2020, Go Away

And now, I think a lot of people would do anything to go back to those happier and simpler times. 

It’s 2016. Barack Obama is President. The nation is preparing for an exchange of power from Obama to either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. It’s starting to look like Clinton will become the first female President of the United States. Until — BAM! — the Electoral College does its thing. 

Lots of controversy surrounds the election. Is Trump having Russia rig the election so that he wins? What’s in Clinton’s infamous emails?

It’s not like this year’s election isn’t sparked with controversy. Is Russia rigging this one, too?

Remember the super rich guy from The Apprentice? Yeah, Donald Trump is the President… of the United States. And he’s running for re-election. 

He’s running against former Vice President Joe Biden.

The election was on November 3. Our two candidates are the aforementioned rich guy from The Apprentice and a guy who at times has shown confusion about what position he is running for and who he is running against. 

All jokes aside, I never thought I would say this, but we need to be more like Utah. A video from a few weeks ago showed the two Utah governor candidates coming together to teach their fellow Utahans to have respect for everyone no matter their beliefs. 

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that that will not happen in the 2020 United States of America Presidential election. 

2016 and 2020 actually are turning out to be very similar years. Both are terrible. 

In 2016, the election dominated the coverage for much of the year. Allegation after allegation after allegation was thrown back and forth from members of both major parties.  

We faced another epidemic. Zika. But, Zika was nowhere near as devastating to the people of the world. It was also probably handled better, but that’s a different story. 

We have seen many iconic figures pass away. In 2016, it was Muhammad Ali, Prince, David Bowie, and many others. This year it is Kobe Bryant, Diego Maradona, Alex Trebek, just to name a few. 

We have witnessed multiple police shootings sparking outrage across the country. 

While 2016 was the year of the underdog in sports, this year was the year of the top dog. The Lakers, Dodgers, and Chiefs all took home the title. 

In 2020, the United States is in a state of total disarray. 

As George Packer from The Atlantic said, “When the virus came here, it found a country with serious underlying conditions, and it exploited them ruthlessly.”

Coronavirus cases are on the rise again. And not just in one state. Cases are on the rise in over 40 states. 

Political rallies are higher attended than concerts and sporting events, at least for Trump. 

We live in a country where wearing a mask is considered a political statement and the virus is all politics. 

In a year full of devastation to forests and the most hurricanes in history, we hardly hear about climate change.

Our country is divided. 

But I mean there has to be some good in this year, right?

Voting has never been such a point of emphasis. 

A 103-year old woman beat COVID-19… and celebrated with a Bud Light. 

Drive-in movies are back. And drive-in concerts are a thing???

Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, Madelyn Cline, and Chase Stokes somehow united the country. Well, most of it, at least. 

TikTok cured our boredom during quarantine. Maybe a little too much… Definitely too much.

Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson gave us some hilarious moments and some of the first sports entertainment during quarantine, while raising money for COVID-19 relief. 

Well, that’s about it. 2020, I think it’s time for you to tap the brakes. Let us live a little. Or just let us live. 

Can we please see our families for Christmas? Please. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. 

Oh, and if you can go to the future to relay a message to 2021, that’d be great. 

Dear 2021, please don’t be terrible.