2020 taught us how to fix this FILE — A cashier wears a mask while working at a Whole Foods Market in Washington, April 14, 2020. Businesses are lobbying Congress for protections against coronavirus-related lawsuits, but unions and Democrats fear a liability shield would encourage reckless behavior. (Ting Shen/The New York Times) Written By 3rd Jan 2021 This is the year that broke the truth. This is the year when millions of Americans — and not just your political opponents — seemed impervious to evidence, willing to believe the most outlandish things if it suited their biases, and eager to develop fervid animosities based on crude stereotypes.