2020 through Journalists’ Eyes: In the US, 2 Key Words, ‘Anti-Pandemic’ and ‘Protest,’ Appear Everywhere

As we approach the end of the year, how do we look back and assess such a tumultuous and extraordinary year as 2020? The year in the U.S. was characterized by two key words, “anti-pandemic” and “protest.” On the one hand, in spite of the world’s most advanced medical system, the U.S is the country with the worst outbreak of COVID-19 and the fight against the pandemic has been unusually difficult; on the other hand, from the death of George Floyd to the presidential election, U.S. public opinion has been torn apart, with constant protests and society in turmoil. Several China Central TV reporters in the U.S. have captured their perspectives of the U.S. on camera.

The Washington Wall

In 2020, when equal rights marches outside the White House got out of control, it became clear that the newly raised fencing would not be enough. So, later, Lafayette Square in front of the White House was simply encircled by a perimeter fence. Angry protesters can only be contained at a distance by a high wall. In addition to these, the White House has also erected many invisible walls. Single-day increases in COVID-19 cases in the U.S. have exceeded more than 200,000, but the White House has frequently circulated views that contradict the recommendations of public health experts. This wall between politics and science has separated more than 300,000 U.S. families from their loved ones.

Today, the fences erected at the White House are covered with people’s complaints against the government, with some people even fundraising in the community to protect the protest works displayed. The White House tried to use a wall to isolate these issues, but in turn trapped itself in the middle of America’s social problems.

Gilbert’s Troubles

Gilbert is a coffee shop barista. In his eyes he has suffered too much in 2020 as a result of the pandemic; his experiences could have been completely avoided if early attention had been paid to the pandemic as soon as it appeared and appropriate measures taken to bring it under control. Many people at the bottom like Gilbert have been trapped by the pandemic, losing their jobs, homes, health and even their lives. At the end of each year the U.S. current affairs website Politifact names its U.S. “Lie of the Year.” The winner of this year’s title is “COVID-10 downplay and denial.” The reason given by the website is blunt: Other lies are damaging, but this lie is deadly.

Back to Minneapolis

Since the Floyd incident, at least 150 U.S. cities have erupted in a fury of protest. Would the protests that spread across the United States have happened if the scene hadn’t been captured by chance on a cellphone? Reality has given us an answer. In Louisville, Kenosha, Atlanta … more and more cases of African Americans disabled or killed have continued to emerge. It is apparent that the Floyd case is not like the source of a river; it is more like magma flowing beneath the earth, ready to erupt through a gap. U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has called for unity and healing, but if the structural "knots" are not untied, then it is always only a matter of time before the next eruption occurs.

The Election Is Over, but the Wounds Haven’t Healed

As well as skin color, this year divided Americans between left- and right-wing politics and between those with more or less wealth. All of this has created unprecedented rifts in U.S. society. Now Biden has won the election and vowed to bring America together again. But as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen and racial discrimination gets more and more intense, can such a wish become reality?