An Essentialism Crisis

THE DESIGNATION OF “ESSENTIAL” INDIVIDUALS and work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic revealed a lot about who we value and who we overlook within our societies. The standing of doctors, already everyday heroes for saving lives and curing diseases, was further elevated. Significantly, we were finally forced to acknowledge the importance of grocery clerks, transit operators, and other labourers who are so often disregarded because their toil is usually seen as menial. On the other side of the coin, COVID-19’s toll in longterm care facilities prompted discussion about the expendability of older citizens, a line of thinking that peaked when the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, suggested that Americans over 70 years old should be willing to sacrifice themselves in order for the country’s economic activity to resume.

Watching these debates play out, a question emerged about the role of both visual artists and journalists. An early meme stated: “If you think artists are useless, try to spend your quarantine without music, books, poems, movies, paintings, and games.” Access to substantiated and accurate information proved so crucial that newspapers made sure that their coverage of the pandemic was available for free online. In Canada, the federal government listed “workers who support radio, television, and media service, including, but not limited to front line news reporters, studio, and technicians for news gathering and reporting” within their list of essential services and functions. That being said,