Kurt Vonnegut said, “History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again.” This moment in history has challenged society with many surprises. The effects of Covid-19, news on the 2020 election, and BLM movements to fight police brutality have all been seen in the news headlines recently. Covid-19 has caused teenager's mental health to decline from the isolation that was meant to protect them from sickness. Fake news related to the 2020 election has spread like wildfire across social media platforms throughout the U.S. Black Lives Matter movements have brought attention to police brutality that has been ignored for too long. A “this moment in history” starter pack must include the major issues of how isolation due to Covid-19 affects mental health in teens, how fake news was able to affect the presidential election of 2020, and how Black Lives Matter movements have brought police brutality to society’s attention. These events need to be recognized and learned from so the future of our nation can be successful. 

First, I would include how isolation from Covid-19 has affected teenagers across the world in a “this moment in history” starter pack. This is one of the biggest issues at this moment in history because teenagers are the future. If this pandemic continues to aid in the decline of mental health in teens, the future of our world could be affected. As a result of the pandemic, “students lost the structure of school time, and when coupled with a lack of parental support, this left students to navigate on their own. This led to odd sleeping patterns and overall dysregulation, which can impact coursework, family relationships, and mental health” (Robertson). If teenagers are unable to learn and maintain relationships with family and friends, their future education and future relationships will be affected. Teens must go back to in-person school and learn things the correct way so they can continue to pursue the profession they desire. Teens also need to continue to improve their social skills because they are imperative for the romantic, familial, and friend relationships they will have in the future. Self-isolating to prevent the spread of Covid seems like a good way to keep society healthy. However, according to Joanna Robertson with The Council on Recovery, “Students lost consistent access to friends and adult supports. One study found that 80% of adolescent girls feel “more lonely and isolated than before” (The Rox Institute). While teachers, counselors, and mentors are doing their best to remain connected, it proves a challenging situation. Many teens are experiencing an increase in their sense of isolation, depression, and loneliness” (Robertson). Teens need more support during this pandemic than previous to it because they need to be in a healthy mental state to have a successful adult life. Isolation because of Covid-19 has had many negative effects on teenagers and young adults, and this is an issue that needs to be addressed so the future of society is not put in jeopardy.

Second, I would include how the press and fake news affected American’s political views and the 2020 election in a “this moment in history” starter pack. This is an important issue at this moment in history because fake political news needs to be eliminated before future elections so the outcome of these elections can be fair and based upon the truth. All across social media platforms, false information on the 2020 presidential candidates was spread by foreign countries and adversaries of either candidate. Voters who believed the fake news then became potential wildcards with their vote. However, there is no easy solution to stopping the spread of fake news,“‘Social media companies have found no magic bullet to fight disinformation, or ‘fake news,’ since the 2016 U.S. elections. If anything, America’s adversaries, including Russia and China, have become more adept at using social media to alter how we think, behave and decide,’ according to the U.S. intelligence community’s threat assessment…” (Sebenius). If Americans’ thoughts, behaviors, and decisions are being altered by fake news on social media, then America’s future is in danger. The 2020 election contained lots of fake news from social media and the press, but Americans must learn to believe information that comes from reliable sources only. Regarding the effect of fake news on the 2016 election, “But researchers at Ohio State University, using post-election surveys, said that the impact of fake news on voters in key battleground states ‘may have been sufficient to deprive Hillary Clinton of a victory’ (Sebenius). This information is from the 2016 election, however, this relates to the 2020 election because it is predicted that fake news had an even bigger impact on the 2020 election. Americans can not let foreign fake accounts, fake websites, or false information from the press affect their vote, because this was one of the biggest battles faced in 2020. Fake news had a significant effect on voters' beliefs in the 2020 election, and this is an issue that needs to be addressed before future elections so the government and country can be as successful and reflective of the truth as possible. 

Last, I would include how recent Black Lives Matter movements have brought attention to unnecessary police brutality in a “this moment in history” starter pack. This is a significant issue at this moment in history because the intentions of the police should be to protect people and enforce the law, not use more force than necessary and harm people. The police need to stay true to the limitations and guidelines of their role as officers so they can return to being a respected force. The Black Lives Matter movement was created to stop police brutality towards African Americans. This has been a social movement that has brought attention to the unjust killings of Black people, and it changed many Americans' opinions of this movement when George Floyd suffered a tragic death at the hands of police brutality. BLM  ultimately wants to show that Black people deserved to be treated the same as all other American citizens, but also, “BLM seeks to combat police brutality, the over-policing of minority neighborhoods, and the abuses committed by for-profit jails. Its efforts have included calls for better training for police and greater accountability for police misconduct” (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). BLM doesn’t only want to bring attention to police brutality, it also aims to combat it and wants police training to be altered to stop the brutality. All of these issues regarding racism and police brutality have been brought up and addressed recently, which is exactly the goal of BLM. In addition, this has not only gotten the attention of Americans, “Large protests of these deaths in the name of Black Lives Matter captured national and international attention. The BLM movement thereafter continued to play a prominent role in demonstrations against police brutality and racism” (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). This shows that this movement against violence due to racism has been a huge part of this moment in history and has not only affected the U.S. but other countries as well. BLM has brought so many issues with racism and violence in our police force to light, and these issues need to continue to be addressed so our country can enforce its morals of equality and safety. 

A “this moment in history” starter pack should include the significant topics of how isolation due to Covid-19 has had negative effects on teenager’s mental health, how false information was spread and able to affect the presidential election of 2020, and how Black Lives Matter movements have brought attention to unjust police brutality. These issues need to be acknowledged and addressed so the future of society can grow and thrive. Others could argue these topics should not be included in a “this moment in history” starter pack because there are larger issues like a large number of Covid-related deaths and increasing damage to the environment from waste. However, the topics of fake news in the election, BLM movements, and mental health effects of Covid-19 are more important at this moment in history because they have the largest effect on society now and in the future. Covid left teens in isolation and caused them to feel lonely and unmotivated, BLM movements brought issues with police being unnecessarily violent to the world’s attention, and fake political news left voters to make decisions with misinformation. So, make sure to check on the teenagers, become aware of the issues of racism and police brutality and take a stand against it however it is possible, and make sure to fact-check any political news. This moment in history has been crazy, to be honest. However, we have to learn and grow from our experiences to have a promising future and prevent history from repeating itself!