10 Most Controversial Moments of 2020
In a nutshell, 2020 has sucked and been one hell of a train wreck that everyone would like to forget.
2020 started off on the wrong foot on January 26, 2020, with NBA Legend Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in a helicopter crash in Calabasas. Bryant’s death sent massive shockwaves as the entire world mourned his death. Early March brought the start of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Besides the pandemic, we have witness other notable controversial moments this such as the fallouts from major scandals, the summer protests and events against police brutality, and the events of the 2020 US Presidential Election and its aftermath, to name a few.
Now, with all of that information being said, let’s take a look down below and check out the 10 Most Controversial Moments of 2020:
1. The Ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic:
Of all the controversial moments that 2020 brought, there’s no question as to why the ongoing coronavirus pandemic would be at the very top of this list. For many reasons, the coronavirus pandemic will go down in history as an event that affected everyone and everything in the world and how life changed drastically for a temporary period of time.
As of December 13, there have been nearly 72,625,119 cases and 1,618,477 deaths worldwide so far due to COVID-19. With the holidays season going on, the number of cases and deaths are expected to increase.
2. The First Presidential Debate:
Honestly, this entire article could have been about the 10 most Controversial Moments that happened during this year’s presidential election. One those controversial moments includes the sh**show and dumpster-fire that the first Presidential Debate was in late September. Check out the video below to see the highlights.
3. The 2020 Presidential Election:
Given the fact that it took five days past the Election Night to declare a winner and the lies and misinformation that President Trump spread on Twitter, no other words are needed to describe how chaotic the 2020 Presidential Election was.
4. The Not-so Peaceful Transition of Power:
Another one of the most controversial moments of 2020 that came as a result of the 2020 Presidential Election is President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden. Even a month and a half after Election Day, the Trump is still falsely claiming that he won the 2020 Election and encouraging officials in swing-states to change their states’ results. The countless lawsuits the Trump administration has filed over the election results have all been rejected, including by the Supreme Court.
After The Electoral College meets on December 14 to certify Joe Biden’s victory, does that mean that Secret Service will have to drag Trump out of the White House on Inauguration Day?
5. Ruth Ginsberg’s Death and The Controversial Appointment of Amy Comey Barrett:
Ruth Ginsburg’s passing on Rosh Hashanah was extremely emotional for people around the country not only because of the legacy that the pioneering Supreme Court Justice left behind, but also due to the fact that how close her death was to the election (a month and half prior to Election Day). No words to be described on how controversial President Trump’s decision to appoint (with the Republican-majority Senate confirming) Amy Comey Barrett as her replacement was.
6. George Floyd’s Murder:
Besides the events of the US Presidential Election and the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, another one of the most controversial moments of 2020 was George Floyd’s gruesome murder. On May 25, Floyd, an unarmed, African-American man, was killed in broad daylight after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. The encounter was filmed by multiple witnesses at the scene and once the videos showing Floyd’s gruesome and horrific death were posted on social media, they generated global attention as many were left feeling irate about another murder of an African-American by a white police officer.
Floyd’s gruesome death sparked a series of ongoing protests (see Section #7 below) around the world against police brutality, lack of police accountability, and racism in policing.
7. Police Brutality and Racism during The George Floyd Protests:
Police Brutality and Racism are issues that have been going on for many years in the US. George Floyd’s death in May sparked a series of protests (which lasted from late May to early November) around the world against police brutality, lack of police accountability, and racism in policing.
During the protests, many videos have circulated on social media capturing Controversial Moments of police officers and citizens doing several appalling things that resulted in more anger. Click here to see this list of police brutality videos from the George Floyd protests on Twitter that was compiled by Lawyer T. Greg Doucette and mathematician Jason Miller.
8. The Lack of Justice for Breonna Taylor:
Another one of the most controversial moments that defined how bad 2020 was includes the lack of justice for Breoanna Taylor, an African-American women who was fatally shot by three Louisville Metro Police Department officers in March after the they forcefully entered her home on a drug warrant (known as a no-knock search warrant), striking her more than eight times with gunfire after Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend, fearing for their safety, shot at one of the officer’s legs.
The September 23 announcement that none of the three officers’ involved in raid would not be charged in Breonna Taylor’s death sparked civil unrest and anger across the nation. Several members of the grand jury have spoken out and accused Daniel Cameron, the first African-American Attorney General of Kentucky, and the police of covering up what happened. Overall, the whole ordeal over the investigation of Breonna Taylor’s death demonstrates how much our nation’s criminal justice system has failed African-Americans. Things need to change.
9. President Trump’s Handling of The COVID-19 Pandemic and Eventual COVID-19 Diagnosis:
From calling the coronavirus the “Chinese Virus” (which has led to an increase in hate crimes towards Asian Americans) to not wearing a mask in public to hosting a campaign rally (which has been condemned by the media and public for various reasons) as the number of COVID-19 cases spiked, those are just a couple of the incidents that make Trump’s response to the pandemic extremely appalling.
The incident that make Trump’s response to the pandemic of the 2020’s most controversial moments is the political stunts he pulled while he was in the hospital after testing positive for the coronavirus, a diagnosis that came just days after he mocked Joe Biden for wearing a mask in public during the chaotic first Presidential debate.
10. The Fallout From The Houston Astros Sign-Stealing Scandal:
Of all the Controversial Moments of 2020 that are featured in this article, Moment #10 is the only one that came from sports. Although the Houston Astros Sign-Stealing scandal was first reported by The Athletic in November 2019, the findings of the MLB’s investigation of the allegations were not released until January 13, 2020. The MLB’s findings revealed that The Astros used technology to steal signs from opposing teams and had an elaborate system set up to alert Astros hitters what kind of pitch was coming from opposing pitchers during the 2017 and 2018 MLB Seasons.
The worst part is the fact that The Astros were able to cheat their way to winning the 2017 World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a result of the MLB’s findings, several people affiliated with The Astros from the 2017-2018 have lost their jobs and some of the apologies made by members of the Astros’ 2017 World Series Winning Team were not sincere. The scandal dominated the 2019–2020 offseason and the start of 2020 spring training as players and managers of other MLB Teams openly expressed their anger about the whole ordeal and the Astros’ ‘apologies’.
Before the coronavirus pandemic resulted in the MLB Season coming to a complete halt during spring training, the fallout of the Houston Astros Sign Stealing Scandal is was what everyone was talking about. Even when the MLB Season resumed in June, fans and MLB players weren’t going to let The Astros forget about what they did, as we saw with the Joe Kelly incident and the A’s-Astros brawl. When fans are allowed back to the baseball stadiums in 2021 or 2022, the Astros will still be heckled on the road by fans from opposing teams.
Besides the ones listed above, in your opinion, what were the most controversial moments of the 2020? Let us know which controversial moments stood out to you the most down below in the comments section!
Featured Image Source: https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/05/politics/election-2020-pennsylvania/index.html
