F rom the end of World War II through the pres- ent day, the United States has maintained a position as the world’s premier superpower. For decades, the American values of hard work, individualism, liber- alism and free-market capitalism appeared to lead to massive suc- cesses, including technological advancement, economic pros- perity and high standards of liv- ing. However, as COVID-19 has exposed, the values which people once associated with America’s brand of strength and prosperity now appear antiquated and out- dated and are ultimately holding the U.S. back. While countries around the world have respond- ed to the virus in different ways, American society’s fundamen- tal focus on individualism, free- dom and economic growth have exposed the inequality, distrust of government institutions and lack of protections for vulnerable populations within our country. First and foremost, the spread of COVID-19 has highlighted America’s extreme inequality, something which is largely a prod- uct of American society’s fanati- cal devotion to economic growth. As economist Milton Friedman declared in a 1970 New York Times Magazine article, “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits.” In the decades since Friedman’s arti- cle was published, it’s clear that America has taken his advice to heart. Today, the U.S. has 10 of the world’s 20 most profitable compa- nies, but at a cost: It also ranks 39th worst in income inequal- ity, worse than countries such as Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkmenistan. Last year, a study found that nearly 60 percent of Americans had less than $1,000 in their bank accounts, another sign of Ameri- ca’s staggering income inequality. Unsurprisingly, America’s focus on profits, and its accep- tance of the inequalities that phi- losophy inherently produces, has greatly contributed to the nation’s disastrous response to COVID- 19. On April 21, a day on which over 2,600 Americans died of the virus, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that “there are more impor- tant things than living and that’s saving this country.” Similarly, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie commented, “there are going to be deaths no mat- ter what,” but “we have to stand up for the American way of life.” In saying this, Christie clearly implied that the American way of life is primarily focused on eco- nomic growth — inequality and public health be damned. When faced with skyrocketing unem- ployment rates, the U.S. Congress was both unwilling and unable to come up with an economic solu- tion that addressed America’s income inequality. Although the federal government ultimately sent out a one-time $1,200 stimu- lus check to citizens, by April 23, only 10 days after the first checks were deposited, 84 percent of Americans said they already needed another check to make ends meet. That federal relief bill, which cost over $2 trillion in total, simply proved how unassailable American inequality has become. The COVID-19 pandemic has also revealed the problems with the American society’s support of free-market capitalism, as workers often find themselves under-protected and devoid of rights. Although there has con- sistently been some opposition to America’s overly laissez-faire attitude — such as Upton Sinclar’s 1906 novel “The Jungle” — sup- port for deregulation and limited government oversight of the pri- vate sector is a major component of both America’s society and economy. As of 2015, American employees worked an average of 1,779 hours per year, the sev- enth most of any nation globally. W hat felt like a distant reality for the past six months is finally here. In just few short weeks, students across the nation will be reckoning with school start-ups — whether that means cautiously moving into a new apartment on campus or logging onto Canvas from your hometown. As we gear up for the long-anticipated fall semester, inboxes are filled with campus- wide public health-advised guide- lines for courses, clubs and sports, and I can’t help but feel a little nostalgic for a time before COVID- 19 and masks. The optimist in me had hoped that summer would be the end of it, but now a corona-less future seems unimaginable — or at least until 2024. Working at a local grocery store this summer, I feel my current cynicism deepen with every customer that refuses to wear a mask during their 10-min- ute grocery runs despite Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s statewide orders — that, and seeing videos and Snapchat stories of “COVID- 19 petri dish” parties and gather- ings. I’d like to think my peers and I will be more responsible and con- siderate on campus, but higher risk of infection on college grounds across the country has already been deemed inevitable by a New York Times survey prior to the new academic year. Unfortu- nately, this is not all that surpris- ing given the night-life crowds that took over Ann Arbor bars after Whitmer’s rescinding of the Safer at Home Order in June and Theta Chi’s careless summer kickback. Our image as the Lead- ers and the Best was rightfully scrutinized then, and it is bound to face even heavier surveillance during this experimental semester. As university students, it’s high time our increasingly expensive schooling be put to productive use this semester. According to a New York Times article, we are impul- sive, risk-taking college students that study together, live together, party together and sleep together. And they’re right. As thousands of students are welcomed back, campuses will become what psy- chologists call a strong situation in which external environmen- tal forces define the desirability of potential behaviors despite an individual’s personal tendencies and personality. This is especially true in cultural systems like that of universities where the norm is the often anti-intellectual nature of college student culture. The endur- ing coronavirus calls for a reevalua- tion of hookup culture and reckless school spirit, and we must be the ones at the forefront of this battle against amateur human tendency. While reopening campuses seems like a doomed endeavor from the beginning, we should take this opportunity to rede- fine our college experience apart from tailgating and Thursday night excursions — whether that means spending more time on Zoom meetings and nights in, or looking deeper into the flaws of our own college culture. Amid a global pandemic that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon, it’s time for a cultural reset, if you will — one that encompasses a little more accountability for our actions. The only question is: Are we up for the challenge? For everyone’s sake, I sure hope so. This quarantine period has woken America up to the glaring systemic issues of highly politi- cized public health initiatives, structural racism within every established institution and the col- lateral damage from U.S. Immi- gration and Customs Enforcement policies. It would be for naught if we did not bring those issues back to our own schooling as many have done with the newly resurfaced review and reassessment petition for the University of Michigan’s Race and Ethnicity requirement as well as the student-led peti- tion in response to ICE’s recent international student regulation. Closer to the University of Michi- gan’s campus, in Ypsilanti, Mich., protesters gathered on the after- noon of Tuesday, May 26, after a video was circulated showing a white police officer punch- ing Sha’Teina Grady El, a Black woman, in the head multiple times. Building awareness about and a consensus against these horrific, racist acts of vio- lence has to be a priority. But doing so safely and effectively is important as a pandemic rages on and police depart- ments continue to aggressive- ly crackdown on those who speak truth to their power. First, it is imperative to offer a historical context into the nature of policing agencies in America when wanting to approach conversations about the current Black Lives Matter protests occurring across Amer- ica and around the world. The birth of modern-day police offi- cers in America can be traced to a multitude of political, economic, legal and historical conditions. Most importantly, perhaps, modern policing departments can be traced to slave patrols and night watch groups, which were both maliciously designed to control the behaviors and freedoms of minorities — most notably Black and Native Ameri- cans. In the southern colonies of the United States especially, origins of policing were root- ed in racialized social orders and in the economy that so heavily depended on individu- als that were enslaved. Slave patrols and night watches assisted wealthy landowners and maintained economic order by recovering and punishing both enslaved and freed Black individuals who did not adhere to white societal standards. The vicious and abhorrent rationalizations of slavery and racism did not end after the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the U.S. With the rise of so-called vigilante groups who resisted abolition and Reconstruction after the Civil War, America continued to perpetuate deep racism, oppression and injustice toward Black Americans. Due to the traditions of slavery and racism that are, unfortunately, so deeply embedded within this country’s history, these vigi- lante groups felt it their duty to uphold the narrative that Black individuals were sub-human. Coinciding with the onset of the second phase of post-Civil War Reconstruction, the most infamous vigilante group, the Ku Klux Klan, was founded. Notorious for brutal campaigns of violence against Black indi- viduals, “local law enforcement officials either belonged to the Klan or declined to take action against it.” Due to law enforce- ment’s involvement with the infamous group, Congress even- tually passed the Enforcement Act of May 1870 and two more Force acts — also known as the Ku Klux Klan acts — which acted to prohibit the assembly of groups with the intention of violating constitutional rights of minority groups. However, this legislation, along with many more legal events, has not sup- pressed the inhumane practices of racial abuse and oppression that have persisted in America. Today, we are witnessing the continued perpetuation of racial injustices and violence from modern-day institutions against Black Americans. From being disproportionately affected by health inequalities that have been made most apparent during COVID-19 to repetitive injustic- es perpetuated by the criminal justice systems in America, it is clear that what has been done so far is not nearly enough. Dur- ing this global pandemic, many disparities and corrupt systems have come to light — ranging from the exploitations of essen- tial workers who are primarily POC to healthcare inequalities and biases to precariously unfair shortages of protective equip- ment for frontline work- ers — which has undeniably showcased where the values of our country’s leaders lie. While our healthcare workers are “at war with no ammo” — forced to use expired masks and perform invasive procedures on COVID-19 patients without any personal protective equip- ment — local police forces tout a saturation of protective gear and riot gear when confront- ing protesters. This disparity forces the financial hypocri- sy of this country to light. In response to the jarring lack of PPE for healthcare workers, President Donald Trump stat- ed, “the Federal government is not supposed to be out there buying vast amounts of items and then shipping … we’re not a shipping clerk.” However, he quickly changed tune when American citizens took to the streets to protest, mobilizing nearly a dozen federal agen- cies to “dominate” protesters. Right now, it is most impor- tant to stay safe and keep friends, community members and loved ones safe as well. However, The Michigan Daily Editorial Board understands the boundless difficulties of doing just that when our coun- try is fighting both the COVID- 19 pandemic and racism. The fact that Black communities are having to gather in large numbers during a pandemic to protest their right to stay alive, all the while being dispropor- tionately disposed to having higher rates of non-communi- cable diseases is not lost on us. This is why we, as an editorial board, encourage resourceful, respectful and safe protesting. Because of the pandemic, many individuals who would normally opt to practice activ- ism in person at protests are not able to. This may be the result of immunocompromised fam- ily members, personal health reasons, working essential jobs, etc. If this is the case, there are many ways to protest unjust, racially oppressive systems from home. Considering donat- ing to bailout funds for protest- ers who have been arrested, boycotting organizations or businesses that continue to perpetuate racism or exploit Black creators, researching ways to stop offering funds to local policing agencies while simultaneously supporting Black businesses are some of the first steps one could make. Social media right now is a huge platform for activism, information and resources. It is imperative, however, to uti- lize these platforms to the best of our abilities. This includes active interactions with the media while trying to edu- cate yourself and/or others about current events and how we can move forward. It is very easy to be passive when dealing with social media activism, a term designated “slacktivism,” which can, unfortunately, block access to important, helpful infor- mation. Consider the recent event of #blackouttuesday, where millions of Instagram users reposted a black square with the hashtags #blacklives- matter, #blm or the afore- mentioned #blackouttuesday. EASHETA SHAH | COLUMN Back to school, not to normal Easheta Shah can be reached at shaheash@umich.edu. ZACK BLUMBERG | CONTRIBUTOR How COVID-19 exposed America’s failing values From The Daily: The history of policing and the power of protesting O n Monday, May 25, George Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer. This incident was a final breaking point and has galvanized outrage from communities all over the country, sparking protests and calls for justice across the United States. The unjust death of Floyd is not an isolated incident by any means, nor is it unprecedented, nor should it be a surprise to anyone who has access to news and media outlets — this is a tale as old as time, one that has happened to an unfathomable number of intersectional Black citizens. Read more at MichiganDaily.com Read more at MichiganDaily.com Read more at MichiganDaily.com WHAT’S YOUR REASON? When we all closely follow public health guidelines, it slows the spread of COVID-19 — protecting those who need it most and giving researchers time to find the treatments we need. Together, we will make a difference. campusblueprint.umich.edu/care TAKING CARE OF MAIZE&BLUE “It’s important we work together to keep our campus safe.” JENSEN, STUDENT Monday, August 31, 2020 — 11 Opinion The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Zack Blumberg is a junior in the College of Literature, Science & the Arts and can be reached at zblumber@umich.edu.