A Year Out The Window
…In A Hand Basket
The title, an abbreviation of the saying “going to hell in a hand basket” — which describes a situation that is precipitously and perhaps inescapably headed toward disaster — is here a reference to the many ways in which human beings are selfish, unjust, and destructive, traits naturally reflected in their social systems, with 2020 making us keenly aware of a number of these: from the pandemic’s adverse effects disproportionately affecting women and minoritized communities; to sudden joblessness promptly leading to financial despair for countless many; to a culture that enables the refusal by massive numbers to follow simple, personally and socially-responsible measures to help curb the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus; to the intensifying natural disasters brought on by human activity-generated climate change; to racially motivated police brutality and the lack of accountability for it; to the self-serving adoption of fascist tactics by former President Trump and his loyalists for the purpose of retaining their grip on power and preserving white supremacist systems.