Violence, virus, and vitriol: The tale of COVID-19

Mungo, M. H.

The spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has bewildered scientists and medical experts as well as the politicians and public officials whom they advise. Because the virus behaves in ways that are novel, its current, short-term, and long-term health effects are only beginning to be discovered. This is also true of the social impact of the virus. Measures taken and measures not taken to restrict the spread of the virus have disparate effects on lower socioeconomic groups. Not only is the current pandemic highlighting stark social inequalities, it is also illuminating numerous problems in social infrastructure. Galtung’s notion of structural violence (1969) provides an ideal framework for which to examine the global pandemic, its politicization, and the social impact of each on citizens. The spread of the novel coronavirus and the United States’ governmental response provides an ongoing case illustrating the concept of structural violence and its grave consequences. © 2021 selection and editorial matter, J. Michael Ryan;individual chapters, the contributors.