COVID-19 and New Year's Eve in Manhattan | New York is Kaleidoscope (10th)

Articles and photos by Ryuichi Numata

The Empire State Building, decorated with Christmas lights, stood tall even in the midst of the pandemic

The lights are proof of human activity

　The sunset in Manhattan in winter comes early. After 5:00 p.m., you can enjoy the lingering sunshine on the upper floors of high-rise apartments, but above ground, the avenues and streets illuminated by streetlights appear like runways.

　Light warms people's hearts and gives them hope. When I casually gazed at Manhattan in the evening from my house, the lights of the neighboring apartments lit up one by one. I don't usually pay attention to this mundane sight, but this year, the lights are a testament to human activity and touch my heart. It's like the warmth you get when you see the lights of the houses after a long night train in the dark.

Just as we thought that the spread of infection had subsided since the beginning of November, infections exploded in many states, probably due to the movement of people during Thanksgiving and Christmas. In New York, the number of infected people is also increasing, but compared to other states, the government and citizens are still united to suppress the “explosion” somehow. More than 360,000 lives have already been lost to COVID-19 in the country, and the number continues to rise. In New York City, lockdown has not been declared, but eating and drinking in the store is prohibited, and of course, theaters and movie theaters remain closed. Retail stores and large commercial facilities were not as active as usual during the holiday season, and most of the sales seem to have gone online.

A Christmas specialty window display at the luxury department store Saks Fifth Avenue. The caption reads, "It doesn't matter if the jazz club is gone. We bring music to the city." Am I the only one who felt that way? It's sad that the usually impatient New Yorkers didn't have a chance to relax and exchange kind words.

　Restaurant and bar have set up a permitted eating and drinking space on the street, and somehow continue to operate in small stalls with heaters. In order to prevent the three Cs, we put a QR code menu on the table to prevent contact as much as possible, and set up a tent like a bubble so that we can eat and drink in private. Outdoor heating equipment seems to be selling like hot cakes. Even if a state of emergency is declared, there are no penalties or strict regulations, you can eat and drink in the store even if the hours are shortened, and you can hold events.

　It was a recent event, but the "21 Club", which became famous as a place for "Speak easy" during the Prohibition era and has been loved by many celebrities from all walks of life for many years, declared its closure in December last year. Many New Yorkers heard the news with a "you too?" The jockey hitching posts (tying stakes), which could be said to be the symbol of the store, which were once on the balcony of the store, have already disappeared. The real ups and downs....

The facade of the 21 Club, which was decided to close. The iron door that welcomed many guests is firmly closed, and only the lights of the familiar store are left lit sadly, perhaps showing their first-class stubbornness

Current society in new words

Write For the first time, I suddenly remembered a number of words that I had seen and heard for the first time last year. Many of them were words related to last year's events. In relation to BLM (Black Lives Matter), a black man who was birdwatching in Central Park warned a white woman who was walking her dog to lead her (in parks such as Central Park, there are designated dog runs, etc.) A white woman reported being attacked by a black man to the police — later found to be false and the woman subject to social sanctions — an incident occurred. .

　The term "KAREN" appeared to refer to middle-aged white women who act discriminatory from the standpoint of white superiority. In addition, ignoring the warnings and orders of the authorities and taking the risk of becoming the source of infection has come to be called "COVIDIOT" (COVID-19 and IDOOT = a coined word). Although not a new term, the social psychology term “normalcy bias” is also commonly heard in the current context. It expresses the psychological characteristic of human beings who ignore the things that are inconvenient for them in difficult situations and think that they are all right.

　There may not have been as many new words and coined words as there were last year. It made a big impact on people's minds. Many of them were born to satisfy the desire to express things that have never been experienced or thought about before.

Even during the pandemic, Manhattan is experiencing a construction rush. The Penn (Sylvania) Station, which has been criticized for many years, is in the midst of a change of clothes, and is appealing to the reborn New York

Whereabouts of American Democracy

　The current situation caused by COVID-19. Looking at the situation from a bird's-eye view, I think that some big whirlpools have formed. One is that the closed-minded way of thinking to protect one's own country, which could be called a country-centered approach, has taken off even more than before COVID-19. On January 6th of this year, the first domestic terrorist incident in the history of American constitutional politics occurred, with a demonstration by fanatic people called “ZEALOT” among Trump supporters bursting into Capitol Hill. The move exposed the fragility of American democracy and undermined America's prestige. The United States has brought to light the depth of the mental conflict between the Yankees and the Confederates that began in the Civil War, and incited them to revitalize the conflict (prejudice) that is usually contained in them on the front stage of politics. I feel like it will remain a stain on history.

　This trend toward a closed mindset has also led to racial prejudice as an outlet for people with pandemic cabin fever. Also, from the perspective of preventing infection, there is a high possibility that the “wall” of the border will not be lowered and restrictions on the free movement of people will continue. In the future, fake news that is not true will continue to spread on the Internet, and it is possible that mass hysteria will cause social unrest.

Homework for the future imposed on us now

　However, one vortex is by no means bleak. In the United States, the next president (at the time of writing this manuscript) seems to be shifting the direction of foreign policy from nationalism to international cooperation. . The president-elect will be surrounded by Asian and Caribbean female vice presidents, a Native American female Secretary of the Interior, a female Secretary of the Treasury, and a black Secretary of Defense. Mr. Biden's new administration faces a number of pressing challenges, including COVID-19 and the aftermath of an election that has divided the country in two.

There is a climate clock in the building facing Union Square. The time remaining for us to deal with climate change continues to tick away every moment

　The importance of calmly reviewing our own response to this situation at the global level and working with transparency and international cooperation And it is also true that there is a movement to think about such a mechanism. We are still learning many lessons today. There are many issues that require action, including the construction of measures for the future of infectious diseases including COVID-19, racial discrimination, improving democracy literacy at the national level, and environmental issues.

　He warns how important scientific facts are in COVID-19 and environmental issues, and that these facts should not be tainted by politics. It's up to us to accept the problems of the present, act on them, and leave a legacy for future generations.

IT'S UP TO US!

　In this country, debates are actively introduced from primary education, and people express their opinions clearly. New York, which is woven with various races and religions, has a strong self-assertion. However, sometimes it becomes people's voices for big problems, and it becomes a social swell and creates a strong society. Nichiren is said to have sent a letter to Hojo Tokimune saying, ``The security of the nation lies in the rightness of the political path.'' I wonder.

In the garden adjacent to the United Nations Headquarters, there is a large object donated by the former Soviet Union. It shows St. George slaying a dragon made out of parts from a Soviet SS-20 missile and an American Pershing missile. Titled "Good defeats evil."

　There is a lyric "It's up to you, New York, New York" in the song of the movie "New York, New York" covered by Sinatra. These words are heavy for me now.