August 2020

by James Pogue,

[Miscellany]

The Counter-Monument

Disempowering a memorial to Fascism

by Zoey Poll,

Harper’s Magazine welcomes reader response.

Email us about articles in the magazine.

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of respondents to a recent survey who did not know what day it was when they responded : 59

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which streaming of N.W.A’s “Fuck tha Police” increased in the week following George Floyd’s death : 272

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the Minneapolis police used force more often against black people than white people over the past five years : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Minneapolis police officers who live in Minneapolis : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of white Americans who had an unfavorable view of the police before police brutality protests began in May : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who would be comfortable with the military being deployed to their community in response to protests : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated cost of outfitting a police officer with riot-control gear : $790

[Harper’s Index]

Of outfitting a hospital worker with standard personal protective equipment : $11

[Harper’s Index]

Number of the ten largest U.S. novel coronavirus clusters that are linked to correctional facilities : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage decrease since 2006 in the incarceration rate of black Americans : 34

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which this rate remains higher than that of white Americans : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of unemployed workers in Massachusetts who receive unemployment benefits : 66

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of jobs that require close contact and cannot be done remotely that are done by women : 77

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of fathers assisting with remote learning who believe they are doing most of the instruction : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Of mothers assisting with remote learning who agree : 1/33

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the number of accounts on Facebook’s messenger app for children under 13 has increased since March : 3.5

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of remote-learning children in households making under $25,000 a year who log on once a week or less : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Of those in households making over $100,000 a year who log on every day : 4/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who view the coronavirus as a major threat to their finances : 41

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they would refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine : 19

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. coronavirus cases that have occurred in counties that Donald Trump won in 2016 : 27

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since last year in the number of Democrats who have a “great deal” of trust in medical scientists : +43

[Harper’s Index]

Number of Doctors Without Borders medical staff who have been assigned to the U.S. coronavirus response : 21

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of U.S. lives that could have been saved if social distancing had been implemented a week earlier : 35,287

[Harper’s Index]

If social distancing had been implemented two weeks earlier : 58,322

[Harper’s Index]

Number of U.S. governors whose favorability ratings related to the pandemic have been higher than Trump’s : 49

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated portion of New Yorkers who left the city as the pandemic hit : 1/20

[Harper’s Index]

Of New Yorkers living on the Upper East Side who did : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults working from home during lockdowns who have napped while on the clock : 59

[Harper’s Index]

Chance that an American always wears pants when working from home : 1 in 2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say an ex reached out to them during lockdown : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Average number of times per week that an American forgot what day it was this spring : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of respondents to a recent survey who did not know what day it was when they responded : 59

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which streaming of N.W.A’s “Fuck tha Police” increased in the week following George Floyd’s death : 272

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the Minneapolis police used force more often against black people than white people over the past five years : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Minneapolis police officers who live in Minneapolis : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of white Americans who had an unfavorable view of the police before police brutality protests began in May : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who would be comfortable with the military being deployed to their community in response to protests : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated cost of outfitting a police officer with riot-control gear : $790

[Harper’s Index]

Of outfitting a hospital worker with standard personal protective equipment : $11

[Harper’s Index]

Number of the ten largest U.S. novel coronavirus clusters that are linked to correctional facilities : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage decrease since 2006 in the incarceration rate of black Americans : 34

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which this rate remains higher than that of white Americans : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of unemployed workers in Massachusetts who receive unemployment benefits : 66

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of jobs that require close contact and cannot be done remotely that are done by women : 77

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of fathers assisting with remote learning who believe they are doing most of the instruction : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Of mothers assisting with remote learning who agree : 1/33

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the number of accounts on Facebook’s messenger app for children under 13 has increased since March : 3.5

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of remote-learning children in households making under $25,000 a year who log on once a week or less : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Of those in households making over $100,000 a year who log on every day : 4/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who view the coronavirus as a major threat to their finances : 41

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they would refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine : 19

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. coronavirus cases that have occurred in counties that Donald Trump won in 2016 : 27

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since last year in the number of Democrats who have a “great deal” of trust in medical scientists : +43

[Harper’s Index]

Number of Doctors Without Borders medical staff who have been assigned to the U.S. coronavirus response : 21

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of U.S. lives that could have been saved if social distancing had been implemented a week earlier : 35,287

[Harper’s Index]

If social distancing had been implemented two weeks earlier : 58,322

[Harper’s Index]

Number of U.S. governors whose favorability ratings related to the pandemic have been higher than Trump’s : 49

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated portion of New Yorkers who left the city as the pandemic hit : 1/20

[Harper’s Index]

Of New Yorkers living on the Upper East Side who did : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults working from home during lockdowns who have napped while on the clock : 59

[Harper’s Index]

Chance that an American always wears pants when working from home : 1 in 2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say an ex reached out to them during lockdown : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Average number of times per week that an American forgot what day it was this spring : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of respondents to a recent survey who did not know what day it was when they responded : 59

Readings

[Essay]

The Report

by Lina Wolff,Translated by Saskia Vogel,

[Drama]

Knife Play

by Franz Kafka,Translated by Michael Hofmann,

1992 (Worst Nightmare), a mixed-media painting (acrylic, spray paint, feather, coin, pendant, foil, chain, lighter, duct tape, and blunt on canvas) by Lavar Munroe, whose work will be on view next month at Jack Bell Gallery, in London.

Untitled Mask Collage, a mixed-media artwork (vinyl, spray enamel, oil stick, black soap, and wax on panel) by Rashid Johnson, whose work was on view in January at Hauser & Wirth, in New York City.

A photograph of white coats hanging along a street in Paris, installed to honor medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, by Jean-Claude Coutausse.

A photograph by Txema Salvans from Perfect Day, which was published in May by MACK.

Courtesy the artist and MACK

The Collector, a mixed-media drawing by Toyin Ojih Odutola, whose work is on view this month at the Barbican, in London.

Untitled Mask Collage, a mixed-media artwork (vinyl, spray enamel, oil stick, black soap, and wax on panel) by Rashid Johnson, whose work was on view in January at Hauser & Wirth, in New York City.

A photograph of white coats hanging along a street in Paris, installed to honor medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, by Jean-Claude Coutausse.