Question 1: New Civic Activities

Since the pandemic has struck, can you think of new “civic activities” that have arisen? What are they? What are the civic commonplaces that they embody? How has the pandemic changed, modified, or restructured those commonplaces?

Civic engagement has traditionally been understood to be taking part in activities that benefit the community as a whole rather than a single person. When examining how the concept of civic engagement has evolved since the COVID-19 epidemic, we can see changes in the kind of social activities that now meet the criteria for being “civic.” Compliance to direct COVID-19 mitigation techniques, such as vaccination administration, public masking, and increasing voter turnout, are among these efforts. These new civic tasks also involve the ordinary person’s need to avoid becoming the main driver of social polarization, particularly in a period when social unity is crucial.

Due to the sacrifice of personal comfort for the sake of public safety and disease transmission reduction, public masking can be considered a civic activity. The act of giving up a particular choice in favor of a greater societal consequence truly emphasizes the phrase civic action in the modern world. One of the most important things about wearing a mask is that it not only protects those around you in case you get sick, but it also protects you. Because of this, it is customary for Americans to band together to aid one another in times of need. Additionally, by donning a mask, a person may shield many people around them.

Similar circumstances apply to vaccine administration when people are prepared to go above and beyond to receive a particular vaccination in order to safeguard the population from the infection. This once more demonstrates the giving up of a particular person’s choice for the sake of the greater good, which is completely new after COVID-19’s origin. This closely adheres to the core civic principle of putting society before oneself, which encourages people to make decisions that benefit society as a whole and enable the government and the public to advance.

Voting is another civic action that was initiated during the epidemic and has a long tradition in the United States. Voting numbers can definitely be boosted, despite the fact that residents have long enjoyed this activity. Due to the pandemic’s congruence with the election year and the public’s intense polarization over the existing administration, this activity gained attention. Voting encouragement became quite popular as a result of the attempt to raise minority and younger voter participation. The turmoil brought on by the epidemic, which complicated voting, is another facet of this activity. To avoid COVID and yet fulfill their civic responsibility to cast a ballot, a majority of people opted for mail-in ballots rather than casting their votes in person. Voting has historically been a way for US citizens to embody the ideals of exercising the freedoms and rights that coincide with being a citizen of the United States. Using the ballot, citizens may actively pick their representatives in government and select leaders.

Work Cited:

PYMNTS. (2020, March 26). High-end face masks become valued commodity on eCommerce platforms. High-End Face Masks Become Valued Commodity | PYMNTS.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://www.pymnts.com/news/retail/2020/high-end-face-masks-become-valued-commodity-on-ecommerce-platforms/

WHO, P. A. H. O. (2022, September 26). Frequently asked questions: Covid-19 vaccines. PAHO/WHO | Pan American Health Organization. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://www.paho.org/en/covid-19-vaccines/frequently-asked-questions-covid-19-vaccines