White (the color, not my last name) by Jordyn White

          This month's blog topic is current events.  But how am I supposed to find a "unique" current event when every news headline has to do with the CO-VID 19?  It seems that we are witnessing a global pandemic, a status just recently granted to the virus by WHO, and everything in our world seems to revolve around the devastation (potential and physical) that can or will be caused by this virus.  The stock market is at its lowest point since 1987, global and domestic sports events are canceled, schools are shutting down and cleaned, and travel bans to many European and Asian countries have been put in place.  In the midst of all this panic, I've been thinking a lot about all the epidemic movies I've grown up on, how Coronavirus is different or the same from the Hollywood adaptation of such events.  Without further ado, I present an abstract piece I call "White" (the color, not my last name), which is a reflection on the isolation caused by fear.


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          White was the color of morality.  It painted the petals of flowers and the intricate design of lace.  Brides were adjourned by white, innocent and unassuming in a world of steel.  White was the smell of baby powder, airy and floral. It was the way a new being sees the world--an endlessly cascading and unsoiled slate.  It was the color of mother’s favorite set of pearls, picket fences, and all things pure. It was the color of angels.

White is the color of barriers.  It paints the white masks preventing lovers from embracing, lines the clinical walls of solitude.  Prisoners are adjourned by white gowns, detached and empty in a world afraid of its own shadow. White is the smell of latex and antibiotics, sterile and itchy.  It is the way everything seems when the endless days blend into one another--cold and poisoned by isolation. It is the color of bone, teeth, and harsh things soon to be tainted by blood.  It is the color of ghosts, living and dead that would. not. just. leave. me. alone.

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          Being that this piece is a bit vague, I think I owe you all a little explanation.  I wrote this as a social commentary as to how we allow fear to mutilate the meaning of things.  In my work, I use the color white as a symbol for a change of opinion.  As a society, we let little things get in the way of how we think of things so easily, and unfortunately, we're in one of those times when people are running rampant with their thoughts.  I hope this adds a little bit of clarity to my piece and that you guys enjoyed it!

Via Daily Mail.  I feel like this picture embodies my piece--there are two ways to look at it.