice for all. Looking at other revolutions around the globe, we notice in places like China, Argentina, Syria, and Russia the same tactics implemented on our soil. Moving forward, we must continue to protest, and continue to share in the outrage. We cannot allow the cause or the states’ militarized reactions to become normal in our United States.
The Environment & the Economy
As we distanced ourselves from each other and the world economy took a turn for the worse, we noticed the environmental effects of our social policies in certain parts of the globe. From an increase in air quality in Shanghai to wildlife returning to the streets in India, it seems like our social distancing isn’t only saving the human race, but Planet Earth as well. While a large segment of the workforce works from home, I figure that this trend may be for the better. An IBM survey revealed that 54% of Americans would like to continue working from home after the social distance rules have been discarded and the coronavirus pandemic has ended. This may be the break that the globe desperately needs. If we allow people to work from home, we have the chance to reduce automobile emissions, improve the qualities and structures of our cities, and to redesign the employer/employee dynamic. If we take the results of this change into account, we have the chance as a society to correct the injustices of our predecessors and to create an economy that works for the people and cities built around human life. Moving forward, we should consider ‘social distancing’ at work to promote the rehabilitation of our environment and to improve our economic system.
Social Media
During these past few months — before the death of George Floyd — I took the time to distance myself from social media. I’ve always wanted to detach, but I never could find the right time. I either needed to network through Facebook, reconnect with an old friend, or check out a prospective date before I could let go — each time looping me in deeper to the web that is social media. Well, about a month ago, I finally did it. I deleted my Facebook account and removed all social media apps from my phone. It was such a rewarding experience. I began to reconnect with the people who were present in my daily life, and to stop comparing myself to others so intensely. I finally felt like me, again.
However, this became difficult when I heard of Big Floyd’s death. As an avid political student, it is always in my best interest to stay up to date on current events. Although it was rewarding to detach, it would be irresponsible to not remain updated on the current affairs of the world. It’s a love and hate affair at the moment, but moving forward as we approach a version of our world that has not yet been formed, I urge those around me to step away from social media. Outside of the privacy-infringement concerns that plague the social media giants, there exists an unhealthy neurological relationship with these platforms that can leave us physically and permanently scarred. Let us slow down and learn how to make good use of each other’s time in our new world.
Implementation
Unintentionally or deliberately, we are on the path to change as the country sees protests grow larger by the day. We have the right as citizens of this world to design, scrap, and to recreate the ways in which we engage with each other. We have an obligation to the younger generation to leave the world in a better condition than we found it. We start with mindfulness of our actions and inactions. What happens here in America will reverberate through the rest of the world. Though, it can be hard to separate from what we have always known, and do tend to fear the unknown, we must push into the new frontier.
Moving forward, implementing these ideas may be as simple as redesigning the ways our cities work by changing the policies by which we abide. Let us start small by having local conversations with our neighbors. Let us challenge the institutional structures that refuse to hold police officers and other public servants accountable. These ideas may be a long way away from actualization, but I fear that if we do not take the lessons we’ve learned from the world as we knew it, the world we approach will be much worse. When things return to a sense of normalcy, it will be us forcing the hand of change.
Pictures from the Lawrenceville, Georgia City Hall Protest June 1st, 2020:
Meet the Writer
Nyles Pollonais graduated from New York University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He is a writer, entrepreneur, musician, and future educator who spends most of his time focusing on political theory and current events. He encourages you to take a look at his company, Binary Aeon, and the work they're doing to protect individual data rights and online privacy.
