How have you been digesting the "post" pandemic world? To me, it seems we still have a lot to process yet.
At first, in 2020, the world seemed to have erupted with voices calling out all the idiosyncrasies and hypocrisies that numbed us with time. It was about time. And time's up!
Fast forward to 2021, and here we are, living in a post-pandemic world while still trying to beat the virus. And the band goes on. But does it really?
I don't know about you, but there's a lot I can't take it anymore. So many times, I feel like Howard Beale, Albert Finney's character in Network (Google it!), and I want to open the window and shout: 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take this anymore!'
In this 1976's Sidney Lumet satirical black comedy-drama, Howard Beale is an anchorman announcing on live T.V. that he will commit suicide after finding out he will be fired because of declining rates. Ironically, Beale's angry outburst causes ratings to spike, and then you'll have to watch the film to know more. Spoiler alert: the film is a cautionary tale about the blind pursuit of ratings and T.V. power.
After being numb for so long, with many emotions building up during lockdown, the new social distancing guideline flexibility teases up a '20s roaring reload. Lots of partying to forget about frustration, going back to "normal," getting hammered, and finally sitting on the couch with a hangover to watch a show about the 2020's pandemic on Netflix. I wonder if it won't top us to swallow everything back with a shot of tequila?
At the risk of sounding like an angry, paranoid man– which I'm not totally convinced I'm not– I keep seeing things all around that still make my stomach churn. I'm mad as hell, and it is feeding my IBS.
I can't take Bravo's racial reckoning, for example. Bravo built its audience on the back of the Real Housewives Name-A-City franchise success– a series of reality shows with nothing real about it–showcasing angry, allegedly wealthy, white angry women with drinking issues. Basically, a carnival of catfights mixed with questionable fashion choices and lots, lots of booze. And everybody enjoyed it. Those who felt slightly uncomfortable watching the constant barrage of unappropriated behavior enablement tinged with racism and lack of social awareness would often hear a classic "relax, take it easy" push back. Don't tell me to switch the channel because it is the same as saying look the other way.
But then the tide has shifted, and to solve the problem, Bravo brought some non-white new cast members to educate veterans and foster the conversation on critical current topics. I thought that the days of getting away with "fostering conversation on critical current topics" was over, but not to Bravo. So, let's bring on the booze and watch them learn– or burn. Like in Lumet's film, let's take some critical challenges, serve it up to viewers as entertainment, and then watch the ratings rise. Or, like Andy Cohen would prefer, let's watch what happens.
After these unprecedented times –ugh!– we've been living in, it seems confusing to watch the world quickly jumping to marketing a woke renaissance without actually taking seriously the systemic issues we have been dealing with in society for centuries.
And that is the part that makes me sick to my stomach. We have been doing this so well– building or shifting a narrative – and for so long, it seems that "how it looks like" is always more relevant than" how things actually are." That it's OK profiting on talking about the problems without ever helping to tackle them– even in our own environment. It is kind of us to blame for this because we became experts in shifting or directing people's attention to what we want them to look at. Adding the power of social media to the recipe, and perception has triumphed over reality.
But can we do better?
Of course! With so much creative force and technology available in the world, putting in a bit of awareness – and frankly, some madness, anger, and perplexity, too – this moment can propel us to reinvention. There's a window of opportunity right in front of us. This time we can walk the talk and put actions where our mouth is. It's time to update our culture.
The prospect of a roaring 20s might be worrisome too. Because we've seen this movie many times, and the ending never changes. After the party, then comes the hangover. And after binging on the narratives, we successfully spin; unavoidably, we will have to process it in our real lives. We've done this for the entire 20th century, not only insisting on the same grub but instead spicing it up. Chugging on the same B.S. that we spill out to the world can only lead us to epic indigestion. I know I don't want to do more of the same, and perhaps it's time to change the diet.
But like I heard from the doctor when I asked if I could eat spicy food after being diagnosed with gastroenteritis: well, it's not my bowel.