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I hate to reduce optimism during a tough time, but there's a kind of blind hope that needs to be explored. It goes like this: The Black Plague was followed by the Rennaisance and the Roaring 20s followed the Spanish Flu of 1918, so things will be fine after the COVID-19 pandemic.
We view the past through rose-colored glasses. The Renaissance gave us art & science for the ages, but it also was a time of profound wealth inequity & suffering for many. The 1920s saw the rich & Prohibition criminals party among the deepest wealth inequity the US's ever seen.
The wealthy will do well after the pandemic, just as they've done during the pandemic. But it's naive to think it's guaranteed that our global health crisis must be followed by a period of fun, art, and science. We need to talk about problems & the actions needed to reduce them.
There's a likelihood many Americans will suffer lingering health and financial effects of 2020 and 2021 throughout the coming decade. And that's to say nothing of the economic, technological & environmental problems that will make the 2020s very different from the 1920s.
If we want the post-pandemic era to be one of vigor & success, we must take action today to make it happen. In 2020, the wealthy benefited while the poor & middle-class suffered more. Systemic action is required if we want the next decade to be enjoyed by many and not just a few.
