As I scrolled through my phone several weeks ago, I found my feeds being taken over by friends and classmates sharing a conspiracy video called "Plandemic" on three different social media platforms. The video primarily targeted the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, whose fortitude and guidance throughout the COVID-19 crisis cannot be denied. "Plandemic" suggests that the global pandemic, which has now taken the lives of more than 120,000 Americans, is being used for financial gain by Dr. Fauci, philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and various pharmaceutical companies. The video had reached over 7.1 million views on YouTube and an additional 1.8 million on Facebook when I saw it — before being taken down for violation of community guidelines.

I was simultaneously frustrated and astonished as I scrolled through the list of people I knew that had shared the video. I considered them all to be rational people, and certainly none of them could be conspiracy theorists, right? Although the misinformation in the video itself is a mere inconvenience against the current backdrop of death and disease, it is an indicator of the unhealthy state of our nation and the mismanaged priorities of the American people. Adherence to policy and regulation is being replaced by an addiction to entertainment, and this addiction is what enables conspiracy videos such as "Plandemic" to manifest in the minds of rational people who have now compromised their intellect and reason for a 25-minute clip that distracted them from the real world.

Now more than ever is the time for strong, direct leadership. Female leaders could hold the key.

This isn't just a blanket statement of hope, it has been proven that female leadership has been essential in lessening the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. German Chancellor Angela Merkel helped Germany become one of the first nations in Europe to streamline testing availability, and testing hit 120,000 tests a day in April. In New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Arden was among the first world leaders to close borders and implement a lockdown after the first case — New Zealand has since reported a total of 22 deaths at time of writing. The same phenomenon is being observed in Taiwan, Denmark, and Finland, all three of which have women in charge. This is not to say these are the only countries with efficient management during the crisis: Vietnam, Greece, and Australia (which have male leaders) have also been praised for their low death rates and management during the crisis. However, the six countries with the highest death counts are all led by men, while female-led nations are reporting low numbers.

One country is a fluke. Dozens is a pattern.

What is it about women in power that has produced these results? I propose it is the difference in style. Research from Harvard Business Review measured a variety of leadership qualities in both men and women in an attempt to discover any general differences in management style. The study found that "women were rated as excelling in taking initiative, acting with resilience, practicing self-development, driving for results, and displaying high integrity and honesty." These traits, which I believe are often overlooked and underappreciated in today's society, must be taken into account when observing the causation behind the entertainment crisis and when finding ways to solve it.

The primary trait that stands out to me is the ability to act with resilience. In today's political climate, strength and toughness are essential to success, and the first step in addressing the entertainment crisis would be to simply acknowledge the problem. But this doesn't happen. In fact, the same principles of the "Plandemic" video are being promoted by leaders at the federal level, with retweets of the hashtag "#FireFauci" and direct discrediting of top medical experts. As shown by the nationwide protests against stay-at-home orders, medical advice, and crucial information is being swept under the rug in order to put on a good show. Women's ability to act with resilience would enable a female leader to condemn this ignorance and shed light on the issue at hand, actions that Dr. Deborah Birx has already mastered as White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator. Her no-nonsense tone and loyalty to facts are already proving helpful in directing the attention of the American people back to reality instead of hoaxes and distractions. Regarding Dr. Birx's attitude surrounding President Trump's antics (which are often misleading or volatile), one senior administrator at the White House told CNN "she has found a way to shut down his bad ideas without making him feel diminished" and "it is clear that she has his ear."

This ability to address conflict with both compassion and resilience is a gift and a blessing in today's political atmosphere, in which I believe assertiveness is essential to negotiating solutions.

Up until the last century or so, women have largely been barred from political leadership even in developed countries, resulting in little evidence of female heroism during crises similar to the one we now face. History books aren't full of stories about women during Europe's Bubonic Plague or even the more recent 1918 Influenza Pandemic. As the formerly structured world now watches unprecedented event after event unfold, we must acknowledge the effects of policies and programs being developed and carried out by women. Aside from the obvious crisis that COVID-19 has caused, there is an underlying issue of misinformation and an addiction to entertainment over facts in America. The qualities that enable women to succeed professionally, such as assertiveness and initiative, are the same traits that must be taken into account when dealing with this crisis.

Based on the current trends, female leadership could very well be the spark needed to prompt systematic change. As the world waits anxiously for solutions and guidance in these turbulent times, the value of that spark cannot, should not, and will not be underestimated.