The world today illustrates how our society has dramatically changed because of a viral pandemic. These two photos illustrate how the virus is affecting our lives, particularly with regard to what people used to be able to do and what we now must do today to stay healthy. We have the materials such as science, masks, and vaccines. These are important to have better health compared to the past, where they did not have the quality or quantity of these items. A comparison of the two eras will show the relationship of our current society adapting to our new environment. In addition, the fact that there has been no major panic or revolt is a tribute to how civil we are.

The first photo is of a student cleaning the Mackay statue in preparation for Mackay week in 1979. The student’s only accessory is a cleaning cloth. In the days of 1979, when the picture was taken, people did not have to fear for their natural health and the safety of others. We were able to meet in crowds of more than 20 and we did not have to practice social distancing. We were able to go to venues and see comedy shows, music shows, and attend sporting events without any masks. Airplanes at the time were deemed to be safe for transportation even though now there is a better understanding of airborne disease and illness. Back then, we could see our families and the people we love in person and visit people in the hospital before they died. The war the USA was fighting was a cold war with Russia and this was the main concern of the nation and fellow Nevadans. This was the fear of a nuclear holocaust. This was a year before the election of Reagan and Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, was President. There were many new viruses and diseases that were still a problem like smallpox, measles, and polio.

Now the United States has a new war with a more dangerous virus known as COVID-19. As of this day, the novel coronavirus has killed 234,000 Americans and counting. The second photo is one of me recreating the first photo in the conditions and restrictions we are finding ourselves in today. In the picture, I am wearing gloves while cleaning the figure outside my house compared to cleaning a statue in a public space because it is deemed to be unsafe. I am wearing a mask so I cannot spread the virus to my family and the people around me.

We are confined to being indoors because we will save more lives by not contracting or transmitting the virus. Schools are being put online again. In the case of the University of Nevada, Reno, there has been a massive spike of students contracting the virus, forcing them to go back to online classes. If we compare this to 1979, people could go to school in person without any restrictions. Now, as we get deep into the pandemic, we are much further from normalcy. We have an election like 1979 when the candidates were running their campaigns. America is still waiting for the results of the election, but at the time of writing Biden is the likely winner and this means a more serious effort on the virus in areas such as listening to science and testing.