_Cela is a sophomore journalism major at MU. She is an opinion columnist who writes about daily life for The Maneater._
The Times Square Ball will begin its descent on Dec. 31, 2020 at 11:59:00 with millions across the nation counting down. At midnight, the clocks will change and calendars will begin a new year. However, the end of 2020 does not mean all of our problems will end with it.
In 2021, world hunger will still exist; the coronavirus will still exist; systemic racism will still exist; global warming will still exist. Despite the “New year, new me,” sentiment sure to be circling in 2021, the new year will hold the same problems from before and likely reveal new ones.
The world’s consensus is that 2020 has — for lack of a better word — sucked. So much so that the music group Avenue Beat released a song called “F2020,” which soon went viral on TikTok.
To provide a brief timeline of the events of 2020 so far, we started the year off strong in January when the worst wildfires in decades ravaged Australia and speculation surrounding the possibility of WWIII arose after a U.S. airstrike killed Iran’s top general.
In February, President Trump was acquitted of two impeachment charges and the first American died of coronavirus.
In March, coronavirus spread from Wuhan to Italy, Iran and other countries around the world, and schools began to close and send students home.
The month of April seemed to go on forever, and many people began baking sourdough and banana bread to cope with the boredom and restlessness of staying at home.
In May, Michigan, Washington and Louisiana reached a peak in coronavirus cases. Police killed George Floyd on May 25, sparking a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In June, thousands of Black Lives Matter protests occurred worldwide, and people were made aware of the Yemen humanitarian crisis.
In July, coronavirus testing and experiments for a vaccine continued, and the Tokyo Olympics would have begun if not for the pandemic.
In August, schools started to reopen, and some were forced to close, such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Beirut experienced a massive explosion in their port as a result of a large warehouse fire, killing at least 200 people and injuring over 5,000 people. Actor Chadwick Boseman died after a prolonged fight with colon cancer.
In September, Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, and wildfires in California, Washington and Oregon engulfed the states in smoke. Breonna Taylor did not receive justice when only one of the officers involved in her case was charged with first-degree wanton endangerment charges. Who knows what October, November and December will hold?
Many experts predicted the disastrous events of 2020 due to the inaction and misinformation circulating around the world. Bill Gates predicted a pandemic would take the world by storm in a 2015 TEDTalk. Climate experts claim wildfires will be even more common in the future due to climate change. Global warming and climate change drove many of the natural disasters, and the desire for political and societal change prompted thousands of protests. 2020 represents a bubbling cauldron of unattended problems finally boiled over.
From the publication of this piece, the U.S. presidential election is 35 days away, Christmas is 87 days away and New Year’s Eve is 93 days away. The countdown to a fresh start does not begin on New Year’s Eve, it starts now. Let these dates serve as deadlines for change.
_In pursuit of racial and social equality, The Maneater encourages its readers to donate to the Louisville Community Bail Fund. The LCBF bails people out and provides them with support to ensure they are released, fed and find a place of safety. Donate at: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/louisville-community-bail-fund/_
_Edited by Sofi Zeman | szeman@themaneater.com_
