Introduction
2020 started off hot, literally. Record-breaking bush fires spurred by climate change engulfed Australia displacing 90,000 people and killing over a billion animals. Three days into the year, Trump ordered the assassination of a top Iranian military leader, Qasem Soleimani, and nearly started a fresh war in the Middle East. In the subsequent commotion, a commercial Ukrainian plane leaving Tehran was shot down killing all 176 passengers and crew. Just weeks later basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his young daughter, Gianna died tragically in a freak helicopter crash. By this point, we hadn’t even reached February.
While all this was happening, a novel coronavirus was spreading, at first slowly, and then explosively starting initially in Wuhan, China before quickly making its way around the world. By February 26th, the US confirmed its first case of community transmission of COVID-19, and by March 11th, the World Health Organization officially classified COVID-19 as a global pandemic.
It turns out time in a pandemic is elusive, difficult to recount or retrace. The months of March to September merge into a super month I call Quarantember. Pre-March 2020? Forget it. Those are the lost months. And October, 2020 onwards has been a slog of dealing with a pandecession (pandemic + recession) and an American election that was nearly stolen for all the world to see.
Still, amidst the stressed-mess dipped in doomed-gloom that was 2020, there were memorable cultural events that made us smile, think, dance, laugh, feel schadenfreude and also hopeful for the future. These 2020 events are near and dear to my pop culture, politics, science & medicine heart. And in listing them all, I hope we see the speckles of light that shined bright in the otherwise dark, abyss that was 2020.
20 Memorable Cultural Events of 2020
20. Elizabeth Warren's campaign and dispatch of Michael Bloomberg
Elizabeth Warren's campaign embodied the phrase "policy is my love language." She put out bold, progressive, inspiring policies that were squarely aimed at solving big problems in American government and society. Intelligent, empathetic, and a masterful debater, Elizabeth Warren is who Lizzo was referring to when she rapped "you could have had a bad b*tch." This was best exemplified when Senator Warren single handedly neutered the campaign of former NYC mayor, Michael Bloomberg who at the time had bought his way to the top of the polls. In what can only be described as a verbal flaying, Elizabeth Warren dispatched the notion that Michael Bloomberg was a serious candidate. In the end, he spent over $1 billion dollars to win the American Samoa. You know who loved to see it? Elizabeth THEE Warren.
19. The "Chromatica II" to "911" Transition
If you listened to Lady Gaga's latest album 'Chromatica' released in May of this year, something happened to you around the 17th minute mark. This is when the interlude "Chromatica II" transitions to the song "911" and you are immediately assaulted with sonic, dramatic, campy perfection. From the whimsical and theatric Chromatica II, to the hard, pulsating beat of 911, Lady Gaga said, "I'm going to create a transition that is so (in)toxic(ating)." The internet of course took note and the transition was used to soundtrack classic movie scenes, personal transformations, and my personal favorite - when swing states that were counting mail-in-votes flipped from Red to Blue.
18. Jessica on 'Love Is Blind'
Hey Alexa. Show me someone who's chaotic, a touch neurotic, committed to self-sabotage, and has a little bit of a drinking problem.
Alexa: Say less.
*Jessica has entered the chat*
During Quarantember, a few Netflix shows captured the minds and ‘sheltered in placed’ hearts of millennials. Tiger King was one. Another was "Love Is Blind", a dating show featuring attractive millennials with seemingly no jobs going on truly blind dates, where at first they could only hear the other person. The show featured a collection of characters (Gigi!), but no contestant was more encapsulating of mess than Jessica. She was chaos personified. Flipping and flopping between men, emotions, moods, and desires, she sometimes talked herself off ledges only to turn around and talk herself into taking the plunge. She once fed her dog red wine. I mean iconic and also grounds for reckless endangerment. Watching Jessica jessica (new verb alert!) was an early 2020 treat and a harbinger of the year to come.
Jessica, The Patron Saint of Chaos and Mess. An early 2020 Icon.
17. The Entire Squad winning re-election and silencing their haters
Moderate Democrats and Republicans spent millions of dollars trying to unseat "The Squad" aka representatives Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Presley, and Rashida Tlaib. On November 3rd, all four women cruised into re-election, secured a 2nd term, and showed the nation that they are here to stay.
The Squad has been the subject of innumerable and incessant attacks from the BasuraSwampMonster in the White House who racistly said they should all go back to where they came from and Republicans who run against them because they are fresh out of ideas. Shockingly, even members of the Squad’s own party have opened their mealy mouths to criticize them, including the Speaker of the House, Nancy "will I ever let go of power, keep voting for me to find out" Pelosi.
The Squad are dynamite women of color who dare to speak up in a system historically designed to exclude and marginalize them. They are fierce defendants of the working class and progressive policies meant to improve people's lives. Their return to Congress is a breath of fresh air and a message to their haters on both sides of the aisle, they aren’t going anywhere. Get used to it.
When the haters wished for your demise and your squad emerged victorious, standing tall, smiling, and more assured than ever. We love to see it.
Source: Marie Claire
16. Savage! Classy. Boujee. Ratchet. The Remix
Picture this. It's April 29th, 2020. Much of America is under strict lockdown because the stunt queen of the century - Ms. Rona decided to go on a world tour. Life has become a long slog of zoom hang outs and happy hours. Drinking at 1PM on a weekday has become socially acceptable. All is not well in the world. Out of nowhere, Megan Thee Stallion drops Savage (remix) featuring the indomitable Beyoncé. The song is an immediate bop replete with signature Beyoncé-isms including the fan-favorite and 2020 prescient line: "On that demon time, she might start an OnlyFans." (I mean who here hasn't thought about it? It's a pandecession!). Savage (remix) became a Number 1 song on the Billboard Hot100, was nominated for 3 Grammys, and spawned a TikTok challenge that only people who can actually dance could participate in.
15. Schitt's Creek Sweeping the Comedy Categories at the Emmys
"Ew, David!"
"I love that journey for me!"
"Bebé"
^ A smattering of some of the iconic lines from Schitt's Creek. If you watch the show, you 100% know who said these lines. in what tone, and the context.
Schitt’s Creek has been out for years though only recently did the show amass a huge, cult-like following. On its sixth and final season on air, the show was recognized by the industry when it won nearly all the Emmy Comedy categories. It's not everyday that awards shows leave people universally happy, but Schitt's Creeks sweeping in 2020 felt very much deserved. Now that the show is over, we can all take our time perfecting Moira's accent, which is simultaneously from nowhere and everywhere and you know what, we have no choice but to extend our most exuberant laudation! 😉 (Schitt’s Creek inside joke, if you know, you know)
14. "We did it! We did it Joe. You're going to be the next President of the United States."
The video of now Vice President Elect Kamala THEE Harris speaking to Joe Biden on the phone occupies a special place in my heart. There's so much happening in this video. Harris is dressed super casually in exercise clothes, she has wired headphones jumbled up in her hand, secret service detail hovers in the background inconspicuously patrolling the premises. Her tone is unmatched! It almost sounds drunk, but more so it exudes pure joy mixed with relief after fighting off a BasuraSwampMonster and MAGA-nation during a pandemic for months. The video came out the morning the country found out Biden & Harris officially won. And Kamala Harris' message and laugh was reassuring that human beings with emotions were returning to the White House.
And y'all, America has its first Female Vice-President! A Black woman, Indian-American woman, the daughter of immigrants, and a liberal from California. You know who hates to see it? MAGA-Nation. And we STAN.
13. GenZ and overeager millennials delivering comedic gold on TikTok
I don't have TikTok nor do I plan to get one. Something tells me the moment I download it, I'll wake up in 2024 wondering what happened to my life. The app looks addicting af and now that I'm almost 30, I can tell when Satan is offering me apples. Still, despite not having TikTok, I effectively watch TikTok videos on the daily since they are everywhere on all social media apps.
GenZ and a few millennials are out here producing cinematic masterpieces. I'm grateful for the wonderful TikTok videos, sketches, skits, dances, and my favorite, reenactments and lip-syncs that bring us so much joy. Special shout out to LabShenanigans who was my first foray into the TikTok promise land. He is an example of an account that merges classic pop-culture clips like Mean Girls with biology and science. Who knew this is exactly, and I do mean EXACTLY the content I need injected into my veins on a constant basis during a pandecession.
Fantastic accounts: LabShenanigans, Elsa.Majimbo, Bomanizer, IAmTonyTalks
12. iMarkkeyz Remixes
On March 10th, 2020, the id of our generation released a 42 second IG clip that ended with the following iconic words:
"CORONAVIRUS! Shit is real. Shit is getting real. Woo! Bitch, I'm scared" - Cardi B.
One day later the NBA canceled their season. A day after that all travel from Europe was banned. America had officially entered Quarantember.
On June 4th, Johnniqua Charles went viral after telling a security guard restraining her "you about to lose your job." This video came out during the height of the BlackLivesMatter protests and perfectly captured the resistance and message of the movement.
Both of these videos on their own were fun, relevant, and contained an inherent lyrical quality that iMarkkeyz then remixed, adding lush trap beats and syncopations that were buoyant, beautiful and captured Black’s people's cultural exuberance. These remixes had accompanying videos of Black people, both famous and fictional dancing on beat to the remixed chants. In a world set up to stamp out Black life and Black joy, these remixes reminded us, reminded me that no matter how hard a white supremacist society tries, Blackness and Black joy will flourish. And the remix will always be on point.
11. Republican Calamity
Republicans were a straight calamity this year. I split the tragedy of this party into three categories: the personal, the professional, and the outright pathetic.
The Personal: In 2020, prominent Republican men were decomposing before our very eyes.
A fly landing on Mike Pence during the VP debate. Flies as we all know are attracted to bullshit.
(Images not shown to spare the reader unnecessary distress)
The Universe was sending us a clear message. These Republican men are detritus.
The Professional: The Republican party declared itself morally and intellectually bankrupt in 2020. Their 2020 platform? No platform.
Instead they copied their 2016 platform word for word and didn't bother to change the references to the then outgoing president, President Obama. Imagine being a major political party in the richest, most powerful country in the World and declaring you have no platform. In the midst of a pandemic? Throw them all away. BA-SU-RA. 🚮
The Outright Pathetic: On Nov 7th, after Joe Biden was announced the winner for what would be the first of many times, the Trump administration organized a press conference outside the "Four Seasons Total Landscaping" company. Yes. Not the Four Seasons Hotel, but the Landscaping Company in an industrial yard in the outskirts of Philadelphia.. The somehow perennially booked and busy, Rudy Giuliani spoke in front of the company's garage door next to a sex toy shop and a crematorium. Embarrassing is an understatement to describe this situation. All I can say is the incompetence of this administration is STAG-GER-ING. And hundreds of thousands of Americans are dead as a result.
The Sistine Chapel of Incompetence
10. Mute & Video Off Buttons on Zoom
These buttons were pressed every hour of every day during the pandemic. People signing onto Zoom and immediately muting themselves and turning off their videos is a complete mood. And honestly, an act of self-care. I'm always surprised by how much a few hours of Zoom completely wipes me out. You feel like you just ran a marathon of small-talk with pseudo-acquaintances without alcohol. Zoom fatigue is real. Thankfully with these two buttons, we could virtually be at a meeting, but physically, emotionally, and spiritually be somewhere else. Most likely scrolling the internet on our phones. I stan!
9. Black is King
Beyoncé did again this year what she does best. Release a visual album replete with impeccable fashion, gorgeous visuals, tight choreography, and music that will stand the test of time. “Black Is King” is an ode to African culture and art that felt true to its source. Beyoncé worked with a battalion of African dancers and artists to bring the music to life. The choreography of "Already", the visuals of "Brown Skin Girl," the dance sequence of "My Power" are just some examples of Beyoncé reminding us that she is in fact King, Queen, and honestly the whole Royal Family. “Black is King” will stand tall alongside Lemonade and Homecoming as triumphs that no one, and I repeat no one in the music industry has topped or will top for generations.
Beyoncé showcasing our post-COVID dance moves.
8. Music that brought the club to our homes
“I don’t see how you can hate from outside the club, you can’t even get in”
Ms. Rona has been so nasty and so rude, especially to folks who like to have nights out with friends. Still, we were fortunate to have songs released this year that reminded us what being in a club *would* feel like. "Rain on Me" by Lady Gaga feat. Ariana Grande served outdoor, rainbow festival realness. "Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa served irresistible, with a chance of a dance-floor make out, club jam. "WAP" by Cardi B feat. Megan THEE Stallion served 'I am ready to lose it all and turn this dance floor into a bedroom OnlyFans set' realness.
While we didn't get to drink and dance to these songs in crowded rooms with dear friends and strangers we met just seconds ago (can’t believe this was actually fun), these songs made sure we didn't forget that feeling. I'm petitioning "Rain on Me", "Don't Start Now" and "WAP" to be the unofficial Summer 2021 Bops. The "2020 Throwbacks" as the DJs will loudly interject mid-song.
7. Trump and his army of sycophants getting COVID
When I found out Trump got COVID, I laughed like a maniac for a good 5 minutes in the shower. To the point where I thought - hmm am I turning into The Joker? The news was cathartic, my laugh pure exuberance, and I looked up to the universe and mouthed, thank you. True story.
I believe in consequences. For someone who's led an indefensible and criminally negligent COVID-19 response while spouting lies and deliberately disregarding public health recommendations - this was divine retribution. And when we found out several people in Trump’s orbit tested positive after deliberately flouting social distancing rules and mask wearing at a party to celebrate the nomination of Amy Cohen Barrett just days after RBG's passing - I said Corona-mas came early this year.
In the end, after receiving experimental drugs and excellent socialized healthcare, the President made it. All the prayers from Democrats and liberal media pundits wishing for the president's health and safety must have worked.
Super spreader event for scamstress turned Supreme Court Justice Amy Cohen Barret.
RBG looking down on the Garden Party to name her successor days before the election.
6. AOC flaming Ted Yoho and the patriarchy
When Congressman Ted Yoho from Florida called AOC a "f*cking b*tch" on the steps of the Capitol Building, he effectively signed up for political annihilation. Because happened next was an example of political masterpiece theater. In response, AOC delivered a brilliant, heart-felt, absolutely damning speech that indicted Ted Yoho's behavior as sexist, vile, and totally unbecoming of a Congressman. She also expertly tied Ted Yoho's abusive behavior as indicative of a culture of rampant abuse and sexual harassment perpetrated by men and those that stand idle and let it happen. The speech did what it had to do, proved yet again AOC's raw political talent and reminded people that you do not mess with Bronxiites.
Michelle Obama once famously said, when they go low, we go high. I believe, when they go low, we go high...to survey the field and inflict maximum damage.
TOP 5
5. Rihanna's Savage x Fenty Show
Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a rude gyal. She said it herself. We are still without R9, her alleged 9th studio album now 5 years in the making and never coming out. Fortunately, the fans forgive her because Rihanna is out here blessing the culture with a fashion brand that has been breaking records ever since its launch. Fresh out of putting Victoria's Secret out of business, Rihanna released her second Savage X Fenty show that is part runway show, art installation, music performance, and dance exhibition. In one word, it is fierce.
This year's show, like last years was equal parts Black Girl Magic, femme fatale power, ancestral spirt blessings mixed with effortless sex appeal featuring a wide array of body types. The show was affirming, visually gorgeous, the choreography *chefs kiss*. The Savage x Fenty show is truly one of the best cultural productions I've seen point blank and in 2020 an undeniable highlight that shined bright like a diamond.
Rihanna on her way to snatch your future.
Rihanna: y’all still waiting for R9. Das cute. I am here flourishing in florals.
4. “Lovecraft Country” and the episode "I AM"
A sci-fi, fantasy, horror show centering an empowered, fly Black family battling witchcraft, wizardry, and white supremacy in 1950s America? I volunteer as tribute! “Lovecraft Country” on HBO was a standout show of 2020. Brought to us by Jordan Peele, Director of "Get Out" and "Us" and JJ Abrams, brainchild of 'Lost' and director of the new Star Trek franchise. I highlight the show's producers because Lovecraft Country combined the best aspects of Peele's social commentary on race, with Lost's attention to detail with plot, settings, and character development. So many of Lovecraft Country's episodes felt like therapy. And as audiences watched the show, we delved deep into Black history, Black resistance, and the complexities of Black identity.
And then there was THEE episode. "I Am" for me and many others was frankly life changing, perspective altering, one of the best episodes of television I've watched in years. The final shots of the episode were gorgeous. I was in near tears. "I Am" lives rent free in my mind as a cinematic triumph in showing how we can heal ourselves and step into our light by daring to name ourselves. Daring to take up space we are destined to occupy. Daring to break free from the confines society, people, and many times we put ourselves in. "I Am" showed us how journeying to pursue your potential is in actuality a journey in achieving inner peace and happiness. All around flawless episode.
3. Discovery of Phopshine Gas on Venus
Is there life outside of Earth in the universe? I would argue this is the most important question mankind can answer. This year we got a little closer to an answer after astronomers announced they discovered the gas molecule phosphine in the Venetian atmosphere. On Earth, this gas is produced mainly by microbes, but can be produced by geological and industrial processes as well. On Venus, the research team ran through a multitude of analyses and concluded that geochemical processes could not account for the amount of phosphine present in the atmosphere.
So the question becomes how is phosphine being produced on Venus? Right now the leading hypothesis is microorganisms floating and living high up in the Venetian clouds. If this hypothesis proves to be true upon further exploration, this will be the most exciting astronomical, scientific, and frankly historic discovery of our lifetimes. I am pumped to see where this research goes. Venus has officially entered the life chat.
Venus, Earth, Mars! Name a more iconic trio of planets.
2. Arrival of COVID-19 vaccines
The light at the end of the tunnel. Soon after the 2020 election, both Pfizer and Moderna announced that their vaccines were >90% effective at preventing COVID-19. The arrival of these vaccines less than a year from the discovery of COVID-19 is truly a modern scientific marvel. These vaccines are also historic as the first in human history to be based on mRNA technology. The vaccines are much welcomed tools to fight against the pandemic and really the only tool that will ensure mankind’s long-term protection against Ms. Rona, the elusive, world-touring chanteuse. Many thanks to the ingenuity, dedication, and unprecedented collaboration of scientists and physicians around the world. Their work takes place behind the scenes and often doesn't have the charisma that gets them primetime coverage, but the work is life-saving and nothing less than heroic.
As the vaccines are made available to more people, it is imperative that the public stays informed. I along with other graduate students at Harvard Medical School worked on reports summarizing the COVID-19 vaccines that can be found here: Pfizer/BioNTech and here Moderna.
Sandra Linsay, an ICU nurse in New York was the first person in America to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
1. Mass-protests against police brutality
The brutal murder of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer sparked the largest mass protests in our nation's history. I did not watch the video. As a matter of self-preservation, I do not consume Black death. What I do know is the excruciating 8 minutes and 46 seconds of footage showed police officer-murderer Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck as he cried out for his mother. This was a modern day lynching. The footage jolted millions of people across 2000 cities in America and 60 countries around the world to protest and march in support of BlackLivesMatter and against police brutality.
Police departments responded forcefully and often times violently to the protests. Again revealing America's commitment to upholding the entrenched status quo that operates on keeping Black lives dispensable. Still, I was heartened to see that millions of people of different ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities stood up in unison for justice. Institutions, companies, and some local governments also responded by interrogating how they either uphold white supremacy or were impediments or bystanders to advancing racial justice. Many then took action.
George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others deserve to be alive today. The color of their skin should not make them candidates for martyrdom. But this is the world we Black folk live in. I am not sure what the lasting change of these movements will be, though I am encouraged there is movement in the right direction. It is my hope that when we look back at the arc of history, the protests of 2020 are a major force that pushed said arc towards justice. Till then, we will continue to issue demands and hold our elected officials accountable
UNQUESTIONED TOP MOMENT
The Election of Joe Biden & Kamala Harris
Thank God.
-Wahala Jr.
Thank you for reading everyone! If you liked the post, please share :). And may your 2021 be as effective as Senator Warren’s dispatches, fierce as Rihanna’s Savage Show, and flawless as Beyonce’s performances.
If you like what you read, be sure to check out my other blog posts and follow me on Instagram @chidiakusobi
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