Blog Assignment #1: Relating Us to the COVID-19 Pandemic: “We are Americans”

In Jordan Peele’s movie Us, he introduces the concept of the tethered- an entire world of people living underground, completely invisible to the aboveground world, living in a hellscape essentially, and not by their own choice. The tethered are like shadows to those that live in our world, they live a less fortunate/privileged life, and suffer as we bask in the sunlight of our privilege. Jordan Peele’s film is seen as a metaphor for class, the tethered are similar to the homeless in our society: invisible, shunned, and the more privileged often look away from them and their struggles. I would argue, during the COVID-19 pandemic, that many are living through a real world version of Us, where two completely different realities exist: one for the privileged, wealthy, predominantly white, and another for the working class, mostly people of color, and Black people .

Throughout this pandemic, we have witnessed countless Americans suffer, forced to continue to work to make ends meet, and unable to breathe while a ventilator is forced down their throats. And yet, bars are open in many cities, retail remains open for shopping so companies wouldn’t lose profits around the holidays, and countless people flaunt restrictions for parties with their friends or vacations in Mexico and Hawaii. In many ways, the working class, healthcare workers, and those admitted to the hospital with severe cases are similar to the tethered-completely invisible to the outside world, and often disregarded so that some rich white sorority girl can enjoy a $10 mojito with her sisters without guilt. COVID-19 truly is an invisible pandemic — unless it has directly affected you or your loved ones, or you are a frontline healthcare worker, one can completely ignore the devastating effects the pandemic has wreaked on Americans across the country.

This brings us back to Us, and a quote that stood out to me was when Adelaide asked the tethered family who they were, and the response was “We are Americans.” At the end of the day, we are all Americans, and the privileged are casually behaving in ways that are essentially, murdering the underprivileged. However, the fault isn’t all on their end. Our governments response has been completely incompetent and counter-productive, politicizing the virus, causing half the country to believe it is a hoax. In the Constitution it states we all have a right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (although it’s debatable if that applies to all). But what about when one’s ‘liberty’ infringes on another’s life? In this way, the working class, Black folks are invisible and seen as not American by both the rich/white folks, and the government (seems like a historical pattern). So, who is the villain in our real world Us? Is it the government, for their lack of aid and response? Is it the privileged, who continue to party, travel, and gather without a single thought for the repercussions? Honestly, I’m not sure. In my opinion though, all of the above.