{"id":186392,"date":"2020-06-24T19:17:59","date_gmt":"2020-06-24T18:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/?p=186392"},"modified":"2020-06-24T19:18:03","modified_gmt":"2020-06-24T18:18:03","slug":"10-extremely-2020-moments-that-brought-us-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/?p=186392","title":{"rendered":"10 extremely 2020 moments that brought us together"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"c5b541d88d911dcbb84397def1a3492d\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:0px 0 0px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- m -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3943282228430444\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"5751019935\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p> [ad_1]\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"id_text\">\n<p>Nobody\u2019s 2020 has been exactly the same as anybody else\u2019s. We\u2019ve all had our own experience of a year unlike any other in living memory, our own coping mechanisms, our own battles to fight. We are &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Gaif6mTwFw8\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">in the same rough seas, but in different boats<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But as the coronavirus pandemic brought the lives of people all over the world into a strange and necessary uniformity, most of us found ourselves having more in common with more people than ever before. Our jobs, if we were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/World\/2020\/0506\/No-jobs-so-what-future-Half-the-world-s-workforce-on-the-edge\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">lucky enough to keep them<\/a>, looked more similar. Our social lives, once scattered across cities and towns, shrank to the size of our living rooms. Our conversations, and those of strangers we passed on the street, always circled around to the same thing. Lockdowns or self-isolation, homebody hobbies, massively increased reliance on digital connection, and a worldwide reckoning meant that suddenly, there were fewer things to do, and more people doing them with us. Here are 10 phenomenons that have brought us together as we hit the mid-way point in a divisive 2020.<\/p>\n<h2>1<i>. Animal Crossing: New Horizons<\/i><br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p>The latest title in Nintendo\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/animal-crossing-secret-sauce\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Animal Crossing<\/i><\/a> franchise was released on March 20, the week after the WHO declared a pandemic, <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/tom-hanks-coronavirus\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Tom Hanks contracted the coronavirus<\/a>, and the NBA was cancelled \u2014 in short, mere days after the shit seemed to hit the fan all at once. The beginner-friendly gameplay, soothing repetitive chores, and sudden expanse of newly free time spurred <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/animal-crossing-quarantine-impact\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">arguably the biggest and most inclusive gaming phenomenon<\/a> since <i>Pokemon GO<\/i>, with over 13 million copies sold in its first six weeks. <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/culture\/10229\/inside-the-black-market-trading-communities-of-animal-crossing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Entire economies sprung up<\/a> to help people acquire items to build the islands of their dreams, Bobby from <i>Queer Eye<\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/queer-eye-animal-crossing-bobby-berk-advice\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">offered advice on interior design<\/a>, and public figures like <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/culture\/10054\/elijah-wood-trawls-twitter-for-good-animal-crossing-turnip-prices-just-like-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elijah Wood<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vulture.com\/2020\/05\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-is-getting-into-animal-crossing.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a> visited regular folks\u2019 little patches of imaginary paradise. That feature also created the ability to \u201cvisit\u201d friends, hold meetings, and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en_au\/article\/epg3qp\/hong-kong-gamers-protested-inside-animal-crossing-now-china-wants-to-ban-it\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">stage political protests<\/a> \u2014 all without leaving your couch.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-wrapper sort-rerender\">\n<div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">i knew i could trust elijah wood with my life <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AnimalCrossing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AnimalCrossing<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ACNH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#ACNH<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NintendoSwitch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NintendoSwitch<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/80K8K6pOIN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/80K8K6pOIN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \u1d0b\u029f\u1d00\u1d1c\u1d05\u026a\u1d00 (@bensforce) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bensforce\/status\/1253365626728361986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 23, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Even if you were one of the people who couldn\u2019t get their hands on a Switch as lockdowns kicked in, having to grudgingly google Tom Nook or find out why everyone was suddenly talking about turnip prices was a collective experience in itself. And for the millions who got on board, <i>Animal Crossing: New Horizons<\/i> let us roam in a world of our own making, free of anything scarier than the odd tarantula.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Sweatpants (or no pants)<\/h2>\n<p>One thing that went out the window alongside handshakes and hugs was what one genius memorably dubbed \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidmackau\/status\/1243249685713870851?lang=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">hard pants<\/a>.\u201d (Full disclosure: Said genius is an acquaintance.) Sweatpants, leggings, or if ambient temperatures allowed, <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/good-morning-america-reporter-no-pants-on-air\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">no pants<\/a>, swiftly replaced all kinds of lower-half garments that were for looking good, not feeling good. Whether you\u2019re an essential worker, a from-home worker, or not working at all, when we weren&#8217;t outside, we were all dressed down with nowhere to go. (And now, months into various levels of lockdown, there are now two kinds of people: those who change out of those pants for a grocery run, and the rest of us.)<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-wrapper sort-rerender\">\n<div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">my boyfriend has been wearing sweats so much he has started calling normal pants&#8230; &#8220;hard pants&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 David Mack (@davidmackau) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidmackau\/status\/1243249685713870851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 26, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Our top halves, of course, have been utter chaos. From fancy sweatshirts to the now-standard \u201cbusiness on the top, pyjama party on the bottom\u201d look, certain necessities of pandemic-era social interaction (see point 5 below) require us to not dispel the illusion that we <i>might<\/i> be wearing actual clothes just out of frame. No matter how put-together we work to look on top, our lower garments are a Schrodinger\u2019s Hard Pants situation, and it is a pandemic faux pas to dispel the quantum uncertainty by asking, even as a joke.<\/p>\n<h2>3. <i>The Last Dance<\/i> and <i>Tiger King<\/i><br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p>Like <i>Animal Crossing<\/i>, these very different documentary series tracking the rise and fall (and in Michael Jordan\u2019s case, rise again) of compelling and unique figures dropped on Netflix at just the right time (i.e. March). With hundreds of thousands of people settling in to stay home, these two shows more than any others created a virtual, global watercooler discussion about the TV we were all watching at more or less the same time, right when we were starting to wonder if <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/game-of-thrones-social-distancing-rewatch\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Game Of Thrones<\/i><\/a><i> <\/i>had killed that vibe forever. (It also <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/tech\/9991\/netflix-is-now-worth-more-than-disney-thanks-to-a-surge-in-viewership-during-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">put Netflix back on top of the streaming pile<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>The beauty of <i>The Last Dance<\/i>, an ESPN\/Netflix coproduction, was that it <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/entertainment\/10324\/the-last-dance-is-the-greatest-sports-fix-of-the-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">gave sports fans something to cheer for again<\/a>, but was still fascinating even if you didn\u2019t give a shit about basketball itself. It\u2019s about celebrity, race, hero worship, tribalism, masculinity, and the globalisation of U.S. culture when we had boundless optimism about the future. It&#8217;s also a really well-told story that could get away with having Barack Obama as a talking head and crediting him as a \u201cFormer Chicago Resident.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a data-mashable-topic=\"tiger-king\" href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/tiger-king\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Tiger King<\/i><\/a>, on the other hand, was a voyeuristic, exploitative, meme-ready mess with just enough bananas soap-operatics in the storytelling to pull you back in just when you thought you might tap out. \u201cCarole Baskin killed her husband\u201d replaced \u201cJeffrey Epstein didn\u2019t kill himself\u201d as the conspiracy meme of the moment, with about as much consideration for the fact that these were real people. It\u2019s as trashy as a polyester leopard-print caftan, as disposable as one of Joe Exotic\u2019s poor teenage tigers, and as stuck in its specific 2020 moment as jokes about hand washing.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Hand washing<\/h2>\n<p>Before face masks and <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/science\/9384\/its-time-to-get-serious-about-coronavirus-social-distancing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social distancing<\/a> became the norm of a full-blown pandemic, we all got a <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/just-wash-your-hands\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">refresher course<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/washing-hands-poorly-usda\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">much more basic personal hygiene<\/a>. We soaped up our paws and counted to 20, <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/coronavirus-washing-hands-20-seconds-sing-happy-birthday\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">then sang happy birthday<\/a>, then sang <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/entertainment\/9692\/will-ferrells-musical-hand-washing-tutorial-is-full-of-intensity-and-passion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">literally anything else<\/a>, then <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/hand-washing-song-lyric-meme-generator\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">made memes about singing literally anything else<\/a>. We stress-picked at desiccated cuticles and asked coworkers for hand cream recommendations. Some men found themselves queuing for bathrooms for the first time in their lives as a shockingly large number of dudes sheepishly made their way back to the basin.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-wrapper sort-rerender\">\n<div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">hmm didn\u2019t realize until coronavirus how shocking it is to walk into a public men\u2019s room and see all the sinks actually being used<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 demi adejuyigbe (@electrolemon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/electrolemon\/status\/1235369573274263552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 5, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>This was one of the most truly universal experiences of the pandemic: something everyone needed to do, and for the most part, did. (We hope. Have you washed your hands recently? It&#8217;s still a thing. Go do it now. We\u2019ll wait.)<\/p>\n<h2>5. Video calls<\/h2>\n<p>Ah, remember back in February when <a data-mashable-topic=\"zoom\" href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/zoom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zoom<\/a> was just what dogs did when they were bored? Now it\u2019s somehow become the catch-all shorthand <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/tech\/10190\/zoom-vs-google-meet-vs-facebooks-messenger-rooms-which-is-the-right-video-chat-app-for-you\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">for what we used to call FaceTime<\/a>. The weird, overtalking staccato of the <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/culture\/10247\/this-tiktok-perfectly-captures-how-annoying-coworkers-are-over-zoom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video meeting<\/a>, the fascinating and sometimes chilling windows into your coworkers\u2019 homes, begging whoever\u2019s eating to please mute themselves \u2014 these new parts of work life made many of us wish for the days of IRL meetings that could have been an email. <\/p>\n<p>Not everyone could or did work from home, of course, and there\u2019s probably not a retail or hospitality worker in the world who doesn\u2019t wish they could have dealt with their local mask-averse Pandemic Pams through a screen. But everyone who was separated from loved ones by lockdowns, closed borders, or health concerns has had to learn to <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/culture\/10172\/closer-in-quarantine-how-some-friends-and-families-are-actually-connecting-more-in-isolation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">catch up via video calls<\/a>, fugly front-facing camera angles and all, or not catch up, period. <\/p>\n<p>People <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/tech\/9573\/how-to-start-living-your-best-zoom-party-life\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">got creative with their video socialising<\/a>, too. From <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/bar-trivia-geeks-who-drink-twitch\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cbar\u201d trivia<\/a> to board games, themed cocktail nights and even weddings, so much of what we\u2019ve done with our friends, relatives, and chosen families this year has been via something between a \u201ccall\u201d and a personal livestream. <\/p>\n<p>Late-night hosts, <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/culture\/10654\/21-of-the-best-and-worst-celebrity-homes-as-seen-on-zoom-calls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">celebrities<\/a>, schoolkids, and even fictional characters have had to do the same things. Kids and pets interrupting Zoom interviews became a viral video genre all its own, as did show hosts surprising fans with <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/video\/sgn-graduation-2020-oprah-malala-john-krasinski\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Zoom calls from famous faces<\/a>.  TV shows even filmed <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/entertainment\/10075\/meryl-streep-singing-in-a-bathrobe-while-sipping-a-cocktail-is-a-must-watch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">gonzo<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/mythic-quest-quarantine-appletv-rob-mcelhenney-interview\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">quarantine specials<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/video\/community-reunion-donald-glover-zoom\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">cast reunions<\/a> in that familiar <i>Brady Bunch<\/i> layout. <\/p>\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"c5b541d88d911dcbb84397def1a3492d\" data-index=\"2\" style=\"float: none; margin:0px 0 0px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- 2 -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3943282228430444\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"5511153269\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"twitter-wrapper sort-rerender\">\n<div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Brady Bunch. Zoom users since 1969. ???? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7sFu3yj1q6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/7sFu3yj1q6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Social Media Insider (@SocialMedia411) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SocialMedia411\/status\/1246640878648725506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 5, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As annoying as they can be, and as sick as we are of looking at our own stupid faces in the corner of the screen, this technology has kept us in touch, proven how flexible work can be, facilitated moments of real joy (<a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/lapd-zoom-call-videos\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">and rage<\/a>), and given us reasons to wash our hair.<\/p>\n<h2>6. Hair<\/h2>\n<p>While we felt stuck in one place, not knowing what day it was, our hair kept growing. For anyone accustomed to shorter styles, the sneaky speed with which things got unruly was unnerving; for those with high-maintenance headsuits, from bottle blondes or secret grays to natural hair, being socially distanced from trusted grooming professionals and having to make do with what we could DIY forced a reckoning. (And that\u2019s before we get into what everybody\u2019s below-the-neck fuzz did when left to its own devices.)<\/p>\n<p>As the cabin fever set in, many of us stared into the bathroom mirror and wondered: What&#8217;s the worst that could happen? I could shave my head, do a <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/brad-mondo-hairdresser-reacts-quarantine-bleach-bangs\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">home bleach job<\/a>, cut my own bangs, turn this <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/entertainment\/7565\/what-the-hell-did-the-lighthouse-even-mean\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Lighthouse<\/i> beard<\/a> into a Ron Swanson \u2018stache, cut my boyfriend&#8217;s (<a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/culture\/10191\/chris-evans-gave-his-good-dog-a-terrible-quarantine-haircut\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">or dog&#8217;s<\/a>) hair. If it looks terrible nobody\u2019s going to see. It\u2019s not like we&#8217;re trying to date right now. <\/p>\n<p>Hair (usually) grows back, and my little gray streak is coming through nicely. Here\u2019s hoping everyone emerges from this with a little more forgiveness for our ungroomed selves.<\/p>\n<h2>7. Instagram Lives<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vogue.com\/article\/erykah-badu-jill-scott-instagram-battle-stream\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Some<\/a> were great. Some were not (subtweet). But there were so, so, <i>so<\/i> many.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-wrapper sort-rerender\">\n<div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">plugging my ears to the siren call of instagram live. be strong, Juan Pablo<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 JP (@jpbrammer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jpbrammer\/status\/1241012019609944073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 20, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>8. The clap<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"image\">\n<p itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">   <link href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/null\" itemprop=\"url\"><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">\nPeople at their balconies and windows clap for the National Health Service in St Johns Wood, London.<br \/>\n<\/figcaption><div class=\"image-credit\">\n<p>Image: Beretta \/ Sims \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>No, not that kind. (If you somehow managed to catch something sexually transmitted in the last three months, no shame, but you might have been doing social distancing wrong.) <\/p>\n<p>For many people, staying at home meant just that: work from home, relax at home, socialise at home, cook at home, and do your best to get through it. For <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/how-to-thank-a-health-care-worker-coronavirus\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">healthcare and support workers<\/a>, though, this has not been an opportunity to catch up on the Netflix queue. In a few places, it\u2019s been a full-on horror movie; in most places, it\u2019s meant ethical dilemmas, long hours chafing in PPE (some of it improvised amid shortages), heartbreaking FaceTimes with next of kin, and angry or terrified members of the public. Underlining all that was the humming baseline of daily fear that it would get worse in a week or two or six, and that you might be occupying one of the hospital beds by then. <\/p>\n<p>The evening clap, aka Clap for Carers, began in Italy and then spread to other hard-hit, locked-down cities like London and New York. Every night at a certain time in these places, citizens confined to their homes would emerge onto front steps and fire escapes and balconies and clap for <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/how-to-thank-a-health-care-worker-coronavirus\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">frontline and essential workers<\/a>. Even for people in places where it never took off, social media <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/av\/world-europe-51895386\/coronavirus-spain-and-italy-applaud-health-workers\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">videos<\/a> of entire cities stopping to applaud the people keeping them and their neighbors alive were often the brightest spot on a bad day.<\/p>\n<h2>9. Existential dread<\/h2>\n<p>Even if you\u2019re one of the lucky ones \u2014 relatively healthy, safely employed and housed, and not too lonely \u2014 it was hard not to feel overwhelmed by this moment. Worried eyes above face masks, <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/australia-coronavirus-toilet-paper-panic-buying\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">toilet-paper panic<\/a>, public health posters pasted up around town, red dots spreading on world maps, that whole thing where <a data-mashable-topic=\"bushfires\" href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/bushfires\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Australia was blanketed in smoke<\/a> for weeks on end&#8230; 2020 has often felt like the first (and second) act of some dystopian disaster movie. <\/p>\n<p>Between the looming spectre of a long U.S. election campaign and the ever-worsening climate crisis, 2020 was already shaping up to be a banner year for that <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/social-good\/9757\/how-to-live-with-anxiety-disorders-and-not-develop-one-during-coronavirus-lockdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">knot in the pit of your stomach<\/a> \u2014 even before a new and highly contagious virus saw a whole Chinese city, then the world, grind to a halt.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/social-good\/9321\/7-ways-to-help-quell-coronavirus-related-anxiety\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mental health ramifications<\/a> of social isolation, unemployment and underemployment, and literally having no idea what the world is going to look like in a few months or years are no joke. Everyone deserves to feel secure and content, and to have the support they need to maintain good mental health hygiene. But few of us have lived through something quite like this year before. Logging into all those video calls and making small talk \u2014 how are you doing? What\u2019s new with you? \u2014 has felt absurd. <\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-wrapper sort-rerender\">\n<div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">stop asking me how i&#8217;ve been i literally have no idea<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 333 (@notThreat3x) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/notThreat3x\/status\/1273045224378507265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 17, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Wry sort-of-jokes about <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/anxiety-depression-social-media-sad-online\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">the void and existential bleakness have been an internet tradition for years<\/a>. Now, they belong to everybody. Even if we\u2019re doing fine, we\u2019re not doing fine. <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/culture\/10731\/20-tweets-that-perfectly-sum-up-2020-so-far\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nobody is <i>fine<\/i><\/a>. This is <i>really fucking weird. <\/i>Plenty of people \u2014 including those who have struggled with anxiety before <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/culture\/10362\/everyones-comparing-their-plans-for-2020-to-reality-in-this-sad-meme\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2020 did its thing<\/a> \u2014 have found the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/coronavirus-is-making-a-lot-of-people-anxious-and-depressed-but-some-sufferers-actually-feel-better-now\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">global gloom perversely familiar, even comfortable<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>And the thing about a crisis that touches literally everybody in some way is that we can access, if we choose to, a new capacity for empathy.<\/p>\n<h2>10. Fighting systemic racism and police brutality<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"image\">\n<p itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">   <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"10 extremely 2020 moments that brought us together\" data-fragment=\"m!85fa\" data-image=\"https:\/\/mondrian.mashable.com\/uploads%252Fcard%252Fimage%252F1359690%252Fe5f6238e-c831-4690-983d-86bb282c9c54.jpg%252Ffull-fit-in__1200x2000.jpg?signature=xVO1VKKGBx7Vk5N_OERX51bMMlc=&amp;source=https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com\" data-micro=\"1\" src=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/null\"   src_type=\"jpeg\"><link href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/null\" itemprop=\"url\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-credit\">\n<p>Image: Tayfun Coskun \/ Anadolu Agency via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>People, for the most part, stayed inside when told to. We were bored, lonely, horny, scared, appalled \u2014 but people stayed home if they could. But then the recent killings of several unarmed Black people \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/justice-for-george-floyd-minneapolis-support-protesters\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">George Floyd<\/a>, Breonna Taylor, <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/social-good\/10239\/people-are-sharing-irunwithmaud-to-honor-the-life-of-ahmaud-arbery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ahmaud Arbery<\/a>, Tony McDade, and sadly even more since them \u2014 renewed and reinvigorated the <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/video\/how-to-support-black-lives-matter\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Black Lives Matter movement<\/a>. People had been watching the news out of the U.S. for months, seeing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/05\/08\/us\/coronavirus-pandemic-race-impact-trnd\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">undeniable reports<\/a> that Black and Latinx communities had been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, the petulant incompetence of an administration that repeatedly and <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/business\/2020\/03\/why-some-americans-entitled-to-coronavirus-relief-checks-wont-get-them.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">calculatedly<\/a> failed those communities, and the destructiveness of a deeply broken health system. And after months of social distancing, those who could do so safely took to the streets, and faced a <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/donate-black-lives-matter-end-police-brutality\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">police response<\/a> that more than <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/video\/seth-meyers-trump-george-floyd-police\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">proved their point<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And yes, it\u2019s possible that some protesters were motivated by desperation \u2014 for something, anything to happen, after months locked inside with little to do. Yes, more people than usual had way more free time than usual to join the demonstrations. <\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-wrapper sort-rerender\">\n<div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I personally think it&#8217;s really cool how we all went from learning how to make banana bread to learning how to abolish the police in a matter of weeks<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Asma Nizami (@asmaresists) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/asmaresists\/status\/1269336348630102018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 6, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>But you don\u2019t get people in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2020\/06\/13\/us\/george-floyd-protests-cities-photos.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">2000 American cities and towns out onto the streets<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/me.mashable.com\/social-good\/10577\/massive-crowds-gather-around-the-world-on-saturday-to-march-for-george-floyd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more all over the world<\/a>, out of boredom. You don\u2019t get skyrocketing<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2020\/06\/10\/upshot\/black-lives-matter-attitudes.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> public approval for a national uprising<\/a> against systemic racism out of <i>boredom<\/i>. Social and political battles fought for years aren\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elle.com\/culture\/career-politics\/a32784062\/protests-black-lives-matter-movement-actions\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">transformed in the space of a few days<\/a> because people have nothing better to do. They have more motivation to fight for each other. And perhaps it couldn\u2019t have happened in any other year.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, it\u2019s still somehow only June. But look how far we&#8217;ve come already. Even as things get better (please, please, <i>please<\/i>), hold onto what we&#8217;ve done together in even the bleakest moments.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"c5b541d88d911dcbb84397def1a3492d\" data-index=\"5\" style=\"float: none; margin:0px 0 0px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- 5 -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3943282228430444\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"9258826580\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/>[ad_2]\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/me.mashable.com\/culture\/10762\/10-extremely-2020-moments-that-brought-us-together\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"c5b541d88d911dcbb84397def1a3492d\" data-index=\"3\" style=\"float: none; margin:0px 0 0px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- 3 -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3943282228430444\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"2884989920\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Nobody\u2019s 2020 has been exactly the same as anybody else\u2019s. We\u2019ve all had our own experience of a year unlike any other in living memory, our own coping mechanisms, our own battles to fight. We are &#8220;in the same rough seas, but in different boats.&#8221; But as the coronavirus pandemic brought the lives of &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":186393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186392"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=186392"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":186394,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186392\/revisions\/186394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/186393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=186392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=186392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsforher.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=186392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}