2020, A Year In Review

By Andrin Bar, Editor

THE END: Let’s hope 2021 is boring.

I can still remember the last day of 2019. The year hadn’t been fantastic, the Notre Dame had burnt down, Brexit had dragged on endlessly, a church in Sri Lanka was bombed, Christchurch Mosque was the site of another brutal shooting, Tornadoes and Cyclones buffeted the world, Puerto Rico shook with earthquakes, and Grumpy Cat, a beloved icon, passed away. Everyone was excited for the year to end. Back then, we hoped 2020 would be better. New years day promised a second wind, perhaps we could make the world better. There were fireworks lit, there was non-alcoholic champagne drunk, and cheesy cards wishing us 2020 visions for the future sent. Unfortunately, we could not have been more wrong. Having lived through 2020, all I can say is that if this is 2020 vision, I just about wish to gauge my eyes out.

January began the year, and it was a fiery warning of what was to come. In fact, fiery perfectly describes the situation in Australia, where the bushfires, now referred to as “The Black Summer” burnt on after their start in 2019, eventually burning almost 19 million hectares of land, including over 3000 houses, and ending the lives of 33 people and 3 billion animals. What was so cruel about these fires was that many animals died trying to escape them, but were caught in fences created by humans, where they struggled until they perished in the flames. Perhaps we should have seen the event for what it was, a grim reminder of how human negligence and foolishness could lead to tragedy, and also foreshadowed how bad leadership could lead to chaos, as prime minister Scott Morrison buggered off to Hawaii as his country burnt behind him. January also saw the eruption of Taal Volcano in the Philippines, which caused the evacuation of thousands of people and killed 39, the initiation of the impeachment of Donald J. Trump, and the United Kingdom beginning to withdraw from the European Union. Certainly not a good start. But it is undeniable the largest factor that made this year what it was began on January 30th, when the World Health Organisation deemed the outbreak of a new coronavirus in Wuhan a public health emergency of international concern. Oh, if only we had listened then. Reactions to the virus were varied. Panic buying became common, as rumours began to spread in Australia that its primary source of toilet paper was in China. Here, we see the beginning of the role news played in how this year went. See, if the news had been clear and said “No. Toilet paper is primarily produced here in Australia, as it is too expensive to ship.” there likely wouldn’t have been a problem. Unfortunately, this didn’t come until later. Much later. So late, in fact, that the toilet paper crisis had begun. The news panicked. What to tell people? “Don’t panic buy toilet paper everyone, it will be replenished. That being said, it will be off the shelves for the foreseeable future…so maybe do pick up a couple extra rolls…” was not good enough. And then, a rumour that had started in Australia, spread overseas.

In February, the virus received its name, Covid-19. I imagine the first time this name was uttered, the speaker had no clue of just how often that name would be repeated. On February 23, riots were reported in Delhi, which led to the deaths of 53, and over 200 injuries. Almost 2000 people were arrested as a result, and across the world, the stock market crashed as a result of the fear caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Friday, March 13th 2020, was the last day that any of us spent on the Poly Campus, as the stock market continued to plunge, with Covid-19 arriving on American shores. Still, we were hopeful. If everyone followed orders, we would need to stay at home a few weeks, perhaps 2 months, and the spread would be contained. As of the writing of this article, it has been 280 days since I have been able to leave my home without a mask, or see my partner, my friends, or my extended family. Toilet paper began to return to shelves in Australia, though overseas there continued to be a shortage. Conspiracy theories began to form. People needed something to blame Covid on. So they looked around for something that seemed suspicious. Wait a minute…what’s that over there? A 5g tower you say. Hmm…well, the people didn’t like the look of those one bit. And so, destruction began. Workers were harassed by crowds as they tried to repair and maintain 5g towers, and some towers were lit on fire. One problem was picked up very quickly however. How can you tell a 5g tower from a regular phone tower? Well, unless you have a keen eye, you really can’t, and so as was often the case, people just ended up burning down regular phone towers, leading to thousands losing their coverage.

April rolled around, and the quarantine continued. At this stage, most of us were beginning to lose hope in getting back outside anytime soon, as events across America began to see cancellation. But Covid didn’t just affect America, other countries were also in the midst of it, with prisons worldwide releasing prisoners as they feared becoming hotspots. China, meanwhile, reopened Wuhan, after 76 days of quarantine, as numbers had decreased. In the Congo, another disease resurfaced, Ebola. The number of worldwide Covid cases rose to 2 million, and then passed it. China realised they had miscounted their deaths, and added 1,290 deaths to Covid’s kill counter. Oh, remember, dear reader, when we used to deal with single digit thousands in reference to Covid? In May, Covid cases worldwide rose to over one million, and then 10 days later, 4 million. Wuhan saw Covid return, and in Europe, the United Kingdom held the death record, with  32,313 deaths, beating out Italy, whose death toll at the time was 29,029. On May 12, gunmen in Afghanistan stormed a maternity hospital, killing 24 people, including two newborn babies. Flash floods in Somalia killed 24 people, and affected almost one million others. Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 crashed, killing 97 people. Brazil overtook Russia as the second highest number of Covid cases. On may 25th, George Floyd was brutally killed by police officers, sparking outrage and protest in his name. These protests would continue on throughout the rest of the year, fuelled by further deaths, such as that of Breonna Taylor. Unfortunately, at this stage, some people rioted, burning, smashing, stealing, and otherwise causing terror. It is important to note, however, that these rioters did not do so in the name of George Floyd, but used his death as an excuse to carry out their own agendas. The protests for George Floyd remained peaceful, despite the conditions supporters were forced to endure thanks to the fools who turned violent, and an insane overreaction by President Donald J. Trump, who in response to protests about police brutality, sent police to carry out levels of brutality never before seen on such a large scale. But through the clouds of pepper spray, hail of rubber bullets, and battering of batons, the supporters stood tall and continued their protest, despite the pandemic, and the violence they were forced to endure by unmarked police officers.

In June, Vladimir Putin declared a national emergency in Russia, as 20,000 tons of oil leaked into a river. Covid cases passed 8 million worldwide, then 11 million, with 500,00 deaths. In July, numbers would rise to 15 million, and the virus arrived in North Korea (or at least, they officially acknowledged a case in North Korea, most sources agree it was present long before this case). Flooding in China leads to 141 dead or missing individuals. August rolled around, and Covid Cases passed 25 million worldwide. Beirut saw an explosion caused by unstable sodium nitrate that killed 220 people. A Japanese tanker that ran aground at a coral reef in June split in half in Mauritius, spilling 1000 tons of oil into the sea. A hurricane hit Louisiana, the strongest hurricane since 1856 in fact, with 150 mph wind speeds. In September, Typhoon Haishen devastated Korea, Covid deaths worldwide exceeded 1 million, but thankfully, that is actually it. October rolled around, Halloween was cancelled, but that wasn’t really a surprise, and all around the world, governments began cracking down on restrictions, though too late, as Covid cases worldwide surpassed 45 million. Seeing what Haishen was doing in Korea, Typhoon Goni decided to hit the Philippines, becoming the most powerful typhoon in history.

In November, Covid-19 numbers surpassed 55 million worldwide, Hurricanes Eta and Iota hit Nicaragua, and the USA exited the Paris climate accords, despite the worlds typhoons, floods, and storms that climate change had caused. And this brings us to December. As of writing this, Covid-19 numbers worldwide have surpassed 75 million, with the Americas being the front runner with 17.4 million in North America alone. The country remains divided, even after Joe Biden won the election, and there are no signs of Covid slowing.

Look, to put it lightly, this year hasn’t been great. The events I have mentioned above aren’t everything that happened this year, and are very much over simplified. I am sure, reader, that if you look around on the website you are reading this on, you’ll find articles that take more detailed looks at some of the above events, and perhaps some that haven’t even been mentioned. I would know, because I helped edit them. 2019 was already a so-so year, and we had high hopes for 2020. Those hopes, unfortunately, were misplaced. We have lost a lot this year. From great men and women, such as Kobe Bryant, Chadwick Boseman, Sean Connery, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and so many more. Family, friends, lovers. Is it an overstatement to call 2020 the worst year in human history? It certainly wouldn’t be seen as an understatement.

After the disappointment of 2020, I know that telling you to hope 2021 will be better may seem out of place. 2020 has shown us how poor leadership can lead to tragedy, with the Trump administrations blatant mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic in America leading to 313,000 dead Americans as of the 18th of December, 2020. It has shown us how deep discrimination runs, with police officers killing innocent people who they were supposed to defend being pardoned. 2020 has shown us that though death does not discriminate, the American system still does, and that the people motivated by self gain can lead to the downfall of everyone else, all because they refuse to stay at home and wear a mask. But I think what is most important is that this year has taught us not to ignore mistakes. The storms that have devastated so many countries this year are a direct result of climate change, and had we dealt with the issue of climate change sooner, this would have reduced the storms from the above list of events. If Beirut had taken action against the unstable sodium nitrate being stored in a warehouse, it never would have exploded. If police brutality had been dealt with, there would have been no protests, and no more injuries, pepper sprayings, or beatings by police officers. Even the Covid-19 and Ebola pandemic are direct results of the ignorance of warnings by scientists. Bill Gates warned in a TED talk from 2015 that the world was not prepared for the next pandemic, and 5 years later, that warning came to pass. With all that being said, there is still hope. Covid vaccines are starting to be mass produced, and next year, if all goes according to plan, we may even be allowed back to in person schooling. Though this year has been a disaster, it has had successes, like the eradication of wild Polio in Africa, and the numerous achievements made in spaceflight thanks to NASA, and SpaceX. It isn’t much in comparison to all the things listed above, but it is still something.

Now, all that aside, I wish to address you, the reader, directly. The primary readership of this newspaper are the students of Poly Highschool, in Riverside, California. Or as I see them, my fellow classmates. As such, I would like to conclude this long, painful article with a message to you. You see, one day, we will be the generation that inherits the earth. We will be the ones who govern it, to protect it, and to advance it. So, let’s make it our duty to ensure that a year such as this never occurs again. Let this year serve as motivation to not repeat mistakes. We have seen, after this year, the results of warning signs being ignored, and whilst those have come to pass, there are plenty more warnings in this world everyday, plenty more predictions. Now, the only question is: Will you ignore them again?

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and may not reflect the views of the author’s editors, fellow staff, or other groups or individuals.