2020: The Worst Year of Everyone’s Life
My kids — no, my GRANDkids — will read about the year 2020 in their history textbooks and all the animosity which happened during this time. I can see it now, we’ll be sitting on my back porch and they’ll ask me why 2020 was so odd…
They’ll ask me “Grandma, what was COVID-19?” and I’ll happily reply with, “COVID-19 was a disease which originated in China that infected every continent. Some people thought China infected everyone as a form of war, some people thought the government used it as a way to control citizens. Some people took it super seriously and wouldn’t leave their house, some people thought it was all a big media hoax. Some people blamed our president, some people blamed anyone in their community who looked like they were of Asian descent.
“We all had to stay inside because we were told the disease was contagious and deathly. Heck grandkids, I even went six months without seeing your great-grandma and grandpa because I couldn’t fly home during a pandemic. Like I said earlier, we were told this disease was very deathly — but even 50 years later the numbers are still a little unclear about how many people actually had it and how many people actually died from it.
“Because we all had to stay home, the economy was pretty much shot. A bunch of businesses shut down. And the ag industry…”
“The ag industry,” my grandkids will say, “That’s where you work? Right?”
“Yes sweetie, the ag industry is what keeps our lights on and keeps your belly full. Anyway, the ag industry was in major trouble. Many dairy farmers had to dump out milk they had already collected because many people were not drinking milk. And you know the place we take some of our steers to? The place that turns them into hamburgers and steaks? Well, a lot of those places had to shut down, and that caused a big meat shortage, which made meat prices skyrocket, which was not good for ranchers and farmers.”
“But, if meat prices were high, wouldn’t that mean ranchers got rich?” my grandkids would ask.
“One would think,” I’d reply. “Actually, the ranchers and farmers LOST money and the big guys who work for the packing plants got rich. Pretty much, a lot of people who work hard to keep us all fed got the short end of the stick.”
“Hmm, that doesn’t sound good,” my grandkids would say. “What does the word ‘quarantine’ mean?”
“Well, we all had to quarantine which meant we weren’t allowed to leave our house at the risk of getting sick. Sometimes, it was fun — like I got to work from home and didn’t even have to change out of my pajamas if I didn’t want to. But, most of the time, it was just really frustrating. And because we all quarantined, a lot of small businesses went out of business.”
“And quarantine is when everyone learned about the tiger guy, right?” my grandkids would ask.
“President Joe Exotic?” I’d say with a laugh, “Absolutely.”
Then my Grandkids and I would sing the infamous “I Saw a Tiger” song.
“And 2020 was also the year PETA tried to take over those meat-maker places you talked about a minute ago too?” my grandkids would ask.
“Yep,” I’d say with a sigh and an eye roll. “PETA bought shares in Tyson, Smithfield, and a few other packing plants so they could promote plant-based ‘meat.’”
“But, why? Real meat can’t be plant-based? Why would an animal rights organization do that?” they’d ask me.
“Because they thought they were slick,” I would say. “And you know, it’s not a bad plan. It gave them the position to fight from the inside and push their agenda. What Tyson and Smithfield SHOULD have done is reject their offer to buy shares. I mean, if they cared about the American rancher at all they would have just declined PETA’s offer.”
“But they didn’t care about ranchers anyway, right? I mean, they’re the guys who took all the ranchers’ money?” one of my intelligent grandkids would ask.
“That’s exactly right honey,” I would say. “They clearly did not care about the people kept them in business for decades.”
Then they would all get quiet and I’d be praying they didn’t bring up what happened on May 25. One of them would break the awkward silence with “Grandma, who was George Floyd.”
I’d get serious, “You know your great uncle, Zack?” I’d say. They would all bob their heads yes. “Well, you know he doesn’t look like me, but he’s my brother? That’s because your great-grandparents adopted him when he was about to start high school. George Floyd was a man who looked like Uncle Z. He went into a store one day and had a fake $20 bill. He said he didn’t know it was fake, but because it’s protocol, the store worker had to call the police.
“When the police got there, George Floyd worked with them but for some reason, they decided he needed to be arrested. And when they tried to put him in the cop car, he kind of stepped back like he didn’t want to get in…”
“Why did he not want to get in? I’ve always wanted to ride in a cop car with the lights flashing!” one of my grandkids would say.
“Well, it wasn’t going to be a fun car ride — he would have had to go to jail. But when he stepped back, one of the cops decided to put his knee in his neck for several minutes and it choked him to death.”
My grandkids would get silent. One of the older ones would put two and two together, “So they killed him because he looked like Uncle Z?” they’d ask.
I’d shake my head, dry my eyes, and say “Yep, back then, a lot of people didn’t like people who looked like Uncle Z. But, because of this, a lot of OTHER people realized that stuff like this was a big problem and decided to fight for a change.”
“And that’s when people started burning down stores?” one would ask.
“Yes, for some odd reason a lot of people decided burning down Target would ‘make a difference,” I’d tell my grandkids. “Those people were crazy. But there was another group of people, a group of people who wanted to really see a change in the world. So they started being nicer to people who looked like Uncle Z. And, over time, that’s how racism in the U.S. came to an end.”
2020, as we all know, is absolutely insane. It’s been a year like I’ve never seen before and I pray to God I never see again. But, if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that by everyone doing their part we can overcome some of the difficulties we’ve faced so far this year.
If we all continue to be cautious and slow the spread of COVID-19 while supporting the economy, we will get back to normal.
If we actually work speak out against organizations, like PETA, who want to see the end of animal agriculture, we may just educate someone and convince them that ranchers aren’t the bad guys.
If we really, really think about the murder of George Floyd and acknowledge that racism is still in fact a thing, we can fight it and hopefully create a more peaceful environment for EVERYONE, regardless of their skin color.
2020, you suck — we’re sick of you. But 2021, we’re coming for you.
