We offer an alarming statistic on this last day of 2020, also the end of 30-Second Read.com’s first full year: 35% of the year’s essays invoked the coronavirus.
The essays reflect what’s on writers’ minds, and the topic that motivated 44 of the year’s 124 columns was the virus. It eclipsed all other topics.
We included today’s essay in the count. And, fair warning, tomorrow’s bonus New Year’s Day column is – hang on – tied to the virus. Damn that microscopic hooligan, anyway.
Still, and not that you’ve asked, we won’t apologize. The virus has dominated here because it has dominated everywhere. The 30-Second Read crew’s obsession sprang from real life. In that light, 35% seems reasonable.
The virus essays varied widely. We addressed hoarding, masks, haircuts, Zoom, singing, isolation’s dullness, government’s failures, the loss of interaction and human touch. We’ve mostly been serious but occasionally tried on humor. We’ve acknowledged the darkness and looked for cheerier takes.
Sadly, we’ll publish more virus columns. But we now can glimpse those where we’ll rejoice over the end of our pandemic banishment. Hallelujah.
