Part 2/9:
Hampton opens his dialogue by recounting the initial reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments all over the world mandated stay-at-home orders, which resulted in significant economic fallout, including business closures and skyrocketing crime rates. With the global economy already fragile, the crisis led to a surge in domestic violence and child abuse, presenting a grim portrait of societal instability.
As businesses began to reopen, the focus slowly shifted from the pandemic itself to the social justice movements propelled by incidents of police violence, evoking memories of the fictional "Purge" scenario seen in popular cinema. The media coverage became a central point of influence, guiding public sentiment through an unprecedented era of social unrest.