Will short term solutions bring long term damage? / Sophie Hargrave

Sophie Hargrave

Lauren’s article: “The U.S. vs. the world: How major nations are recovering from coronavirus”

Description: This article focuses primarily on the economic losses due to the Coronavirus, and the author, Ryan Heath, cites studies by universities and also a recent report from investment group Goldman Sachs to support his claims.  He focuses on those countries that have successfully combated the virus and their economic gains, in contrast to the US.  Heath takes a critical stance regarding Trump’s economic policies throughout the pandemic.  He holds that the Trump administration’s refusal to implement lockdown measures and mask mandates along with opening up the country rapidly may have helped the economy in the short term, but that it could cause long-term damage and what economists call a “double-dip” recession.

Analysis: One pattern I’ve noticed in the article is that the author seems to be highlighting the areas in which the American economy has suffered throughout the pandemic under Trump’s administration.  He also frequently goes back and forth describing how the European countries have handled the pandemic in contrast with how the US has attempted to handle it.  Heath also interestingly brings up (although briefly) the November elections and mentions in particular Joe Biden’s stance of being open to the idea of a mask mandate if suggested by health officials.

Interpretation: Based on this article, I believe that the author is intending to make people around the world aware of how public health is much better for the economy in the long term.  I also believe that Heath has a distinct leftist political stance, due to his numerous criticisms of the Trump administration as well as his mentioning of Biden’s contrary view.  Furthermore, I think that he is showing the importance of listening to health professionals and academics regarding how to solve this global health and economic crisis, rather than looking for short-term solutions.

Evaluation: I believe that this article is very informative about the long-term dangers of reopening the economy and failing to implement nationwide health measures in the US.  I do believe that it has a distinct liberal bias, although it speaks of the issue on more of a global scale.  This source, Politico, is a quite reputable source used widely by academics around the world, and this article features links to the studies it mentions.  Overall, I think the article has a quite negative tone, with Heath mentioning at the end that “positive forecasts [of economic growth] may be offering false hope.”

Engagement: This article brings awareness of how this global health crisis is affecting us (and may continue to affect us) if it is not solved.  It has been shown that implementing mask mandates and lockdown measures has been the way in which certain countries have contained the virus.  What we can do (those of us who are citizens of the US) is to vote or to write to our politicians in favor of stricter regulations in order to get the pandemic under control.  Our book says: “To be fully media literate, we must actively work to create a media world that helps serve democracy” (Campbell, Martin, & Fabos, 2014, p. 33).  I believe that this article is a good example of how a change in administration could have a long-term negative effect on the US, and it underlines the importance of voting.